Well I am not getting into the ten best movies of all times. This is MPSIMS for christsakes! MY best movies are also my favorites. I think movies should be judged just on how much pleasure you get from watching them, and good movies rise to the top anyway. My top ten in no particular order are:
Chariots of Fire - This is my favorite movie and if I were numbering them it would be #1. It is about the virtues of sticking to what you believe. It is also a good period piece and I love Vangelis’ music. I used to be a runner so that gave it a special appeal to me. It saddens me to think that 2 of the actors who were healthy and fit enough to portray convincing Olympic athletes in 1981 are already long dead from AIDs.
Casablanca – Somewhere in this movie they managed to squeeze in WWII, Nazis, love, friendship, loyalty, national rivalry and enough lines to provide 100s of cliches for years to follow. Plus they have Ingrid Bergman at her hottest, Humphrey Bogart at his most charismatic and Claude Rains at his most suave.
Monsieur Verdoux – A movie about a bluebeard, a man who marries and murders women for their money. It delightfully squeezes every second of the movie with something of interest. Black humor intermixed with social commentary. Charlie Chaplin uses all his accumulated skill as an actor and then surrounds himself with a talented surrounding cast. Martha Raye is a hoot in this movie.
Forrest Gump – Provided me with 2 of my favorite sayings: “Life is like a box of chocolates” and “That’s all I have to say about that”, obviously my Midwest roots are showing. I liked the simplicity and serenity of the man, and that Tom Hanks sure is versatile. I often note the irony of this movie as it exposes a piece of my inner hypocrisy because I am sure if I knew a Forrest Gump in real life I would consider him a moron, but I like to think this movie appeals to my better values.
Muriel’s Wedding – “What the hell is wrong with me?” I often wonder about this choice. Chick flick deluxe, but I went and bought an Abba gold album after watching it I liked the music so much. Made me a huge Toni Collette fan and after all my past fixations on starlet types I am amazed by the fact I would love to get into her pants.
It’s A Wonderful Life – Call me sappy … [everyone says] Hello Sappy [/end everyone says] but I love this movie and I am probably the only person left on the planet that thinks they don’t show it enough on TV at Christmas. I have 3 versions of this movie in my videotape collection. The story of how much a man’s life means even if he doesn’t realize it, hits deep with me.
Citizen Cain – Maybe it is on all the critics’ top lists, but it is on mine too, because it is a damn good film. Orson Welles is riveting. In this movie, at least, I think he could have made clipping his fingernails interesting (he doesn’t do that in the movie for those of you who haven’t seen the movie).
Goundhog Day – I don’t even know why I like this movie so much. Certainly it is because of Bill Murray’s wry sarcasm and wit, but I think there is more to it than that but I can’t put my finger on it. I actually thought Andie MacDowell was a fox in this movie.
Fargo – I loved this movie, don’t ya know? There’s no call to get snippy with me. I think it was the movie’s eccentricies that worked so well. Frances McDormand is just a delight to watch.
Das Boot – The gritty realism and the novel approach of developing sympathy for the characters who were Germans in WWII instead of looking at the Allies, makes this one great.
That 10 already? I was just getting going.