Watchlist: Terrell Suggs

At The Players’ Tribune, we’ve noticed that you can tell a lot about a person by their answer to four simple words: “What are you watching?” That’s why we’ve created Watchlist, a series where we ask our contributors to look inside their DVRs, DVD collections, iPads and whatever else — and share the movies and TV shows they count among their favorites.

Here, with his Watchlist, is Baltimore Ravens linebacker (and Anakin Skywalker apologist) Terrell Suggs.

The Godfather, Pt. I

The Godfather is a masterpiece. Like, it truly is one of the greatest movies of our lifetime. From start to finish, I love it. It’s one of those films you can sit down and watch over and over again and still enjoy.

Sure, there’s the horse’s head scene. There’s Michael shooting Sollozzo and McCluskey. There are all of those iconic moments. But there’s also a lot of hidden subtlety to the story. The one thing I think people miss, that I really enjoy, is that The Godfather is actually not just a gangster movie. It’s also about one of the most universal themes there is: fatherhood.

Whether you’re a crime boss or, let’s say, an NFL linebacker, there are elements of fatherhood that are universal. I want to leave something for my sons, and so did Vito. That really stuck with me.

I’ve seen Part II and Part III. The first one is the masterpiece, I think, but the second is a great film, too. You get to see a young Vito Corleone and how he ended up where he is. And you get Pacino and De Niro in the same movie — can’t beat that. The third, though, just seemed like they wanted to make another Godfather movie, and didn’t care about the quality. Oh well.

Black Swan

Black Swan is a brilliant yet totally underrated movie.

I’m really into the creative, behind-the-scenes aspect of film. And Black Swan is a great example of a movie with a lot going on behind the scenes. You can’t believe how much talent and precision it took to make Black Swan as good as it is. I mean, take the cinematography. It was shot in handheld, which on its own makes it such a different experience. But then top of that, the camera guy had to learn all of those ballet routines, too, so they’d know where to shoot the angles.

In the end, though, it’s Natalie Portman’s film. She owns — I mean, owns — Black Swan. She won an Academy Award for it and rightly so. Not only did she work hard physically to become a dancer; but you also saw this incredible transformation of her character. She evolved in such a twisted way. First, she was this nice, polite girl … but by the end she had to find this much darker place. And then there’s that ending! She became something so deeply that [SPOILERS].

Glad we gave all the awards to Natalie for this one.

The Other Woman

Confession: I do enjoy the occasional “chick flick.” I’ll go with my wife to see them and they usually deliver. We just saw that Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton movie, The Other Woman. It was alright, man. Pretty good.

Inception

It took me a few times watching Inception to “get it” — but once I finally did, I was like, “Wow.” It’s just an awesome viewing experience. One moment you’re in snowy peaks … and then the next, a building is crashing down. It’s all over the place, but in the best way. And each time you watch it, there is something else to the story, something else to pick up, another layer of experience to build upon.

I love what Inception has to say about dreams: How you never really remember the start or end of the dream — you’re just in the middle of it all the time. Truth.

Christopher Nolan is a genius. I don’t even know how to put his filmmaking into words. It’s edgy, it’s smart, it’s ambitious — I’ll stop there, because I couldn’t do it justice with whatever I’d say. Just see Inception immediately. (And then a few more times after that.)

Star Wars

I’m a big Star Wars guy. Huge. The original trilogy, the newer releases, all of it — I’m in. And you know I can’t wait for this next one to come out.

I get that fans weren’t feeling the later movies. And of course, the original three are my favorites, too. But at the same time, I think the second trilogy is slept on. First off, the modern technology and effects are pretty cool. And second, Anakin is my guy.

Yes, you read that right. Team Anakin. Everyone loves Luke and Han, and Qui-Gon is cool too — but the story of Anakin, hands down, is my favorite. And you really got to see his character’s full arc in those later movies.

I think the original trilogy was just so ahead of its time, so mind-blowing, that anything after it had too much to live up to.

As for The Force Awakens, I’m excited to see some of the old cast return to the screen. I mean, Han Solo is like, what — in his 60s or 70s now? Plus, we’ll meet some new characters and get to finally see the story continue. I think that’s important for the fans: We want to keep following along and see the legacy endure.

I’m obviously not sure if I’ll be disappointed or satisfied — probably both — but I can’t wait to find out. When opening weekend gets here, look for me at the front of the line.