Greetings,
So, I hear that "3" is a magic number, and I believe it. Because Schoolhouse Rocks has never lied to me. Anyway, what with all that's been going on in movies lately, building these universes within and without different franchises, sometimes at the expense of the quality of those movies, I really can't take it anymore. I seem to recall a time when you would have a really good film, followed up by a hopefully good sequel, and finally, if you were really lucky, you'd get a third part to end the arc. Yeah, 1,2,3, the end. Not that one, then this one, then that one over there, then another one of these, then they all come together and good luck with that if you didn't watch the other 75 installments. But I digress. I kind of miss the classic, honest to goodness trilogy. We need to get back to that. So, even though no one in power will read this list, I'm still making it. These are the movie trilogies that I find most well made and, more importantly, most enjoyable to me. Let's get started.
#10. The Godfather Trilogy - Okay, if I'm being honest, the reason why this is only at 10 is because it is the one I have watched the least. I actually think I've only seen these films, at most, twice. They just aren't movies I need to watch over and over again, like a lot of people do. However, don't think that means I don't believe they are very good. They are. Clearly, they were made by someone who cared a lot about the story they were telling. I certainly appreciate that. And, yes, I know we are all kind of...whatever when it comes to the third one, but it's not all bad. It's got some moments there, and it did give us an ending. So, good times, I say.
#9. The Hannibal Lecter Trilogy - Let's be honest. shall we? This should really be called The Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter Trilogy. I mean, we had Manhunter in 1986 with Brian Cox as Lecter, which was great. Then, we had Hannibal Rising in 2006, which had a guy I've never heard of playing him. I didn't see it, but I heard it was not that good. So, we all know that Silence of the Lambs was great, and though it was, generally speaking, not so great, Hannibal still had Hopkins doing his thing, not to mention some creepy Gary Oldman. And I love Red Dragon. How can I not? It has Ralph Fiennes AND Edward Norton! And even though the last one is technically the first, because it's a prequel, and we have a bit of a clunker in the mix, it still works.
#8. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Again, these are movies I've only seen a couple of times a piece. Well, actually, I've only seen them all the way through in one sitting a couple of times. I don't know if you know this, but they are quite long. So, I tend to catch them during their many airings on random basic cable channels. I don't usually plan to watch them, but I channel surf and they suck me in. Gotta given them points for that.
#7. The Back to the Future Trilogy - And now for one of the trilogies that remind me of my childhood. Oh, yeah, we watched these a lot. But, then again, I watched Family Ties a lot, so we were clearly a Michael J. Fox kind of household. I have to admit, though, I am not a huge fan of the time travel thing, neither in movies nor television. It just gets messy. Sure, I watch some Doctor Who, but besides that, Back to the Future is the only thing I can deal with where it's concerned. Not to say there aren't plot holes and paradoxes and whatnot, most of which have come to light only in recent years, but there's just so much enjoyment in these films that you barely think about it. Funny thing, the guys who made the first one weren't planning for a sequel...AT ALL. This is quite evident by some of the obvious problems that number two had. But considering how good the third installment turned out, I'd say it was worth it in the end.
#6. The Toy Story Trilogy - I know I've said that I am not exactly a kid person, but am I a kid movie person? Heck yeah! Now, usually, that would pertain to things from my own childhood, which was not terribly recent, but I can enjoy a good movie that was made for a younger demographic if it's smart. I hate when movies and TV shows are made to talk down to children. You know, kids can be pretty smart, and they can get smarter if you talk to them the right way. Also, it makes it easier on the parents who have to watch this stuff over and over again. Toy Story did that brilliantly. I absolutely love the arc of the three movies, and since they spanned over fifteen years, it gave the audience a chance to grow up with them. That is some good storytelling. Good TOYstorytelling! Oh, yeah.
#5. The Red Curtain Trilogy - Now, as we all know, a trilogy tends to contain a story arc that is connected throughout three films. Not the case here. This one contains the movies Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge. They are all directed by Baz Luhrmann, and they all have nothing to do with each other. At least, not narratively. Artistically, though, they are connected. See, Baz Luhrmann's goal was to create three films being told by different motifs. The first is told through dance, the second through poetry, the third through song. I love this idea, and I love the way that he has taken some risks with these films, being so colorful and loud and creative. Works for me.
#4. The Dark Knight Trilogy - Boy, do I love me some Batman! I love him so much that I actually saw Batman and Robin in the theater. Yeah. And that was the last we had of our beloved hero for eight whole years, until Christopher Nolan came along and fixed everything up all nice for us. Gone was the cartoonish Batman of the past, and the Dark Knight had, quite literally, become dark. Wasn't that the whole point to begin with? I know most people regard The Dark Knight as the best, but I think my favorite was Batman Begins. I don't know. Maybe it was all that Liam Neeson. And, yes, I also feel like the last one was hit or miss. They may have ever so slightly fallen into the "Everyone's going to see this anyway, so let's not try TOO hard" trap. Still, that performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt? Just...God bless him.
#3. The Star Trek Trilogy - I know what you're thinking. Don't I mean the Star WARS trilogy? No. No, I don't. And, yes, this one is a bit odd because of its placement in a larger franchise. In case you don't know, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock and Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home are often considered their own trilogy. And I am considering them one here, too. These three films have a legitimate arc that flows through them. The first Star Trek film had nothing to do with it, and the fifth one for sure had nothing to do with it. So, they sit there, right in the middle, as their own little entity. And I love them. Four is funny and heartwarming, Three breaks the odd numbered movie curse, and Two might be the best sequel of all time. Good times, indeed.
#2. The Dollars Trilogy - Personally, I have always referred to this as The Man with No Name Trilogy. Because, come on now, it's all about the Clint. Now, I do not tend to be a Western movie genre kind of girl, but if he's involved, I usually say "Hey, why not?". Good thing I said that here, because these movies are pretty awesome. They're iconic, even. I don't say that about many films and mean it, but I do here. And let's not forget about the most important thing. Young Clint Eastwood, super hot, need I say more.
#1. The Before Trilogy - If you are a writer, like myself, and would perhaps one day like to write screenplays, here's a piece of advice - WATCH THESE MOVIES! Holy crap! I am not kidding. If you don't know, the Before Trilogy consists of the films Before Sunrise from 1995, Before Sunset from 2004 and Before Midnight from 2013. It is the long and winding tale of Jesse and Celine played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, and they were all directed by Richard Linklater. He also wrote the first one with Kim Krizan, but the second and third, he wrote with Hawke and Delpy. I am so glad they decided to do that. These films are, basically, two people talking. That's it. And it is brilliant. How, you may be wondering, can that be? Well, the writers here seem to care about the characters and the story arc. That matters. I know some of you may think that sounds boring, but it's not. We get to see these people first getting to know each other, then reconnecting with each other, then trying to figure each other out so they can move in to their future. I can't even say it enough. This is what all writing for film should be like. Look, I don't care if you have action or CGI or big explosions in your movie, but, if you strip all that away, you should still be left with a fantastic story. That is the foundation, and that is what these three magnificent films can teach us.
So, there you have it. My best of the threes or whatever. Like I said at the start of this, I have come to appreciate a real trilogy more than I ever have, thanks to whatever Hollywood is doing today that they think will last forever. Because I guess they think that people never get bored or get tired of these stunts and move on. Right. The bottom line, just make a good movie. I don't care if you want to connect it all to something else or not. Just make a good movie. Or make three.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
