Top Ten Movies I Would Want to Make

Being a film major and movie enthusiast I am often times asked two questions.  First, "what do you do with a film major?", to which I often times feel the urge to respond by saying, I want to be an astronaut.  The second, and more logical, question that I am asked is, "what kinds of movies do you want to make?"  I never seem to have a good answer to that because most of the time I feel like saying,"everything", but that is a pretty vague response.  It is true though, if I were to ever make it in the film industry I would love to work in every genre and every sort of budget.  If one looks at Stanley Kubrick's filmography they should notice the diversity of genres he worked in.  I would not want to be restricted in the movies I would make.  I would want to make everything.  But, to better answer the question, here is a list of the top ten movies I would want to make, if I make it.

10. A Monster Movie

I have mentioned before that I love monster movies.  For me, it would be awesome to make my own.  Though it would not be a remake of a previous one.  Instead, it would either be a sequel (kind of like Superman Returns, just not bad) or more of a reimagining of a character.  What's the difference between that and a remake?  Well, I wouldn't tell the same story, but I would use the same monster.  Think of it as the relationship between An American Werewolf in London and The Wolfman.  

9. A Really Good Movie With An Explicit Sex Scene Thrown In

A friend of mine suggested that I actually do this.  I think it is a great idea because it would be a sort of "F-You!" to the MPAA.  The whole movie would be really deep and high quality, but there would also  an explicit sex scene in it.  It would not be gratuitous, of course, but, rather, serve the story.  That is not to  say there aren't great movies that have done this before.  My ultimate goal would to be a famous filmmaker to the degree that even though the movie is explicit it would still only receive an R rating.

8. A Story About Paranoia and Mistrust

I find paranoia to be interesting, and at times, relatable.  I think everyone at some point or another has felt at least a little paranoid.  In my movie, I would depict a man who has a great life and everything is going just swell for him.  Over time he would become more and more paranoid about his life and stop trusting everyone around him.  This would happen slowly and gradually, but by the end of the movie he will ruin his life and come to realize what he has done.

7. A Godzilla Trilogy 

Godzilla is the king of the monsters, but he is different than the monsters mentioned earlier.  The difference is that Godzilla is a Japanese, giant monster, and I consider those movies to be of a different genre.  So there.  I would like to make a trilogy of Godzilla films and they would focus on the character arc of the G-Man himself.  In the first movie he would be a villain, destroying cities and so on.  In the second film he will be a anti-hero and by the third film Godzilla will develop into a reluctant, but full hero. 

6. A Drama Based on People Changing Over Time

Right not I feel like Rocky at the end of Rocky IV.

What I mean, is that I too, see a lot of changing.  My movie would explore the complications surrounding relationships with people as they change over time.  Whether it be change for good or bad, I would take a look at how that change affects the individual, and the people around them.  I will hopefully incorporate a re-creation of this in it too.

5. An Adaptation of Ubik

Ubik is a science fiction novel written by Philip K Dick.  Dick wrote the novels and short stories that Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report are based on, among other movies.  Anyone who has seen those movies can understand how much of a genius Philip K Dick was.  There have been many attempts at adapting Ubik into a film and Dick himself actually wrote a screenplay for a potential film.  I would like to be the guy who finally realizes the project.

4. A Biographical Film Based on Stanley Kubrick

One of my favorite things about Kubrick as a person is his love of chess.  Not quite sure why, but I really like the fact that he was an avid chess player.  Many of his films included chess matches or references to chess, such as 2001.  In my film about his life, I would use his chess playing, and chess in general, as a motif that connects moments in his life as well as elements in his films.  The film would of course chronicle his life and all that jazz in a semi-typical way.

3. The Scariest Horror Film Ever

Not really that ambitious, I know.  I love horror films, but the problem with most of them is that they aren't really all that scary.  I want to make a horror film that scares the viewer both while watching and for the next week whenever he or she is lying in bed with the lights off.  I want to make a film that forces the viewer to return to the point when they were a kid and afraid to look under the bed, or open the closet.  I would probably look to Japanese literature for some influence. 

2. A Great Running Movie

Currently, I would say the two best running movies are The Spirit of the Marathon and Saint Ralph.  Some may argue with me over the later, but the heck with them.  Actually, the movies most people think of when they hear, "running movie" are Chariots of Fire and Without Limits.  I don't find Chariots of Fire to be all that inspiring, and Without Limits is more for slow high school runners.  I have dedicated nearly half my life to competitive running and some have said to me that if I ever make it big, that I should make a good running movie, because there isn't really one out yet.  My film would focus on the dedication involved, the friendships that develop, and, to me, most importantly, the heartbreak that comes with injury, under-performing, and other obstacles. 

1. A Film Based on Gautama Buddha

I think it's safe to say that no one predicted this to be number one.  I think Christ figures and Biblical references are overplayed and becoming cliche, but there aren't really any movies about the founder of Buddhism.  Now, Buddhism being underrepresented is not the real reason why I want to make a film about him.  Instead, what attracts me is his story with regard to suffering.  According to Wikipedia, the story goes, "At the age of 29, the popular biography continues, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen an old man. When his charioteer Channa explained to him that all people grew old, the prince went on further trips beyond the palace. On these he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These depressed him, and he initially strove to overcome aging, sickness, and death by living the life of an ascetic."  My film would, of course, be a dramatization, and it would focus on the agony Buddha went through when he saw these images of suffering.  The film would then focus on the theme of human suffering and ways to live with and around it.