favorite movies

I just saw One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
again for about the seventh time. Saw it when it first came out; loved it then, love it now. May be my all-time favorite movie. I'm not one to pick favorites; I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite band or favorite food. But this one is definitely up there, as it continues to deliver all that a good movie should: complex characters, intriguing plot, superb dialogue, expression of a wide range of emotions, and an ending that punches you in the chest, hard. StraightDopers, what are some of your favorite movies and why?

[Babar714]

TH, that is my favorite! My mom and I did it on stage a few years back in OR. We performed it not many miles from where the guy who played Chief Brombden lived. I loved the show then, and had no idea it was a movie. When I became a film buff, I saw it, and was blown away. But the film never explains the title, whereas the play does.

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
A Clockwork Orange
The Right Stuff
Most Marty Scorsese Movies
Most Quinton Tarrantino Movies
Most Mel Brooks Movies
I'm sure I'll mention a few more as the
thread develops

[pricciar]

TennHippie,
Did you read the book? The movie is great, but as usual the book is even better. Luckily, I saw the movie first, so it wasn't ruined, once I read the book, though, I saw it was much better.

Favorite movies, I can't name just one, and it seems to change all of the time, let me think of a few.

Taxi Driver
Star Wars
Secrets and Lies
Miracle on 34th Street
The Eel
Seven Samaruai
Pride of the Yankees
Dr. Strangeglove
The Postman (not the Kevin Costner movie, I didn't see that one, the one about Pablo Neruda)
Harrington
La Femme Nikita
Au Revoir Las Enfants
Manon of the Spring
Jean de Florette
Cabin Boy
Better off Dead
Batman

Hmmm, thats a short list of some I can think of off the top of my head.
Ok not so short, I thought of some more after I typed the first five. Those are the ones when people say they haven't seen them, I say you HAVE to. There is more, I am sure. But, thats it for now.

pat

[Globe-trotter]

One of my faves is "Dangerous Liaisons". The acting is superb (who won an Oscar that year anyway? Should have been Glenn Close...but then again, I'm biased! ;)), crisp dialogue, diabolical plots, great costumes, decadent characters, John Malkovich (purrrrrr). Just a pure delight.

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I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
Alexandre Dumas the Younger (1824-1895)

[Pooch]

Little Big Man
Blood Simple
Wag The Dog

I just saw The Man Who Knew Too Little on video. I laughed out loud...it's been a while.

I actually have a Top Ten list. It changes frequently, but here are my favorites at the moment. (In no particular order)

1. Forrest Gump.
2. Jurassic Park. I have seen this movie over 300 times, and still haven't tired of it. I don't think I ever will.
3. Beauty and the Beast. (1992 Disney version) This is the greatest animated film ever made.
4. Braveheart. Makes me want to be Scottish. ;)
5. The Shawshank Redemption.
6. Schindler's List. When I saw this movie the first time, I nearly wept. I think that this movie should be required viewing, for EVERYBODY.
7. Ben-Hur.
8. It's a Wonderful Life. It's been played to death, but it's still an excellent flick.
9. Field of Dreams. Besides Raging Bull, it has to be the best sports movie that I've seen.
10. Saving Private Ryan.

Sheesh, I could go on forever. But this will do for now.
BTW, I love Cuckoo's Nest too. :)

Adam

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"Life is hard...but God is good"

[Doug Bowe]

Hey, ARG220. If you really like Ben Hur, check out a copy of the silent version.
The one irritation is the need of lots of narration camera cards to set up the story.
Slog through those, and I'll bet you'll be surprised!
A lot of people (me included)think the silent veresion is actually better.

[Contestant #3]

There are a ton of movies that I really like and some really good ones have ALREADY been named. For instance, Babar714 mentioned ALL Tarintino movies and I second that and ARG220 mentioned two tear-jerkers that I would have also added in SL and FODs...

Here are some others that I'd add:

The Usual Suspects (Who is Kizer Soze?)

Miracle Mile (little known movie where it starts off with a guy answering a ringing payphone)

Full Metal Jacket (War movie)

Heat (DeNiro, Pacino)

House of cards (Joe Magenta)

JFK (Being the conspiracy buff that I am)

Vanished (the one with Jeff Bridges...gave me the creeps)

Zero Effect (I saw this recently on video...Ben Stiller and ???...I forget his name...)

SlingBlade (How can you not appreciate Billy Bob Thornton????)


I reserve the right to add later in the thread...



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Contestant #3

[topolino]

Better Off Dead-"Savage" Steve Holland is a comedic genious and it stars John Cusack. Woo!

'Night Mother-talk about a 180 degree turn from "Better Off Dead." This is basically a discussion between a mother (Anne Bancroft) and daughter (Sissy Spacek) about why the daughter is going to commit suicide that night. Bancroft is always brilliant.

Also: A Christmas Story, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Usual Suspects, Raising Arizona (the ONLY Cohen Brother movie I like), Beetlejuice, Silence of the Lambs, Torch Song Trilogy, Jaws, Blair Witch Project, From Dusk Til Dawn, Pulp Fiction...

[topolino]

Oh, hey, C#3, did you ever see the original "The Vanishing"? Creeped me out!

[pricciar]

topolino,
Better Off dead, a movie we can agree on! Have you seen One Crazy Summer? Another great pairing of Savage Steve Holland and John Cusack.

I wish Savage Steve Holland would do more things, I have loved everything he has done. One Crazy Summer, Better Off Dead, Encyclopedia Brown series, How I Got Into College. He is just great.

Oh, and thinking of John Cusack, there is a great movie that he is in with Tim Robbins, way back when.
Tapeheads

Its alot of fun.

pat

[Babar714]

Forgot Billy-Bob Thornton movies, especially Sling Blade. I love that one.

I've recently gotten into independant film. Sling Blade is the reason. Just saw The Deciever(s?) with Tim Roth and Chris Penn, liked it much.

Ooh, and I recently re-discovered Eric the Viking, with Tim Robbins. That is one funny flick.

[topolino]

Pricciar, I have seen "One Crazy Summer" and enjoyed that too. As a matter of fact, this past Sunday, Comedy Central kept running "Better Off Dead", "One Crazy Summer", and "Ferris Buehler's Day Off" as their Back to School Sunday. I'm totally unfamiliar with the Encyclopedia Brown thing though.

I also still need to see Tapeheads but I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy it as Cusack and Robbins are two of my favorite actors.

"Hi, Badger. Your book on how to pick up trashy women came today. Tell me, what's a little boy like you doing with big boy smut like this?"

[Pete]

You all should go see Twelve Monkeys. It's a great movie.

And I can't believe no one mentioned perhaps the best movie of all time: The Godfather!



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I don't know who first said "everyone's a critic," but I think it's a really stupid saying.

Oh Shoot! Silence of the Lambs, and JFK! I knew I had forgotten some. See, there are just too many movies that I love.

Adam

[Gr8Kat]

West Side Story - People like to ridicule the singing and dancing, but I still think the message of tolerance and the evils of hatred and gang warfare ("Zip guns? Gee...") still stand-up.
Six Degrees of Separation (back when Will Smith acted, instead of just acting like Will Smith)
The Little Mermaid - The best Disney movie since Walt died.
Beauty and the Beast - The best Disney movie ever.
Fantasia - Totally underappreciated in its day, it's gorgeous and wonderful.
Fargo - I was totally caught up in this film. Mostly I don't like crime-dramas, but I was spell-bound. I didn't want it to end. I could relate to Jerry Lundegaard (sp?)--not that I ever have or ever would do something so dispicable, I just know how it feels to be so desperate that you go to ridiculous lengths to get out of it and just make things worse, and then it compounds and compounds... *sigh*
Raising Arizona - Very funny. I loved Nicolas Cage in this movie as a lovable doofus and I'm disappointed that he's not had a role like this since then. I thought he should have played "Honeymoon in Vegas," like this, because in that movie he was such a jerk I thought he deserved to lose his girlfriend. If he'd played it as a combo Jerry from Fargo/H.I. from Raising Arizona, I could have had more sympathy ;)
Stand By Me - Best adaptation of a Stephen King story ever :)
Shawshank Redemption - 2nd best adaptation of a Stephen King story ever :)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes - I love Roddy McDowell, I love him as Cornelius, I love the apes in modern time, and the ending makes me cry :)
Fright Night - Roddy McDowell and Chris Sarandon in a funny, and sometimes creepy (at least the first couple times I saw it) vampire movie. Chris Sarandon was the first vampire I thought was sexy.
Poltergeist - The only horror movie I've ever seen that actually totally spooks me; most of the rest are just revolting or dumb. But this one is scary, IMHO :)

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

[Gr8Kat]

12 Monkeys! I'd forgotten about that one! We saw it twice in the theater :) Very spell-binding :) Best thing I've ever seen Bruce Willis do :) And thinking about it reminds me of my other favorite movie featuring Brad Pitt, Thelma and Louise :) First movie I'd ever seen him in, and it was love at first sight. He became very overrated shortly thereafter, but at the time I thought I was the only person who noticed him. *Sigh*

Edward Scissorhands and Benny & Joon. A Johnny Depp double-feature :) Again, these are movies that I just fall into and don't want to end. Why do they have to end? Why can't we go to the theater every week and see a new installment? Oh... because that would be television.

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

[topolino]

Ah yeah! "Poltergeist"! I love this movie also. I watch damn near every time it comes on. So we know what happened to the two daughters. They're both dead now. I wonder whatever happened to the boy (Oliver Robbins, I think).

I also think "Shawshank Redemption" is a stellar movie.

[Brother Haus]

Since I've seen *Tales From The Crypt: Demon Night* it has been my favorite. Very original and wonderfully portrayed.
Brother Haus recommends. ;)

And recently: *The Sixth Sense*.
I'm growing anxious to see *The Haunting*.

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"What it is, is what it is. And what it should be is a lie someone gave to the people a long time ago." No one said it better then Lenny Bruce.

Gr8Kat: Have you seen What's Eating Gilbert Grape? If you like Johnny Depp, then you'll probably like this movie. It's also great because it's the movie that proves Leonardo DiCaprio CAN act.

Adam

[Catrandom]

Ah, A Christmas Story! Underappreciated and wonderful.

Also Braveheart,Branagh's Hamlet, Usual Suspects, Wings of Desire, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Spanish Prisoner, The Truman Show, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Cold Comfort Farm (hilarious) and The Innocents -- better than the novella, with the scariest ghosts in any movie *ever.* They couldn't make The Innocents now (watch it and see why.)

[topolino]

I'm gonna post a billion times on this thread!

Miracle Mile (little known movie where it starts off with a guy answering a ringing
payphone)

I think that was Anthony Edwards answering the phone. I saw that movie years ago but I remember the phone part :).

Speaking of...Pricciar, there was a movie with Cusack, Tim Robbins, and Anthony Edwards called "The Sure Thing." Did you ever see that one? Cusack and Robbins are classic in that too. I'll never forget Tim Robbins driving along looking like Ward Cleaver singing, "When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars." I'll also never forget John Cusack's rant when he gets into the pick-up truck as if he'd been hitchhiking-"...Aren't you going to give me a riiiide?"

[kanashimi]

"Grand Canyon" with Kevin Kline, et al. While seeing it the first time, I found it so depressing I almost quit watching, so many awful things were happening. But I kept on and discovered all the wondrous things that happened directly because of all the awful things. It makes me appreciate the larger purpose behind everything, regardless of how events are first perceived.

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"With enough courage, you can do without a reputation." - Rhett Butler

[1420Vel.GN]

The Blues Brothers - you know, I hope!
Kelly's Heros - WW II, funny though
The Dirty Dozen - since I'm thinking WWII
Cheech & Chong movies
Old B&W sci-fy/monster movies
Blazing Saddles
original uncut (not that Ted Turner watered down crap) Smokey and the Bandit
Oh yea, lets not forget Monty Python and the Holy Grail

[jayron 32]

My #1 favorite movie is American Grafitti . #2 is What's Eating Gilbert Grape . #3 is Good Will Hunting There is a 100-way tie for fourth place however.

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Jason R Remy

"No amount of legislation can solve America's problems."
-- Jimmy Carter (1980)

[pricciar]

Oh I didn't even remember Tim Robbins being in the Sure Thing. I am gonna have to rent it again, its been ages.
But, that was directed by Rob Reiner.
who also did the previously mentioned Stand By Me. And the mockumentary, all mockumentaries will be compared to,
Spinal Tap.
"this goes up to 11."

Oh, and reading around I am reminded of another great movie.
Harold and Maude.
Wow, thats one of the best movies I have ever seen, I saw it last week for the first time.. Touching, funny, great music. fantastic.

oh and how could I forget, classic of classics.
The Muppet Movie.
The Great Muppet Caper
not quite as good as the first, but it does have the classic Sam the Eagle moment, "You are all weirdos"

Ohoh.. I can't believe I forgot two great movies from Wes Anderson
Bottlerocket
Rushmore.
Great stuff.

Oh yea, 6th Sense was great, as was 12 Monkeys. Two Bruce Willis movies set in Philadelphia, that hit big at the box office, maybe he will make Philadelphia a regular movie spot. haha
Hmm, well I will let this go now. But, I am sure I will add more again later. This is a great thread, love talking about our favorite movies, thinking about them, and then discussing more to think about others. haha.


pat

[Kat]

-Braveheart
-Beauty and the Beast
-Air Force One
-Clear and Present Danger
-heck, just about any movie with Harrison Ford
-The Dream Team
-Johnny Dangerously
-heck, again, just about any movie with Micheal Keaton
-Incredible Journey (the real one, not that Homeward Bound crap)
-Undercover Blues
-Field of Dreams
-The Mask of Zorro
-Lethal Weapons 1-4
-The Adventures of Robin Hood
-Miracle on 34th Street (original version)
-Mercury Rising
-Airplane
-Die Hard

I'll add more later

[AuraSeer]

Some of my faves that haven't yet been mentioned:

Lost Boys with Coreys Haim and Feldman
The Hudsucker Proxy with Tim Robbins
Tron with, uh, lots of CGI ;)

ObCusack: Grosse Pointe Blank

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I'm not a warlock. I'm a witch with a Y chromosome.

[Big Iron]

I'll play, but I'll forget a few:


A Clockwork Orange
Stranger Than Paradise
Pee Wee's Big Adventire
Raising Arizona
fargo
Raging Bull
Animal House
Caddyshack
Truly, Madly, Deeply
Dr. Strangelove
Casablanca
It's A Wondeful Life
You Can't Take It With You
The Last Laugh
The Grateful Dead Movie
Repo Man
Brazil
Rear Window
North By Northwest
Young Frankenstein
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Goodfellas
Midnight Run
Ed Wood
Roxanne

I'm tired now (no, that's not a title) ...

[EnigmaOne]

I haven't seen this one (my first-place choice) listed yet, but I was skimming fairly fast so I might have missed it.

(1) Ever After (A Cinderella Story)

(2) The Game

(3) A Family Thing

(4) Creator

(5) StateFair

(6) Contact

(7) A Man Named Horse

(8) StarGate

(9) 1776

(10) Mighty Joe Young



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--Kalél
(The Original EnigmaOne)
Common ¢ for all ages.

[Ike Witt]

-Any film that Terry Gilliam had anything to do with (ie Brazil, 12 Monkeys, any Monty Python)

-Any film that Jonathan Demme had anything to do with (ie Silence of the Lambs, Swimming to Cambodia, Stop Making Sense)

- The Princess Bride
- Battleship Potempkin
- The Stranger
- Blade Runner
- Dead Man (not Dead Man Walking)
- Dreams
- Platoon
- Star Wars
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- The Godfather pts I & II
- Goodfellas
- Hard Boiled
- The Grifters
- The Player

[Ukulele Ike]

Two films I simply MUST watch every six months:

ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY, aka THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER, (1939). For Walter Huston's performance as Mr. Scratch, the Yankee Satan, and for Bernard Herrmann's brilliant musical score. "Hessian gold...seems it was buried under your barn, Mister Stone." "What's a little pain, to a lucky man?"

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1933). I love Charles Laughton, and he pulls out ALL the stops in the role of Dr. Moreau: mad scientist, creator of man/animals, master of the House of Pain. "What is the law? ... Not to SPILL BLOOD, THAT is the law!...Are we not MEN?" "The natives are VERY restless tonight." And Kathleen Burke as (gulp) the Panther Woman.

------------------
Uke

[Ukulele Ike]

I'm so proud of myself! I actually picked two TALKIES!

Just call me Mr. Au Courant!

Good for you, Doug Bowe, the silent Ben Hur is SO much better than the talkie--ARG, rush out and rent it! Here's some great oldies to look for on TCM or AMC, or to rent:

Three-hankie tearjerkers: Dark Victory, Now Voyager or Brief Encounter.

Great silents: Intolerance, It (hilarious!), The Wind.

Hysterical screwball comedies: Three-Cornered Moon, Midnight, The Palm Beach Story, Bombshell, Milion-Dollar Legs.

And the early John Waters films, especially Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble. "Acid does what Eterna-27 cannot!"

[Ukulele Ike]

Flora, if you like MILLION DOLLAR LEGS, try INTERNATIONAL HOUSE...another great cast, similar sensibility, plus Cab Calloway's band doing "Reefer Man."

------------------
Uke

Oh, I love International House--how can you NOT love a movie with Peggy Hopkins Joyce, Gracie Allen AND Baby Rose Marie? The holy trinity . . .

[EnigmaOne]

A couple that I forgot:

The Little Princess and

Reefer Madness (A favorite bad movie actually.)


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--Kalél
(The Original EnigmaOne)
Common ¢ for all ages.

[AWB]

36 Hours

[Misha77]

I love almost any John Hughes movie. The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, all that. Hmmm... other movies...
Dead Poets' Society
The Shining
4 Weddings and a Funeral
Jacob's Ladder
Rush
The Fisher King
Lone Star
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
There are many others, I'm sure

[Shirley Ujest]

EverAfter
Lion in Winter
Beauty and the Beast (disney)
Any Muppet movie
Clay Pidgeons
Young Frankenstein
Godfather 1/2/3
Nate and Hayes ( a indy jones rip off film starring Tommy Lee Jones)
Miller's Crossing
The Usual Suspects
Pride & Prejudice ( A& E version 1996)
Any Marx Brothers film
His Girl Friday (Cary Grant/Rosalind Russel)
Any Jimmy Cagney Film
High Spirits ( silly comedy set in Ireland)
The Waking of Ned Devine. (fabulous)
Unnecessary Roughness
Tommy Boy
A couple of Burt Lancaster films that were rip offs of Erol Flynn flicks. Their names escape me, but something like Sea Hawk.

I'm sure I will come up with more

[Shirley Ujest]

Silverado
Hopscotch (great little unknown comedy with Walter Matthau)
Glengary GlenRoss
Betsy's Wedding ( Only for watching the mobster part)

[rjk]

Harvey - James Stewart, "He's a pooka, you know."

The Wizard of Oz - "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more."

The Manchurian Candidate - "Why don't you play a little solitaire?" (The movie was better than the book, I think. Put me right off hydrangeas.)



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Bob the Random Expert
"If we don't have the answer, we'll make one up."

Now that you folks have jogged my memory a bit, in no particular order:

Dr. Strangelove
Harvey
Gone With The Wind
The Birds
Kelly's Heroes
The Godfather (I only)
To Sir With Love
Holy Grail
Life of Brian
Men in Black
2 Days in the Valley
Eat Drink Man Woman
Zandalee (NOT to be confused with Xanadu!)
Leaving Las Vegas
Fargo
The Great Lebowski
The Color Purple
Nuts
U Turn
Slingblade
Forrest Gump
Zero Effect
Box of Moonlight
Life is Beautiful
Sirens
Clerks
A Walk on the Moon
Rose
Dog Day Afternoon
Fantasia
Shawshank Redemption
The Jerk
After Hours
The Spanish Prisoner
Born on the Fourth of July
Full Metal Jacket
Fried Green Tomatoes
Heavy
How to Make an American Quilt
Chasing Amy
Happiness
Annie Hall/Manhattan(I get them confused)
The Groove Tube
Shakespeare in Love
Sophie's Choice
Bridges of Madison County
Coal Miner's daughter
Silence of the Lambs
Dead Again
the first two Frankensteins
Young Frankenstein
...and the only 2 musicals that I ever really liked: Wizard of Oz and Hair.

Not to be negative, but what was so great about Field of Dreams? Tried to get into it, but it left me cold. Wait, no, don't try to explain. You either get it or you don't. I don't.

[Kat]

To answer your question, TennHippie...I have no idea. I'm not a big fan of baseball movies; I wasn't expecting to like Field of Dreams; I did not see it in a theater; when we rented it, we got Field of Dreams and a movie I chose, which I don't even remember...and somehow...I ended up liking Field of Dreams...