My Favorite Movies

This movie began my addiction. It will always be on my top 10. I can't say anymore how many times I've watched it, but that first summer I saw it 13 times. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I was not able to drive and lived out in the boonies at the time. I guess I should thank my Mom for taxiing me into town so many times.
I'm not a purist, either. I have just as much respect for the re-edited version. Let's face it, George Lucas has always been leaps ahead of his time. Why shouldn't he be able to go back and do things they way really he wanted them? Now he should go back and remove Jar Jar Binks from #1. That would be great!

Most Star Wars fans love this movie more, but I guess I can't get over the magic of the first one. That's not to say I like it less. I love the darker edge to it and a love triangle is always fun. It is one of those rare cases where the sequel is just as good as the first.

I do really like this movie, but nowhere near as much as the first two. Even at the tender age of blah-blah, I knew that the Ewoks were just a marketing ploy. A good marketing ploy, but still...shame on you Mr. Lucas. And now that they've changed the end to include Hayden Christenson's image, I always wonder if Luke is thinking, "Who the Hell is that young guy with Yoda and Ben?" Come on, how would he know?
I will say that it's more fun to watch the speeder bike scene now that I live in NorCal. I was walking in a Redwood forest the other day and I swear I caught a glimpse of one racing by.

I waited for this for so long. Since Ralph Bakshi made his. Actually, I was waiting for him to finish his, but gave up a long time ago. There was always a belief that these stories could never be made into live-action movies. Peter Jackson sure proved everyone wrong. Where he went right was that he is a true fan of the books. He even paid respect to Mr. Bakshi's film by recreating certain shots almost exactly.
I decided to (finally) read each one before I saw the movie. And I am so glad I did. Don't get me wrong, the books are classics. But where Tolkein lacks in description, Mr. Jackson gives us luscious scenery, beautiful costumes, incredible fight sequences...not to mention many damned fine men to look at! I never get tired of watching these movies.

Every one of these films is great, alone or as part of the series. I only watch the extended editions now. Why watch half a film? I also recommend, to those who have that version, to watch all of them with the actor's commentary. All the actors are interesting, but it is Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan who make it. They are so entertaining that I truly believe they should do commentary for all movies.

It broke my heart to see the series end, but what an ending! This is my favorite of the three, if I had to choose. Sean Astin's performance was Oscar-caliber. And just when I thought no battle could touch Helm's Deep...well, I'm happy to say I was wrong. My only regret was the elimination of the original fate of Saruman and Wormtongue. I liked Tolkein's resolution better; however, I know it would have added at least half an hour more to an already looooong film.

This film is amazing. Well written, well acted, great cinematography. And Christian Bale's transformation is, by far, the most frightening ever put on celluloid. He actually wanted to go down to 100 pounds, but they wouldn't let him. I was convinced of his perfection in this film when they show him in a flashback and I thought he didn't look 'normal.' He did, there was just a lot more of him. As an aspiring screenwriter, I can only dream of writing such a mesmerizing story.

This is the reason why Mr. Gosling is one of my favorite actors. He is absolutely incredible in this film. In fact, everyone is wonderful. Don't look for this film to be hilarious. I think that's why it went so unrecognized. I was not disappointed at all with the lack of laughs. In fact, I have never cried so much in a movie. But my tears weren't all sorrowful. They also were a response to the amazing compassion and friendship shown in this film. What else can I say...I freakin' love this movie!

I absolutely LOVE this movie. But then I love everything Hayao Miyazaki has done that I've seen. There are only a couple more left to watch and I can't wait to see his next movie. Mr. Miyazaki is a maestro when it comes to traditional animation. And the stories he chooses are wonderful.