Favorite filmsFollow

I'm sitting here, drinkin' and re-watching The Prestige on IFC, and it's been gradually dawning on me that it's easily my favorite movie. I feel like it's been a while since we've had a thread like this here, so why not?

Gun to your head, what's your favorite movie? And how come?

The Prestige for me, definitely. Every time I watch this movie I pick something new and exciting out of it. I love the themes, the dualities, and the way that Nolan plays with 'em. I love the analogy between Borden/Angier and the real life Edison/Tesla. Great performances throughout. Dark, nuanced, and with a hint of sci-fi. It's basically a perfect fit for me.

So what's yours? And, more importantly, what is it about you that draws you to it?

Cheers folks.

Hadn't heard of Troma before. 'Twas an interesting google trip, that.

PS: I like that Terror Firmer has an actor named Greg "G-Spot" Siebel, and that his IMDB "known for" selection reads:

Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
Terror Firmer (1999)
The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi (2007)
Margarita Happy Hour (2001)

Wow.

You weren't aware of the Toxic Avenger series, ro my personal favorite, Cannibal! The Musical?

End of Evangelion. I'd seen anime when I was younger without knowing anything about it's origins (Medabots, etc.). When I was older I was beginning to learn what anime was. I had already seen 3-4 movies from blockbuster. I had seen The End of Evangelion movie sitting on the shelf before, but I wasn't old enough to rent it on my own and I wasn't going to ask my parents to do it for me. I'm not sure when or how, but somehow I got a copy of that movie from blockbuster. Probably from an unconcerned clerk who just wanted me gone.

I watched it, and I had no idea what the fudge was going on. The movie itself left some strong impressions on me, but even more it lead to seeking out the rest of the series and pretty much introduced me to the idea of going out to find anime series to watch in their entirety without being chopped up and cancelled mid way by American distributors.

I still remember almost all of the instrumentality scene, to the tune of Komm Susser Tod.

Edited, Mar 14th 2012 12:46am by Allegory

The Nightmare Before Christmas.
I've always enjoyed claymation, and I like most of Tim Burton's movies. I never owned it as a kid, but I know I rented it so many times that my parents would tell me I was no longer allowed to rent that movie

The Dark Crystal.
Because puppets are just as @#%^ing awesome as claymation.

I can't even pick a favorite from a specific genre. Just off the top of my head out of many choices.

Comedies: The Lady Eve, Blazing Saddles, Dumb & Dumber.
Westerns: The Outlaw Josey Wales, Silverado, Open Range.
Horror: The Thing (B&W version and Kurt Russell), Original Halloween, Dog Soldiers.

I just love movies. But, gun to my head, I'll probably go with Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Princess Bride.

Favorite Movie = Movie I can put on anytime its on & enjoy it. The Princess Bride is that movie for me.

2001 is easily ONE of my favorite movies, but I have to be able to dedicate a couple hours too it so I can't really watch it whenever its on, I have to plan for it.

Mostly my favs are comedies - Princess Bride, MP & the Holy Grail, The Gods Must be Crazy, Shrek.

Others I value more for the visuals - Apocalypse Now, Snatch, Top Gun, 300, Star Wars.

Classic musicals that I can watch again and again and again: Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, Chitty Chitty Bang-bang, A Star is Born...

Favorite? F***...

Many, many good movies already mentioned--Princess Bride, Spirited Away, SW:ESB, Aliens, Nightmare Before Christmas, TDK, The Dark Crystal...

Then there are others not mentioned, like the new Star Trek movie, the LotR trilogy, Avatar, The Goonies, the Bourne series, Forest Gump, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Birdcage, Jurassic Park, Fight Club, Hook, Toy Story, The Sixth Sense, Titanic, Drop Dead Fred...

Picking just one sounds insane.

But you know what? I know what I'm going to select. Dunno if I'm being truthful or not, but I'm saying my favorite movie is The Fifth Element. At the very least, it's marginally ahead of many others.

Of course, a minute after posting this I thought, "But wait... do I like TFE more than I like V for Vendetta? Do I? DO I? I don't know AHHHHHH."

Edited, Mar 15th 2012 6:17pm by idiggory

I remember waiting anxiously for the Dark Crystal to open in the theaters. It was cutting edge stuff at the time attempting to piggy-back off the success of the muppets. The problem being it wasn't a comedy. Puppets are funny, not serious or dramatic or believable in any other situation . I was pretty disappointed in the movie, from the ugly poorly etched and characterized gelflings down to the storyline disappointed. I'm really unclear what makes people list it in their favorites??

Royal Tenenbaums I thought was very dry and uninteresting.

I really like the 5th Element too, and along the same lines Total Recall was pretty good.

I also failed to mention Bedknobs and Broomsticks on my list - I really like that movie.

I've "seen" Twister and Speed more than any other movies, because they were the only movies my HS girlfriend had on VHS. Not sure that I've seen either all the way through, but I'm sure that all in all, I've seen the entirety of each.

Fight Club.

I don't think I have to give a reason.

CAUSE IT'S SUPER GREEN!

Chris-whatever the hell his last name is, is the only part of 5th Element I DON'T like. I know he's supposed to be annoying, but he does way too good of a job of it. Plus I can't stand that actor in general.

I feel the same way as Fish though. I like a lot of different movies. Ones I can think of off the top of my head...

The Illusionist, Underworld trilogy (though really just the first and third. The second one kind of sucks aside from the sex scene), Robin Hood Men in Tights, Birdcage, Princess Bride, almost any Mike Meyers movie, The Producers, the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Moulin Rouge, Sound of Music, the new Star Trek, Kill Bill, Elizabeth, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The Fountain.

I have a very wide variety of movies that I like, and genres as well. I like movies that make you think, or that have surprising endings or plot twists. I also like raunchy comedies, goofy comedies, historical dramas, movies based off literature as long as they're good, action movies as long as they have a decent plot, and musicals. I really don't care for most romantic comedies, but occasionally my boyfriend will see a trailer for one he thinks we'll both like, and he makes me go see it. So far, he's been right every time, although in most cases I enjoy the movie grudgingly. I just hate how formulaic romantic comedies are, and the vast majority of them are incredibly sexist, to both men and women. The Ugly Truth is a good example of a movie that I enjoyed, but that I hate myself a little for enjoying.

Watch Friday. Chris Tucker at his finest.

"I'm gonna get you high. It's Friday; ain't got no job, ain't got sh*t to do!"

Comedy: Hostory of the World, Part I or Blazing Saddles, it's very hard to decide between them
Non-comedy: Fight Club, I actually didn't see it coming that they were the same person and the last line in the movie is awesome.

Ah, nice to finally hear from someone who agrees! I'm continually weirded out that nobody seems to share my effusive love for the movie.

Not that they're particularly similar, but I can't help but be surprised when I bring up The Prestige, and people return by saying that the Illusionist was their favorite movie. I know they're not really of a kind at all, so it's not a legitimate comparison, but of the two magician movies that came out right around the same time, I thought The Prestige was a classic, and The Illusionist was middling. I don't get it.

As for the twist: I loved it. It's subtle enough that I never got an inkling of it, even though they barely try to disguise it at all. The movie bears a second watch after you know it for that reason alone; it completely changes the way you appreciate the film.