This is in response to my sister's list of favorite movies. As it so happens, I have seen all 25 on her list (at least 24 of them actually with her...I don't think we saw Wanted together). You might call us a movie family. Beginning with a massive inherited VHS collection, we've always had more movies to watch than time to watch them.
NARRATIVE TIME: My movie obsession!
My love of movies began at a young age. We had this old book that gave movies star ratings (this was pre-internet) and my mom would go and trade in old books and movies at a used book store for ones with better ratings. This was how I came to watch and love (semi-obscure) classics like The Court Jester and Gaslight. I came to appreciate quality acting and writing before I knew anything about directing or moviemaking in general.
And then I took film studies. This was a semester-long class in high school in which we watched classic films, briefly discussed them, and wrote movie reviews based on elements such as cinematography, score, costumes...I don't remember the more technical things. But I did learn that you should always watch movies widescreen (the way they were shot and intended to be seen) and I was exposed to many more of the actual classics (Citizen Kane, On the Waterfront, The Great Dictator). I also got like 112% in the class because our grade was based on writing movie reviews. We got extra credit for Oscar predictions, which probably only fueled my love of Oscar night (aside: my sister made me write an Oscar acceptance speech "just in case" so that I would be sure to thank her first when I inevitably win an Oscar).
Anyway. My top 25 films, some of which overlap with hers, and partially influenced by the proximity of this post to Oscar night (last night). In chronological order because time matters to film quality. Some related movie suggestions in parenthesis.
1. It Happened One Night because it's the original rom-com and we can learn from origins (related: Breakfast at Tiffany's)
2. The Wizard of Oz because movie magic and economic parable!
3. Some Like it Hot because nobody's perfect
4. To Kill a Mockingbird because ham and of course the excellent source material
5. Charade because I like hipster Audrey picks (I can't help myself)
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark because Indy
7. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi because because because
8. Back to the Future because Doc
9. The Princess Bride because as you wish/to the pain/anybody want a peanut?
10. Groundhog Day because it's brilliant? I don't know how one could argue with this movie.
11. Toy Story because you're a child's plaything
12. The Truman Show because sailing into the sky (related: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
13. Fight Club because Ikea and neurotic and quirky
14. A Beautiful Mind because John Nash and chilling (related, weirdly: The Sixth Sense)
15. Finding Nemo because everything
16. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King because despite the ending (too many fadeout endings and not enough Shire fallout) it was basically perfect and also Gollum
17. The Prestige because are you watching closely? (best on first watch, but does not get boring after knowing the story as does Memento)
18. The Dark Knight because it gives us the hero we deserve and IMAX (other commendable superhero movies: Iron Man and X-Men Origins: First Class because of their quality screenplays)
19-20. Slumdog Millionaire & 500 Days of Summer because of the crazy innovative storytelling devices, and fate
21. The Social Network because that crazy intense score when Andrew Garfield realizes he's being cut out
22. TiMER because it makes us ponder the meaning of relationships (related: Never Let Me Go, 50/50)
23. The Intouchables because wonderful touching hilarious (related but not just because it's French: Amelie)
24. The Artist because it uses its medium to full potential and tells a simple, excellent story
25. Catching Fire because JLaw's face at the end and the most accurate and bestest adaptation I've seen
Bonus recommendations which just didn't fit the feel of this list: Signs, A Perfect World, Clueless, Muppets from Space, and everything my sister likes.
