Top 20 Movies for me

I’ve been tagged by Minge to make a post about my Top 20 movies. I won’t attempt to do them in any particular order though.

Bend It Like Beckham
I had heard of this movie when it came out but I didn’t give it much attention until I was in the Philippines and John wanted to see it. So we went through the markets looking for a pirated copy. Hell, when we went to Manila I even looked for a legitimate copy. I never did find one and I never did see the movie until it came on MSU’s campus movie station. I then wrote to John and told him that he should see it.

This movie is one of my favorites because it touches on family issues that are very close to me. Familial expectations and pressures. A mother that seems insufferable. A sister who is another social circle. Racial and sexuality issues. It’s all there.

Bridget Jones’s Diary
Oh this plays to my fears of winding up as a spinster who will eventually be eaten by wild dogs. Take out the smoking the drinking, and I’m practically her.

Contact
Many people complained about this movie being too long and boring. I think it was a character on South Park that said something to the effect of having to sit through two hours only to find out that the alien was her dead father. Personally, I take this movie to provide a look at my own faith. That is, having it isn’t necessarily at odds with the universe. I don’t have the answers and neither does anyone else. I also love the “waste of space” line and I often use it whenever a conversation about life in outer space comes up.

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial
E.T. was probably the movie that got me interested in Sci-fi. It is also the only movie that I ever cried to. I used to wish that I could have my own alien just like Eliot. I’m glad to have the original version of the movie. I didn’t care for the enhanced version.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Ferris Bueller is my hero. This is arguably my favorite movie. What’s more cool than cutting school and enjoying life?

Finding Nemo
A lot of little things came together to make this one of my favorites. The music, Marlin’s behavior, Ellen Degeneres’s performance, the accents, and excellent environments for comedy.

Flight of the Navigator
I was living in Florida when this came out so I felt like this was happening in my own back yard. If I was David (well, the David in the movie), I would have convinced Max to go on some adventures. I’d be flying all over the world with that spaceship as well as visiting some of the planets in the solar system before going back home. Also, toying with the various governments with my flights would be an added bonus.

Gattaca
I find the human eugenics to be fascinating. When is it permissible? When does it become unethical? Also the theme of overcoming perceived limitations is inspiring.

Gladiator
Ancient Rome fascinates me so I will try and give any movie that deals with the period a chance. I almost didn’t watch this one because I had heard so many bad reviews but I’m glad I did. It had the right amounts of story and violence. It was also the first period film that made me feel like the sets were real.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings
The trilogy by itself, is superb but I think that the first movie in the way it was presented and paced was superior than the other two.

The Muppet Christmas Carol
Any Christmas would be incomplete without watching the Muppets and their version of A Christmas Carol. In fact, I place this movie version above all others much to my dad’s confusion.

Office Space
I wish I had the ability to not give a shit. I never truly appreciated working for such a bad company and such a bad person since taking the job at the candy store. But even before then, I liked it because I could feel the frustration that most people have with their jobs and liked that someone was reacting to it in a way I wish I could.

Rudy
Oh, this movie is so good that it hurts. I can barely watch as Rudy gets beaten down yet he keeps going back for more. “He’s so little!”

Saving Private Ryan
I’m a military nut so while I expect this movie to have its fair share of duty, honor, loyalty and such, brining the idea of saving one person makes this movie go beyond that. Is one man’s life worth the sacrifice?

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Kudos to II and IV, but I think that this movie is the best out of the entire line. The commentary on the end of the Cold War, and what I think is a more realistic tone, is what sets this movie apart. The crew farewell was excellent as well.

Star Wars The Return of the Jedi
Like the LOTR trilogy, I like all three original Star Wars movies but I think The Return of the Jedi was the superior film. It tied up the story nicely. The thing that put it over A New Hope was that I felt the characters had matured and possessed more depth.

The Hunt for Red October
This fits in well with my love for political science. Politics, power play, ideology, game theory, prisoner’s dilemma. Excellent stuff.

The Sound of Music
I don’t know, I like the music. It’s something that I remember from my childhood and I just enjoy it.

To Kill a Mockingbird
It appeals to my sense of justice and morality but it also reminds me to keep a very realist perspective because despite how idealistic I can be, the world does not have the same interests as mine.


Honorable Mention: Beauty and the Beast, Hannibal, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Parent Trap, and An American Tail.