titles from my dvd shelf

this is actually in no particular order. i could have made them alphabetical or list ten rather than the limiting five. but i'm always pressed for time, mastering an irresistible ploy to hibernate. i pay my respects to all the social networking sites for making the proverbial slumbook of my younger years alive and well. to paraphrase our high school salutaturian's embedded quotes, "our choice of films reflect our personalities." the italicized excerpt has actually wavered from the original passage about the environment and i quite reckon jen would not be able recall ever constructing verses for my pleasure.

the five choices may mean that i'm ancient. but in reality i'm just too slow to catch up with the dark knight. i'm pretty circumscribed when it comes to films -- no brangelinas, no keira knightleys, no cb or any of her clones, as if i've i've never said that before. there are exceptions like the pirates of the carribean series, but only because of johnny depp.

west side story (1961) (directed by jerome robbins and greg wise)
--- i was already a teenager the first time i got hold of a copy of this film. i told my mom during the closing credits that the gangs could have taken tony to the hospital instead of maria singing somewhere. then there were george chakiris and rita moreno -- bernardo and anita, scene-stealing roles that deserved the oscars. i was dumbfounded by their dancing. up until now, i've never seen someone dance as elegantly as chakiris while moreno was bold and grandiose. natalie wood as maria was at her most beautiful. the world should remember her no less than an adept actress and the absurd rumors surrounding her love life and death are just products of the mean streaks of the hollywood machine.

gone with the wind (1939) directed by victor fleming
-- a young doctor on new year's eve categorized this drivel as the ultimate chick flick. but this only make me marvel about the first and third world analogy. while hollywood was producing this wondrous colour combinations in 1939, our local showbiz was still embedded in black and white milieus even way into the 70's. the concept of an english theatre actress playing a celebrated american heroine was an idea for the ages. vivien leigh was mesmerising. scarlett was the bad ass other woman with great resilience. melanie was the goody two-shoes, dutiful wife. and i'm a great fan of the actresses who played them.

wizard of oz (1939) directed by victor fleming
-- another classic from 1939. one of the great films that has launched tons of cliches and metaphors. as kids and teeners, it's a kaleidoscope of colors, a magical land with witches and leprechauns. a pensive nostalgia to how wonderful judy garland's voice was.

the godfather (1972) -- directed by francis ford coppola
a staple of every best films list. the depth and breadth of this gripping saga of the corleone family belongs to the ages. i got sucked into the vortex of the story and the performances of the fantastic cast -- brando, pacino, robert duvall, james caan. michael corleone was the silent water, the great chameleon, the pseudo-reluctant mobster whose penchant for ideological bloodshed is more ingrained than his father. marlon brando as don vito may be the most lampooned character in all of history. but don vito corleone was no caricature. he held court in his kingdom and his minions are submerged in the resonance of power in those jarring voice and piercing gape.

the godfather II (1972) -- directed by francis ford coppola
how could you, michael? how could you? that was only me wailing after the closing credits. the sequel to the first godfather may have also been a prequel as we see a young vito corleone played by de niro rise to the top of his world and michael corleone descent into the pathos of obsession. critics are a bit harsher to the director on this compelling aftermath. how could they? it still leaves a lot of queries and i'm still asking.