Favorite Movies | June 20, 2004

A very common question people ask is “what’s your favourite movie?”. Unfortunately I really don’t know how to answer this, as there isn’t a single movie that I’d class as my all time favourite. I guess at various point of my life I’ve had a favourite film, a movie that I’d happily watch over and over again. However at the moment I’d be hard pressed to single one out.

So here is a list of the top 10 films that, at one stage or another, I’d have classed as my favourite. They are in no particular order, and if you were to ask me on another day I’d probably come up with a completely different list.

And here are a few more that narrowly missed the top 10 list.

I know it’s a bit of an eclectic mix, but I guess that’s life for you. Feel free to discuss these movies or post up your faves.

Posted at June 20, 2004 12:53 AM

Comments

Colly said on June 20, 2004 1:16 AM

I’m sure we shouldn’t like Point Break, but every time it gets repeated I’m there with a beer wishing I’d taken up surfing/skydiving/general fitness etc.

Good to see Empire there too - the ‘dark’ one.

I’d have to say, right now, my all-timers are Cinema Paradiso, Point Break, Bladerunner, Big Lebowski, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire Strikes Back. Current fave has to be City of God.

DarkBlue said on June 20, 2004 1:40 AM

The problem with these sort of lists is that they tend to feature recent films as these are the ones that sit in the “that was a great movie” slot in our minds.

Like yourself Andy, my favourites changes with my mood/day of the week/phase of the moon/sunspot activity/etc.

At this exact moment, I’d list my top-ten as:

Highlander (count all three as one)
Kill Bill (count both as one)
The Last Samurai
2001: A Space Odyssey (“2010: The Year We Made Contact” was also a damn good film)
Matrix (include “Reloaded” and “Revolutions”)
Twelve Monkeys
Devil’s Advocate
Spy Game
The Russia House
Alien (count them all as one)

Yvonne Adams said on June 20, 2004 3:42 AM

Like most people’s lists, mine will vary depending on my mental state at the moment. I do tend to go for older films (curse of being a film school grad)

Lawrence of Arabia
Bladerunner
M (Fritz Lang w/ Peter Lorre)
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Touch of Evil
Hope and Glory
The Killer
Apocolypse Now
Begone Dull Care
An American in Paris

Allen said on June 20, 2004 5:24 AM

Gattaca - Beautifully minimal. My all-time favourite.
The Game - It’s twisty.
Wall Street - Classic. I like the music and its visual texture.
Ocean’s Eleven - Cool movie with a funky story.
Cypher - Excellent directing. Minimal.
Fifth Element - Beautiful movie. Clever directing by Luc Besson.
Identity - It’s twisty.

Jim said on June 20, 2004 5:51 AM

I definitely agree with ‘Withnail and I’ - a much underrated movie, I doubt many Americans have heard of it. And who can forget the zipper scene in ‘Something about Mary’. ‘2001: A space oddysey’ and ‘Twelve Monkeys’ are both awesome too. Somebody mentioned ‘Identity’ - I personally think that was way too predictable. And as for the Matrix trilogy - they should have quit after the sucess of the first. The other two basically killed it for me.

A definitive top ten would be impossible I think, but I would certainly include these in my favourites:

Adaptation
The Goonies
Aliens
Goodbye Mr Chips
Metropolis (Especially the 80’s monochrome funk rock version)
Magnolia
As Good as it Gets
This is Spinal Tap
Full Metal Jacket
Minority Report

Oh, somebody else up there said: “Highlander (count all three as one)” - but don’t you remember? There can be only one!

I love movies. My wife loves popcorn. It’s a perfect match :)

Johan Sahlén said on June 20, 2004 9:51 AM

Like for so many others, the answer to that question depends on the moment, but here are my top 10 favourites (in no particular order):

It’s weird… One of my favourite directors is Tim Burton, but not one of his films are represented on my list.

Malarkey said on June 20, 2004 9:53 AM

Definately an eclectic mix Andy, my choices would be:

Lord of the Rings - all of them
Italian Job - original
Goodfellas
The Sting
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Total Recall
Pirates of the Caribbean
Saving Private Ryan
Papillon
Planet of the Apes - original

Phil said on June 20, 2004 10:38 AM

Magnolia
Gas Food Lodging
Paris Texas
The Royal Tenanbaums
Nuts in May (not strictly a movie I know!)
Paint your wagon

Lee said on June 20, 2004 10:46 AM

Okay, again, in no particular order as I too have difficulty picking one above the rest:

The Usual Suspects
L.A. Confidential
Jaws
Star Wars: A New Hope
Gladiator
Pirates of the Carribean
The Fifth Element
The Matrix
Zulu
The Shawshank Redemption

MaThIbUs said on June 20, 2004 2:53 PM

Eh?! No Pulp Fiction?!

Lee Hickman said on June 20, 2004 4:00 PM

Ermmm, where on earth is Groundhog day?

Come on people, this is by far the best film ever made. It has everything; Comedy, death, despair, love, sentiment and Ned Ryason.

Watch out for that first step, it’s a doooooooozy.

Lurker said on June 20, 2004 6:19 PM

I lurk, that’s what I do, but why not join in on a topic that’s so near to my heart?

Dude, Where’s My Car?
Fight Club
Ghostbusters
Big Trouble in Little China
Matrix
Princess Bride
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Evil Dead II
Donnie Darko
Empire Strikes Back

Sunny said on June 21, 2004 1:42 AM

In no specific order:

LA Confidential
Matrix (Original)
Godfather II
Minority Report
Ocean’s 11
Spy Game
Snatch
Gladiator
Pulp Fiction
Unbreakable

mehmet said on June 21, 2004 1:59 AM

Ordered very specifically

1- Memento
2- Usual Suspects
3 - Fight Club
4 - Magnolia
5- Twelve Monkeys
6- Pulp Fiction
7- L.A. Confidential
8- The Shawshank Redemption
9- Snatch
10 - Sixth Sense

Bonus Track - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Tobias said on June 21, 2004 8:30 AM

MaThIbUs - Eh?! No Pulp Fiction?!
Lee Hickman - Ermmm, where on earth is Groundhog day?

So I guess I have scoop it all together.

In no particular order.

Groundhog day
Pulp Fiction
Magnolia
Hi Fidelity
Big Lebowski
Die Hard
Moulin Rouge
Kingpin
Lost in Translation
Carlitos Way
Heat
The Usual Suspects
Seven

Could probably add a couple of more flicks. But theese are the ones that I always return to.

mearso said on June 21, 2004 9:58 AM

No particular order

My life as a dog
Bicycle thieves
Pulp Fiction
Get Carter
The Usual Suspects
The Godfather
Das Boot
The Shawshank Redemption
A Clockwork Orange

that’s only 9 but I can’t think of any more at the moment

Andy Budd said on June 23, 2004 9:03 AM

Seems like we all have fairly similar tastes in movies, which I frankly find a little scary. I don’t think there was a single film posted (well maybe a couple actually) that I don’t like.

And yes, there was a time when I too though Big Trouble in Little China was an excellent movie. Oh the shame :-)

Good to see the likes of The Big Lebowski, Bladerunner, The Fifth Element etc in some of your top tens. All of these were on my reserve list, just waiting to get off the bench.

Lee Hickman said on June 23, 2004 5:51 PM

OK, OK, So Groundhog day didn’t light everyones fire. Here’s my list

1. Groundhog Day
2. Empire strikes back
3. LOTR - Return of the King
4. The man with the golden arm
5. Fletch
6. Apocalypse now
7. Pollock
8. 1 flew over the cuckoos nest
9. Electric dreams
10. Carlitos way

Nice.