Not Your Traditional Favorite Films of All Time List

[Haikira]

Hello. For a long time, I've been thinking about doing this. But I've only just got around to it. I love favorite lists and this forum is awesome for them. But the thing i find myself wanting to know, is why are these picks special to the person who picked them. What significance do these films have to you? Why do they have a special place? Are there any anecdotes related to your long time love for any particular films?

Create a list of favorite films. Pick as many as you want, as long as it's under 25 and talk away. You don't need to get too carried away if you don't want to. if all you need is a sentence or two, that's fine. Or if you want to go nuts, that's fine too. Just let us know why it's special to you.

I've mostly been a lurker, with just a few posts under my belt. Hopefully i'm not breaking any rules or anything here. If i'm forgetting anything or doing anything wrong, just let me know and i'll be more than happy to try and fix it.

I'm going to start working on my own list, once i put up this OP.

Rules

1. Your list must be between 1-25 films.

2. You must say at least a sentence, on each film you pick.

3. Keep discussion fun and respectful.

[vegeta88]

1) V for Vendetta- It probably has my favorite love story of any movie. The emotions that Hugo Weaving conveys without his face are amazing. The themes of the films are also very agreeable with me.

2) The 13th Warrior- It is the first film my brother and I bonded over and is the first film that made me want to start collecting movies. We often quote that movie.

3) Indiana Jones (Raiders and Crusade)- one of the few films my family and I are able to watch often. The balance of comedy, action, and romance are somehow perfect for us all.


Not sure if this is what you were looking for or not. That is all I have for now.

[Haikira]

Aye that's perfect. There's no right or wrong. I just love finding out why people enjoy the films they'd rank as their favorite. Or else, it may as well be a random number generator.

Thanks for sharing.


Here's what I've got so far. I'll maybe add a few more and rank them soon. I think mine may be a little wordy. whoops.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

It's cool, it's fun and Eli Wallach steals the show for me. It's quite possibly the only film over three hours long, i've watched twice in one day. I only watched it for the first time a little over a year ago. I immediately fell in love

I think my favorite thing about the film is, many times in the past i've seen classics which i can appreciate and enjoy. But i always wish i could have watched them when they were originally released due to various reasons. But with TGTBATU, it just felt totally timeless. I almost felt like a kid again watching it.

Oh, and that finale...

The Thing

The Thing has been one of my favorite films of all time now, for about 10 years. I'm only 24 by the way. This has always been my most consistent favorite. Many others have come and gone. I've got the iconic poster framed and hanging in my room, which was a present from my parents. i love it.

This is just the best film for watching with friends. This one comes out for a group watch with mates at least every year for me. It always feels fresh and i always bite my nails watching the blood test, even to this day.

Memories of Murder

Another fairly recent favorite but one that has left a large impact on me. Kang-ho Song is just brilliant in this film and just about everything else he's been in. I had done almost no research into to the true events prior to watching it the first time. I wish i'd known a little more about the circumstances first time around, but i don't feel it really hurt it too much.

I'll be honest. I almost cried the first time i watched the film, but i wasn't entirely sure why. It wasn't a tear jerker by any means, despite the film depicting some awful events. After a while i came to the conclusion, that it wasn't for the victims, but the detectives. The film walks a fine line between comedy and tragedy, almost flawlessly in my opinion. A majority of the protaginists, with the exception of one or two, are easy to write off as goofy and flat out incompetent early in the film. But for me personally, by the end, i really felt for them. I really cared about the toll, the events had on them.

I loved rewatching this one multiple times, to show friends. All of which loved it.

I also can't explain just how much i love the soundtrack.

Big Trouble in Little China

Nothing too complex here. I just love rewatching this one, all the time. It's fun and it always brings a smile to my face.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

All three are fantastic films and i love them all. But i've always had an extra bit of love for Fellowship. I've never been entirely sure why. But I'll try my best to explain. I've almost always enjoyed the original, when it comes to a film series. Not because i believe being the original automatically means it's better. It's nothing pretenious. I just seem to enjoy watching the beginning. That time when the world is being introduced to the viewer. Until recently, A New Hope had always been my favorite Star Wars for the the same reason. But i've converted to Empire.

I don't think that's the only reason why it's my favorite though. I just enjoy the feeling of adventure the original has.

[Moviefan2k4]

Well, here's just a few, off the top of my head...

Back to the Future

I love all three films, but the first is my favorite. I don't remember how old I was when I first saw it, but I know I was under 9 years old, because that's when I saw "Part II" in the theater. I watched the original almost every day after school, and even now I can quote almost the whole thing from memory. I love the Blu-Ray set, and last year, I got to meet Christopher Lloyd at a local convention. I've been starstruck before, but this was definitely a major moment of that. I didn't have much time to chat with him, because there were so many folks in line, but I managed to say "thank you" for the 8x10 he signed, and he smiled. I doubt I'll be forgetting that any time soon.

The Mask

I went through a rabid "Jim Carrey fandom" phase as a teenager, and I'd seen the first "Ace Ventura", but this is the one that cemented it all for me. I probably saw it at least 5 times in the theater, and countless more on home video. I'm not a huge fan of his recent work at all, but "The Mask", "Batman Forever", "The Truman Show", and "The Majestic" are among my favorite films.

The Sound of Music

This is another one of those films that nearly defined my childhood. My aunt and uncle (who are both very close to my age) were brought up on it by their mother, and I was introduced as well. I recently saw it on Blu-Ray, and my jaw dropped. The colors, the music, the story...its truly a classic, in almost every sense of the word. I honestly don't know how many times I've seen it over the years, but I rarely get sick of it. I feel the same way about "Mary Poppins", too.

[Jasonic]

Spirited Away
Was able to see this in the theater when it came out, and so happy I did. While my dad came out of it hating it (he hates all japanese animation) says it looks weird and too bizarre storytelling for him, pfft....the ignorance. It is a movie that truly has defined me to today. If it wasn't for this I would have never saw the other Miyazaki movies, and also never would have started a career in animation. I love Disney and Pixar and such, but would have never pursued animation if it wasn't for Miyazaki.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
While it was made the year I was born, I grew up with this watching it constantly. My older bros were huge TMNT fans, so we would always watch this together. I just love everything about this movie and it never gets old for me. A lot of people I know like the second movie better, but I don't know how anyone can say that when Judith Hoag is one of the best parts of the first movie and she isnt even in the second one, nor is the type of character that she is. While the second movie does have memorable lines, the first one is filled with the best.

Red Cliff
I am a huge Dynasty Warriors fan, ever since about 11 years ago. It caused me to go watch the Three Kingdoms show, anime show, look up history on all characters, and read the really long novel. I hate reading, so I am surprised I was able to finish that. So when couple years ago I heard a movie was being made based on one of the most famous battles of that era and that it was going to be a really expensive epic, I got super excited and I was not let down at all. Loved every bit of it.

I could go on with others, but I don't feel like it....

[Al_The_Strange]

I'll just stick with my top 15.

01: "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King"
Yep, "LOTR" is my first-favorite franchise of them all; upon watching "The Fellowship of the Ring," I realized quickly that everything about the series is perfect! Naturally, this third and final part thrilled me the most; the battles are immense and awesome, and the story reaches a solid conclusion.

02: "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"
Like the above, I feel that this movie has some of the best action/battles scenes of the series, and I love the conclusion. I know a lot of folks hate on this one for the freaking Ewoks, but for me, the scenes with Jabba the Hutt, the space battle, and the final duel make it epic. "Star Wars" in general comes very very close to being my top favorite film franchise, but the "LOTR" films are better as films.

03: "The Matrix"
My third-favorite film franchise; the action and SFX are awesome, and the story is quite fresh and deep. I used to think of "Revolutions" as my favorite "Matrix" film, but I conceeded that this first entry has the better story and is well-filmed.

04: "The Dark Knight"
There's something about this film; even after the credits start rolling, it's on my mind for days on end! I think the combination of visuals, whack editing, memorable dialogue, and thematic depth makes it resonate highly with me. Not to mention, the action rocks, and the Joker is wicked!

05: "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
I love all the Indy movies, but this first film is highly orignal, has the most nonstop action, and has a very fresh cinematic style.

06: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"
The first "Terminator" had an original story, but this sequel has the best action and some very impressive SFX. It's still a decent story, with strong emphasis on characters and themes.

07: "Akira"
Favorite anime film: it's loaded with lots of wicked and awesome action scenes! Story's a little tricky, but still very interesting.

08: "Kill Bill Volume 1"
The combination of trippy visuals, mixed-up narrative, intruiging story, and bloody fight scenes make it a big winner in my book.

09: "Casino Royale" 2006
James Bond movies have always been thrilling, but the new franchise kicks it up a notch with some very ambitious action scenes and a vivid new style. I love Daniel Craig in the role, I believe the Bond character is at his deepest here, and the story overall is smashing.

10: "Star Trek" 2009
It's probably the funnest, most upbeat, and most adventuous Trek film of them all. The story's quite interesting, the characters are decent, the film's style is quite slick, and above all, the action rocks!

11: "The Passion of the Christ"
I know most folks can't stand this film for its violence and controversy. I still feel that it's a decent adaptation of the story, with strong focus on theological ideas that might have otherwise elluded me. I love the characters' treatments, and above all, I love the film's style.

12: "Lawrence of Arabia"
My favorite "old" movie; even though it's over three hours, it's never once bored me. It's got excellent visuals, and an excellent story to tell with rich characer development.

13: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
Favorite comedy; it's an hilarious hodgepodge of random skits and scenes that are continuously entertaining and funny.

14: "Children of Men"
Quite a bleak and depressing view of the future. It's story and characters are fine and dandy, but have some deep implications, and the action scenes in this movie are most impressive.

15: "A Clockwork Orange"
Violent and disturbing, yes, but the story is brilliant, and it's got a really whack filming style.

[newginafets]

1. The Color of Paradise (Iran/1999)
I usually love movies that can make me cry, cos it means the movie has touched my heart in some ways, doesn't necessarily mean i love all the melodrama films. This film, is placed on top of my fave films list. The story of a blind kid, who questions the existence of God cos his father seems to abandon him.

2. Baran (Iran/2001)
A love story minus the cheesiness. No lovey-dovey dialogue, the gesture and the stare already explain.

3. The Chorus (France/2004)
Love all the songs, the acting, and the story.

4. Bombay (India/1995)
Husband is a Hindu, wife is a Moslem. With growing tense between those 2 religions, the family is threatened to be apart. I can somehow relate since i was born and raised as a Christian in the most-populated Moslem country in the world, we're the minority, we can't have a non-Moslem president, and so on in our disadvantage as a Christian, and this movie manages not to be biased, but offers a solution that makes sense and not manipulative.

5. Paper Moon (USA/1973)
At first i despised Tatum O'Neil for winning the best supporting actress beating out Linda Blair in The Exorcist, that's before i watched Paper Moon. But now the table is turned. Paper Moon is one of my fave movies, and Tatum O'Neil deserved the award.

6. Life is Beautiful (Italy/1997)
This movie made me bipolar-like. I laughed the first half, then cried the other half.

7. Children of Heaven (Iran/1997)
Ahh how i love Majid Majidi, for making such a simple, but full of meaning and sweetness. He's like Iran's Ozu.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Wonderful thread idea Haikira, and a nice departure from the usual favourite lists. Hopefully we'll all discover a new movie here and there that we would otherwise not have considered. Well done!

[cinemaphile]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

...I'm not a huge fan of his recent work at all, but "The Mask", "Batman Forever", "The Truman Show", and "The Majestic" are among my favorite films.

I'm sorry... I must have read that wrong, right? ...Right???

(to each his own...I'm just giving you a hard time )