My favorite movies of all time
Favorite movies are a hard thing to qualify. Afterall, there are three distinct types of "favorite movies". The first type are the obvious ones--movies that you absolutely are in love with for whatever reason or another. Movies that grab you; have a power over you. Classics. These are the ones that absolutely jump to mind when someone asks you what your favorite movies are.
The second type of favorites are your "casual favorite" movies. These movies, while not holding as much weight as the first category, are equally important becuase they can be popped in without the emotional commitment the prior category requires. Real favorites, afterall, need to be watched with a certain amount of reverence. This second category, on the other hand, is the domain of the comfort movie.
The third group, you don't even realize that they count as your favorites. But sure enough, whenever you're flipping through your two hundred empty goddamn cable channels, you'll admit defeat, park it on one of these movies, then ultimately miss doing something else you had planned. If this movie sat on your video shelf, it would have a layer of dust on it thicker than all the others; its odds of being popped in would regularly hover around zero. But if it's on TV one Sunday afternoon, that channel may as well be the only one you have, cause you ain't changin it.
So, that being said, on to my favorites.
My "category one" favorites are few; they require a certain attention to technical detail and technique (sweet lord, I sound like a movie-snob asshole here) that give them that extra boost above a less artfully made movie. Everything just sort of comes together in a flawlessly executed package. The first example that comes to mind is American Beauty. I enjoy this movie not only for the sharp writing and wonderful performances, but also for the attention given to the composition of each shot; how perfectly the score compliments the story. The lighting that goes into each scene at the dinner table. I could go on, sounding like a pretentious college junior after his first film course, but I'll stop.
Other category one favorites: Clue. The first Matrix. The Princess Bride. The Lord of the Rings movies, although I'll probably never watch them again cause I my attention span just ain't there.
Category two favorites: Some easier choices here. The Naked Gun is a comedy classic that makes me laugh every time I watch it. Pee Wee's Big Adventure, a grown-up movie wrapped in kids-movie clothes, has stood the test of time very nicely. If it's Christmas time, National Lampoon Christmas Vacation fits this category nicely.
As for category three, there are so many of these that I won't get into listing them, but I will say that for me, the quintissential example is A League Of Their Own; a movie that was good but not great, but I will keep on until the Madonna song starts rolling over the closing credits.
"You're gonna looo-se, you're gonna looo-se!"
[Throws baseball glove]
"Ha! I got em!"
Heh, maybe that movie is great afterall.
The second type of favorites are your "casual favorite" movies. These movies, while not holding as much weight as the first category, are equally important becuase they can be popped in without the emotional commitment the prior category requires. Real favorites, afterall, need to be watched with a certain amount of reverence. This second category, on the other hand, is the domain of the comfort movie.
The third group, you don't even realize that they count as your favorites. But sure enough, whenever you're flipping through your two hundred empty goddamn cable channels, you'll admit defeat, park it on one of these movies, then ultimately miss doing something else you had planned. If this movie sat on your video shelf, it would have a layer of dust on it thicker than all the others; its odds of being popped in would regularly hover around zero. But if it's on TV one Sunday afternoon, that channel may as well be the only one you have, cause you ain't changin it.
So, that being said, on to my favorites.
My "category one" favorites are few; they require a certain attention to technical detail and technique (sweet lord, I sound like a movie-snob asshole here) that give them that extra boost above a less artfully made movie. Everything just sort of comes together in a flawlessly executed package. The first example that comes to mind is American Beauty. I enjoy this movie not only for the sharp writing and wonderful performances, but also for the attention given to the composition of each shot; how perfectly the score compliments the story. The lighting that goes into each scene at the dinner table. I could go on, sounding like a pretentious college junior after his first film course, but I'll stop.
Other category one favorites: Clue. The first Matrix. The Princess Bride. The Lord of the Rings movies, although I'll probably never watch them again cause I my attention span just ain't there.
Category two favorites: Some easier choices here. The Naked Gun is a comedy classic that makes me laugh every time I watch it. Pee Wee's Big Adventure, a grown-up movie wrapped in kids-movie clothes, has stood the test of time very nicely. If it's Christmas time, National Lampoon Christmas Vacation fits this category nicely.
As for category three, there are so many of these that I won't get into listing them, but I will say that for me, the quintissential example is A League Of Their Own; a movie that was good but not great, but I will keep on until the Madonna song starts rolling over the closing credits.
"You're gonna looo-se, you're gonna looo-se!"
[Throws baseball glove]
"Ha! I got em!"
Heh, maybe that movie is great afterall.
posted by Matt at 1:13 PM
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