By Ellie Simmers – Assistant News Editor
One video concept I will never skip is celebrities on the red carpet, being asked their “Top 4 Favorite Films” by Letterboxd, a social platform for sharing your taste in film, according to their website. While I am hardly a film critic, there are certain movies that I will never hesitate to recommend to someone or rave about. I might not be on the red carpet of a movie premiere doing this, but here are my ‘LetterBoxd’ Top 4 Films.
- Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
What can be said about a movie that embodies all of the human emotions in just 101 minutes? Little Miss Sunshine is labeled as a ‘comedy/drama’, but it is more of a coming-of-age story than anything else. The film follows the quirky, dysfunctional Hoover family traveling to California for their youngest daughter, Olive’s chance to win the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. This movie may seem like a simple concept, but it deals with issues of poverty, addiction, mental illness, body image, and what it means to be successful. This is a movie that I will never get tired of watching, especially during times like these when the world is turning upside down. If you need to laugh, cry, challenge your worldview or how you view yourself, or if you want to see Steve Carrell, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin, and Toni Collette squish into an old, yellow Volkswagen van, then I recommend checking out Little Miss Sunshine.
https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/little-miss-sunshine
- Promising Young Woman (2020)
In contrast to the last film, Promising Young Woman is not a feel-good, heartwarming film. That doesn’t make the movie any less important in my opinion, but don’t expect to feel great about society after watching it. This movie follows Cassie, a woman seeking retribution and accountability for a traumatic event in her past. One of the things I like about this film is how it plays with the concepts of morality versus justice. This movie also deals with some weighty themes of rape culture and sexual assault, though nothing related to any assaults is depicted on screen, which is another reason I am a fan of this movie. While this movie may not warm your heart like some others do, I believe that this is a movie everyone should watch. I believe Carey Mulligan’s performance as Cassie is one of the most authentic portrayals of what it means to be a woman and be angry.
- 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Switching gears, 10 Things I Hate About You, is a classic in the genre of ‘90s romantic comedies. Starring Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and the late great Heath Ledger, this retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” has become a cult classic for a reason. The movie follows Cameron, (Gordon-Levitt), a new student at Padua High School in Seattle, Washington, who will stop at nothing to date Bianca Stratford, even if it means paying Padua’s resident bad boy, Patrick Verona (Ledger) to date Bianca’s outspoken and aloof sister, Kat (Stiles). This is one of my favorite movies because it perfectly embodies the romantic comedy archetype that peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s of enemies-to-lovers. While this movie has some dead giveaways of the period it was filmed in, the story is a timeless one of coming-of-age, romance, and challenging societal expectations of ourselves.
https://www.tvguide.com/movies/10-things-i-hate-about-you/cast/2030059945
- Gone Girl
Last but certainly not least is Gone Girl. As someone who loved the book, I believe this movie adaptation was faithful to its source material. Returning to darker content, this film follows the disappearance of Amy Dunne, a beloved wife and daughter. As the press surrounding her disappearance begins to grow, Amy’s husband, Nick, begins to face public scrutiny, especially as details about their ‘perfect’ marriage begin to come to light. Without giving too much away, I will say that this story has complex characters and challenges how society handles cases like this one, both behind the scenes and in the media. With Rosamund Pike’s portrayal of Amy being widely acclaimed and Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Nick being dubbed his best, this movie will begin to feel so natural.
Additionally, the work of acclaimed thriller director David Fincher serves as an ode to the writing of Gillian Flynn’s novel and the world of characters she created. This film does deal with some heavy themes of domestic and sexual violence, abduction, and murder. I love a plot twist; again, without spoiling, this movie will leave you questioning everything.
To keep up with what I’m watching, follow me on LetterBoxd: @elliegsimmers