The tragic death of Robin Williams has been a dominant part of the collective consciousness over the past few days, and rightly so. I literally grew up watching him. I remember seeing his very first appearance as Mork from Ork on "Happy Days," one of my favorite TV shows as a kid, wondering who that guy was who could talk so fast, and feeling like he was somebody I should have heard of before. Any kind of tribute I could write would be redundant after everything that's been said about him recently, but I still wanted to add my two cents. For my part I reviewed his IMDb listing and came up with my ten favorite movies in which he appeared. As always, in no particular order:
Aladdin -- A cartoon character with magic powers may have been the perfectly matched role for him.
The Fisher King -- A movie I haven't seen nearly enough times. His character was so broken in this he made it difficult to watch.
Awakenings -- A great example of how he didn't need to play manic to still be affecting as an actor.
Insomnia -- An early Christoper Nolan movie that I'm not sure a lot of people have seen, but should. It's a very engaging mystery, and he is purely unsettling in it.
Hook -- I loved this one. An unusual approach on a classic story with a beautiful score, that had several moments reminding me of the classic, timeless feel of so many of the magical Walt Disney live action movies from my childhood.
The Best of Times -- By most accounts this wasn't a very successful movie and is all but forgotten now, but I took it as the harmless, feel-good comedy it was intended to be and really enjoyed it.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen -- His role in this was little more than a glorified cameo, but when you see it you can't imagine anyone else playing that part.
Good Will Hunting -- A great movie that still holds up. He was both the catalyst and the bond that held the story together.
Dead Poets Society -- I always have a soft spot for teacher movies. If I'd had someone like John Keating teaching me about poetry instead of the dried-up fossil I'd had for a professor while I was an undergrad English minor, I'd likely have a greater appreciation for it now.
What Dreams My Come -- A deeply spiritual movie that, while not being overbearing about its message, still pushes you to the limits of emotional and sensory overload.
Thinking over some of these makes me think it might be a good day to update my Netflix queue.
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