My Favorite Movies

My favorite movie of all time! Still fun to watch, even after so many viewings over the years.

Everytime I watch this movie I walk away thinking about it for days on end. It's one that lives up to the hype. The acting and writing are absolutely incredible and the story, though heartbreaking, makes you realize that you have to appreciate what you have, for tomorrow it could be 'gone with the wind'.

I didn't see this classic film until I was in my 20's. As I was becoming a big fan of Stewart's work, and being a Christmas fanatic, I knew it was a must-see. Needless to say, it lived up to the hype in every way. I was so taken in by the story and acting that I had to watch it from beginning to end the very next day. I know watch the movie at least once a year, though surprisingly it's usually not during the Christmas season. This is a classic that is enjoyable at any time of the year and the message is universal!

My favorite animated film of all time. Don Bluth's first feature film and probably his best. A sympathetic tale of a widow on her quest to find answers, accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith's beautiful score.

Beautifully done and terribly overlooked! The singers were selected perfectly. Emmy Rossum was perfect as the young, naive Christine with a voice of an angel. Gerard Butler was a disappointment to many who loved Michael Crawford as the Phantom, but I thought his rougher translation of the songs were more appropriate to the character. Romantic and dramatic, this quickly became one of my favorite musicals of all time.

This is one of the best examples I've seen of book being translated into film. Both compliment the other in every way and both are mesmerizing from beginning to end. Never before has an adventure been so charming, witty and romantic. It also contains one of the best sword fights on film.

It's not the greatest musical of all time, but it was the one that really introduced me to Gene Kelly. This was after I fought my Dad on even wanting to watch it. Before I knew it, I was hooked! It had it's own little charm and Judy Garland and Gene Kelly had a special chemistry. The music is still great and contains one of Judy Garland's best known numbers, "Get Happy". I have to list this as a favorite because I'm still very sentimental about it and have seen it many, many times.

I love this movie for so many reason. Most of all because it celebrated the life of a man who saw life as a big adventure. His son, who has a hard time coming to terms with his father's fantastic stories, begins to understand how true those stories were after all. It's all in how you perceive things.

Quite possibly the best cynical comedy ever and a standard by which all my friendships are measured. Either you get it, or you don't.

Funny, but most of all endearing. Great music and a festive atmosphere. One of those movies you can watch a hundred times and never get sick of it.

This is one of my guilty pleasures. I loved this movie so much as a kid. The music, the characters and the story were fun! I still get happy when I hear "Brazzle, Dazzle Day" and emotional when I hear "Candle On The Water". I suppose I'm just unable to see the movie through the cynical eyes of critics.

May not be the fantasy film they advertised it to be, but it is a beautiful adaption that is true to the book. Be sure to keep your tissues near by for this one!

This is the kind of movie that really makes you think. Our technology is not so far off that memory erasing could be a reality in our lifetime. Would it really be worth forgetting portions of your life just to avoid working through the pain?

One of the greatest dialogue based films. Excellent writing and strong character development. The adult topics were handled very tastefully and personally I like this telling of the story more than the original play.

All around great musical and one of my all-time favorites. Great cast and musical numbers. Very funny at times too. Although it's a bit lengthy it never seems to drag. Anyway, Marlon Brando singing and dancing...what's not to like? Even Jean Simmons (no, not the one from the band Kiss) does a decent job singing. Of course Frank is in top form as always.

Here we have James Stewart in one of his greatest roles as the wildly popular band leader, Glenn Miller. Perhaps my favorite James Stewart film of all time. It's fascinating to see how Miller's sound evolved into the hits we hear to this day, but the personal interest story of his rise in the music world is magnetic and thoroughly entertaining. June Allyson was the perfect choice as his wife as she is feisty but devoted. Not to mention that these two actors share incredible chemistry when on screen together. That adds a lot to the film but does not overshadow the greatness of the script itself. Although not a completely historically accurate movie, it is undoubtedly well made and enjoyable for the whole family.

Brilliant! So relevant to politics today too. It makes you realize how little has changed over the years. Politicians still play dirty but thankfully there are still people with integrity to stand up for what's right no matter the cost!

Definitely one of the greatest musicals of all time. Julie Andrews shines, just as she did in Mary Poppins. A fun movie for the whole family, despite dealing with some heavy issues such as Nazi-ism and struggles with religious convictions.

One of my favorite musicals of all time. This may be a remake of the classic film, "Philadelphia Story", but I found it be overall more enjoyable and charming. I find Bing Crosby's character to be more fitting of the role and Grace Kelly is a thousand times more appealing than Katharine Hepburn, in my opinion. Add a Cole Porter score, some lively jazz numbers with the one and only Louis Armstrong, a duet featuring Bing & Frank and you have pure magic!

I just finished watching this version of Robin Hood for the first time in many years. It was a favorite of mine when I was younger, so I was interested to see how it would hold up. I must say, to my surprise I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, there are some flaws but it sure is a fun movie! Alan Rickman is one of the greatest villains I've ever seen on film. He's devilish to the max, but strangely captivating. In fact, all the characters are exceptionally cast. Most importantly, the romance didn't seem contrived as it is in so many other films. In spite of nit picky crap, such as accents and historical accuracies, there is nothing about it that I didn't enjoy. It moves at a thrilling pace, with all the adventure and swashbuckling you would expect to see from a film about Robin Hood. There was intense drama, but it certainly didn't lack for humor either. I've seen very few films with Kevin Costner but I thought he played a truly compelling Robin Hood, despite criticisms he may have received. As far as entertainment goes, this movie delivers and remains a favorite!

Saw this movie again last night for the millionth time. It never ceases to put a "smile on my face". I love the look at how the movie business struggled to transition from silent film to "talkies". It's a great bit of history. What do you know? It also happened to be Gene Kelly's birthday yesterday. Happy birthday to the master of dance!

This is one of those movies you can watch over and over and enjoy it every bit as much with each viewing. For this reason I have to give this film 5 stars, in spite of its low budget. So few movies are nearly this entertaining! Oklahoma is right up there for me as well, but the element of fun is more noticeable here. Seen in the tension with the guys competing for the attention of the girls and their experience of falling in love for the first time. Also in the naive ignorance of snatching them from their homes and holding them hostage through the winter. But all's well that ends well, even for these misguided lads whose hearts were in the right place. Of course Howard Keel is always excellent, but Jane Powell is powerful as Millie, the voice of reason, illustrating how a strong woman can handle a bunch of unruly men! Only a true cynic would knock this film!