My top 20 movies

[litlover12]

ABC is running a Best in Film special tonight, and I'm posting a list of my 20 favorite movies. The two events are not related. Actually, I had the idea before I heard about the special -- though I'll probably watch it and fume about it, much as I used to watch and fume about the old AFI movie list shows.

I just think it's fun to make lists -- not least because it helps me avoid doing actual work. But it's hard in its own way. I'm still not certain that this list is exactly the way I want it, and a few months from now I may revisit it and do some rearranging. In fact, there's a good chance I'll end up fuming over my OWN list. That seems to be the nature of these things.

I'm not calling this a meme, because I'm not sure whether anyone else is OCD enough to make a list of 20 favorite movies, but you may treat it as one and make your own list if you so desire! Maybe we'll all end up getting some good suggestions from each other.



20. The Thin Man (1934)
19. An Affair to Remember (1957)
18. Shadowlands (1993)
17. The Sword in the Stone (1963)
16. The Princess Bride (1987)
15. Charade (1963)
14. The Odd Couple (1968)
13. All about Eve (1950)
12. The Lion in Winter (1968)
11. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
10. The King's Speech (2010)
9. 1776 (1972)
8. Rear Window (1954)
7. The Sound of Music (1965)
6. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
5. Casablanca (1942)
4. Notorious (1946)
3. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
2. My Fair Lady (1964)
1. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

(Incidentally, 17 of these 20 were released before I was born. Whether this makes me a classicist or a fuddy-duddy, I could not venture to say.)

Comments

[digne.livejournal.com]

I love so many of your favorites and there are a few titles I don't know.

Love: #2, 9, 10, 14 ...

Never seen: #8, 4, 13

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

I've only seen 6 of these: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11.

*hangs head*

I must be the only person on the planet who hated 'Casablanca' and just barely tolerates 'The Sound of Music'.

*hides*

If it redeems me at all, 'Singin' In the Rain' is in my top 5.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Ah, then maybe there's hope for you yet. ;-)

Everyone's movie experiences, likes, dislikes, etc., are going to be different. There's this message board I visit for Christians interested in the arts, only most of these Christians are EXTREMELY sophisticated, and they love these artsy indie flicks that I've never even heard of. Usually I come away feeling like an ignorant six year old. I had to tell myself not to let it bother me, and that I don't have to feel bad because my tastes are different.

So I think the moral of the story is, like what you like and celebrate what you like, and don't let anyone make you feel inferior about any of it! :-)

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

I hate when people do that. But on the other end of the spectrum, the quality of movies (and all art, really) is not completely subjective either. Just because you like a movie/show/album/etc. doesn't mean it's well done. Just because you hate it doesn't make it poorly done.

There's a balance to be had. I love 'Elizabethtown', but I don't claim it's a fantastically done movie. (Orlando Bloom is not a great actor, the movie itself can't decide whether it's a comedy or tragedy, the plot is uneven, etc.)

'Million Dollar Baby' had a compelling story (for the most part), characters that you loved, and wonderful acting. But the end message was horrifying.

But people can't seem to grasp this distinction.

***

Don't even get me started on Christians who think that just because a movie has no swear words, sexually explicit scenes or violence, and it's bland enough for a 10-year-old, that this makes it a "great movie". And God help you if you think otherwise and can articulate *exactly* why.

Don't even. O.o

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

Nicely put. Though I think there's the opposite danger of those Christians who either a) think all things are permissible, and thus it's totally okay to love Million Dollar Baby or V for Vendetta without any acknowledgement of their rather horrific antitheistic agendas; or b) don't acknowledge there are different levels of tolerence and problems with various viewers, and thus recommend films that are completely unhelpful to others.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Oh, nicely put by you too.

I don't know which extreme frustrates me more, those Christians who won't watch anything unless it's on the level of... I don't know, 'Sesame Street', or those who watch anything and then claim, "Oh, it's just a movie." (And not taking into consideration those things that may be a stumbling block to others, even if those things are not necessarily wrong in themselves.)

There is never such thing as "just a movie". Every piece of art reflects a larger story, a worldview. I'm not sure why so many people - Christian and non-Christian don't recognize this. It's a source of never ending frustration on my part. But then, I've always been weird like that.

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

So very true on all points. As an English major, I often go into rather extended rants about the importance of stories in shaping how we value things, while my friends (who I know are Christians and concerned about the states of their souls, but just don't see how it affects that state) babble about how fun Transformers or whatever is.

The annoying part of the whole picture is that non-Christians are starting to get it - they just call it politics and get worried/angry about gender portrayal or sexual orientation discrimination or what have you, instead of serving others or acting morally or telling the truth. It's the Christians, who should be most attuned to these kinds of messages and how they influence behavior who seem to be falling behind in a flurry of either over-strict content boundaries or passive entertainment overload.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

It's the Christians, who should be most attuned to these kinds of messages and how they influence behavior who seem to be falling behind in a flurry of either over-strict content boundaries or passive entertainment overload.

Somebody else who notices this! Joy!

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

I think it's quite a nice list. Especially since I've actually seen most of them (all but five, it looks like) (which as someone barely under a quarter century I feel quite proud of). My own tastes are sadly much more recent, but Casablanca is indeed amazingly wonderful. I prefer The 39 Steps or North by Northwest to Rear Window, but Notorious is very touching.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Rather than comment on your reviews, I'm just going to say...

1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 14

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

(I like all the others I've seen...but those particular ones are very high up in my list of favorites. :-) )