Your Favourite Movies Tell You What About Yourselves?

Bass

Nexus of the World
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I generally don't find "Top 10 Movie" lists interesting because they're usually uninsightful beyond, "10 Movies I've Seen That I Like To Talk About" with the "crappy kid's movie" that's actually a gem (generally something by Spielberg) and the important art film (something with Marlon Brando) and the appreciated classic (it's black and white) which makes the compiler of the list appear well-educated. But it doesn't say much beyond what this person has thought will be an impressive list.

But a top 10 favourites list, done with thought, can actually reveal quite a bit about the compiler.

So here, I offer you to put up your 10 favourite movies. You're FAVOURITE movies. Not the movies you respect, not the movies that you can talk about, not the movies that were 'important' in some fashion, no. Movies that you ADORE. Movies that so completely suck you in that when you watch them, the rest of the world disappears. When you tell people about the movie, you begin reliving the movie to the point where it would be easier to just watch the movie again and ******* it, even though you know it by heart and listen to the soundtrack, it seems like the BEST DAMN THING TO DO RIGHT NOW. The movies you can put on that are so familiar they are background noise yet so immersive to you that you can't do anything but watch.

Your favourites. Why are they your favourite? Doesn't matter. Doesn't have to be a 'proper' reason. Doesn't have to be because it was a success or because it was influential or **** like that. These films can be ****ing terrible films. What's important is that you LOVE them - for whatever reason. And the list might just tell you something about yourself.

Here's my list, in chronological order:

CLUE (1985)
THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (1986)
DEAD POET'S SOCIETY (1989)
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)
GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)
THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)
SEVEN (1995)
DUMB & DUMBER (1997)
THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

I find that interesting. Nothing in there outside my time. I haven't fallen in love with something before my time, like STAR WARS or even INDIANA JONES (and I love Indy). And the films course a 12-year span, except for a sudden leap with THE DARK KNIGHT. What also surprises me is what's NOT on my list. MY COUSIN VINNY, INDIANA JONES, AMADEUS... I love those films, but it seems, not as much as these.

3 comedies; 2 dramas; 1 animation, but I like crime movies (four) and action (four)... Two of the films have Morgan Freeman, no one else appears more than once. I have a bizarre taste in comedies: a murder mystery farce and two romantic comedies, one is toilet humour and the other is dry wit. They're all American films - no British, no Asian, no European - which means I don't seem to stray far from Hollywood. None are particularly realistic. I suppose you could say DEAD POET'S SOCIETY is, but it's set in 1950 something, which to me, may as well be set on Mars. I like happy endings, but am not adverse to down-endings. THE USUAL SUSPECTS and SEVEN are the only proper down-ending films. DEAD POET'S SOCIETY and THE DARK KNIGHT both kinda end on high notes. I seem to love ensemble casts; only GROUNDHOG DAY has a proper leading actor. All the rest are ensemble cast, and SHAWSHANK, DUMBER, and SEVEN are all buddy movies.

And, according to me, 1995 was an awesome year for crime movies.

It probably says even more about me than I'm aware, but that's what I get out of it right now. What's palpable to me, is the unique atmosphere each one of these films has for me. THE DARK KNIGHT is the weakest in that sense. It's atmosphere just is too thin, but that's because it's so new. It's not had time to fester. At the moment, I'm totally inspired by it but maybe I'm too eager about it. Maybe in two years I'll put MY COUSIN VINNY back in.

What do your favourite movies tell you about you?
 
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Boondock Saints (1999)
Gladiator (2000)
Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Snatch (2000)
Pirates Of The Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King (2003)
Sin City (2005)
V For Vendetta (2005)
Juno (2007)
The Dark Knight (2008 )





I wanted to include the other Pirates and LOTR films, as well as Batman Begins but I will keep my favorite one out of the set.
 
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)- Hands down, one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Hell, I used to have the Sir Robin theme song on my laptop before it crashed. Too many hilarious parts to name, but I think the Lancelot segment is my favorite.

Back to the Future Part II (1989)- Hoverboards, Michael J. Fox in drag, and MJF going back in time to save himself from getting his own *** kicked by the guy who bullied his dad in high school is why I love part two of the Back to the Future series.

The Monster Squad (1987)- It's like the Goonies took a level in badass. Gangsters and freaks? **** that! Bring on Dracula, Wolfman, the Mummy, the Gillman, and Frankenstein's Monster. This movie manages to be both awesome and unintentionally hilarious, a tough feat to be sure.

The Boondock Saints (1999)- Just a great vigilante action movie that has several badass moments. Also it's my favorite role for William Dafoe.

Zoolander (2001)- I love how Derek Zoolander is so stupid and how he never really gets any smarter. And really, how many comedies are there where you sympathize with the villain? "Blue steel, Ferrari, Le Tigre?! It's all one look! Am I the only one who sees this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here!" Plus, everyone knows Will Ferral is funniest when he's not playing a moron.

Ocean's 11 (2001)- I love how in sync everyone is in this movie, all of the characters play off each other so well. Plus, the movie is just slick, from the visuals to the soundtrack, Ocean's 11 oozes style.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)- The first one had too much exposition, the third seem kind of crammed. This one had neither problem. I saw this three times in theaters, and loved it every time. I mean when you first see the Uruk Hai army you think "Crap, how the hell are they gonna survive this?". I would also argue that the Ents attacking Saruman is one of the most badass moments in the entire trilogy.

The Incredibles (2004)- Just great old fashioned superhero fun, this movie was everything Fantastic Four should have been. Also one of my favorite movies visually, everything is just wonderful to look at. The music also pumps me up.

Team America: World Police (2004)- I love South Park, I knew I would love this, and I did. Me and my friends always sing the songs and quote this movie. Plus: Matt Damon.

The Dark Knight (2008 )- Greatest superhero movie ever. I mean I actually believed that Jim Gordon had died then when he came back I had this huge grin plastered on my face. The whole cast did a superb job on this movie and it shows.

I'm surprised that I only have three comedies on this list, though most of the other movies have a moderate amount of comedy. I seem to like quotable movies too. Almost nothing from the 90's (hell, I didn't even see Boondock Saints until 2002), and only one before I was born. It seems I prefer the more visual types of comedies rather than the more "talky" types like Knocked Up, Old School, 40 Year Old Virgin, etc. I also seem to prefer the more adventure/fantasy action movies than strait up action.
 
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A list thread I can get behind.

I will answer with great thought and consideration.

Feel the power!
 
Boondock Saints (1999)
Gladiator (2000)
Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Snatch (2000)
Pirates Of The Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King (2003)
Sin City (2005)
V For Vendetta (2005)
Juno (2007)
The Dark Knight (2008 )

I wanted to include the other Pirates and LOTR films, as well as Batman Begins but I will keep my favorite one out of the set.

Someone likes the third movies in trilogies. :p

Also - interesting: No films from the 20th century. All very recent films.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
The Monster Squad (1987)
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Zoolander (2001)
Ocean's 11 (2001)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Incredibles (2004)
Team America: World Police (2004)
The Dark Knight (2008 )

I'm surprised that I only have three comedies on this list, though most of the other movies have a moderate amount of comedy. I seem to like quotable movies too. Almost nothing from the 90's (hell, I didn't even see Boondock Saints until 2002), and only one before I was born.

I can get behind Back to the Future and Ocean's 11. I'm surprised that Two Towers is your favourite of the trilogy. And you made me realise something - I don't have a single Pixar film in my list. Which is astonishing and appropriate. I love them and respect them greatly, but they don't catch my heart the way the others on my list do. I hadn't noticed that till now.
 
I wonder how many of our lists The Dark Knight will be on. It's been on everyone's so far. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just saying.

I'm having trouble narrowing my favorites down to 10 that I love.
 
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These are movies I love and could watch over and over.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - The best movie I have ever seen. I remember recording it on Christmas day because Ice and E said it was great. I watched it later that night. And then a couple of days later. And then I studied it in class. Two or three times. And then I got the DVD the next Christmas and watched it a couple more times. I love it. Everything is superb - Darabot's directing, King's story, Freeman and Robbins's acting, the music... the music! I love that it can inspire hope when you're in the darkest of places. Brilliant movie and one that I recommend to all.

Batman Begins (2005) - I love Batman. He is my favourite character of all time. And this is a great movie. I had gone to all of the four previous movies and my interest in Batman was lost after one. I knew nothing about this movie. For some reason, I wasn't reading about it on the internet at the time. I remember going to Movieworld and seeing a mysterious poster for it, and wondering what it was. And then the trailer came out. It wasn't Batman... it was Bruce Wayne. My family went to it when it came out. It was the best superhero movie I had ever seen. I knew nothing about it so it couldn't disappoint me... it was fantastic. I loved everything. The cast is brilliant (how did they get Bale, Freeman, Caine, Neeson, Oldman and even Holmes in a Batman movie?!). It was also my first introduction to the directing of Christopher Nolan who is now one of my favourite directors (Memento, The Prestige and of course, The Dark Knight). This is Batman.

Snatch (2000) - I was watching TV late one night when I came across this on a channel. It's insane characters and wonderful dialogue interested me. And I found myself watching this movie all night. It ensnared me... I was so involved in the plot I didn't care about what was going on around me. I read a bit about it on the internet and researched about Guy Ritchie, and realised he had made another movie like this. I ended up buying Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and why that is also a great movie, it's nothing compared to Snatch. Brad Pitt as a Pikey boxer. Benicio Del Toro as a Jewish thief! Frankie ****ing Four Fingers! Boris the Blade! VINNIE JONES! Even the soundtrack to this movie is awesome. I love it and everyone I've told to watch it has enjoyed it just as much as I have.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) - I saw Ocean's Twelve first. I thought it was great. The witty interactions between all the characters and the complex storyline that you had to solve along with them. I ended up watching Ocean's Eleven on TV and turned it off halfway through because it was... boring. Later on, I realised I must have been mistaken and watched it again. And again. And again. It was fantastic. Much better than Twelve. All of the characters are superbly played by the stars attached. I guess I like epic heist movies with witty characters involved.

Shaun of the Dead (2004) - My first introduction to Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright. It did not disappoint. Like Snatch, I saw this movie on late one night and couldn't stop laughing almost immediately. This was a brilliant parody of the zombie genre and much better than the Scary Movie stuff or whatever **** was coming out at that time. Hot Fuzz is also great and I've gone back to watch Spaced and other things the trio have been involved in, but I don't think anything compares to the hilarity of this movie. Pub?

Kill Bill (2003, 2004) - Saw bits of each part at school, strangely enough. People used to bring pirated versions of movies and this one seemed to be popular. Except I never got to see all of it. So one day I recorded both parts and begun watching one morning over breakfast... what the ****. So much insanity. The characters are all crazy, the dialogue is so different, the plot is so simple and yet so grand! I was in love. I didn't watch the second part for so much later so it was like I was rediscovering the whole movie all over again. I think I've seen Part 2 more times than Part 1 though I think the best way to do it is to watch it all at once. This begun my love affair with Quentin Tarantino, who is probably my favourite director. I've seen gone back to see Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and while both are excellent, I much prefer the brilliant Kill Bill.

Fight Club (1999) - I woke up one Christmas morning incredibly early and couldn't get to sleep. I found my Christmas stocking and there were a couple of little gifts in there. One mistake Santa (or my parents) made was making one of those little gifts the Fight Club DVD. I had nothing else to do so in my state of strange insomnia, I watched it. And it ****ed with my mind. I already knew most of the plot from reading about it and people telling me about it but I still became involved in the movie. Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are so good together. It was so strange too - at that moment in time, I felt in sync with Ed Norton's character. We were tired, wearing nothing but a shirt and boxers and being chased by people that were going to blow up the city. Well, the last bit isn't true but it would be strange if it was. The ending to the film has haunted me ever since... especially that wonderful Pixies song over the shot of the buildings blowing up. Superb. Fincher has also directed other great movies like Se7en, Panic Room and Zodiac and I love all three too.

Sin City (2005) - There was a lot of hype about this one. I remembered trying to read the comic but couldn't get into it - Frank Miller's art is too distracting. The trailer was so good though - the wonderful black and white shots, the little bits of dialogue, the song used - I was excited. I don't think I ever saw Sin City until I rented the DVD late one night. I was blown away. It was amazing. The visual effects... holy ****. What a brilliant cast too. I have watched this movie over and over again and I don't know why. It just seems like a great movie.

Jurassic Park (1993) - As most kids did, I loved dinosaurs. I collected toys and got little books about all sorts of dinosaurs. And then I watched this movie one night at about the age of 5 or so. It was at this moment in time I realised dinosaurs were real... and alive. It fascinated me and terrified me. The T-Rex was the most powerful thing alive. The Velociraptors were the greatest hunters. At the time, it must have been the best movie I had ever seen. The effects are fantastic and still stand up to this day - seriously, I don't know how they do it, but they all look so real.

The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003) - My favourite story of all time. It's brilliant. So epic in nature even though it follows a little Hobbit with a ring. How he expanded it into such a giant event boggles my mind. I saw the first movie with my family because it looked interesting. It stole my mind for days. I imagined fantastical situations going about in my world for weeks. I saw the movie again. It was still great. It was only until my aunt showed me the book that I realised I could get more of this story... so I read. And read. And finished The Fellowship of the Ring. It was good but I was probably too young to be able to successfully capture the images in my mind. Rather than ruin it for myself, I decided to wait and see the next two movies and it became an event of it's very own. The Two Towers was superb. The Return of the King I saw on Christmas Eve and it was fantastic. People were moaning about how long it was but I couldn't believe it. It was so epic and so sad and so happy and ****... I love these movies. I could talk about them forever. I don't want The Hobbit to ruin them.

Other movies would include The Matrix (1999), Kung Pow (2002) and The Lion King (1994).

Number of movies that are crime-related: 6/7
Number of movies with Brad Pitt in them: 3
Number of movies from this decade: 7
 
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Mine are :

1 ) Schinder's list - In my opinion this is as perfect as a movie can get. Great acting. Fantastic direction and IMO the most moving scene in any movie with the girl in red. I just love this film.

2 ) star wars episode V - Episode V is just so awesome and who here doesn't love the "no, I am your father" twist?

3 ) cassablanca I'm not much of a love story fan but this is just the greatest love story on film. A film I truly love just because of how it makes me feel every time I watch it.

4 )titanic - dicaprio (my favourite actor) Does some of his best work in this film and I love every second of it. And it's one of the few times I've cried at a movie when he died. I loved the idea of going from modern day back to the time it happened and back it was cool.

5 ) Godfather 1 - This is just so ****ing awesome. It's the perfect gangster movie. I have this film twice on dvd , once on vhs and cannot wait for Bluray.

6 )Psycho (original B&w)- Best horror ever. Funny thing is I'll be watching this on Halloween again as every year we bring a horror film and watch at friends the weekend of or before Halloween. My friend normally brings crap like Saw I bring this.

7 ) Ghostbusters - Come on it has a giant marshmallow man. A GIANT MARSHMALLOW MAN. I don't think I can stress that point more. It's just funny. I can never get bored of this film

8 )King Kong (1933 version) - admittedly this is a little crap by todays standards but I still love as much ever. I got this on dvd in the 4 disc boxset and I don't even watch coloured one (bad colouring IMO) but the black & white one I've always loved even if now it's my love has changed to a so corny it's awesome type still one of my favourites

9 ) Back to the future - The first back to the future (all 3 but didn't want to list trilogy) is great and his reaction to his mother trying to seduce him is priceless plus Marty and Doc maybe the best double act ever on film so diffrent but so funny together.

10 ) Power Rangers The Movie - SHUT UP! I loved and still Love power rangers and movie is still awesome today even if cgi is dated. "I'm a frog :(" that line slays me everytime. Plus seeing them activate Ninja powers for the first time is always great not to mention Zordon's "death" is sad and a new villain in Ivan ooze who just gets rid of Zedd and Rita straight away? That's cool. Also the costumes in the movie are great.
 
I can get behind Back to the Future and Ocean's 11. I'm surprised that Two Towers is your favourite of the trilogy.

The march of the Ents gives me goosebumps every time. I felt that the pacing RotK is a little off towards the end, plus there were too many deus ex machinas.

Bass said:
And you made me realise something - I don't have a single Pixar film in my list. Which is astonishing and appropriate. I love them and respect them greatly, but they don't catch my heart the way the others on my list do. I hadn't noticed that till now.

I find that true for pretty much all of them, the characters in The Incredibles are what really work for me. Also, I'm a sucker for all of the "new retro" superhero stuff in the movie.

10 ) Power Rangers The Movie - SHUT UP! I loved and still Love power rangers and movie is still awesome today even if cgi is dated. "I'm a frog :(" that line slays me everytime. Plus seeing them activate Ninja powers for the first time is always great not to mention Zordon's "death" is sad and a new villain in Ivan ooze who just gets rid of Zedd and Rita straight away? That's cool. Also the costumes in the movie are great.

I agree, it's a fun movie.
 
When we post our list, should we write kind of like an introspective analysis in order to find out what the movies tell about ourselves, or should we wait for others tell us their opinions of what they think it tells about us? Or both?
 
The Power Rangers movie is the only thing I can watch and still enjoy.

It actually had plot and new action ideas.



And Bass, only Lord Of The Rings was the 3rd movie. Pirates was the 1st movie.
 
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When we post our list, should we write kind of like an introspective analysis in order to find out what the movies tell about ourselves, or should we wait for others tell us their opinions of what they think it tells about us? Or both?

Both!
 
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When we post our list, should we write kind of like an introspective analysis in order to find out what the movies tell about ourselves,
Please do.

I'm annoyed that others are just posting their lists without any introspection, effectively reducing this thread to just another movie list thread.
 
In no real order

Braveheart - This is just one of those movies that has everything, from action, to romance, to comedy. The music in this was absolutely great, it alone can convey the emotional impact so perfectly. Just a truly all around great film.

Shawshank Redemption - This was the first movie I saw that notice the really great storyline and themes it had. It was the first time I looked at a movie for the characterization and the framing as well as the acting. I wasn't just watching films out of bored or for entertainment any more, I watched them because I truly loved the art of film making.

Batman Begins/The Dark Knight - I grouped these two cause I consider them part of the same story. I've always been a huge Batman fan and to see it done %100 perfectly right was just amazing. I loved seeing how we got from point A to B to C. Every line was crafted so perfectly, nothing was wasted. These movies demonstrates everything I love about fiction, creating a unique universe with its own styles and characters. It's also a film the blended a blockbuster with true and amazing film making techniques better than any I've seen before

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - I'm not sure why I love this so much, I think just one summer I was really bored and just watched this over and over again. It is a pretty surreal film and though I don't care to sing, I'll always sing along with the golden ticket song.

The Matrix - Sometimes I forget What a great film this is. It really had a great mind blowing experience without being too weird or stupid. The style was just so unique to anything I've seen before. And that Lobby scene is definitely one of the greatest action scenes of all time.

Cloverfield - This was an jaw dropping experience for me. I loved the style and how it was film. For the first time I actually thought something I saw on film could actually happen. The actors and extras acted so naturally I can imagine myself doing and saying the same exact things in if I were there.

Transformers: The Movie - I'm surprised Bass also put this on his list. I love this movie, its something I've ever since before I could remember, I still tear up after Optimus' death. And I still randomly sing "You got the touch" in crowd areas.

An American Tail 1 and 2 - I wanted to put some more animated movies like The Lion King and Aladdin, but I always can't remember the cartoon movie I loved the most, I'm lucky I even remember American Tail. So I put it here to represent all the movies I can't remember what they were, but I know they were all of similar styles. I just might youtube this tonight.

Wayne's World 1+2 - I had a real trouble with this spot, I wanted to add a comedy, but there's too many to choose for a top 10: Robin Hood Men in Tights, Tommy Boy, Naked Gun, Airplane, etc. But Wayne's World represents the style and level of comedy I love. It's sad that I can not recall antoher comedy movie this genuinely funny in years. Its a sure case of "they don't make them like this anymore".

Lord of The Rings - Now this is the big one. I remember hearing about people who were blown away when they saw Star Wars premiere. I never experienced that, Sure I've been entertained, but I've never been blown away from the first second of a flim to its last. That was until this movie. I was never really into fantasy stuff, but from the first scene I was mesmerized, I've never gotten into a film as much as this one. Usually with a long movie I may check my watch out of compulsion or curiosity, but not once with this film. When the first movie ended I was still sitting there speaking to my friends like a little kid saying "It-it's over? But they haven't gotten to Mordor yet!" My friends told me that there were three movie, which of course I knew but had forgotten after being so pulled in by it. And that's something to I'm want to see more after sitting through 3 hours of it. Truly and a amzing set of films. It also got me to read the books, me... reading. People were amazed by just that. So Lord of the Rings is with out a doubt my top film
 
Mole's list just gave him +300 respect points, even with the Power Rangers movie. Hell, I'll put an extra fifty points on there for putting PR on the same list as The Godfather and Casablanca.

This is a great thread, and a great idea for a thread, and I'm eager to post my ten once I figure it out... My top ten films in terms of quality is elsewhere on the site, but I'm going to figure it out in how the films speak to me. I'm sure there are some that overlap both lists, but there are many films I love unconditionally because of how they make me feel and how they capture me, even though many of those reasons have little to do with how good the movie is.
 
Boondock Saints (1999)
Gladiator (2000)
Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Snatch (2000)
Pirates Of The Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King (2003)
Sin City (2005)
V For Vendetta (2005)
Juno (2007)
The Dark Knight (2008 )




I notice that I am a big fan of the revenge stories. Vendetta, Batman, Gladiator, Saints, & Sin City are all movies about someone or someones going after the corrupt. Either revenge for themselves or for someone who can't fight back. I also enjoy the movies with odd humor & witty dialogue like Snatch, Pirates, and Juno. The Emperor's New Groove is my favorite animated movie with a very unique humor style unseen in most movies like that. I also like epic stories. I didn't really get heavily into movies like I am now, until about 2000 which is where my movies started. Interesting.
 
I've gotten my list down to fifteen, and i'm not sure i can wittle it down any further without trying to qualify the films in terms of how good they are which really isn't what I want to do with this list... I'll think on it some, but will probably post it as is.
 

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