Picking Favorites
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Everyone loves a good favorites list-- especially me.
I can name my favorite pretty much anything--except my favorite movie! I end up loving so many movies for a million different reasons: It made me laugh so hard, I felt like I could totally relate, I wish I could be like that, I learned so much, It made me feel alive. To determine my favorite movies, I will be thinking of movies that I've seen that I would watch again, recommend to others, and that, for some reason, strike me as special among all the movies I've seen.
At this point I can look at movies I own because I just had to see them again, and while there seem to be a million that I love or would love to see again, I have painstakingly broken it down to the final 12 favorites.
Star Wars (The originals: notably V, The Empire Strikes Back), The Bourne Identity/Spy Game, The Constant Gardener, Big Fish/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Holiday/The Devil Wears Prada/ In Her Shoes,Garden State, Ever After/ Moulin Rouge
I know, it's crazy... that's just how it happened in my brain, all messy and connected like that.
So now let me try to order them using some kind of reasonable standard... hmmm...
Star Wars and Ever After both have classic story lines and are movies I loved when I was quite young.
The Bourne Identity and Spy Game are both action packed adventures that I could watch over and over.
The Constant Gardener always felt important, I love the acting, I love the Africa.
Garden State changed my life, I think.
Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory both appeal to my love of imagination, journeys, and fate.
Ever After and Moulin Rouge are both aesthetically delightful in different ways, and make me believe crazy things about romantic love.
The "Chick Flicks" feel good, include things about womanhood that a typical romantic comedy ignores, and are always good for a Girls Night.
...processing...
Alright, these things considered, these are my 12 favorite movies in order:
I can name my favorite pretty much anything--except my favorite movie! I end up loving so many movies for a million different reasons: It made me laugh so hard, I felt like I could totally relate, I wish I could be like that, I learned so much, It made me feel alive. To determine my favorite movies, I will be thinking of movies that I've seen that I would watch again, recommend to others, and that, for some reason, strike me as special among all the movies I've seen.
At this point I can look at movies I own because I just had to see them again, and while there seem to be a million that I love or would love to see again, I have painstakingly broken it down to the final 12 favorites.
Star Wars (The originals: notably V, The Empire Strikes Back), The Bourne Identity/Spy Game, The Constant Gardener, Big Fish/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Holiday/The Devil Wears Prada/ In Her Shoes,Garden State, Ever After/ Moulin Rouge
I know, it's crazy... that's just how it happened in my brain, all messy and connected like that.
So now let me try to order them using some kind of reasonable standard... hmmm...
Star Wars and Ever After both have classic story lines and are movies I loved when I was quite young.
The Bourne Identity and Spy Game are both action packed adventures that I could watch over and over.
The Constant Gardener always felt important, I love the acting, I love the Africa.
Garden State changed my life, I think.
Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory both appeal to my love of imagination, journeys, and fate.
Ever After and Moulin Rouge are both aesthetically delightful in different ways, and make me believe crazy things about romantic love.
The "Chick Flicks" feel good, include things about womanhood that a typical romantic comedy ignores, and are always good for a Girls Night.
...processing...
Alright, these things considered, these are my 12 favorite movies in order:
1. Moulin Rouge
2. The Constant Gardener
3. Ever After
4. Big Fish
5. Garden State
6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
7. Spy Game
8. The Bourne Identity
9. The Holiday
10. The Devil Wears Prada
11. In Her Shoes
12. Star Wars-Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
So, now I guess we both know a little more about me. Now tell me some of your favorites...
--Courtney
7 comments:
I don't know guys... this is quite a commitment. What about Batman Begins? What about The Royal Tennenbaums, Huckabees, Snatch? I feel like I need a favorites list for every mood, or at least every season. Hmmmm. Maybe this was not such a good idea. Maybe not everyone can have a favorite everything.
Batman Begins is definitely up there. I think that most people probably can't name a single favorite movie.
But I can!
1. The Matrix
2. Tombstone
3. Memento
4. All of M. Night Shyamalan's films except for Lady In The Water
Or wait a minute... I forgot, Transformers is my favorite movie. ;)
Your boyfriend's former roommate who likes movies but not quite as much as you,
AJ
<><
The Matrix Has You
P.S. I feel like I want to comment on your favorites list too.
Moulin Rouge is awesome. My parents hated it.
Big Fish, I felt, was overrated. But I tend to get tarred, feathered and skinned alive for that comment.
Star Wars V is obviously classic and awesome.
I don't know about Garden State. It was good but Natalie Portman sucks so bad!
I saw The Bourne Identity but I don't remember it.
I thought Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was almost as overrated as Big Fish. You mean the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp one, right?
I really, really enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada despite myself.
I've never seen The Constant Gardener, Ever After, Spy Game, The Holiday, or In Her Shoes.
So there you go. ::braces for torture like a man::
It's me again,
AJ
<><
Thanks for your comments AJ. And thanks for reminding me that Memento is awesome. Ironically, my parents may have liked Moulin Rouge even more than me. I think it was the music or the combination of good looking actors, or the rememberence of more tripped out days. Who knows. Funny though.
I am feeling better about my list the more that I get used to the idea of its permanence. Funny how commitment can strike a person so differently in context.
We'll definitely have to rap more about movies in person. Thanks AJ.
C
Courtney, great list some of your favorites are some of my favorites. I will also add some comments next each on your list.
1. Moulin Rouge - Good movie, ascestically. Also, do they have fangled teeth or are they just british? haha
2. The Constant Gardener - I walked in 20 minutes late on this movie...which made things difficult. I like that you like it though. I'd like to see it again to give it a fair shwoing. Do you own this?
3. Ever After - never seen it. It's a chick flick right?
4. Big Fish - great movie! The popcorn scene, the shoes being thrown over the telephone wires, the dad actually becoming a fish, "Thats not the way I go". Its all there, a great movie. Probably my parents favorite.
5. Garden State - great movie with a really solid sound track - the shins, coldplay, zero 7...etc. I love the last scene where they all scream off into the nothingness...great pomo ending. Which of course means I love it.
6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I liked it. Johnny Depp is a great actor (see Blow).
7. Spy Game - Never seen it and I have no idea what's it about.
8. The Bourne Identity - pretty good movie.
9. The Holiday - this what your always watching when your hanging with another girl and not hanging out with me. I should probably watch it if I want to be the best bf ever.
10. The Devil Wears Prada - ahh...not sure.
11. In Her Shoes - is this another dancing movie where she comes out of the ghetto to becoming a dancing superstar? haha
12. Star Wars-Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back - I love, love this movie. when can we have a marathon...maybe on the trip! that would be awesome!
Great list Courtney. I love the permance of just letting go and publishing. Sure its a commitment but you can also edit if needed.
Also I think their were some notable movies which were left out:
-Lion King - has great story and music which should be included in any wedding ceremony. haha
-Fight Club - I know you haven't seen it, but Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Chuck P. you can't go wrong.
-Gladiator - manliness to the core.
-Braveheart - men in kilts, who fight for freedom and love. Great movie.
-That movie about the Gay Chinese Guy and the rise of Communism in China that we watched which was recommend to us by my russian professor. haha jk
Enjoy,
Mike
Courtney,
So many fellow favorites! I LOVE Moulin Rouge for its amazing renditions and covers and classics pop songs, Ever After for a fairy tale which actually shows that love takes longer than one look and an aspect of female power, Big Fish for just as you note - its enchanting imagination, The Bourne Identity for its action and Matt Damon, The Holiday because british humor is so much more funny and I feel that Kate Winslet (and the writers of her part) actually portray(s) what heart ache looks like (every time I watch it, I wonder if they have video taped me ;), Star Wars just because it is a classic!
Whew! and AJ's The Matrix and Mike's Fight Club.
OK, now I'm done :)
~Marge
That random UCR student who shows up to Fullerton things :)
Great post on fruit. I found a site about all of the health benefits of fruit. It has all of the research information from Universities and leading organizations how fruit is healthy, but more important, why fruit is healthy. The site is called Food with Benefits www.foodwithbenefits.com
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