Ranking The 10 Movies My Uncle Recommended

Happy (belated) birthday, Uncle Dan!

When I started this blog last January, you sent me a list of 10 films that you said you'd expect "any Finnish-American young man, particularly my nephews, to fully grasp, understand and appreciate". Some of the recommendations were already favorites of mine, a few were very unfamiliar, and most of them happened to fall into the category of "Classics I've been meaning to watch for a long time but haven't gotten around to it yet" - a perfect push to finally see those films.

I decided that for your birthday I'd do a ranking of all 10 films on your list - I don't know if it was your intention that I'd rank them, but I figured it would be a very Veikko Hoffman way to show my appreciation for the recommendations. But while these movies are here in the order of how much I like them, I want to emphasize the fact that I very much enjoyed all of them - this isn't a "worst to best" ranking exactly, but rather a list of awesome to even-more-awesome to the most awesome.

10. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Why it's awesome: The Outlaw Josey Wales is certainly a gritty turn from the spaghetti westerns that Clint Eastwood starred in during the 60's. In addition to directing the film, Eastwood stars as Josey Wales - a powerful performance as a cold shell of a man who lost his family and who sets out for revenge. The action scenes are well-choreographed and intense, and the story is captivating. The 2-hour-15-minute runtime is perhaps a bit long for the amount of story that the film has to tell, thus explaining the placement of this very fine western at the bottom of my list.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: My dad is a huge fan of Clint Eastwood and the western genre, so I can imagine that these were the kind of films that you guys grew up with. Of all the major film genres, westerns are possibly the one that I'm the least familiar with, so it's always nice to catch a classic from that wing of cinema.

9. Caddyshack (1980)

Why it's awesome: It's a comedy classic, and rightfully so. The combination of the totally different brands of humor coming from Chevy Chase's charismatic and quotable performance and Bill Murray's over-the-top oddball performance makes for a chill and hilarious film, entertaining to the core. There are countless quotes so legendary that I knew them well before seeing the movie for myself, and the country club setting makes for a memorable atmosphere and many amusing scenarios (especially the explosive ending). Not only is it a film starring the Saturday Night Live hotshots of the time, but it very much feels like a feature-length SNL skit - in the best way possible.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: Saturday Night Live and the other projects of its stars make for a cool generational connection. I'm an avid follower of the current SNL era as well as films starring castmembers like Pete Davidson or Kate McKinnon, and Caddyshack must be exactly what that was like when you and my dad were my age. Murray and Chase starring in a movie together must have been quite a treat for SNL fans of the time, and if I'm remembering my cinema history correctly, Caddyshack is considered to be the starting point of so-called "SNL movies".

8. Miracle (2004)

Why it's awesome: It's a beautiful true story about a great moment in sport history. Kurt Russell is fantastic as Herb Brooks, the unconventional coach of the U.S. hockey team that played against the Soviet Union as massive underdogs in the 1980 Olympics yet emerged victorious. The glory of sports is captured majestically into this film, as Gavin O'Connor's directing and Mark Isham's score really emphasize the struggle of giving it all and doing your very best against a tough opponent with slim odds, and the triumphant feeling of overcoming said opponent. Sporting events were always a major symbolic front in the Cold War, and this film captures the tensions between the two superpowers in the sporting world in a powerful manner, while still being more subtle about it than many others (Rocky IV springs to mind).

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: The film served as an important history lesson to me - I had no idea about the whole story before I saw Miracle. In addition to helping me get in touch with such an important moment from modern U.S. history, it's also probably not a coincidence that the sport in the token sports movie of your list was ice hockey - definitely the biggest common denominator in the sporting cultures of Finland and the United States.

7. What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Why it's awesome: Two words - vampire mockumentary. The premise alone pretty much guarantees the success of the film, especially when comedic masterminds like Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi are directing and starring. Like most mockumentaries, the film follows the main characters in a very casual style as they are interviewed about their everyday lives - those lives just happen to include ancient rituals, sucking the blood of virgins and avoiding sunlight at all cost. The film deals with vampire lore in a delightfully casual manner while hilariously mixing its problems with the mundane issues of paying one's rent and getting into nightclubs.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: If I remember correctly, you're quite a fan of vampire movies (or maybe old-school monster movies in general). This one might have been just about making sure that I'm familiar with one of your favorite genres? While What We Do In The Shadows is a new film (and a satire), it still is much more of a "real" vampire film than the Twilight-tier stuff that has put the genre back into the mainstream with questionable results. The mixture of old-school vampire lore and modern ironic humor really hit my comedic tastes well, as I'm sure it did with you as well.

6. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Why it's awesome: With majestic scenery, beautiful music and a thoroughly engrossing atmosphere, Jeremiah Johnson is quite the mountain man movie. The film's pace is delightfully slow as it really focuses on the aesthetic and setting, giving the film a unique vibe. While Robert Redford's leading performance and the historical context of the era are significant upsides to the film's intrigue, the sheer power of nature itself is the central theme and most important element of the film. It's a tale of man surviving in the wild and becoming one with nature, creating quite a fresh contrast to the fast-paced blockbuster cinema that often dominates our screens.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: The outdoors, and appreciation for nature, is what comes to mind. For two brothers who grew up with various camping and hiking experiences in a beautiful part of the world, I can see that it's important for you and my dad that this heritage would pass on to the next generation - as it has, among other times, when we did our Yukon float in 2013. This film is a great reminder of that lifestyle, and the majesty of the world once you leave the city and enter the outdoors.

5. Patton (1970)

Why it's awesome: One of the great World War II movies, this winner of seven Academy Awards is an honest and gripping account of the actions and persona of general George S. Patton Jr., played in a sledgehammer performance by George C. Scott. It's not as if I'd have the experience to judge whether a war film is realistic or not, but based on reviews and comments by actual war veterans concerning this film, it sure sounds like this is one of the more factual and realistic movies to portray the second World War. While such movies often focus on the European or Pacific fronts, this one takes a fascinating look at the African front, which comes with some of Hollywood's most impressive set design. The film does a great job balancing its depiction of Patton: his controversial traits aren't shied away from, yet the important and necessary actions he took are on full display.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: Understanding one's history, I suppose. The events of the war that have shaped U.S. history and the American mindset, as well as cinematic history where Patton made its mark as one of the most important films to depict the war, are both quite interesting and important things to reflect upon.

4. A River Runs Through It (1992)

Why it's awesome: A River Runs Through It is a beautiful and deeply emotional tale of two brothers in rural Montana. The brothers (brilliantly played by Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt) grow apart throughout the years, yet still maintain a connection and a caring for one another. Philippe Rousselot's Oscar-winning cinematography, Mark Isham's nostalgic soundtrack and the themes of brotherhood, religion and fly fishing make for a very memorable and thought-provoking film. Between the beautiful scenery and bittersweet dialogue that dominates much of the film's runtime, there's a lot to be learned about life from this Robert Redford classic.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: This was one of the more obvious ones - the concept of two brothers who grow up fly fishing immediately rang some bells. I can only imagine how much some of the film's themes and overall atmosphere coincide with memories from your own youth. Of course, the theme of brotherhood carries on to me as well - I'm sure anyone with close siblings can relate to many of the film's ideas and lessons.

3. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

Why it's awesome: There's so much to love about The Bridge On The River Kwai. The setting of prisoners of war building a bridge in a Japanese prison camp is grim and exciting. The production quality and visual effects were groundbreaking, even revolutionary for the time being (I constantly forgot I was watching a film from the 50's as everything in it has held up so well). The acting by Alec Guinness and company is excellent. And, of course, the film has one of the most tense, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat final acts in cinematic history. So, while Patton is one of the better World War II movies out there, this one is ranked even higher in my book.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: Much of the same reasons as Patton: understanding the history of one's country, the sacrifices that previous generations have made, and the marks that said history has left on the world. It's no wonder that there are so many classic films about World War II in particular - it is a major turning point in world history, and its different stages and fronts make for settings that are intriguing to follow in a movie - and very gripping, once you keep in mind that all of this really happened.

2. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Why it's awesome: Is Glengarry Glen Ross the most skillfully acted film of all time? If not, it certainly comes close. Seriously, all of the major performances are absolute gold nuggets in the field of acting. There's Al Pacino being his pitch-perfect self as the genius and slightly rogue salesman Ricky Roma, Jack Lemmon pouring out all of his legendary acting prowess into the good-hearted yet sharp and mean has-been salesman Shelley Levene, Alec Baldwin absolutely stealing the show by giving an awards-worthy performance despite only appearing in one scene, talented villain-actor (as well as real-life villain) Kevin Spacey giving a nuanced performance as the agency's boss, and so many others. The intense depiction of the moral backstabbing, high-stakes competition and chaotic corruption that goes into real estate sales at the highest level is absolutely fascinating to behold, but the level of acting is what really makes Glengarry into the masterful work that it is.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: With this one, I honestly have no idea. Maybe it's just one of your all-time favorite films or features a bunch of your favorite actors? I'd be interested to hear if there was a specific reason for this film being on your list or some grander element that it represents.

1. The Blues Brothers (1980)

Why it's awesome: I mean, where to start? Between starring the hilarious duo of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, having a kick-ass blues/rock soundtrack, guest starring absolute legends such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and James Brown, and featuring a chase sequence that wrecked a world-record amount of cars, The Blues Brothers is 133 minutes of absolute chaotic insanity that is massively entertaining to follow. Caddyshack is an excellent SNL film for sure, but for me, The Blues Brothers is in a league of its own.

What it means to me in the context of your movie recommendations: We're both musicians, not to mention film enthusiasts and fans of good comedy. So it makes absolute sense that we'd both really be into this film. Many of the films in your recommendations were ones that I hadn't seen (or had seen a long time ago and had to re-watch), but The Blues Brothers is one that has been a favorite of mine for a long time - and while I very much enjoyed watching the other nine, none of them were quite enough to challenge the first-place standing of The Blues Brothers on this particular list.

Thanks for the recommendations, Uncle Dan! I hope you had a good birthday - I would've posted this on the actual day, but I figured that since it's just one day away from my usual posting day of Thursday, I might as well keep in my routine and publish this on the day after.

Next week I'll be back with a more usual list - a ranking of Christopher Nolan's movies!