Friday, May 11, 2007
Favorite movies
There are the great movies -- the film-school canon, the award winners, the "Sight & Sound" list -- and then there are your favorite movies.
Your favorite movies don't have to be great. They don't even have to be good. Maybe you saw one on a glorious date. Maybe you accidentally stumbled into another on the late show and stayed up for the whole thing. Maybe it moved you to tears or laughter or ecstasy in a way no other film had. You can't help telling others and hope they're similarly touched. My favorite movies are an ever-changing list, but a few core films always have slots. "Airplane!" and "Blazing Saddles." "Europa, Europa" and "Casablanca." "My Fair Lady" and "This Is Spinal Tap." "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Brazil." "Network," for its bottomless cynicism, and "Hannah and Her Sisters," for its transcendent goodness. And "The Third Man." I first saw "The Third Man" -- Carol Reed and Graham Greene's 1949 mystery about a naive pulp novelist and his black market-engaged friend -- in college. I was entranced from the outset: The haunting photography of a crumbled postwar Vienna, the knowing script, that zither theme -- at once playful and cutting -- all brilliant. And what other movie (SPOILER ALERT!) could go more than half its running time before introducing one of its stars? (That first revelation of Orson Welles still gives me gleeful shivers.) I bring up "The Third Man" because Criterion is releasing a new, two-disc edition May 22. (A single-disc edition came out in 1999.) If you haven't seen it, do. If you have, well, you know how good it is already. I can't help raving. It's one of my favorite movies. What are some of yours? 128 Comments
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Star Wars is my favorite movie of all time - I've seen it over 400 times. Yes, it's got flaws, but I can still remember the first time I saw it, at the age of 4, and the wonder I experienced.
Soapdish is an incredibly silly movie that always makes me laugh. The same goes for A Fish Called Wanda, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Major League. If I'm in the mood to cry, I pull out Four Weddings and a Funeral and Little Women (the Winona Ryder version). Other favorites: Love Actually, Kiki's Delivery Service, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the greatest holiday movie ever, A Christmas Story.
So many movies I could list, but here are a few: Gone With the Wind, Best in Show, Mississippi Burning, Schindler's List, Breakfast Club, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), The Parent Trap (1961)- a childhood favorite!!!, Pretty in Pink, Far From Heaven, Steel Magnolias, About Last Night, Silence of the Lambs, The Godfather....
For some reason I find myself drawn to sappy romantic comedies... movies like "Down to You", "Boys and Girls", and "summer Catch"... maybe I'm a closet Freddie Prinze Jr. fan or maybe I just like his beautiful co-stars. In any case, I always enjoy those movies when I'm bored and just want somethign fairly mindless to watch.
Another of my favorites is a little known super hero movie called "The Specials". With stars such as Rob Lowe, Thomas Hayden Church, Jamie Kennedy and a nice cameo by Melissa Joan Hart as well as an incredible ensemble cast (most of whom aren't widely known) this movie shines as a satirical look on the normal lives of a not-so-normal group of people. If you haven't had a chance to check this one out, I definitely recommend it for a quirky good time.
What about To Kill a Mockingbird and Young Frankenstein and The Miracle Worker? Oh and Psycho?
I personally love movies where the person overcomes great odds. Especially if that person achieves great things just by being themselves and sticking to their guns. So, two of my absolute favorites are The Color Purple and The Shawshank Redemption.
Because of this, I wish Will Ferrell made more movies like Elf and fewer like Talladega Nights…but that’s just me. Because I like indomitable people with a lot of spirit, I also love Mulan, Harold & Maude (especially Maude), Harvey, and The Royal Tennenbaums. One of my recent favorites is Little Miss Sunshine.
Some of the movies I saw as an adolescent are my great favorites -- in many cases for emotional associations they hold: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- 1st real lust, Jaws -- really scary, loved watching it sitting next to my dad Rocky --filmed in my home town. Later, Dirty Dancing --saw with a best friend when she was dying of cancer.Others are movies I just never get tired of: Toy Story, Big, Psycho (big leap there), Godfather 1&2, As Good as it Gets, American Werewolf in London. So, does anybody else love some movies for the emotions they recall? Any others you can see a zillion times and still love every minute?
in 1987 I went to see a small movie that earned nice reviews and seemed like a nice way to spend an evening. Turned out, "Hope & Glory," not only touched my heart, but after many repeated viewings, I still laugh like it's my first time. Such a joy, and a treat, even 20 years later!
A few for fun: Con Air, The Usual Suspects, Face/Off, Groundhog Day, Hard Boiled, Better Off Dead, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Bottle Rocket.
Some for a more serious mood: Unstrung Heroes, LA Confidential, Twelve Monkeys, Dark City, Casablanca, Schindler's List, The City of Lost Children. And the most recent addition to my list of favorites sort of fits both moods: Black Snake Moan.
Boondock Saints is a great movie if you'd like the concept of justice and "bad people" getting what's coming to them.
Another great short online film I've taken a liking to could be viewed at this link . If after 30 seconds this doesn't appeal to you, you're not an American with a good sense of humor!
City of God...at times this movie is disturbing , however you feel like you are on the scene the entire movie and you even feel for the players...no matter who you are you can put yourselves into their shoes and see what maybe you and I could have been like growing up in an upside down world. Others: Y Tu Mama Tambien, Resevoir Dogs, Kill Bill 1 and 2, Kenshin japanimation series, Walk the Line, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Yup:
Star Wars, just for the sheer spectacle. The experience at the time. Yound Frankenstien, Airplane, Pulp Fiction still cracks me up. Shawshank Redemption, Lawrence of Arabia, Ten Commandments, A league of their Own.
The Third Man, hands down, is my favorite film. Thanks for giving it some love. I actually visited Vienna this past summer solely because of the film and was thrilled to see some of the locations first-hand.
I force all my friends to watch the film, and none of them have been disappointed in it yet.
My favorite movies are the ones that entertain me. I can watch them over and over again. Some of my favorites are Blazing Saddles, Running Scared, Alien Nation, Casino Royale (2006), M*A*S*H (1970), Steele Magnolias, The Pelican Brief, anything by Christopher Guest and the last 45 minutes of Shawshank Redemption.
raiders (fun), back to the future (fun), shawshank redemption (great) and forrest gump (nice).
I have two movies that I will watch again and again. For two very different reasons. My absolute favorite is "Highlander". None of the sequels please. The original has some of them best scene cuts I've ever seen (fish tank pans to boat on a lake) and the story is just great. The actors that they chose for the parts were perfect. My second favorite movie is "Michael". It too is an amazing movie, but I'm prejudiced. It was the first movie that my wife and I saw together.
GREAT TOPIC! Young Frankenstein,
The Exorcist (scared me silly at 17, when i thought i was sooo tough!), Dances with Wolves, Field of Dreams (why is it that i cry ever time Ray is pulling away in the van and Terrence Mann stops him in the street and Ray says, 'you saw it too!'?), The Sting, Braveheart, The Patriot, Finding Nemo (Dori is awesome!).
moonstruck,less than zero,war of the roses,sid and nancey.parenthood,the trouble with angels,living out loud,little miss sunshine ,rocky horroer picture show
terms of endearment, breakfast at tiffanies, for pete's sake,the graduate,
My absolute favorite movie of all time is Titanic. I saw it the night it came out, and I actually had not wanted to see it. I didn't know a lot about the movie, other than the obvious and the fact that it was long. I was expecting a boring movie about a boat that sinks. I ended up seeing it 7 times in the theater.
Court Jester, hands down. There simply isn't that kind of comedy to be had any longer...with a willow willow wailey and a nonny nonny...
The best kinds of movies are the ones where a new character is introduced from one scene to the next.
That being said...my favorite movies include "The Empire Strikes Back," "The Godfather," "Thelma and Louise," "Midnight Run," "True Romance," "Tootsie," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Goodfellas," and "Network." All of these films carry ensemble casts that delve deep into a rooted chemistry where you could isolate these character by writing their own individual movies. I've seen each of these movies at 50-100 times and I discover something new each and every time. These movies all carry a destiny for each character and it is interesting to see where they had started out and what they ultimately came to be.
My favorites:
UHF Shaun of the Dead Chasing Amy Alien Jaws Better off Dead Clerks Army of Darkness Most of these are not great films, but I think they are all FUN films.
I'm pleased to see the distinction between "favorite" and "best" laid out clearly.
My favorites: Aguirre, the Wrath of God The King of Comedy (Scorsese) Hail, the Conquering Hero Birdy Diner Citizen Kane Goodfellas Fargo Rear Window Good Will Hunting Strangers on a Train Almost Famous Miller's Crossing The Shop Around the Corner The Story of Adele H. sex, lies, and videotape ...that's a start, anyway. ;-)
This may sound odd, but I really like the much derided Johnny Depp - ROman Polanski movie, The Ninth Gate... I found it colorful, offbeat and it introduced me to two people I have come to admire... Frank Langella for his sheer presence and Arturo Perez-Reverte, whose book The Club Dumas (one my favourites) inspired the movie.
The same can be said for Wonder Boys, which introduced me to Michael Chabon and ofcourse, Spirited Away for Hiyao Miyazaki!
Fallen Angels by WongKarWai is spellbinding, hilarious and sad. Pulp Fiction blew me away and A Clockwork Orange was definitely a masterpiece. The latest "favorite movie" award I have to give to City of God. It's beautifully shot, just like my other favorites.
Before Sunrise. An actual romantic movie, not a generic Hollywood chick-flick rom-com, done with perfect simplicity. Beautiful scenery, realistic dialogue, 2 great lead performances and an ending that leaves you wondering. This one just connects with me in so many ways.
Most of my favorites are from my teenage years: Rocky - I never get tired of the underdog story. Jaws - The first movie to scare the hell out of me. Alien - groundbreaking suspense and horror. The Shawshank Redemption - Ultimate 'guy' movie with great acting. Saving Private Ryan - Made me appreciate the sacrifices of WWII vets and their families.
Gone With the Wind, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Rebecca, Grease, The Heiress,
Psycho, Oliver!, Doctor Zhivago
A 'favorite' movie to me has to be something that you can watch over and over again...mine include The American President, The Sound of Music, Sliding Doors, Braveheart, Gladiator, Some Kind of Wonderful, Little Women (Elizabeth Taylor version), A Christmas Carol (Alistair Sim version), Boondock Saints, Dirty Dancing, A Brief Encounter, and too many moore to list!
god help me two of my favorite movies, always in my top twenty, are Ronald Reagan films. "King's Row" was his own favorite of his films. I waited forever for it come out on DVD and got it for Christmas last year. It was the first movie we watched that day. The scene (SPOILER ALERT) where Paris comes home after Drake's accident kills my mom and me every time. My other favorite movie with Reagan is "The Hasty Heart". It's a war drama about a friendless and prickly Scot dying in a Philippine jungle after the end of the war. Reagan plays one of the other patients meant to befriend him and make his last weeks pleasant. It's highly weepy.
I didn't like Reagan as a president and for the most part I find him an indifferent actor. I therefore find it mystifying that he is the star of two of my favorite movies of all times. For the most part I now simply accept it and enjoy.
Favorite movies, hmmm... it's so hard to choose! My all time favorite movie would have to be Silence of the Lambs, simply because it was so perfectly made and acted like a dream. Other movies I enjoy and watch repeatedly would be the original Star Wars movies, Thirteen, The Piano, Pirates of the Caribbean movies (you gotta love the slightly drunk/gay Johnny Depp), Gone in 60 seconds, The Rock, Entrapment, Traffic, Space Balls, Mystery Men, and Galexy Quest. Some of these movies are emotionally riviting, while others are just plain hilarious... but I love them all.
Chinatown - absolutely perfect
Casablanca - "best guy movie masquerading as a romance" ever. Alien - best SF movie ever The Shining - just plain per-fect!
The African Queen - a unique mix of drama, comedy, suspense, and action.
Singing in the Rain - Donald O'Connor's "dancing" and antics are priceless. Then there's the scene (if you don't know - the one with Gene Kelly signing in the rain). Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont gives meaning to the term "dumb blond". Last Star Trek - The Wrath of Khan. The first movie my wife to be and I saw together. It has its flaws (many), but was an ingenious weaving of the movie back to the original series.
My absolute favorite movie never hit theaters as far as I know. It is 'Boondock Saints'. the rest of my top five are 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', 'Lonesome Dove', Reservoir Dogs', and 'The Usual Suspects'
As with a million others Star Wars will always be #1 on my list. I was 14 will never forget the feeling watching it the first time.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the funniest movie ever, I watched it again last month and I still laugh out loud. Others Ordinary People, Prince of the City, Night of the Living Dead, Mad Max, Close Encounters, Matrix, Lord of the Rings.
Pretty easy short list for me.
1- The Godfather 1a - The Godfather, Pt. 2 2 - Goodfellas 3 - Star Wars 4 - Animal House (I still laugh out loud) 5 - The Shawshank Redemption
The Third Man is also my favorite movie of all time. The cinematography for that time period is simply unbelievable. An utterly brilliant film from start to finish, thank you for your entry.
My favorite movie is "Wet Hot American Summer." It was a small comedy that didn't get much of a chance in the fall of 2001. It's certainly worth seeing, especially if you like "Airplane!" and improv/sketch humor.
My favourites have a sci-fi bend. My all-time favourite is Blade Runner, a highly stylized movie that influenced film and television for years afterwards. The Road Warrior is a great romp in the Australian desert. Mel Gibson has to resurrect his role at least one more time before he retires. I've always stayed up late to catch Woody Allen's Sleeper when I find it in the listings; a hilarious time-travel spoof ("...any weird, futuristic monsters with the body of a crab and the head of a social worker?"). As much as I liked Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, I preferred A Clockwork Orange for its social commentary. This stuff just makes you think.
My colleague and I just exchanged Top 5 lists, so your blog was quite timely. I'm going to put my Top 8, since several were very close
1. The Third Man (1949) 2. One, Two, Three (1963) 3. Singin' In the Rain (1952) 4. Some Like it Hot (1959) 5. Annie Hall (1977) 6. The Producers (1967) 7. The Thin Man (1934) 8. The Jungle Book (1967)
I would have to say my all time favorite this week is "Pulp Fiction" It's not the violence, but the outstanding direction that makes this movie. "Shane" and "High Noon" are also high on my list. "Educating Rita" because I think Michael Caine is a highly under rated actor, and I'll finish my list with "The Full Monty". one of the funniest movies made.
Depending on my mood, I love (and can watch over and over): Star Wars (Empire Strikes Back of course!), Aliens, Negotiator, The Burbs, Pride & Prejudice (BBC version), Bridget Jones' Diary, Dumb & Dumber, and many Hitchcock films. I'm probably forgetting several, but these always entertain me!
The Wizard Of Oz continues to be classified as my favorite. It has a great mix of music, fantasy, good and bad characters, friendships, morals, etc. No other movie will ever come close to it, in my opinion.
Although, a few have tried! Witness, with Harrison Ford, is another movie that is a great mix of genres. And for sheer fun, The Princess Bride is amazing! Alien and Aliens continue to provide tension and scares. Edward Scissorhands is a modern-day classic fairy tale. And finally, for acting excellence, Thelma and Louise.
My older favorites are "The Empire Strikes Back", "The Godfather", A River Runs Through It", "Ever After", "Forest Grump. Some of my newer favorites are "Crash", "A Beautiful Mind", "Babel", "Little Miss Sunshine" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
I always love mining lists of movies for once I havent seen, so these are great movies that you should try to see.
The Killers (a bunch of toughs fighting the world and each other too), The Lost Weekend (oscar winning performance by Ray Milland) about the depths of alcoholism, Them and Tarantula(50s sci-fi), Where Eagles Dare (adventure--Spies Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and two lovely lady spies escape a Naxi occupied castle in snowy WWII Germany), and the Women, a fast paced 1920s story of high society women duking it out over me and money. for Christmas, Cary Grant in The Bishops Wife.
I find myself drawn to well-crafted dramas, and even a few action films, but as long as the film has an intelligent story and is executed well, I'll like it. Blade Runner remains my favorite film of all time, especially the Director's Cut. Some of my favorites over the years have been Milos Forman's Amadeus, Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, Takeshi "Beat" Kitano's Hana-Bi (Fireworks), Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï, and Michael Mann's Heat. There are also David Lynch's Lost Highway, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (especially the Redux version), Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, and Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. The list for me is endless as I'm a huge film buff, and Children of Men is a new classic for me, but those are some of my favorite films of all time.
I'm just going to list a few that might not get mentioned by anyone else:
Welcome to Collinwood Shakes the Clown The Long Riders
Without a doubt, The Shawshank Redemption ranks in the top. For humor, you can't beat Mel Brooks - History of the World, Blazing Saddles, they're all good!
So many movies and too little time to watch them again and again. Those that I would go out of my way to watch over and over would be, "My Fair Lady", "The Sound of Music", "Monstors, Inc.", "Little Women" all version, "Green Fried Tomatoes", "Bringing Up Baby", "Fiddler on the Roof" and any movie with Bob Hope, Spencer Tracey or Audrey Hepburn in it. And, the list goes on...
Whatever film I choose to see depends on my mood at that moment, but I would have to say my very favorite film of all time is "Million Dollar Baby". It's not my favorite in the sense that it makes me feel good or makes me happy. It's my favorite because it moved me and affected me like no other film has. I loved the story, the dialogue, and the characters, and how they related to one another. I will never forget it.
Some of my favorites are 8 seconds (a great movie for both men and women), the sandlot, the shawshank redemption, the godfather, pure country, forrestt gump, saving private ryan, october sky, rocky, ocean's 11.
The Goonies
My favorite movie of all time: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
"The Big Lebowski" is the greatest movie of all time. Upon first viewing it might not sink in but after you think about it and watch it a second time you will truly see the brilliance of this film. The writing is superb and the casting is even better. Just whatever you do do NOT watch this movie edited for regular TV as they destroy the narrative structure of the film.
My favorite movies(in no particular order):
An Affair to Remember (Grant & Kerr) Kings Row Gone with the Wind Giant The original Star Wars Indiana Jones (the first one) Miracle on 34th Street It's a Wonderful Life Westside Story Dances with Wolves John Fords trilogy starring John Wayne (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon etc)
Office Space
The Matrix American Psycho Tombstone Goodfellas Boondock Saints Kentucky Fried Movie Casino Freebie and the Bean Blues Brothers
There are so many great movies that I can watch again and again, but the one that I feel a real connection to is Garden State, written, directed and starred in by Zach Braff. The story of the inner journey Andrew takes to get back to his true self and how it plays out in his interactions with his friends and his father really struck a chord with me. We've all got our journeys, but the story is in how we choose to travel.
Some of my favorites would be Rebecca (1940), Double Indemnity (1944), Shane (1953), 12 Angry Men (1956), North by Northwest (1959) and the Aussie pic - Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975).
Since I am a movie lover from back in the day and I love sharing my favorites whether they are acclaimed hits or even overdone, these are all films I fell in love with.
Sparkle, Imitation of Life, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, Showboat, Purple Hearts, Stella Dallas,Donovan's Reef, Dangerous Beauty, The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn, Swept from the Sea, Feast of all Saints, Pride and Predudice, Persuasion, Baby Boom and there is something about the old A Christmas Carol with R. Owens, I love movies and I love where they take me for a couple of hours.
The Black Stallion & The Black Stallion Returns still make me choke on my tears.
Other favs: Goonies The Princess Bride Labyrinth Young Frankenstein Recent movie seen that blew me away: Little Children with Kate Winslet & Patrick Wilson. Just. Wow.
So many and so little space......but some of my tops would definitely have to be: Jaws, Back to the Future, Boogie Nights, Indiana Jones, Forrest Gump, Rope, Zodiac, The Royal Tennanb aums, Wet Hot American Summer, Billy Madison, et cetera. My genre is so diverse it explains why I love any movie and every movie. Period.
Children of Men is the most under-appreciated film of the last twenty years. It is also one of the best.
All the Star Wars movies are my favorite. Episoe III: Revenge of the Sith is my favorite out of those 6.
The Deerhunter, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Rainman all are at the top of my list.
I love finding "The Poseidon Adventure" when I'm trawling the channels. I've seen it so many times that it's easy to figure out where I come in, and then I can tell myself "I'll just watch until Roddy McDowell (or Shelley or Stella) dies." I doubt that I've seen the movie from start to finish in 25 years.
If not my favorite, then it has to be in my top 3: "A Lion in Winter" with Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn in the lead roles.
"Shawshank Redemption" also falls into my top 3. Almost a perfect movie for me. I loved the original movie "Flight of the Phoenix" with Jimmy Stewart in the lead role. I was young, and I remember staying up late one weekend night sitting on the sofa with my dad eating popcorn and Milk Duds. That movie is special probably because of the dad-son bonding experience that came with it. For some reason, I still really enjoy watching "The Cheyenne Social Club" with Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda. The Jimmy Stewart-Henry Fonda repartee just makes me laugh. It didn't get remarkable reviews, but a recent movie that I really enjoyed was "Open Range" with Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Benning. Its uncomplicated plot and beautiful scenery just made the movie experience enjoyable. Finally, I don't know if they qualify as movies or just TV film mini-series, but I really enjoy watching "Band of Brothers" and "Lonesome Dove."
To name but a few of my favorites:
Better Off Dead Rear Window First two chapters of the Alien and Godfather series The Last Waltz This is Spinal Tap Silence of the Lambs Notorious The African Queen Norma Rae Die Hard The Incredibles
Goodfellas has to be my favorite movie of all time. Everything about this movie is top notch, especially the acting.
When DeNiro gets the news about Pesci's death on the payphone and starts slamming the receiver down as his face contorts to stop from crying, I get goosebumps. Not only that, but the movie is almost 100% entirely accurate as to the actual events. I saw Departed recently, and while it is still a very good film, it doesn't hold a candle to this absolute masterpiece.
how many am i allowed to list? LOL
top gun footloose patch adams toy story bringing down the house neverland the birdcage that thing you do schindler's list charlotte's web
Robocop(A story with heart)
License to Drive(We live in a car culture), It happened one night, The great excape, Singing in the rain, The Road to "most places"(Bob Hope series), Amazon women in the avacado jungle of death(can you ever go wrong with a title like this?). Princess Bride(good cast of characters) LT, NY state
I haven't seen The Secretary on anyones list, that movie is weird and naughty and just hilarious! Also, Little Miss Sunshine, Royal Tennenbaums, About A Boy, Donnie Darko, Reality Bites and The Goonies make my list.
Rear Window, The Birds, The Big Chill, Wizard of Oz, Desk Set, Clue, The Birdcage, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Four Seasons, 84 Charing Cross Rd, and Working Girl...and this is just a partial list.
The Wizard of Oz is hands-down the greatest American film of all time. It has everything: a wonderful story; great music; terrific, believable characters; a gentle moral; and Technicolor. There's a reason it's still being shown annually on network t.v. 68 years after it was made. Citizen Kane comes in a close second. Both of these movies should be seen on the big screen for maximum impact.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
and most of the others mentioned - except the sci-fi stuff.
I love Pulp Fiction, Resevoir Dogs, Days of Thunder, Anchorman, The Big Labowski, Raising Arizona, KingPin.
I'm a Star Trek Fan, so I have to say that ST:TOS movies are my favorite.
I also list my other than Star Trek 10 Ten Below: 10. One Crazy Summer - John Cuzack 09. Beer - Rip Torn 08. Diner - Kevin Bacon 07. Fandango - Kevin Cosner 06. Major League - Charlie Sheen 05. Airplane! 04. Saturday Night Fever 03. Indiana Jones & The Lost Ark 02. Star Wars 01. Animal House
Forrest Gump, Snatch, Ocean's 11, Frequency, Star Wars 3, Gladiator, Braveheart, Walk the Line.
I can watch Forrest Gump or Frequency 10x a day and never get bored.
Beyond the favorites that are part of the canon, like Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, etc., some of my favorites are:
The Fabulous Baker Boys (Steve Kloves, long before Harry Potter) Quiz Show (one of the wittiest scripts of the '90s, which may not be saying much) The Stunt Man My Favorite Year (I'm obv. a big Peter O'Toole fan) Seems Like Old Times Midnight Run (I'm obv. a Charles Grodin fan) Arthur ("She's from a tiny little country... They recently had the whole country carpeted. I'm talking small.") Breaking Away (one of the Top 10 "small town" films ever, along with Shadow of a Doubt) Notorious (2nd best Hitchcock ever, after Rear Window) The Purple Rose of Cairo Broadway Danny Rose ("They shot him in the eyes." "They blinded him?" "No, he's dead." "Yes, of course! Because the bullets -- they go right through!") Bullets over Broadway ("Don't speak...") The Natural ("I shoulda been a farmer, Red...") Eight Men Out (John Sayles) Matewan (John Sayles at his peak, before he started getting slow-paced, overly verbose and pretentious) Life Is Sweet (Mike Leigh) Naked (Mike Leigh) My Life as a Dog (Remember that one? Lasse Hallstrom before he went American) Glengarry Glen Ross ("Nice guy? I don't care. Good father? &#@*$ you, go home and play with your kids.") Monty Python & The Holy Grail ("Strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.") The Manchurian Candidate (the original with Frank Sinatra, not the remake) Angels with Dirty Faces Only Angels Have Wings The Great Escape The Color of Money I could go on and on and on...
My top five favorite films of all time:
Citizen Kane Vertigo Chinatown Raiders of the Lost Ark Rebecca
So glad you mentioned My Fair Lady. That film always makes my list too.
Others include: LA Confidential, A Fish Called Wanda, Lost in Translation, American Beauty,The Untouchables. Guilty Pleasures: Charade, The Hunt for Red October, Sean Connery Bond flicks, Star Trek films (any of them. even the "bad" ones.) Recent Faves: The Lives of Others. Little Miss Sunshine
1. King Kong (1933)
2. Bride of Frankenstein 3. Animal House 4. Tarzan Escapes 5. Shane 6. Sunset Boulevard 7. Bridge over the River Kwai 8. The Music Man 9. A Night at the Opera 10.Goldfinger These are movies that I never tire of watching. Every time they're aired, I can't help but watch them.
These are some greats that people usually say they "like", but they actually change every time you watch them. They get better and better, and more layered, and beautiful. All of these movies have a huge heart, and are transcendent.
- ALMOST FAMOUS - LIAR, LIAR - THE FAMILY MAN - FORREST GUMP - JERRY MAGUIRE - PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES - THE WEDDING SINGER - THE PRINCESS BRIDE - HIGH FIDELITY - AS GOOD AS IT GETS
I grew up in the 80's so I am not familiar with many of the classics. With that said, here is my top 10.
1. The Godfather (1 and 2) 2. Rounders 3. Rudy 4. Goodfellas 5. Old School 6. The Godfather pt.2 7. Good Will hunting 8. Gladiator 9. Deer Hunter 10.Rocky Honorable mention goes to: Bravehart Casino Boondock Saints The Bourne Identity Shawshank Redemption Goldeneye Remember the Titans Serenity Any Given Sunday
I tend to like a variety of films and will rewatch those where whoever made it isn't beating me over the head with their Very Important Message.
e.g. most "war" films preach against war. I GET IT. WAR ISN'T GOOD. On the other hand Saving Private Ryan was an honest chronicle of the sacrifices made; it left it up to the viewer to decide moral issues for him/herself. Hence, rewatchable. (Having something to say and clubbing me with it are different things.) Other pictures I would consider seeing again would be Waterworld, Count of Monte Cristo, Most of the Trek films, and a boatload of deliberately fluffy, silly and meaningless Meg Ryan romantic comedy type movies.
Your recommendation of The Third Man is great and I wholeheartedly agree.
I also like any of the Cohen Brothers movies, especially Miller's Crossing, great gangster movie that also looks at the relationships between men. Other favorites, Manhattan Three Days of the Condor The Day of the Jackel Avalon Brief Encounter Well, I just love movies.......
"My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
"Its good to be the king." "Could you help me? I seem to have misplaced my Congressional Medal of Honor." In case you dont know the quotes. My favoite movies are Better Off Dead, History of the World Part I, and Blast from the Past(With Brendan Fraser and Alcia Silverstone. I dont know why i like it though, maybe because I grew up in a fallout shelter?)
The Matrix (all time fav)
All StarWars The even numbered Star Treks Galaxy Quest Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind Contact The Fifth Element Sixteen Candles Breakfast Club Better Off Dead Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Pee Wee's Big Adventure Pretty in Pink Clueless Legally Blond Cocktail The Notebook The Color Purple Shawshank Redepmtion No Way Out The Lake House (yes a Keanu Reeves movie in all genre...lol) Princess Bride Armegeddon (makes me cry every time) Speed Pirates of the Carribean Sooooo many more!!!
My faves in no particular order:
The Color Purple; The Five Heartbeats; The Wiz (all black cast version of The Wizard of Oz with Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Richard Pryor); Tombstone; Lord of the Rings trilogy; Pretty in Pink and Breakfast Club (yes, i grew up in the 80s); And newly added: I love The Prestige.
When Harry Met Sally, The Shawshank Redemption, The Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, Little Miss Sunshine, 12 Angry Men, Pretty Woman, Moulin Rouge
For those not afraid of subtitles, one movie which I have a hard time describing to my friends (to get them to watch it) is "Jean de Florette" with Gerard Depardieu. Slow, but really draws you in and makes you care about the characters. Same but to a slightly lesser extent is its sequel "Manon of the Spring".
my top 5
1 - Lawrence of Arabia 2 - A Christmas Story 3 - Sixteen Candles 4 - Tombstone 5 - Beautiful Girls
My all time favorite movie is Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious". It's just fabulous on every level. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman have smoldering chemistry and biting dialogue. The movie delivers on drama, intrigue, suspense and romance. If you haven't seen it, DO.
Others that I love to ridiculous ends include: "Casablanca" "Gone With the Wind" "Imitation of Life" (Lana Turner version) "The Departed" "Braveheart" "Grease" "A Few Good Men"
A few more I can't believe I left out:
Dr. Strangelove ("...we've had a little problem with the bomb. The bomb, Dmitri. The hydrogen bomb.") Broadcast News ("Tom, while being a very nice guy, is the devil.") The Apartment ("I guess that's the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.") Ninotchka ("It's midnight -- one half of Paris is making love to the other half.") Sabrina (the original, not the remake) Love in the Afternoon ("If I were an Indian potentate, I would shower you with jewels. But as I am only a detective, all I can give you is a detailed dossier.") The Sweet Smell of Success (the great B&W cinematography and the urban poetry -- people don't actually talk like that, but you wish they did) Bull Durham Swingers Oliver! (one of the all-time underrated musicals, despite its 1968 Best Picture Oscar) West Side Story Yojimbo The Seven Samurai (okay, now I'm definitely dipping into the canon...) The Hidden Fortress The Usual Suspects Witness Beverly Hills Cop WarGames (silly but solid script) The Breakfast Club Touch of Evil Superman II (the Richard Lester version, NOT the Richard Donner version)
Movies I can watch over and over are: Jezebel with Betty Davis, O Brother, Where art thou? with George Clooney, The Green Mile, A Knight's Tale, Crash, Master and Commander and any of the Harry Potter series
Movies that touch me like What Dreams May Come and Terms of Endearment can only be watched every few years or so but are definitely favourites
My favorites in no particular order
1) Equilibrium (Never in theaters....it's very matrixesque but stars, the much cooler than Keanu Reeves, Christian Bale. If you have not seen it, rent it tonight!) 2) Blazing Saddles (Mel is a god) 3) Singing in the Rain (just good old wholesome fun) 4) Reservoir Dogs (Mr Pink is the badass....nuff said) 5) Clerks (The unfiltered, uncompromising, unkown Kevin Smith at his best) 6) Love Actually (Chick flick yes, but enough hot chicks in it to make it okay to be on my list) 7) U2 Rattle and Hum (High School memories) 8) American History X (Edward Norton...nuff said) 9) The Usual Suspects (Even though I know the ending I will watch it over and over) 10) The Hobbit (The original animated movie from the 70's. It's so grainy and dark and weird and I watched it like a million times as a kid) I could add a hell of a lot more but these are a selection of my favorites.
Top Ten Favorite Movies...
1)Brick 2)Rocky Horror Picture Show 3)Lord of the Rings 4)Mysterious Skin 5)Dance Me Outside 6)Toy Story 7)Friday the 13th movies 8)Nightmare Before Christmas 9)Happy Feet 10)Indiana Jones All great movies. Funny and scary movies are always great.
Okay, I like a happy ending--
Adam's Rib My Favorite Year Moonstruck (perfect ending) Atlantic City Field of Dreams The Princess Bride (No matter how many times I've seen it, if it's on TV when I walk through the room I get drawn in.) Meet Me In St. Louis (especially the Halloween scene, but I always tear up when Judy Garland's grandfather says he'll be her date for the big dance.)
Dai-bosatsu tôge (The Sword of Doom)
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto Tatsuya Nakadai's performance is unforgettable. The cinematography is beautiful. The choreography of the action sequences is precisely accurate. The message of movie is clear and dark. The ending, while at first shocking, is perfect in retrospect. This is not a "silly martial arts movie". It is a work of art on par with anything Kurosawa produced.
Being a child of the 80's I would have to say that I would consider the Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles as two of my favorite movies for sentimental reasons. I can watch them over and over again. I also love the ORIGINAL Swept Away-forget the Madonna version. Also Annie Hall, Bull Durham, The Godfather I and II, Radio Days and I also love some real oldies like It Happened One Night and Notorious. These movies never get boring.
My favorite movies that never waiver in my steadfast love for them are City of God, The Sting, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Trust.
City of God for it's gorgeous cinematography and brutal realism. The Sting for it's Redford/Newman duo action and it's captivating story. Cuckoo's Nest for Jack and the gang in one of the best enesemble casts. Trust for being the finest acheivment in 90's indie film where Martin Donovan and Adrienne Shelly explode on the screen with dry, witty banter and a strange suburban love story.
I love movies and could go on and on, but here are a few of my favorites:
Enemy Mine, Star Wars, Amadeous, Dances With Wolves, The Color Purple, V for Victory, Seven Samuri, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Schindler's List, To Kill a Mockingbird, Raiders of the Lost Arc, The Princess Bride, Bennie and Joon, Gladiator, Contact, Blade Runner, Alien and Aliens, The Last Samuri, The Power of One, Nightmare Before Christmas
The Shawshank Redemption has to be one of the greatest movies of all time. It has a great message and great characters, an many don't realize that this great film was written by one of the great horror writers of our time--Stephen King.
All time favorite has to be Wizard of Oz because of its great characters, meaningful story, and the music/songs are still sung today! It's been my favorite since I was a little girl.
Others include Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, A Christmas Story, Lethal Weapon, A Star is Born, and another all time favorite, Saturday Night Fever!
Miller's Crossing
LA Story Glory Three Days of the Condor ----- Those are the ones that have been gut responses for a long time. More recent candidates: Memento Magnolia
Batman. An action film that hugely influenced me to see what super heros could really be on screen in comparison to their comic counterparts. And now? Well let's just say I'm a filmmaker who made some super hero movies of my own.
Rear Window
Goodfellas Casino Office Space Chasing Amy Terms of Endearment
My favorite film list is rather varied...
-The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Great film, not too much action or dialogue) -The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (I'm a huge fan of the books and the film is superb) -Freaky Friday (2003 Version) (I like this film for how Lohan's acting range is explored. Plus it allows me to reminisce about pre-anorexic Hollywood) -Elf (This film is the perfect thing to go watch if you're having a rotten holiday season. It just leaves you with a sense of unstoppable cheer.) -Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Superb film in all respects. Very, very good.) -Little Miss Sunshine (fantastic film from start to finish) -A Prairie Home Companion (this is Robert Altman's final masterpiece and is simply beautiful) -The Lake House (its core romantic nature really touched me) -The Devil Wears Prada (Meryl Streep was just incredible in this film. So was Anne Hathaway) -The Queen (Helen Mirren is amazing. What more can I say?) -Stranger Than Fiction (fantastic film. Wonderful cast and original plot.)
I am a MOVIE FIEND! There are SO many to list but I'll try to keep it to a minimum (LOL)
1. Memphis Belle (1990) 2. Drop Dead Gorgeous 3. The Godfather 4. The Godfather II 5. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 6. Zoolander 7. A Christmas Story 8. Elf 9. The Goonies 10. Eight Men Out 11. A League of Their Own 12. Ever After 13. Some Like It Hot 14. The Quiet Man 15. Annie 16. All of the Back to the Future Films 17. Best In Show 18. The Talented Mr. Ripley 19. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? 20. Titanic 21. Napoleon Dynamite 22. Borat 23. The Sound of Music 24. Chicago 25. Rush Hour 1 and 2 26. Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights 27. Starsky and Hutch 28. Wedding Crashers 29. Miss Congeniality 1 and 2 30. Rudy 31. The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel 32. Men in Black I and II 33. Wild, Wild West 34. Independence Day 35. White Christmas Whew! I'm sure I missed some but these I could watch over and over and over again...
For my money no movie is more authentic or such a punishing watch as Scorsese's "Raging Bull." He made a movie about a terrible, despicabale man and it's impossible to take your eyes off of it. One of the best shot, acted, edited movies of all-time.
Hitchcock's "Notorious" is also on my list, and I find it to be one of his most underrated movies along w/ "Strangers On a Train." You're not a Hitchcock film until you see those two.
"Moles and trolls, moles and trolls, work, work, work, work, work. We never see the light of day. We plan this thing for weeks and all they want to do is study. I'm disgusted. I'm sorry but it's not like me, I'm depressed. There was what, no one at the mutant hamster races, we only had one entry into the Madame Curie look-alike contest and he was disqualified later. Why do I bother?"
Real Genius - by far NOT "quality" film-making, but it still makes me laugh out loud everytime I see it.
In no specific order
Moulin Rouge Goodfellas Heat Kill Bill Jackie Brown True Romance Before Sunrise Kundun English Patient Age of Innocence Top Gun Last of the Mohicans Bicycle Thief(!) Dirty Rotten Scoundrels My Cousin Vinny
I have many favorites, but I think my most favorite of all time is Apocalypse Now Redux. For a "war film", it is surprisingly multi-faceted. It can be comedic in spots, then take a left turn into horror. The invasion of the beach to the strains of Wagner is, essentially, gorgeous -- and the ending is straight out of Kafka. A perfect film, IMO.
.Pirates Of The Caribbean 1 and 2 : watched them both a combined 41 times.. and counting !!
.Titanic : uncommentable !! .Thelma & Louise : one of the greatest of all time ! .Moulin Rouge .The Legend Of 1900 .Simon Birch .Edward Scissorhands
All movies listed are great choices one I did not see was "The Great Race" I always laugh. "Brandy, through more Brandy!!"
The Blues Brothers, The Rock and Tommy Boy always keep my attention. Wayne's World does too but it's rarely on.
My favorite movie is Star Wars Episode 4:A New hope I have seen it 105 times, I also enjoy Men Don't Leave with Jessica Lange also the Navigator a New Zealand film in the mid 90's and The Adventures of Bob & Doug Mckenzie
"Strange Brew"
Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
Rashomon (It's not about "point of view". Most of the characters are lying!) Being John Malkovich Tank Girl Starship Troopers (One of the most powerful anti-war, anti-violence films ever.) The Russians are Coming ("World War III is starting and everyone is blaming you!) The Producers (if there's been a re-make yet, I mean the original) Clerks Dogma Monty Python and the Holy Grail and "Children of Men" and "Lives of Others" which I haven't seen because I don;t do powerful but I know they'd be favorities if I could bring myself to watch them
My favorite movie ever is "Singin' in the Rain," I can watch that movie all the time and it never gets old. I love everything about that movie. The cast, the screenplay, the dancing and the music is fantastic!
Some other favorites: City Lights (1931) North by Northwest (1959) The Big Clock (1948) The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) The Pirate (1948) Duck Soup (1933) Bringing Up Baby (1938) Office Space (1999) The list goes on...
1. City of God, 2. The Insider, 3. The Thin Red Line, 4. In the Bedroom, 5. Roman Holiday, 6. Rushmore, 7. Baseketball (yes, Baseketball), 8. You Can Count on Me, 9. The Sea Inside, 10. Chasing Amy...
Favs:
the Original Star Wars (shouldn't have done the others) The Lord of the Rings trilogy Cat on A hot tin Roof To Kill a Mockingbird The Philadelphia Story Aliens The Sound of Music Black Hawk Down Pirates 1 Shakespeare in Love Elizabeth (can't wait for the sequel) Goonies (remember that one?) Charlotte Gray Gosford Park
Some of these have sentimental value...some I can drive people crazy with b/c I can say every line word for word:) 16 Candles; Oliver; Dirty Dancing; Finding Nemo; Elf; Sliding Doors; Meet Joe Black; Shawshank Redemption; Grease; Dr. Zhivago; Wizard of Oz, Breakfast Club; Pretty in Pink; Sweet Home Alabama; Footloose; Top Gun; Ever After; Crash; Cocktail; Armageddon; Oceans 11; Office Space; Annie; Steel Magnolias; American History X...and many more!!
A movie directed by Walter Hill, the classic STREET OF FIRE.
Tom
My husband and I have gone through our lists many times over the years, and they always change. I have a few that always stay in the top ten:
1. Singin' in the Rain (1952) - What can you say? Fun Fun Fun. 2. Auntie Mame (1958) - the original with Rosalind Russell...sublime! 3. Sex and Lucia (Lucia y el Sexo) (2001) - amazing film from Spain. I can watch it again and again, and cry unabashedly at the end every time. 4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) - the most amazing dancing in a film EVER! 5. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - What an ending! 6. Better Off Dead (1985) - Oh, Savage Steve Holland, where are you? This is a movie that is guaranteed to blow milk out your nose. 7. The 40 year old Virgin (2005) - ;)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is one of the best movies ever made. There's nothing like skipping a day of school or work and really making the most of it, you really appreciate days like that because they're few and far between. The anxious feeling of rebellion and "am I going to get caught" just makes your whole day edgier. It's so fun to watch.
I also really enjoyed Little Children, Rocky Horror (cult classic), Breakfast at Tiffany's, Happy Gilmore, and A Little Princess. "Didn't your father ever tell you that? DIDN'T HE!?"
For ANYONE who has a love of the movies, Cinema Paradiso is the rare film that is great and a favorite film
Raiders of the Lost Ark (well, all of the Indy movies)
Lawrence of Arabia (Many of David Leans films) Kind Hearts and Coronets Singing in the Rain Rear Window The Night the Lights went out in Georgia (Dennis Quaid!) Citizen Kane Gilda The Gazebo (funny dark comedy) Shakespeare in Love Court Jester (hysterical still) Dr. Strangelove, or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb” Witness Some Like it Hot Sunset Boulevard Just a start, I know I’ll kick myself when others come to mind. And yes, I like “The Third Man” too
For laughs - Young Frankenstein and Airplane. For romance - Pretty Woman, An Officer and A Gentleman, and While You Were Sleeping. For drama - African Queen and To Kill A Mockingbird. For sheer fun - Hatari!
One movie I have not seen listed is The Searchers (John Wayne) if you have never seen this, you should, I watch it over and over.
Others I like are, Roman Holiday, all Alfred Hitchcock, Austin Powers, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte (Better Davis) Moonstruck, Zoolander, Goodfellas |
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