Monday 6 July 2009

Top Ten: Movies

We are back to the list. I seem to have an obsession with these. Note to self: must see some kind of list specialist concerning possible cure.

Soon I will morph into David Letterman, what with all the Top Ten I insist on creating (most of which are yet to be published; you have been warned). My lists are more refined. Take, for example, Letterman's 'Top Ten Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas.' So silly. And too easy. Sneeze. Bees. Keys. Sleaze. Knees...nope, I'm out. Trickier than I thought.

Right now I'm talking about the talkies. Movies. Films. Whatever you call them, they're entertaining. Most of the time. They can be cheesy. Intriguing. Thrilling. Funny. Exciting. Moving. They can make you think, believe, dream. Or bash your head against a brick wall in vein attempt to erase the memory.

As with my Top Ten: Books list, I found this difficult. I own a lot of films. Hours of my life were stolen from me by watching some truly terrible ones. (Speed 2: Cruise Control, you owe me 2 hours 1 minute). That said, I like to think I'm qualified in knowing a good film when it hits me in the face. Popcorn at the ready:

1)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2) Back to the Future (1985)
3) The Colour Purple (1984)
4) Schindler's List (1993)
5) The Godfather (1972)
6) Rear Window (1954)
7) Platoon (1986)
8) An Affair to Remember (1957)
9) Imitation of Life (1959)
10) WALL*E (2008)

So reader, what's on your Top Ten Movies list?

14 comments:

  1. i have to say that i love little miss sunshine and the pursuit of happyness more than anything. they make me feel really good. i heart ny too and shawshank..

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  2. Sadly, I have yet to see Shawkshank Redemption. It was filmed in the Ohio Prison (a.k.a. Mansfield Reformatory) that's in Mansfield, Ohio (the old prison that is now considered haunted) and some of the posters that were in the film are still there. The Green Mile also was filmed in the Reformatory.

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  3. Ah, Back to the Future, we discussed the second installment for quite a while at work the other day trying to remember the sequence of the plot. Like why did they go to the future? And how did Bif get a hold of that time car to go to the past and give himself all those sports scores?

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  4. Bumblebeesies: Little Miss Sunshine was very good. I only watched that, like, 2 weeks ago! Wasn't what i expected but did enjoy it.

    Abigail: I can't believe you haven't seen Shawshank yet! It's a classic. So moving. Underrated. Watch it, you will not be disappointed.

    X: BTTF causes many debates. They went to the future because Doc (who ended up there) discovered that Marty's son was going to do something resulting in him being imprisoned. I can't remember how Biff got the delorean. I think it was just left unattended in 1985 and he took a chance. I'm so going to have to imdb this now, else it will bug me! :)

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  5. Hi Lou. I've been a film buff all my life. My maternal grandfather managed movie houses for a living, and my mother often worked there, so I grew up in them. I often sat in the balcony by myself, which is where I saw one of the films on my top ten list, Psycho. Anyway, my list changes, but off the top of my head:

    Harold and Maude
    Reservoir Dogs
    Seven Samurai
    A Touch Of Evil
    Midnight Cowboy
    Psycho
    Night On Earth
    Fargo
    Dead Man
    Blood Simple

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  6. Imitation of Life is a classic.

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  7. Cool list godlessmonkey! I love most of the movies on your list- a top ten isn't enough really. Maybe i should have made it a top 100!

    Ava: yep, imitation of life has me in tears every time! :)

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  8. hm. Mine are a bit different but I see your point.
    I like Godless Monkey's list. The trouble is I like many genres - action as well as romantic stuff.

    There's also a difference between the 'Top Ten' and one's favorite (at least, I think they're different things).

    I don't have a formal list, but here's what comes to mind, in no particular order:
    Adaptation
    Bladerunner
    The Bourne Series
    Back to the Future
    Jerry McGuire
    The Die Hard Series
    Wall-E
    The Godfather I and II
    The Big Lebowski

    That makes 9, if you accept the series idea. I'll have to keep thinking about this.

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  9. I love that Wall-E is on your list :) Im going to say that any top 10 list has to include
    Fried Green Tomatoes
    Ace Ventura
    Monster
    Dumb and Dumber
    ahh the classics!

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  10. Kitty: you have a point. I guess my favourite's list would differ slightly from my Top Ten. Creating a top ten movies list was silly really because i love so many films. No wonder you have to think some more about it!

    Crystal: I LOVED LOVED LOVED Wall*E! I was amazed that a movie could entertain me so much without much dialogue. Amazing. Had me smiling the whole way through. Oh and Fried green Tomatoes is brilliant!

    You all have to stop making me want to change my list! :)

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  11. Trust
    Requiem for a Dream
    Mulan
    The Painted Veil
    Beautiful Mind
    Home Alone 1,2 and 3:P
    Pursuit of Happiness
    Roman Holiday
    Juno
    Little Miss Sunshine

    This is Haaaard...so many movies, I can't choose just 10!

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  12. Shawshank Redemtion certainly a good one :)

    Anybody seen another one of Tim Robbins films-

    Nothing to lose

    (It has martin lawrence in it too :)

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  13. Have you seen The Truman Show? Quite original. Pulp Fiction, too.

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  14. Colin: I've seen Nothing to Lose...it was okay, i enjoyed watching it but wouldn't make my top ten!

    Julia: I've seen The Truman Show. I remember going to the cinema to see it and hating it. But i've since watched it a couple of times and now that i'm a lot older i see the genius behind it- the message. When you're a kid, you don't see the message- everything is rather superficial and i was bored! But yes, it's a good movie! :)

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