Top Five Desert Island Discs: DVDs

By Christian Lipski

What makes a D.I.D.? It’s not necessarily your favorite movie—we’re talking about a desert island here (albeit one with a DVD player). You’re only going to have these movies for what may be years, and that’s the deal: they need to stand up to repeated viewing, and although that may include your top five faves of all time, it also may exclude them. For example, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies. It played a major role in my adolescence, and I will still watch it today. However, since I’ve seen it so many many times, I would probably regret bringing a move that I have memorized, and would not go to it as often. That said, my five DIDs are. . .

1. The Philadelphia Story, 1940
Funny, dramatic, and romantic. It would also provide the touch of B&W class to my five discs. It’s packed full with clever lines and repartée, and plenty of characters to escape into. I would start to suffer from withdrawal if I spent too long without this movie, or black and white movies in general. And any classic movie I had for long periods of time would have to have Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn in it. Jimmy Stewart is a bonus!

2. Wet Hot American Summer, 2001
The pure comedy entry. It does the double duty of being a great comedy while also providing reference to the summer camp movies of my youth. Plus, Paul Rudd, who does not appear in The Philadelphia Story. Wet Hot was neck and neck with Super Troopers for the pure comedy role, but I have to side with the guys from The State over the guys from Broken Lizard. This movie contains most of the different things that I find funny, so it’s a good representative on my island.

3. Synecdoche, New York; 2008
Watching a movie repeatedly is helped immensely by the ability to see new ideas and concepts with each viewing. This one is so densely constructed that it takes quite a focus to be able to unravel all the threads. I’d also say that Synecdoche would provide the melancholy and soul-searching that would help to round out the range of experiences I’d need on a desert island. I’d certainly be in many different moods during my stay, and there should be something for every occasion.

4. The Dark Knight, 2008
Action. You need to have some kind of adrenaline-pumping entertainment from time to time, and what better way than with Batman? I was thinking about something with more gunplay and kung fu, but I think there’s plenty of that in TDK, and also capes on top of that. The biggest blockbuster in the list; it satisfies a need for kicking and heroics.

5. Boogie Nights, 2001
Any collection of Desert Island DVDs needs to have P.T. Anderson in it. His dialogue is constantly entertaining, his stories are engrossing, and his soundtracks are always fun. Boogie Nights is probably my favorite of his films, and spans years in its story, which provides additional variety within the same movie. Plus, there are the elements of melancholy, true sadness, sin and redemption, and fine Italian boots.

What an interesting idea it would be to spend, say, a week or two enacting this scenario. Spend the time watching no TV, no movies other than your own top five. See how you feel about your choices when the time’s up: should you have made different selections? Do you love your five even more? Does your spouse hate you?