Lists are great. They inspire discussion, create arguments, and tend to spiral off into fun new lists. When you do a list about the “BEST” of anything it goes from being fun to becoming a hotbed for arguments. There’s no such thing as a definitive list but I’ve decided to pull from my rather extensive life of film watching and put it to good use.
This is not the “film critic’s top 100” list. There’s no guarantee Citizen Kane or The Bicycle Thief will be in the top echelon or even on the list. This is the 100 movies I would put my name on as my top 100. If I died tomorrow this would represent the 100 films I find most vital, special, or ones that bonded to whatever it is that makes me me. I’m not including documentaries, though that might make for a nice supplemental list.
The first 80 will be in no particular order. The last 20 will be in very particular order. One a day, you have my word.
#85 – Dead Ringers
Message Board Thread Discussion.
Master Index of the 100 Best Movies Ever.
Why is it here:
A handful of David Cronenberg’s movies deserve a place on lists like these. All of the other ones are more entertaining and many of them feature a peppier pace, but Dead Ringers is in my mind his masterpiece. Performance driven, deeply resonant, and channeling all of the director’s many quirks and subjects into focus this flick is a slow burn of body horror, psychological horror, and a very odd look at love. Jeremy Irons is as good if not better than he was in his Oscar-winning Reversal of Fortune and there are so many moments here that just stick to my brain for all time. Twin gynecologists. Sex. Forensic torture. Probing. Drugs. Everything here reeks of Cronenberg and it’s sweet and savory and wicked.
Moments to savor:
Jeremy Irons delivering two distinctly odd, cold, yet wholly engaging performances. The thoughts the movie puts in your head before it does anything icky. Those weird moments that are just askew enough to be totally fucking creepy.
Rewatchability:
Not much. It’s not an easy film by any stretch.
Miscellany:
I tried to introduce this to a girl I was seeing. It didn’t go well. This was my one model girlfriend, who was stunning to look at and stunting to do anything else with. Luckily she wore high heels to hiking and nearly fell off a cliff. True story. I grabbed her, brought her to safety and dumped her ass on the ride home. Plus she didn’t like Dead Ringers. Fuck her.