Movies I Keep Coming Back To
From the pursuit of a perfect ramen to a walk into the realms of angels
- Tampopo (1985)
This one will surely tickle both your heart and mind — and get you smacking lips every so often. It has a unique, original take on filmmaking — but also, more importantly, on people.
It’s a movie where the actors are as “mundane” in their physical appearances as the everyday people you meet on the streets. It kinda make you wonder if you, yourself, could also become a movie star one day.
Here you’d have ramen-loving truck drivers, an aspiring chef, a quirky gangster who loves movies and good food, sophisticated beggars, and much more. As one reviewer puts it — the story (or should I say stories) floats along its plot like dandelion seeds would — visiting places before heading toward its climax.
You have to watch this, really — if you’re an aficionado of food, sex, and, or, everything in between.
2. Blade Runner (1982)
I know this sounds silly — but I used to stay away from anything labelled as “science fiction” because I thought I’d have to decipher a bunch of datas, codes, and technical jargons before I could understand what they’re trying to say. LOL.
But this one is nothing like that. In fact, this has to be the most heartfelt sci-fi flick out there. It has to be — when you have the villain spits out poetry during his final moment.
Huh. Awesome.
I don’t usually go for a dollface, but I’d make an exception for Sean Young here— she’s achingly stunning. While Harrison Ford — well, Harrison Ford is Harrison Ford. He’s cool — and much younger in this one.
There’s a melancholic sadness hangs in the air throughout— perhaps it’s the soundtrack— which makes it even more poetic. Definitely unlike its sequel which I find a bit arid.
3. Stand by Me (1986)
I wish I had a road trip as cool as this back in the days. This movie is just the perfect medium to relive those simpler moments in life.
Those lazy summer days. The chirps and drones of a radio transistor. Fun and catchy tunes. Endless jibing and frolicking — this one has them all.
This is no Disney, though. It’s a movie for grown-ups who want to be kids again — well, at least for one and a half hour. It was based on Stephen King’s novella, “The Body” — and if you’re familiar with his novel “It” , you know he’s good at getting inside an adolescent’s mind.
This also has the best of quotes, like —
”We’d only been gone for two days but somehow the town seemed different, smaller.”
And when that title track kicks in and the credits roll — how can you not be moved?!
4. Chungking Express (1994)
Sunkist oranges, “New York” nougat candies, and “Marlboro” candy cigarettes. Those delicacies — and movies — were the means to transport me to “Amerika ” when I was a kid. I did get to visit the US years afterward, and got a valuable lesson — that reality, my friend, is a bummer.
That’s why I keep coming back to these movies. LOL.
Wong Kar-wai is a master in translating loneliness onto the big screen. Here he perfectly captures that feeling of being “stuck in reverse” while everyone else has moved on. Because to them, everything has an expiry date — and you’re the only one who doesn’t seem to get it. Shame on you.
This is Wong Kar-wai at his most innovative and playful, without being self-indulgent with his artistic expression — the way he did with his recent outputs. Sorry, Mr. Wong — I just have to say it somehow.
5. Wings of Desire (1987)
I watch this one whenever I get jaded , when everything around me becomes dreary and meaningless. This will make that cup of joe you’re holding taste wonderful again, I promise.
It’s slowly paced, beautifully shot in black and white (mostly) — but don’t worry, it’ll pick up wonderfully in the third act. So — brace yourself and serenely step into the realms of angels.
There you are, my first batch of cinematic obsessions. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Cheers.
Image credits:
All of the above images were gathered from their respective wikipedia pages.