Ready Part One HERE.
Quirky movies are most often lovable, not only because they are funny and often adorable, but they have depth of feeling and can be very poignant. I find that most of the feel good and inspiring movies I like are often on my quirky films list as well.
Many film directors are known for making quirky movies, some of these include: Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Rob Reiner, Coen Brothers, Christopher Guest, David Lynch, Terry Gilliam, and Roman Polanski.
As well, many actors have played in several quirky movies, some of these include: Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Winona Ryder, Peter Sellers, Jack Nicholson, Christina Ricci, Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Francis McDormand, Dennis Hopper, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Keenu Reeves, Danny DeVito, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, and John Cusack.
Being There
A truly wonderful oddball film. Being There is Peter Seller’s masterpiece with its absurd and hilarious dry humor. Seller’s plays Chance Gardner, a mentally challenged middle-aged man who is recently homeless and pennyless. He wears hand-me-down expensive tailored suits. His amiable personality and wealthy image put him into lucky circumstances where people believe he is rich, intelligent, and powerful.
Details: Being There, 1979, United Artists, director Hal Ashby. Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden. Awards: Oscar, BAFTA, 2 Golden Globes. Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, Allmovie 4 of 5 stars, IMDB 7.9 of 10.
Harvey
Who doesn’t love a giant magical invisible rabbit who can stop time and befriends happy drunks at bars? This was a hit on Broadway before it was a film. James Stewart plays wealthy eccentric Elwood P. Dowd who frequents Charlie’s Bar with Harvey a mischievous Puca, an invisible 6 foot 3.5 inches tall white rabbit. Josephine Hull as Elwood’s sister is wonderful.
Details: Harvey, 1950, Universal, director Henry Koster. Cast: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake. Awards: Oscar, Golden Globe. Ratings: Allmovie 5/5, IMDB 7.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes 86%.
The Fisher King
A triumph by Robin Williams who plays an emotionally damaged homeless man on a quest to find the Holy Grail. Jeff Bridges tries to help him come back to reality.
In the movie The Fisher King, Robin Williams explains that the Fisher King was charged by God with finding and protecting the Holy Grail (the symbol of Divine Grace). The King saw the Grail as a means for power and he incurred an incapacitating wound for his sin of pride, and thus was denied the Grail, lost faith, and could not love. A simple-minded Fool asked the King why he suffered, and when the King said he was thirsty, the Fool took a cup from the counter and gave the King a cup of water to drink. The King’s wound healed and he realized the cup was the Grail and asked, “How did you find what my brightest and bravest could not?” The Fool said “I don’t know, I only knew that you were thirsty.”
Details: The Fisher King, 1991, Tristar, director Terry Gilliam. Cast: Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plumber, Mercedes Ruehl. Awards: Oscar, 2 Golden Globes. Ratings: IMDB 7.5/10, Allmovie 4/5, Rotten Tomatoes 85%.
The Royal Tenenbaums
You can’t help but feel empathy for this collection of dysfunctional, neurotic siblings wallowing in self-indulgence. Along with the charming, unscrupulous con-man father responsible for the carnage played with panache by Gene Hackman.
Details: The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001, Buena Vista, director Wes Anderson. Cast: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover. Awards: Golden Globe, Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes 89%, Allmovie 4/5, IMDB 7.6/10.
Forest Gump
Society will forever be graced with the simple philosophy of “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get,” and “Stupid is as stupid does.” We are all Forest Gump, simple folk making the best of what we can with our own little box of chocolates. A tour de force by Tom Hanks as the lovable simple minded Forest Gump who has a knack of being a player at historically significant events.
Details: Forest Gump, 1994, Paramount, director Robert Zemeckis. Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinese, Sally Field, Myleti Williamson. Awards: 6 Oscars, BAFTA, 3 Golden Globes. Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, Allmovie 4.5/5, IMDB 8.8/10.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons
Adorable bitter sweet movie. Brad Pitt plays an abandoned child who is born old and ages backward to childhood.
Details: The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, 2008, Paramount, director David Fincher. Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett. Awards: 3 Oscars, 3 BAFTA. Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes 80%, Allmovie 4/5, IMDB 7.8/10.
Big Fish
A bizarre yet wonderful fantasy movie with big name actors. A tale of reconciliation. A young man tries to distinguish truth from fiction of his dying father’s fantastic tall tales of his adventurous life.
Details: Big Fish, 2003, Sony, director Tim Burton. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Billy Crudup, Danny DeVito, Steve Buscemi. Awards: 1 Oscar nomination, 7 BAFTA nominations, 4 Golden Globe nominations. Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes 89%, Allmovie 3.5/5, IMDB 8/10.
Alice In Wonderland
The off kilter genius of Lewis Carroll stills shines far above the minds of us mere mortals. One should never get enough of his profound and inspirational philosophical quips. Carroll teaches us, through the eyes Alice (ten years old in the original story), that the world would indeed be quite a dreary place without the magic of imagination.
Alice’s journey takes us into the magical domain of our own imagination, where the Cheshire Cat informs us that, “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass reveal a realm where our mind is freed of the restraints of conventional logical formalism that stifles our creativity. It is where you must embrace unconventional ‘Madness’, as the Cheshire Cat advises Alice, “You must be mad or you wouldn’t have come here.” Alice responds that “Things are curiouser and curiouser,” as she opens her mind. So where does Alice’s journey lead? The Cheshire Cat tells Alice that “If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there.”
Tim Burton’s film embraces the core theme of Lewis Carroll’s writings. The storylines though diverge from the original plots but tell a wondrous tale.
Details: Alice In Wonderland, 2010, Disney, director Tim Burton. Cast: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen. Ratings: IMDB 6.4/10, Allmovie 4/5, Rotten Tomatoes 55%. Awards: 2 Oscar, 2 BAFTA, 3 Golden Globes nominations.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
Jack Nicholson broke onto the Hollywood scene making quite a splash and mercilessly poking his finger in the eye of conventional society. He played the most anti-authoritarian rebels in Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Carnal Knowledge, and Chinatown before One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a masterpiece poking fun at the age long questions of reality, sanity, and insanity. Nicholson is in his element with great actors playing supporting parts where many had career breakout roles in this film. Based on the Ken Kesey novel of a con artist who fakes insanity in a mental institution to escape a prison sentence. He soon butts heads with the head of the ward, Nurse Ratched played by Louise Fletcher, leading to his tragic end.
Details: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975, United Artists, director Milos Forman. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson, William Redfield, Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif, Christopher Lloyd. Awards: 5 Oscars, 6 BAFTA, 6 Golden Globes. Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes 96%, IMDB 8.7/ 10, Allmovie 5/5.
Moonrise Kingdom
A somewhat bizarre and twisted comedy tale of innocent young love. A couple of adolescents ‘escape’ summer camp to explore romance. The authorities try to find and punish them but the young couple is aided by several adults.
Details: Moonrise Kingdom, 2012, director Wes Anderson. Cast: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel. Awards: nominations for Oscar, BAFTA, Cannes, Golden Globe. Rankings: IMDB 7.8/10, Allmovie 3/5, Rotten Tomatoes 94%.
Beetlejuice
Michael Keaton steals the show in this over-the-top ghost comedy tale. The Calypso dance around the dining room table is one of the funniest scenes in movies. It is about an offbeat family that moves into a house which is haunted by ghosts who try to evict them. Catherine O’Hara is wonderful as the offbeat artist-designer mother.
Details: Beetlejuice, 1988, Warner, director Tim Burton. Cast: Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara. Rankings: IMDB 7.5/10, Allmovie 3.5/5, Rotten Tomatoes 85%.
References
Watching the movies
IDMB
Rotten Tomatoes
Allmovie
Variety
Ranker
Wikipedia
