Favorite movies

The Academy Awards will be on in a few hours. Everyone is prognosticating, keeping score, and making lists. I've no intention of watching it, unless of course my wife says something to the effect, "Honey you need to hurry in hear and see what (Salma, Penelope, Sofia etc.) is wearing.....I can't believe she isn't getting arrested for wearing something like that in public"

I have often thought about what my favorite movies are. I'll kick out a few titles and let it drop after a few minutes. Coming up with a straight up 'top ten' is impossible for me. The question was how to break it down. Certainly I could have done it by director. Certainly many of the great directors are repesented on my list. Instead I have opted to break it down by movie genre. I much prefer movies that defy easy classification as will become evident when I give reasons for why a particular movie is my favorite. Notable among the absences is fantasy and sword/sorcery type stuff. It's never been my cup of chowder.

The genre breakdown according to me is:

1) Romance
2) Dystopian future
3) War
4) Crime drama
5) Musical
6) Comedy
7)Action
8) Suspense
9) "Kid" movies
10) Western

Of course 'porn' could be an 11th category. They actually used to make movie versions of this stuff......when I was much, much younger. I'll just say it and be done with it. No explanations. 'Insatiable' with Marilyn Chambers. Based on the strength of that movie alone, I voted for her as vice-president in 2004.

I will take these in reverse order.


Western: 'Silverado'.
Memorable characters with unique motivations. It is well scripted especially in how the stories begin to intertwine and eventually collide.

Runner-up: 'Mister Majestyk'. Cliche' ridden, but the truck chase and unsuing final shootout still makes me smile.



"Kid" movies: 'Babe'
This talking pig forever ingrained in me that kindness and unconditional love can transform the lives of people......and animals.

Runner-up: Toy Story III. Admit it, you got misty eyed-when they were all headed for the incinerator. The miracle is Pixar bringing 'life' to the characters.


Suspense: No Country for Old Men.
At the heart of every good suspense movie is a bad guy. Anton Chiggurh was a really, really bad dude. Truly ruthless.

Runner-up: The Usual Suspects. A genuine 'surpise' ending. Well scripted (but needlessly heavy on the profanity) and another delicious bad guy in the form of Kayser Soza


Action: Aliens
Space critters, valiant Marines, and Sigourney Weaver alternating between nurturing and kicking ass.........wearing a wife-beater!

Runner-up: Kung Fu Hustle. It combines elements of romance, redemption, and loyalty, which I enjoy in movies. It combines camp and drama with a dash of Taoism stirred in.


Comedy: There's Something about Mary.
Several instances of comedy gold in this one. The entire cast got in on the laughs, not just one or two people. It was raunchy and sweet.

Runner-up: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
All the same reasons listed above, plus Glenn Headly actually spun me into her web. Sweet, just not too raunchy.


Musical: Little Shop of Horrors
OK....it's Broadway. Ellen Greene absolutely owned the role of Audrey. It alternated humor with horror pretty well also.

Runner-up: Rocky Horror Picture Show. A play brought to the screen. It has to be seen live of course.


Crime Drama: Godfather 1 and 2
It was one book, therefore I consider it one epic movie in two parts. It is a master class in movie making. Amost as quoatble as the Big Lebowski.......almost.

Runner-up: Lock, Stock, and two smoking barrels. Yup, Guy Ritchie was making movies before 'Sherlock Holmes'. It's all about characters and intertwining story lines.


War: Full Metal Jacket
I saw this one the day after I got back from OCS. The first half of the movie seemed like a comedy to me. Mainly because it was happening to some other guy. While I've not experienced combat, I am told that it was true to life. There's no overt 'broader message' just guys trying to survive and make sense of absurdity.

Runner-up: Platoon. Again it's all about characters. How much was I moved by this movie? One of my sons is named 'Elias' after Willem Dafoe's character.


Dystopian Future: The Matrix. Easily one of the most influential movies ever. The special effects were the things that were copied. The original idea, good script, and characters is what made this movie great.

Runner-up: AI. That's two Kubrick movies if you're counting and not the two that are considered his greatest. The question of what is living and what is not is an easier one to answer. What makes an enduring soul is difficult to answer. On an emotional lever I have never been moved so much and for so long as this one.


Romance: I am going to do the Runner-up first, the English Patient. I enjoy separate stories that are woven together. It is from a time and place that I have studied extensively, but this movie brought it to life. Well written, well acted, had the guts to have a bitter ending.

My favorite? Same era as the above, just the other end of the continent. Specifically Morocco. It is a movie of sacrifice, heartbreak, weariness, intrigue, and betrayal. Redemption, through taking a stand and doing what is best for others, is a theme that I've always had an affinity for. In sacrificing ourselves, we can change the tide. We also reclaim eternal our soul. That is why Casablanca will likely be my favorite movie forever.