Ogilvy on spec work: “We have prepared nothing. Instead we would like you to tell us about your problems. Then you can visit the other four agencies on your list. They have all prepared speculative campaigns. If you like any of them, your choice will be easy. If you don’t, come back and hire us. We will then embark on the research which always precedes the preparation of advertisements at our agency.”
Netflix makes just about every film easily accessible, which is awesome for wanna-be film buffs like me. I’m obsessed with watching classics, foreign films, art films, biopics, as well as blockbusters. I’ve composed a list of some of my favorite ones. So as of today, these are my top 10 favorite movies, which will probably be completely different next week.
10. The Apartment
Sunset Blvd. is probably Billy Wilder’s most important film, but The Apartment is a great, simple story told very well. The camera work is also top notch.
9. Control
Honestly, I didn’t know much about Joy Division being in my early 20’s. But since seeing this film, JD is in my top 3 on last.fm. The film doesn’t idolize Ian Curtis, but portrays an honest image of the singer. It’s beautifully shot, the actors do a stellar performance of the songs, and the Joy Division story is told flawlessly. My favorite biopic of all time.
8. The King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters
There’s a lot of controversy around the integrity of the documentary regarding The King of Kong. Apparently Billy Mitchell isn’t as much as a jerk as the film makes him out to be. However, the story is fantastic. It’s a Rocky for nerds.
7. Goodfellas
The Departed only has a good ending—it’s essentially a Steven Seagal flick glossed up by one of the greatest living directors. Goodfellas has heart, character metamorphoses, golden camerawork—just to name a few qualities. The Oscar for Departed was a pity award.
6. The Shining
Scary, fun, exciting—filmmaking at its best.
5. In Cold Blood
This Truman Capote adaptation might not be as thorough as the novel, but it’s highly detailed-oriented. Robert Blake gives a terrifying performance.
4. Dial M For Murder
Vertigo is Hitchcock’s best film. End of story. However, Dial M For Murder will be one of the most fun and entertaining Hitchcock movies you’ll ever see. Vertigo’s good for the textbooks, Dial M is just a great entertaining movie you can keep on watching.
3. There Will Be Blood
Perfect in every way. It’s long, but never boring. The dialog is short, but never dry. It’s shot in a very simple way, but looks beautiful and different. There are so many layers of meaning in this film—it’s so difficult to think about. It’s very similar to Once Upon a Time in the West, being nuance based, political, and very sharp. It also helps having Jonny Greenwood doing the score.
2. 8 1/2
Italy’s Citizen Kane. Every shot is impeccable. Marcello Mastroianni is fantastic. I consider it superior to Citizen Kane.
1. Helvetica
I have an obsession with typefaces. This movie made my mind spin uncontrollably for many days after I watched it. It made me question everything I knew about typography. World renowned designers give their argument on why Helvetica is perfect or evil. I found the most inspiring part to be the interview of Experimental Jetset, where they explain how they try to get emotion out of a typeface that has none.
