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News / Columns / Five Favorite Films
Five Favorite Films with F. Gary Gray
The director of Law Abiding Citizen also talks about his career and debuting his films with audiences.
by Ryan Fujitani | October 14, 2009
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Sienna Miller

Director F. Gary Gray began his career creating music videos for several big name R&B and hip-hop artists in the early 90s, including Ice Cube, TLC, and OutKast. In 1995, Gray made a big screen splash with a little stoner comedy called Friday, starring a pre-Rush Hour Chris Tucker and an up-and-coming Ice Cube, a friend of Gray's. Friday was a surprise hit, opening the doors for future high profile projects such as The Negotiator, 2003's The Italian Job remake, and Be Cool.

This week, Gray continues his strong track record in the crime/action genre with Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler in the role of a victim of a brutal home invasion who exacts vigilante justice on his attackers... and then some. We had the opportunity to chat with Gary about the movie and his career, and he kindly offered us his Five Favorite Films. Read on to find out more.




Casablanca (1942, 97% Tomatometer)
Casablanca

I'd say Casablanca. I love that it was a combination of political... It had a great love story, and it was unpredictable. It didn't have the classic Hollywood ending, and that was what was great about it. Also, I love Humphrey Bogart, because he had the great ability to be masculine, yet vulnerable, and that was the perfect role to display that.




Sweet Smell of Success (1957, 100% Tomatometer)
Sweet Smell of Success

Sweet Smell of Success. That movie, it was just dialogue. The dialogue was absolutely amazing in that movie. They just don't write movies like that any more. You can watch that over and over and over again and never get tired of the dialogue.




La Dolce Vita (1960, 98% Tomatometer)
La Dolce Vita

La Dolce Vita by Federico Fellini, who I'm sure you're familiar with. And again, not the formula. He was incredible at expressing himself in a way that no other filmmaker could get away with. You see these sequences that may or may not be related. [laughs] Somehow, at the end of it all, it all makes sense, and you're floored. The photography, and the shots, and the choreography can stand up to anything that's been released up to now.




The Godfather Part II (1974, 98% Tomatometer)
The Godfather Part II

Godfather II, specifically number two. It was just what a gangster film should be. It was smart, it had great performances, and you travel through a lot of different worlds with these characters. You know, most people try to avoid family drama. [laughs] I just love the filmmaking in Godfather II.




On the Waterfront (1954, 100% Tomatometer)
On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront, with Marlon Brando. Between the look, the feel, the casting... even the casting of the extras. Just to look back and get a sense of what America was like back then, and the details, it was just amazing. And again, it was another one of those movies where the leading man, the way they struck a balance between masculine and vulnerable. Humphrey Bogart did it in Casablanca; I think Marlon Brando did it in On the Waterfront, so that's why they stick out as the best to me. They're pretty incredible. You're just like, you sit back and you say, "Damn, I wish I could do that!" [laughs]


Next, Gray talks about Law Abiding Citizen, what it's like to sit with an audience through the premiere screening of one of his films, and his career.
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Comments (1-20 of 29 posts) | Reply
Distance
Distance writes:
on Oct 14 2009 04:52 PM

Pretty standard list, all universally accepted classics.

(Reply to this)
Emil K.
Emil K. writes:
on Oct 14 2009 05:51 PM

All classics

(Reply to this)
David W.
David W. writes:
on Oct 14 2009 06:13 PM

All fantastic films.

(Reply to this)
Blake J.
Blake J. writes:
on Oct 14 2009 06:23 PM

Wow the godfather part 2 never seen that on a top 5 list before. lol

(Reply to this)
Costigan
Costigan writes:
on Oct 14 2009 06:32 PM

He played it safe....good to see Casablanca on a top 5 though.

(Reply to this)
THECOWBELLHASSPOKEN
THECOWBELLHASSPOKEN writes:
on Oct 14 2009 06:41 PM

tony jaa's list owns all.

(Reply to this)
rcdvgx
rcdvgx writes:
on Oct 14 2009 07:15 PM

The Godfather part 2 is a great movie but its extremely overrated. Not better than the original at all. Dont get me wrong, its a great movie and has numerous great scenes, but the courtroom scenes are extremely slow and boring and while the rest of the movie is classic, those parts knock it down a bit in my book. Still one of the greatest movies ever made, but not one of the absolute best. Does anybody else agree? I know most people like part 2 better than tthe original but SOMEBODY has to agree with me. At least the part about the court scenes being too slow...

(Reply to this)
Floor Man
Floor Man writes:
on Oct 14 2009 08:02 PM

In reply to this comment (#2553165)
*I* agreed with you.

(Reply to this)
Escapefromalcatraz
Escapefromalcatraz writes:
on Oct 14 2009 08:07 PM

What? No Forrest Gump? Where's the love? This guy's picks average 99%. Dayum.

(Reply to this)
John N.
John N. writes:
on Oct 14 2009 08:20 PM

In reply to this comment (#2553165)
"one of the greatest movies ever made, but not one of the absolute best"

Say huh?

Good list. I'm sure this guy doesn't read one of these lists every week like most posters on here. So he listed his favorites. At least it wasn't Sasha Grey's pretentious French new wave pretentiousness.


(Reply to this)
John N.
John N. writes:
on Oct 14 2009 08:23 PM

In reply to this comment (#2553165)
Sorry that was a tad repetitive.

(Reply to this)
Islander
Islander writes:
on Oct 14 2009 08:33 PM

Great films all of them (of the ones I've watched; the others I have heard are great). But, as everyone else has said, they are very safe choices. It would have been nice to see some variety.

(Reply to this)
rcdvgx
rcdvgx writes:
on Oct 14 2009 10:02 PM

Good somebody agrees with me. To clarify my repetiveness what i mean is this: The Godfather part 2 is often cited as being one of the top 10 best movies of all time. I think its one of the best of all time, but being in the top 10 is way too high. One of the top 40 is a good description though. So by "one of the greatest, but not absolute greatest" i mean that while it definitely places among the best movies ever made, i dont think it places in as high of a bracket (i.e. top ten) as most people seem to put it in.... phew. Hope that explains it.

(Reply to this)
Park M.
Park M. writes:
on Oct 14 2009 10:55 PM

Wow, good list. Though I'd pick the original Godfather over the second one..

(Reply to this)
Pseudonym
Pseudonym writes:
on Oct 15 2009 12:03 AM

Gray has made some entertaining films, (Be Cool is NOT one of them) but I don't believe this list. In my opinion, A "Director's" list should represent the type of films they make. Rob Zombie's Top 5 looked like, ROB ZOMBIE'S TOP 5. It didn't look like, Rob Zombie was trying to impress the RT Community.

I have a lot more respect for Sasha Grey's Top 5, she listed "Fat Girl". If you've seen some of the disturbing porn she's done, and "Fat Girl". It's believable! She was honest.

I'm no fan of The Godfather Films, but it is nice to see Part 2 of something in a Top 5.


(Reply to this)
runmong
runmong writes:
on Oct 15 2009 12:31 AM

In reply to this comment (#2553182)
So no one can actually like French New Wave?

(Reply to this)
Ana S.
Ana S. writes:
on Oct 15 2009 02:02 AM

In reply to this comment (#2553163)
I agree with this. Forrest Gump? Classic.

(Reply to this)
Gordon Franklin Terry Sr
Gordon Franklin Terry Sr writes:
on Oct 15 2009 06:18 AM

GOOD MAN. A GOOD SELECTION OF FILMS . . .
now . . .
What guilty-pleasure movies do you like? C'mon . . . POLICE ACADEMY, THE NAKED GUN,BOYZ N' THE HOOD, KONG KONG LIVES even

there's got to be SOME cinematic Guilty Pleasure you like? 1900 by BERNARDO BERTILUCCI
or maybe
TAXI DRIVER!!!!

(the list is too perfect) I can't stand it!

my guilty pleasure is/are HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD, MANHATTAN BABY, and the VACATION and POLICE ACADEMY movies

now tell me yours . . . Gary Gray: Mr. Perfect Movie List.

President Obama says his guilty pleasure is chocolate (I think).

The "Guilty Pleasures" are actually the films that belong on the list, you know.


(Reply to this)
B W.
B W. writes:
on Oct 15 2009 09:20 AM

Sweet Smell of Success isn't necessarily a "safe" choice just because it has that apparently damning 100% Tomatometer. It's not a movie you tend to hear critics and layfolk go on and on about. That said, I can understand a director's Top 5 looking nothing like the films s/he makes. My music doesn't sound all that much like my favorite bands' and artists' music (which favorites are a healthy list of safe choices, choices to impress, choices to give me some kitsch cred, and even a choice or two that actually reflects some of what--sue me--I actually like). Part of this is my general lack of know-how and the forced DIY-ness of it all.

Once again, I've made my comment all about me. You don't give a **** what my music sounds like. You shouldn't. It sucks.


(Reply to this)
Dave J.
Dave J. writes:
on Oct 15 2009 01:01 PM

Pseudonym
Not all adult actresses who star in adult movies(if you call them actresses) would HAVE to list controversial adult movies as main inpirations, are you nuts! What is your definition as inspiration, How the heck do you know? Are you a director yourself?

Do you know there are some adult stars who get into adult movies is so that they can break into mainstream movies. The real reason why people get involved into the adult industry is soley to make money. To most people (myself included) almost all adult movies have no artistic merit period; Fat Girl either makes a statement or there is no statement to be made at all, there is absolutely no plot period, it can be defined as a vehicle or an excuse (I don't really know) to see two nearly young girls being exploited. The Roman Polanski act!! If you did not know this as I recall the movie "Fat Girl" has been banned in some countries because the girls are said "not physically old enough" to be expose themselves on camera to do love scenes) But anyways where is the inspiration when there are "two people I say are getting it on".

How the heck do you know "A Director's list should represent the type of films they make" is 100 % B.S. unless you're of course a successful film director yourself. Have you ever studied film or took any film classes.

Is this what your boyfriend had told you so that he could have an excuse to watch these so-called controversial adult movies and then to call it art. No offence, but in my opinion anyway, this is really a dumb statement.


(Reply to this)
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