The Crow (1994)

I have no idea how many times I've seen this film.  As a teenager, I pretty much watched it every weekend.  I listened to the soundtrack constantly.  I had something of an obsession with Brandon Lee.  I would wake up early on Saturday, sneak downstairs, plug headphones in to the VCR, and press play.  I don't even think I owned it - I think I hired it from my local video store.  Every week.  I should have just bought it, but I guess it must have been hard for me to find.

It's been a little while since I've seen it.  As soon as I pressed play, everything was so familiar.  At first glance, it's not exactly a film you would call comforting, but it comforts me.  Surprisingly for me, there were moments in this film that I hadn't noticed before.  Or I haven't watched it in that long that I'd forgotten about them.  Small moments, glances, gestures. And I realised that the characters I dislike, I dislike with such passion it's as though they've hurt me personally.

This film was something of a phenomenon when I was a teenager, to the point of saturation and over-hype.  There's a reason for it though.  It's a beautiful, melancholic film.  Lee is amazing in this movie.  Subtle, furious and burning.  It shows that he was truly something special as a performer.  And T-Bird's dying monologue, the sparks falling in to the water, the soprano vocal and the burning crow is a stunningly gorgeous piece of cinema.  Great acting moment for David Patrick Kelly.

Big call, but I might possibly call this my favourite film.

Final Thought:  In looking up trivia about this movie, I just discovered that they're planning to film a remake.  I love this film so much that I can't help but take that as a personal affront.  How dare they.

Up Next:  The Darjeeling Limited (2007)