Favorite Movies
David is the real movie buff in the house, though Virginia enjoys watching some movies with him.
What makes a movie a "favorite"? Basically, when I think of these movies scenes jump vividly to mind and I wonder "When can I make time to see that again?"
I struggled for a way to classify these, and finally settled on arranging them by year. A link to each decade is at the top, and links to each movie are in alphabetical order at the bottom. If you'd like to know more about movies, check out the Internet Movie Database .
1922
- Nosferatu,
eine Symphonie des Grauens: F. W. Munau's silent vampire
saga makes every succeeding vampire movie look mild and boring, and
Bela Lugosi look tame and silly. It's
the Dracula story with names changed (to avoid copyright infringement,
the Bram Stoker estate was not cooperative).
Max Schreck, in his moments onscreen, is by far the most frightening
vampire the movies ever saw. Favorite
scene: Count Orlok moves across the yard transporting his coffin
to the British castle.
1925
- The Gold
Rush: An absolute masterpiece by Chaplin; the Little Tramp does
the Klondike, makes good, and gets the girl. MAKE SURE you see the 1925
original, NOT the 1942
re-release, which cuts out a full 27 minutes of the original and adds a
weak (and obvious) voiceover to "explain" what the action is telling
you quite clearly. Favorite scene:
The Ocean Roll.
1927
- Metropolis: This German silent film by Fritz Lang (English intertitles) is a real groundbreaker. GET THE FULLY RESTORED VERSION. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the chopped-up VHS version I had for years, but the restoration on this was major - you're missing half the movie, and most of the point, without it. A social document about the separation of the workers from the rulers and its destructive effects - and VERY MUCH APPLICABLE to early 21st century America. Also contains visions that would inspire science fiction movies forever after. One of the very finest productions of Weimar Germany. Favorite scene: The vision of Moloch.
1931
- Duck Soup: Impossible to choose between this and A Night at the Opera as the Marx Brothers' absolute best. The brothers unite to save Fredonia. Favorite scene: Chico's spy trial.
- King Kong: Still spellbinding. Both the 1975
and (especially) the 2005 remake have been horrible embarassments.
Great special
effects do not a myth/epic make, folks (that goes emphatically for
Tolkien too, Mr. Jackson). Favorite
scene: Kong's first appearance beyond the wall. on Skull Island.
1935
- A Night at the Opera: The Marx Brothers at their best. It's really hard to choose between this and Duck Soup as their best film. Favorite Scene: The stateroom scene; not an original choice!
1936
- Modern Times: Chaplin's last "silent" film, made when nobody else was doing anything but "talkies" and full of sound effects which belie the term "silent"; but a great flick, the playoff of Chaplin and Paulette Goddard (for whom the term "gamin" might have been invented) is fantastic. This film is a riot , and the serious theme of dehumanization in modern mass society is - well, serious. And well done. Favorite scene: The obvious one; the little tramp is the guinea pig for the automated worker-feeding machine.
1938
- Bringing Up Baby: We never see this screwball comedy without catching jokes we never caught before. One of the best and fastest paced comedies ever done. Why weren't Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant paired up more often? Favorite scene: Early in the movie, Grant's smashed hat matches Hepburn's ripped dress.
1942
1943
1946
1943
- Cabin
in the Sky: VERY difficult to find on DVD, but it's
possible. Before you can watch it, though, you have to endure a
poltically correct scold which amounts to "You are permitted to watch
this as an anthropological document, but you aren't permitted to enjoy
it." This debut effort by director Vincente Minnelli is incredibly
enjoyable! There's not a white face on the screen. Most musicals have
thin plots, but this one is anorexic; it revolves around the fate of
the soul of Little Joe (played by Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, of Jack
Benny Show fame), torn
between his faithful wife (Ethel Waters) and femme fatale Sweet Georgia Brown
(Lena Horne). The silliest thing about the plot is why anybody would be
tempted by Lena Horne with a hot number like Ethel Waters at home (even
dressed in drab clothes, Ethel makes Lena look pale and anemic by
comparison). Mainly, though, this is a showcase for a number of
incredibly talented black musicians and dancers who get their spot in
the sun for a few minutes. You get to see Duke Ellington in his prime
lead his orchestra, and Louis Armstrong walk around dressed as a devil
toodling on his horn (he proves that as an actor, he's a great
musician). But the joy of this movie is seeing all these incredibly
talented unknowns get to step forward and do their thing. Don't miss it
if you can find it. Favorite scene
(by far!): "Just because my teeth are so pearly..."
1946
- Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la bête): The Jean Cocteau version, in French with subtitles. The obvious inspiration for the Disney version, much more imaginative and haunting on a much sparer budget. Favorite scene: At the end, rather than turning into a vapid Prince, the Beast turns into a sardonic and interesting, and very French, human.
1948
- Key Largo:
Despite Lionel Barrymore's usual ham acting, this is a great movie.
Bogart and Bacall are at their best, and Edward G. Robinson never
looked more like a prehistoric lizard. A great movie with a great
message: you can't just fight evil abroad, you have to deal with it at
home. A real bonus is Claire Trevor's performance as a broken down
gangland moll. Favorite scene:
Edward
G. Robinson's shadow as he threatens Bacall.
- The
Treasure of the Sierra Madre: One great movie. Simple theme: What
greed does to people and how different characters respond to it, in its
starkest form. Favorite scene:
The last one - the two survivors laughing their hearts out.
- The
African Queen: Will somebody please explain: WHY IS THIS
INCREDIBLE CLASSIC UNAVAILABLE ON DVD IN THE US? Our copy is from
Japan!A fantastic pairing of
Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, in which both carry off - with verve! -
totally atypical roles. Favorite
scene:
The leeches.
1952
- Ikiru (To Live): One of Akira Kurosawa's early masterpieces; in Japanese, with English subtitles. A dull midlevel bureaucrat (Takashi Shimura) receives a medical death sentence and desperately thrashes around to find some meaning to his life. Favorite scene: After the deputy mayor leaves, his fellow workers get drunk at his funeral.
1954
- Seven
Samurai: American moviegoers seem to be under the impression that
the significance of this Akira Kurosawa movie is primarily that it was
the source for The Magnificent Seven.
The original is far superior to the American product. A GREAT film
in every sense of the word. Slow buildups followed by swift and
decisive action. Favorite scene:
"The farmers - they always win."
1955
- Night and Fog (Nuit et brouillard): The first substantial documentary on the Holocaust; French, with English subtitles. Drawn mostly from footage of Nazi Germany itself, interspersed with modern footage of the camps. Only 31 minutes, stark and powerful; let's not pretend it didn't happen, or minimize it. Makes Schindler's List look romantic. I'm not crass enough to talk about favorite scenes here.
1956
- Girl in Black (To Koritsi me ta mavra): This is the film that proves that Greeks can make great films - not that they've done it very often, but they only managed democracy once too. A couple of Greek buddies from Athens go on vacation in a small fishing village, one falls in love with a local girl and arouses the hostility of the young men of the village. The result is a gripping movie. Favorite scene: Marina confronts the young men with the lethal consequences of their prank.
1958
- The Hidden Fortress: The most enjoyable of all the Akira Kurosawa movies to watch. This was his first widescreen movie (and he never looked back). Toshiro Mifune was never better than as the samurai general Rokurota, the story is exciting, the comic relief of the two peasants (the obvious ancestors of R2D2 and C3PO) is perfect. In Japanese, with subtitles. This is the perfect introduction to Kurosawa's films for a Westerner, much more accessible than Rashomon. Favorite scene: The fire festival.
1959
- Plan 9 from Outer Space: Yes, it is the very worst movie ever made. And it's so bad it's a scream to watch and enjoy. You may have noticed that we have both beer and champagne taste. This is somewhere way below beer. Favorite scene: Attack on Washington, with stock footage, wires on the saucers, and the military people (on a blank background, supposedly watching the battle), consider, "Do you really believe there are such things as flying saucers?"
1962
- Carnival of Souls: Low budget, badly acted? Yes. Scarier than any modern gorefest (with no hint of R-rated scenes)? Again yes. Favorite scene: The dance scene in the old carnival building.
- Lawrence of Arabia: What incredible vistas and vision - both of the desert and of human character. Every movie filmed in widescreen looks better in widescreen, this movie is incomprehensible without it. Favorite scene: Lawrence demands a drink of water in the English officers' club for his Arab companion.
- Requiem
for A Heavyweight: Million
Dollar Baby led me to checking out this much older boxing
heartbreak saga. Glad we did. Originally a television play, it was
expanded to a full length movie with the same cast. Major roles are
played by Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney (who reveals lots more depth than you'd expect),
and Anthony Quinn in what must be the performance of his career. Played
spare, tight, and compelling. Cassius Clay appears in the opening
sequence (he was still Cassius Clay then). Favorite scene: Mountain Rivera's
visit to the unemployment office.
- Dr. Strangelove: One of the best black comedies ever made, Favorite scene: "Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!"
- Kwaidan: Adaptations of four traditional Japanese folk tales (in Japanese, with subtitles). The last one ("In a Cup of Tea") we don't find very interesting, at least for Westerners. The other three ("The Black Hair", "The Woman of the Snows", and "Hoichi the Earless") are electrifying. You do have to get used to the slow buildup characteristic of Japanese films. However I've shown this to classes of seventh graders and had them absolutely on tiptoe. Favorite scene: Hoichi awaits the visit of the spirits after being protected.
- Red Beard:
One of Akira Kurosawa's very best (unlike many others, we don't find Rashomon that impressive). Toshiro
Mifune stars as a doctor at a hospital for the poor
in 19th century Japan; his young assistant resents the posting and
longs to be physician to a wealthy family. VERY long, over three hours,
but doesn't drag - at all. Red Beard grows from the young doctor's
enemy and nemesis to become his ideal of what a physician should be. In
Japanese, with subtitles. Favorite
scene: The final one. "Like
I said - you'll regret it!"
- The
Producers: Simply the absolutely funniest totally
shamelessly over the top movie ever made.A lot of Mel Brooks' comedies
we don't find very funny, but this
one is fantastic. The recent revival is inferior. Favorite scene:
The open mouths of the audience at the premiere of "Springtime for
Hitler".
1971
- A Clockwork Orange: Stanley Kubrick's version of Anthony Burgess's book is still unsettling and riveting. Favorite Scene: Alex's smirk in the hospital as he realizes "I was cured, all right!".
1972
- Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop): Most Ingmar Bergman films are a little "heavy" for our taste. This one grips us from beginning to end. It's the tale of two married sisters who come home to help their other sister die. Hard to understand how such a slow-paced film can keep you on the edge of your seat. In Swedish, with subtitles. Favorite scene: The oldest and youngest sister drop their reserve and distance in their shared grief (it doesn't last).
- The
Godfather: The way
politics,
crime , family and personal relationships intertwine is unforgettable. Favorite scene: "I don't wanna see
Pauly around here anymore, ya unnerstand?"
1973
1976
- High Plains Drifter: We've always been Clint Eastwood fans, even before it got popular. All his movies deal with how violence distorts human life and community, without glorifying it. This is the very best of his Westerns; an unnamed stranger comes to town and exacts revenge for a crime in which the whole town was complicit. Favorite scene: The desperadoes look down into the town painted red with the sign "Welcome to Hell".
- Sleeper:
Why does Woody Allen insist on verbal comedy when he is one of the best
slapstick comedians of all time? Less talk, more action please! This is
a pure slapstick classic, funny every time, and
by far the best he's ever done. Favorite
scene: The chase at the robot repair factory.
- The
Godfather Part II: Many people think this surpasses the original.
We don't, but it's still a great film in its own right. We
won't even talk about Part III, OK - why embarass everybody? Favorite
scene: Vito Corleone/Andolini returns to Sicily and avenges his
father and brother.
- One Flew
Over the Cuckoo's Nest: A very good novel turned into a really
great
movie. Here's where Jack Nicholson became a superstar, and his
performance deserves the Oscar it got. Also the world's introduction
to, of all people, Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd. Two of the best
performances come from Louise Fletcher (also an Oscar) and Will
Sampson. Constantly rewatchable. Favorite
scene: McMurphy becamoes aware that Chief Bromden can hear and
speak. (Mmmmm.... Juicy Fruit.)
1976
- Carrie: We find Stephen King a very boring writer, and most movies made from his books are real yawners. But this Brian de Palma adaptation with Sissy Spacek is a gripper no matter how many times you see it. Favorite scene: The closing scene, where Carrie's hand rises from the ruins of the house.
1978
- Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!: Yes we like aggressively dumb campy movies (this is obvious in some of our other choices). Some people can make them, some can't. These guys could. Favorite scene: "Hey, could you pass the ketchup?"
- La Cage aux
Folles: This comedy of sexual orientation was remade in English
as "The Bird Cage" and was distinctly non-funny - even Robin Williams
couldn't redeem it. This original version (French with subtitles) is a
riot, played strictly for laughs rather than as a politically correct
blow for tolerance. Favorite scene:
Michele Seerault
tries to walk like John Wayne in a Paris bar.
- Alien: You'll find all four Alien movies on this list. No matter how many times we watch this one it's one of the best scifi/horror films (and series) ever made. The "Alien Quadrilogy" set which we have contains both the original theatrical version and an "extended directors' cut". As usual, the original version of "Alien" is far superior to the reworked version. One of the most perfectly paced movies ever made. Favorite scene: Ripley becomes aware that the alien has stowed away in the life capsule with her.
- The
Kids Are Alright: A great rock documentary of our favorite
band. For those of you who never saw the Who perform in their prime,
this is the best we can offer now. Favorite
scene(s): Keith playing his sloppy drums with his mouth wide
open.
1980
1982
1986
- The
Gods Must Be Crazy: Overestimated as anthropology, this South
African film is severely underestimated as a comedy. Favorite scene: Keet drives the Jeep
backwards.
- The
Shining: Possibly the scariest movie ever made.
Why anyone ever had the audacity to remake this Stanley Kubrick classic
is incomprehensible. Who is scarier than Jack Nicholson when he wants
to be scary? Also, a prime role for Shelley DuVall, a great actress
whose odd looks kept her out of mainstream roles. Favorite scene: The encounter with
the former caretaker in the bar.
1982
- Blade Runner: Ridley Scott's bleak vision of the future still fascinates and resonates. We have the Director's Cut - in a rare exception that proves the rule, it beats the original theatrical release. Favorite scene: Not an original choice here; "Time... to die."
- Conan the Barbarian: Really this ought to be an awful movie - its successor, Conan the Destroyer, is a total dog - but we love it. Somehow the combo of James Earl Jones, Arnold, and the operatic music make it an epic. The DVD has several scenes not on the original theatrical version; the extra material definitely weakens the movie, without destroying it. Favorite scene: Conan lights Valeria's pyre.
- Eating Raoul: It's low budget, it's raunchy, it's weird, it's totally unsuitable for children. This cult movie is a scream every time we see it. It's very dated - it could only have been made after the 1960's and before AIDS - but it lampoons the whole "free yourself up" sexual liberation thing mercilessly. Favorite scene: "While you're out, could you pick up another frying pan? I'm getting a little squeamish about cooking with the one we kill people with."
1985
- My Life As A Dog (Mitt liv som hund): This flick by Lasse Hallstrom (Swedish, with English subtitles) is a personal favorite. A young boy whose single mother is dying of cancer is sent out into the country to live with his uncle's family - and learns about life, good and bad. Favorite scene: Coming through the skylight.
- Ran: In
Japanese, with English subtitles. Akira Kurosawa's epic reimagining of
the King Lear story, set in medieval Japan. As difficult, heartrending,
and widereaching as Shakespeare's play. Absolutely magnificent. One of
Kurosawa's later flicks, so it's in full color, and the color is used
to incredible advantage. The title is Japanese for "Chaos". Favorite scene: Cast out of his
castles, the king accepts the hospitality of a blind man and recognizes
him as one of his own victims in his days of power.
1986
- Aliens: The sequel to "Alien", unlike most sequels is a rocker, and certainly was the most popular installment in the series. The "extended version" included in the box set is actually very good, and I watch it in preference to the original version. It provides some very good "back story" while not messing with the climax. Favorite scene: Ripley's first sight of the "Queen Mother" in her lair.
- Jean
de Florette: and Manon
des Sources: A hunchback from the city
(the title character), with his opera star wife and young daughter, try
the farming life in a cottage inherited from his mother. They are
driven out by the deceit and cupidity of another local family, with the
implicit consent of the village. The second movie,
set 15 years later, is an amazing sequel with surprises that will NOT
be revealed here. Also a wonderful picture of life in
rural southern France in the late 20th century. Favorite scene: As her mother packs
up the last things for leaving, Manon (the daughter) secretly watches
the locals
rejoice in the success of their scheme against her father.
1987
- Amazon Women on the Moon: Though different people find different sketches funny, this loose selection of comedy sketches held together by the "bad late night local TV movie" frame is a riot. Its similar predecessor, Kentucky Fried Movie, is just an unfunny gross-out. Favorite scene: Jack the Ripper is revealed to be the Loch Ness Monster.
- The Lost Boys: A combination of side-splitting humor and the vampire legend; terrifying and funny at the same time. Visually perfect. Kiefer Sutherland's performance is magnificent. Make sure and get the widescreen version; you're missing half the movie otherwise. Favorite scene: Laddie does "the attack of Eddie Munster".
- The
Princess Bride: A very strange movie yet very compelling.
How does this mix of fantasy, camp, humor and fairy story come off
mixed just right? Luck, serendipity, and great casting I suppose. Favorite scene:
The death of Count Rugen.
1988
- BeetleJuice: One of the funniest movies ever made. Especially funny if you are a fan of all the genres (horror, zombie, supernatural) it lampoons. We are. Favorite scene(s): The waiting room in the social services office of the afterlife.
1991
1992
- Fried Green Tomatoes: You don't have to have Southern roots to appreciate this one, but it sure helps. A fantastic performance by Cathy Bates (who always gives one anyway). The feel of rural early-20th-century Deep Southern life is done with accuracy and joy. Favorite scene: Idji and Ruth get drunk together on Ruth's birthday.
- The Silence of the Lambs: We haven't been impressed by the sequels, but this is the best thriller ever made, bar none. Favorite scene: Clarice relies on her hearing and instincts to save the day - in total darkness.
- The Sixth Sense: Yes, it's still great
after you know the surprise ending. Favorite
scene: Malcolm meets Anna in the restaurant for their
anniversary.
1992
- Alien 3: Who could believe you'd get a third great movie in the series after Aliens? Here it is. Not as popular as the others but this one really grows on you; in retrospect I think it's the best installment after the original. The "Special Edition" is almost a whole different movie and well worth ignoring, it's terrible. Favorite scene: Bishop is reactivated and then asks to be turned off permanently.
- Baraka: Amazing
& unique.
Pictures from all over the natural world & various human cultures
are juxtaposed without dialogue or explanation - but with great skill.
The last film ever made in 70mm, make SURE and see it in widescreen. It
will change the way you think about the world you live in. Favorite scene(s): Can't choose
between (a) the Balinese monkey chant and (b) the juxtaposition of
Tokyo city traffic with a thoroughly mechanized chicken farm.
1994
1997
- Forrest Gump: Why do the "intelligentsia" just not get this movie? It's a retelling of the old folktale about the not very bright younger brother who wins the princess by loyalty and simple virtues, and a great retelling too. The special effects are almost beside the point. Favorite scene: The look Forrest gives Jenny's hippie boyfriend as the bus pulls out of Washington after the protest..
- Trois Couleurs: Bleu, Blanc, Rouge: The
first installment of this film trilogy came out in 1993, the second two
in 1994. We love the films of Kryzstof Kieslowski, a Polish filmmaker;
this interlocked trilogy (named for the three colors of the French flag
and dealing with their themes: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity) was
both our introduction to his work and still our favorite. In French,
with English subtitles. These movies are dense and require close watching; they really
get into the nitty gritty of human life and relationships as lived by
real people. Favorite scene:
In Rouge, the retired judge
comes to the theater.
- Alien Resurrection: How could you top Alien 3? Well, you couldn't, and they didn't. But making another very good movie out of the Alien franchise after 18 years was a remarkable achievement. The extended version is indistinguishable, almost, from the standard theatrical version. The French director (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) used several of my favorite French actors, particularly Dominique Pinon. The aliens should have stayed above water though; the underwater scenes are not convincing at all. Favorite scene: Ripley VIII discovers, and destroys, Ripley I-VII.
- The Apostle:
Robert Duvall waited for many years to get the funds together to do
this project RIGHT, and thank God he did. One of the few serious and
multi-dimensional films ever made on the subject of religion, with no
condescending or oversimplifying. I show this to 7th and 8th graders to
give them a feel for what Pentecostalism means to Pentecostals; they're
always riveted to the screen. Favorite
scene: The first Sunday service in the "One Way Road to Heaven"
church.
- Amélie ( Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain): Fun, original, touching, funny, unsettling, vivid. Shy girl turns dogooder meets shy boy, and love must overcome shyness. In French, with subtitles. Favorite scene: The chase on the steps of Sacre-Coeur.
2004
- The
Incredibles: Living proof that while special
effects are great, and CGI is nice, it's good writing and a story worth
telling that make a movie. This one has both, and its implicit social
commentary is sharp and pointed (and we happen to agree with it). Favorite scene: The phone
conversation with the babysitter.
- Million Dollar Baby: Clint Eastwood has steadily grown over the years from competence to mastery - and this is a masterpiece. All boxing stories are about heartbreak, and this is no exception. It also takes on a major social issue - euthanasia - with absolutely no cheap or obvious points pro or con. Thanks Clint for your absolute best - at least so far. Clint's movies have always run around the subject of how violence distorts human life and the human spirit. This take on it is magnificent. Favorite scene: Maggie confronts Clint with her trashy background.
- SpiderMan
2: The orgiginal SpiderMan was a really good movie, but flawed by
the Green Goblin's costume; it just made you want to laugh. The sequel,
with Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, is a great
movie and probably the best comic strip adaptation ever put on the
screen. Favorite scene: The
car comes thru the restaurant window.
2005
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe: We dreaded this movie, after seeing the disastrous job Peter Jackson did with Tolkien. It's a superb piece of work. The changes necessary to bring C. S. Lewis' Narnia to the screen were made judiciously and thoughtfully, and the spirit of the book is maintained throught The CGI animation serves the film well, rather than being a distraction. We really looked forward to Prince Caspian. It's awful. Favorite scene: Mr. Beaver talks.
The African Queen Alien Aliens Alien 3 Alien Resurrection Amazon Women On The Moon Amelie The Apostle Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Baraka Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la bête BeetleJuice Blade Runner Bringing Up Baby Cabin in the Sky La Cage aux Folles Carnival of Souls Carrie Casablanca The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe City Lights A Clockwork Orange Conan the Barbarian Cries and Whispers Dr. Strangelove Duck Soup Eating Raoul Forrest Gump Fried Green Tomatoes Girl in Black The Godfather The Godfather Part II The Gods Must Be Crazy The Gold Rush The Hidden Fortress High Plains Drifter Ikiru The Incredibles Jean de Florette Key Largo The Kids Are Alright King Kong Kwaidan Lawrence of Arabia The Lost Boys Metropolis Million Dollar Baby Modern Times My Life As A Dog Night and Fog A Night at the Opera Nosferatu O Brother, Where Art Thou? One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Plan 9 From Outer Space The Princess Bride The Producers Ran Red Beard Requiem for A Heavyweight Seven Samurai The Shining The Silence of the Lambs The Sixth Sense Sleeper SpiderMan 2 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Trois Couleurs