Like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese before him, Jon M. Chu is sharing his TCM Picks from their upcoming lineup. The director of “Crazy Rich Asians,” “In the Heights,” and the upcoming “Wicked” is following in Guillermo del Toro’s footsteps in highlighting a great film that sometimes doesn’t get as much love as it should. Watch Chu’s picks in the video below.
Del Toro picked Alfred Hitchcock’s “Suspicion” among his favorites. It’s one of IndieWire’s as well, and we put it at #10 on our list of Hitchcock’s greatest movies. But that film is often overlooked, even by Hitchcock fans.
Similarly, movie musical lovers sometimes overlook Henry King’s 1956 adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Carousel,” starring Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae. The people who love it, though, fiercely advocate for it, and Chu is among them. (And we sure know what a music lover he is, since Universal just won the rights to the Britney Spears biopic Chu is developing.)
“I’ve loved ‘Carousel’ since I was a kid,” Chu said in his TCM video. “The musical is filled with fun, catchy bangers like ‘June Is Busting Out All Over’ or ‘Blow High Blow Low’ and ‘A Real Nice Clambake.’ I dreamed of attending a real clambake for most of my young adult life and never got to experience it. But one day. ‘Carousel’ captivates with its blend of fantasy and reality, beautifully conveyed through its Technicolor brilliance and innovative camera techniques. The long take during the ‘If I Loved You’ duet is particularly memorable as the continuous shot allows the emotions to unfold almost in real time, letting the characters’ feelings breathe and resonate deeply. The choreographer within the frame itself is a work of art, especially the dream ballet sequence, watching Louise’s ballet as her father looks on captures the hopefulness of life and love in a gorgeous dance sequence on the beach even as she faces bullying.”
He continued, “But the showstopper is ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ I can hardly handle this scene and this song is a powerful anthem of hope and perseverance, and as a father now with daughters the moment when Billy Bigelow sings this to his daughter Louise and his wife Julie as he leaves them and they can almost hear him stands as one of the greatest endings to any film. I dare any of you not to be weeping by the end of it.”
Chu’s comments about the rest of his TCM Picks are similarly incisive. “Often hailed as the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made, it stands on its own as a masterwork,” he said of “Charade,” the 1963 caper starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. “Stanley Donen’s direction is sharp, witty, and full of twists, demonstrating a precise and confident hand. I aspire to create a romance as spicy and genre bending as this one and Peter Stone’s dialogue is a standout.”
Of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” Chu said, “It is nothing short of a masterpiece. And I vividly recall being just 10 years old when I first watched it, and it shook me to my core. It wasn’t really a film, it was an experience that redefined my understanding of cinema. Lee’s use of dynamic camera was unlike anything I had ever seen, the Dutch angles, the low-angle shots, and extreme close-ups were brimming with personality and confidence. One scene that has never left me involves character’s hurling racial stereotypes at each other culminating with Samuel L. Jackson’s DJ character stepping in. That moment broke my brain. It was raw and powerful and unforgettable.”
And finally to round things out, he picked “Rear Window,” the Alfred Hitchcock classic that was #2 on IndieWire’s own list of Hitchcock’s best. “What more can be said about this Alfred Hitchcock classic?” Chu said. “It is as fundamental to understanding the grammar of cinema as any film out there. The meticulous set design with each window telling its own story, immerses viewers into a world of voyeurism and mystery. The set, built entirely on a single soundstage, is stunning. It’s like walking into a visual puzzle, fitting the pieces together as the tension ratchets tighter and tighter.”
Watch Chu’s picks below.
