Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Favorite Movie List

This will not be easy but I thought it would definitely be fun, possibly controversial and hopefully gather some good comments. I made a top ten favorite movie list. I challenge you to do the same.


Citizen Kane
To Kill A Mockingbird
It's A Wonderful Life
The Godfather I and II
Moonstruck
Life is Beautiful
Sophie's Choice
Harold and Maude
Schindler's List
Juno

OK I cheated a little on the Godfathers but if I had to pick one it would be the second. After making this list I want to make another one for foreign films. Life is Beautiful is so good it could be on both lists. It's my made up game so we will play by my rules. Kind of like Calvin Ball.


Life is Beautiful
Eat Drink, Man Woman
Babette's Feast
Cinema Paradiso
Strictly Ballroom
Kolya
Metropolis
Il Postino
The Bicycle Thief
Au Revoir Les Enfants


OK - so that was much easier than I thought it would be.

Your turn................

43 comments:

Arties32 said...

Ohh great list. My favorites (English):
Frances
Sophie's Choice
Life is Beautiful (dubbed)
Schindler's List
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
The Trip to Bountiful
Tootsie
Love, Actually
Dreamgirls
This great movie I can't remember right now, I have to try and think of it. It's old and it's really great

My foreign lang. list to come later this week

JB said...

It was hard not to list Tootsie on my list - I just saw it again and was reminded how brilliant it is. I still say Teri Garr was robbed of the best actress Oscar because the recipient (Jessica Lange) was a double nominee that year for Tootsi and Frances - then Meryl won for Sophie's and so Jessica won best supporting by default. Not that she wasn't great in Tootsie but Teri Garr was amazing.

Good list Sissy! (But I prefer the BBC/ A&E Pride and Prejudice over the 1940 version.)

Janine Serresseque said...

The Remains of the Day
Mary Poppins
Sweeney Todd
Out of Africa
Gone with the Wind
The Sound of Music
Waiting for Guffman
Iris
The Piano
ET

pnlkotula said...

A League of Their Own
Gone with the Wind
It's A Wonderful Life
Love Actually
Singin in the Rain
Toy Story
The Wizard of Oz
Princess Bride
The Color Purple
Dirty Dancing

JB said...

I meant to say Teri garr was robbed of the best suporting actress Oscar.

JB said...

ooo - I forgot about the Color Purple - good one....

Arties32 said...

The movie I couldn't remember the name of is Sargent York- have you guys seen it? It's fantastic, really old too. That one is to fill out my top 10. I LOVE The Color Purple but I don't know which to take off. Maybe Love, Actually. I like The Color Purple much more. I haven't seen the BBC/A&E Pride and Prejudice, but I guess I oughta! I also love Elf but that's too many for a top 10.

Anonymous said...

we are teaching Night to our 9th graders, and showed Life is Beautiful as an easy introduction to reading the book.
Also, Mockingbird is up there as my favorite-I fall in love with Gregory Peck's Atticus every time I see the movie.
(:

pnlkotula said...

Nooo!! Chickie, don't take off Love Actually! It makes me happy and weepy...

JB said...

I forgot The Purple Rose of Cairo. That is a must on my list. Also forgot the French movie where the people in the institution come out and run the town after the town has been abandoned because of the war. King ----something? Anybody ?

JB said...

King of Hearts. That's what that movie was called. It is terrible getting old!

JB said...

Oh Sissy - I LOVE Elf too - just saw it this year. The A&E / BBC Pride and Pred. is 5 hours long - You shou be able to rent it anywhere.

Arties32 said...

pnlkotula- i still love it, but I have to admit it's not one of my TOP 10. It would be in my Top 15! Now that I started thinking about it, there are so many movies I love and I can't fit them all.

Anonymous said...

Impossible! But a few stand outs include....

The Women
The Color Purple
Love Actually
Maurice
Gone With the Wind
Strangers in Good Company
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Big Eden
Best in Show, Guffman, Mighty Wind
Juno
Little Miss Sunshine
Singin' in the Rain
Funny Girl
Without You, I'm Nothing
Doctor Zhivago
The Song of Bernadette
Mansfield Park
Dead Poet's Society
Elizabeth
The Mission
Henry V (1989 Version)
The Last Emperor
The Rose
Auntie Mame
Cabaret
Julia
Midnight Express
Ordinary People
Crimes of the Heart


Like I said - Impossible!

Sparki

pnlkotula said...

Ooo, yeah, The Women & Funny Girl. Great list sparki. A lot on there I didn't think of.

Princess Crabass said...

This was hard - and I'm sure I'll change my mind by lunchtime, but here goes:

ET
Gone With the Wind
Sophie's Choice
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Sound of Music
Being John Malkovich
The Shawshank Redemption
Fight Club (thanks Janine)
The Color Purple
The American President (I know I'm queer, but it's just so sweet)

Princess Crabass said...

Foreign language - question first. Wasn't Strictly Ballroom in English? If you're just looking at foreign films my list will change, but if it is foreign language this is it: (actually this is probably every foreign language movie I've ever seen)

Amelie
Life is Beautiful
Cinema Paradisio
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
La Cage aux Folles
Cyrano be Bergerac
La Vie en Rose

The Fed Violin (a Canadian film in English, French, German, Mandarin, and Italian) should really go on my absolute favorites list. I told you I would change my mind before lunch.

Princess Crabass said...

That should have been The RED Violin, but you knew that.

Princess Crabass said...

The FED Violin would be something altogether different.

Anonymous said...

Just too many to try and list, I will have to narrow it down. How about favorite comedies?
Airplane!
Blazing Saddles
Young Frankenstein
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Dead
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Groundhog Day
Big Trouble in Little China
Harvey
Raising Arizona
The Cable Guy
Kingpin
Yellowbeard
Fletch
Black Sheep
The Blues Brothers
The Trouble With Harry
A Mighty Wind
This is Spinal Tap
The Jerk
The Lonely Guy

Probably missed some, but this list is long enough now . . .

Arties32 said...

Sparkkii I came back to add Strangers in Good Company... I knew when I saw you had a list that it must be there. Okay I have to put more favorites, I have been obsessed over this.
Strangers in Good Company!
The Song of Bernadette (thanks Sparki) (for my Mama Copes!)
Boys in the Band
West Side Story
West Bank Story
Fantasia
The 7-UP Series
Jesus Camp

TLMM has a list, too. She has been too busy doing well, everything because I have been so sick, but she'll get to it :)

Anonymous said...

OK - Foreign Language Films.....

Raise the Red Lantern
To Live
Jesus of Montreal (might be my all time fave foreign lang. film...)
Farinelli
Babette's Feast
Like Water for Chocolate
Ridicule
Everybody's Fine
The Scent of Green Papaya
Cinema Paradiso
King of Hearts

I managed to keep that one down to 11.....

And I need to add "Orlando" and "Enchanted April" to my original list!

Sparki

Unknown said...

Moonstruck
Fried Green Tomatoes
White Christmas
Ghost
And Justice for all
Sideways
Mr. Mom
Youg Frankenstein
Star Chamber
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andrew Hamm said...

Holy cow. This only works if I can call all three Lord of the Rings movies one film.

The Fountain
The Lord of the Rings
Gettysburg
Spider-Man 2
Amelie
Serenity
Contact
Meet me in St. Louis
It's a Wonderful Life


I bet I could come up with a completely different list of 10 that I feel just as passionately about. I didn't even fit any Luc Besson or James Cameron films, only one musical, and only one pre-1980. And no Children of Paradise??? No This is Spinal Tap??? What was I thinking? I'm going to have to start all over later.

Andrew Hamm said...

That was only nine! Add Strictly Ballroom and I'm done for now.

JB said...

I can't believe the response from this post. It was so much harder than I thought to pick just ten but the coolest thing is reading everyone else's favorite lists. I am glad everone is making up their own "rules" - and there are definetly a few surprises. I am getting to know you all better. keep posting - who is reading this and hasn't posted yet? What are you waiting for?

Anonymous said...

Hey Muffin.... You should do a favorite "guilty pleasures" movie list! It would be interesting to see what people admit to......

Sparki

Flying Buttress said...

I categorize these as "if they're on, I'm watching"
What's Up Doc?
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
Manchurian Candidate (the Angela Lansbury version, please!)
Evil Under the Sun
Death on the Nile
Born Yesterday
The Matchmaker
Come Back Little Sheba
The Long Hot Summer
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Dave T said...

I can't do this without cheating. There's about 9 movies that I had a mind-blowing, change-the-way-you-think-about-movies reaction to. And then there's another 9 movies that I just like alot would have to fight it out for that 10th spot...

First string:
Blue Velvet
The Sound of Music
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Aristocrats
Fight Club
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Apocalypse Now
Star Wars: A New Hope
Devils on the Doorstep (Chinese)

Second string:
Rear Window
Do the Right Thing
The Maltese Falcon
You Can Count on Me
Miller’s Crossing
Fly Away Home
Caddyshack
This is Spinal Tap
Big

JB said...

funny you mention "Do the Right Thing" an incredible movie - I was just in a heated debate with someone very recently regarding the year that came out and how some folks were upset that Driving Miss Daisy beat it out for best picture.

Dave T said...

The Oscar thing doesn't really surprise me. Do the Right Thing is quirky and challenging and in some classic movie-making ways, not a great movie (I watched it again last year in a film class where we discussed the jumpy narrative structure, the uneven tone, etc.) But in other ways, it is absolutely classic. On a second or third viewing, you notice things like Spike Lee's work with color, the framing of different shots, and his inclusion of a classic Greek chorus in the form of the three retired guys. She's Gotta Have It is pretty good too.

JB said...

yes Dave, that was basically my argument about it too. While D.M.D. might not have been as important a movie as D.T.R.T. - to some- it is nothing that Woddy Allen hasn't done or other clever film makers. I enjoyed both movies a lot. I think when Crash won over Brockback Mountain it was definetly content winning over creation - so it works both ways.

JB said...

umm. that is Brokeback Mountain...not Brockback Mountain.

Dave T said...

I know I'm late to this party but I thought I'd still chime in. For foreign language films:

Devils on the Doorstep (it really is good enough to list twice)
Run Lola Run
The Vanishing
Il Postino
The Wedding Banquet
Ran (Kirosawa)
To Live (Zhang Yimou)
Hero (Zhang Yimou)
The Seven Sumarai
Babette’s Feast

Suzanne said...

I just did some more thinking and perused everyone else's list. If you thought Sophie's Choice was a good movie (and it really was!), you should read the book.

Add to my list:

The Remains of the Day - oh, the longing!

The Godfather

The French Connection

Twelve Angry Men

One Flew Over the Cuckoos' Nest

The Manchurian Candidate (Angela for sure)

Something Woody Allen, come on people! Match Point was great but something classic and pre-Soon Yee should also be on the list.

Cheers to the person who put Jesus of Montreal on their list - I didn't realize anyone else had seen it.

The Vanishing - yikes. You must see the original, not the silly Hollywood remake (sorry Sandy & Kiefer).

Dave T said...

On The Vanishing -- the original is in Dutch and is creepy as hell. The only problem is that the title in Dutch just sounds silly ("Spoorloos"). Early Woody has some classics: "Purple Rose of Cairo," "Manhattan" -- gorgeous, "Crimes and Misdemeanors," etc.

JB said...

The orig Vanishing is Fantastic - I never enjoyed the American Version - they messed up the ending.
also - I added the Purple Rose of Cairo to my list a while ago Suzanne. That is my Fav Woody movie. Also - I figured most Folks had read Sophie's Choice. Here at the Lib of VA we honored William Styron a few years before he passed away. Apparently Meryl and Kevin where here for the ceremony. Wish I had worked there then!
I will have to Netflix Devils on the Doorstep.

Dave T said...

I'll warn you -- "Devils" has a very intense ending. I'd love to hear what you think if you get a chance to see it.

Suzanne said...

I think you need to have a separate movie blog like Jenn has her food blog.

And how about a TV show blog? I really like How I Met Your Mother but I never hear anyone talk about it. Does anyone else watch it?

I cannot wait for the next season of Damages, and I've just started to watch Dexter (creepy and delicious). And you know how I feel about Top Chef. Speaking of which, what did you think of the first episode last week? It didn't do much for me, but I'm looking forward to this week any way.

Dave - you are right about the (real) Vanishing being creepy as hell. The last 10 seconds of that movie are still with me over 10 years later. As I said before, yikes!

JB said...

I was excited to see Top Chef and it was OK but it usually gets better and better the further into the season it goes. The show I am most looking forward to is Kathy Griffen's My Life on The D-List - I LOVE her!

Arties32 said...

More good movies I have been remembering! Cafe Baghdad! Grey Gardens!!!

Arties32 said...

JB- David Baldacci attended the William Styron honor. Yes, Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline both attended. I have never gotten over not attending. Not that I was invited, but I have still never gotten over it.