Movie Time

Okay, this is a list of 30 of my favorite films. It was actually unbelievably hard to think of films that should make the list, but this is what I came up with. With few exceptions, I have seen these films multiple times.

1. Father of the Bride – Essentially a comedy, but with great heart and passion. I’ve watched this on a regular basis since it came out.
2. Star Wars V, The Empire Strikes Back – The darkest one of the series, excluding III, but still one of my favorites. The lack of Ewoks and other furry/funny creatures is an added bonus.
3. Dead Poets Society – This had a huge impact on me. I saw it, then went home, picked up my brother, and took him back that night to see it again. Carpediem.
4. Jurassic Park – I almost missed this one because everyone else was so enamoured of it that I refused to see it for a long time. It’s hard to describe the feeling I had when the Rex first appeared on screen – maybe because Michelle was squeezing my hand so hard I could hardly feel anything.
5. Titanic – I’ve long been fascinated with the story of the Titanic, and yes, even though we all know how it ends, this is still a good film. Some of the reactions when the Titanic is going down are excellent – and true to life, if you’ve read the stories of that night.
6. The Naked Gun – The first is by far the best. I was laughing within moments of the start. Leslie Nielsen has unbelievable delivery. Slapstick at its best.
7. Three Amigos! – Another great comedy film, and a classic. Steve Martin’s speech about our personal El Guapo still kills me.
8. Falling Down – Portrayal of a man fighting a broken system. Along the way, he wreaks a great deal of havoc.
9. Talk Radio – Dark, cynical, partly the story of a disintegrating/disintegrated society, and partly the story of the disintegrating radio talk show host, this is powerful film-making and the beginning of a brilliant Oliver Stone career.
10. Shakespeare in Love – An excellent interpretation of Romeo & Juliet, blending humour and romance. I saw this the night before Dalton was born.
11. The Breakfast Club – I’m not sure if there’s a film that sums up the 80’s generation better. Teenage angst in all its glory.
12. Back to the Future – If only they had stopped at one. Still, a good blend of comedy and action, and easy to kick back and watch.
13. The Shawshank Redemption­ – Not exactly easy to watch, but amazingly good, and still under rated. A story about the endurance of man.
14. Heathers – Dark, rather morbid comedy. I’m not sure that I would exhibit the same appreciation for it today if I hadn’t first seen it as a teenager.
15. North by Northwest – The film that made me realise that there were some older films worth seeing… and made me understand why Cary Grant was so huge in Hollywood.
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark – As with most series, the first remains the best. I haven’t seen the latest though.
17. Jewel of the Nile – Back in the day, we had no cable, and we watched whatever we had on video tape – which included this beauty. Similar to Raiders, in that it’s essentially a romantic adventure.
18. The Cutting Edge – I can’t explain this one. I just liked it. Yes, it is goofy, and hasn’t even stood the test of time to date, but it is a fun watch. Basically a romcom.
19. Rocky III – Among the many things that I used to do was to rent all of the Rocky films and spend the entire night watching them. Rocky III was where I really would start to get interested.
20. The Pursuit of Happyness – Definitely the most recent addition to this list, and it makes it for many of the same reasons that Shawshank does – the endurance of man, the ability to give it your all when you’ve got nothing left. The fact that it is based on a true story is even more moving.
21. Dead Again – Shortly after Kenneth Branagh began his filming of various Shakespeare plays, he put this out, which has nothing to do with Shakespeare, but is still a good film. Robin Williams plays a bit role where he almost steals the movie.
22. Much Ado About Nothing – One of the Branagh Shakespeare films, this one has been watched time and again. This one lacks the heart of, say, Othello, or Henry V, but is an excellent and easy watch.
23. Return of the King – I really struggled with whether to put this one in the list or not. However, of the trio of Tolkien films, this one is, in my opinion, the most true to the spirit of the story, and wraps it all up nicely.
24. The Hobbit – The old cartoon version. I can’t say how many times I watched this as a child. We used to rent a film projector and watch the old 16mm.
25. Young Guns – I used to own a key ring that said “Kidd”, given to me because of my predilection for this film. I also used to be able to quote about 75% of the movie, although that has changed, as I haven’t seen it in a while.
26. Top Gun – The movie that made every teenage boy want to become a fighter pilot.
27. Seabiscuit – All the more moving because it is largely true. The bit at the end which seems made for the movies where the jockey allows War Admiral to catch up to Seabiscuit so Seabiscuit could see him is fact.
28. Himself – This is one that I still quote from. Basically, about an hour and a half or so of Bill Cosby standup. Some of the ideas from this routine were re-used in The Cosby Show.
29. Labyrinth – Goofy at times, but still enjoyable.
30. The Others – In the dark suspense/semi-horror genre, this one stands out to me. No real blood, guts, and gore, just genuine suspense built up until the chilling end.