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by Julian Spivey Last year I embarked on a movie challenge in hopes of seeing some films I’ve never seen and more importantly opening myself up to some kinds of films I likely would never see. The premise is that you have 12 months to watch 12 movies recommended by 12 friends. I don’t often participate in such social media challenges but being a movie buff, I felt this might be an interesting way to get out of my comfort zone a bit when it comes to watching movies. Like in 2023, I have some movies on the list that I’ve always meant to get around to watching but haven’t – most notably the 1962 classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which I think I saw the first half of in school but was absent on the day it finished. And there’s some stuff I probably never would’ve gotten around to like Andrzej Wajda’s 1958 Polish film “Ashes and Diamonds.” As I did last year I will write about my thoughts and feelings on each of these films after I have viewed them. Here are the 12 movies recommended to me and the months I’ve assigned myself to watch them: January: “The Wonder” (2022) February: “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) March: “Dreamgirls” (2006) April: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004) May: “21 Jump Street” (2012) June: “Mamma Mia” (2008) July: “City of Angels” (1998) August: “Fried Green Tomatoes” (1991) September: “Ashes and Diamonds” (1958) October: “Clue” (1985) November: “The Intouchables” (2011) December: “The Agony and the Ecstasy” (1965)  Photo: Gaumont “The Intouchables,” a 2011 French buddy comedy-drama written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, is a lovely film about two completely different people developing a close bond. It would feel like a fairy tale if it weren’t actually based on a true story inspired by quadriplegic Phillipe Pozzo di Borgo and his French-Algerian caregiver Abdel Sellou. In the film, Phillipe, a wealthy French aristocrat paralyzed in a paragliding accident, is looking for a new caregiver and finds one in Driss, a man uninterested in the job who just wants a signature on a paper to receive unemployment benefits from the country. Something about Driss’s honesty and disinterest in the job strikes the attention of Phillipe, who’s grown tired of the typical professionalism of those in the caregiving profession. Phillipe wants someone who doesn’t pity him and Driss, who comes from the projects and certainly doesn’t. The two quickly form a friendship despite seemingly having nothing in common. This relationship draws the viewer into the film, as Francois Cluzet, who plays Phillipe, and Omar Sy, who plays Driss, have incredible chemistry together. Sy is immediately likable as Driss, thanks to the character’s slick arrogance, which provides comical moments with the beautiful Magalie (Audrey Fleurot), Phillipe’s assistant. Cluzet is more understated as a quadriplegic, as he has to express all of his emotions through his facial expressions, which must’ve been a truly hard performance to pull off. “The Intouchables” is a heartwarming film that will make you smile, laugh, and, if you're a softie, even bring a tear to your eye. It was remade less successfully in America in 2017 as “The Upside,” with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart in the lead roles. Just watch the original and read the subtitles.
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