Sunday, January 30, 2011
Favorite films
We're going to be starting in on the controversial film project soon and to get us warmed up I always like to ask about favorite films (because who doesn't like to talk about them). Here's the rule: since most of us could name quite a lot, I'm limiting you to three titles (though I'll let something like the Godfather trilogy count as one title) and you have to give a reason for each title. As usual, 250 words up by Thursday night and 100 word response up by Sunday night.
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Films, as a medium, are truly amazing. They allow us to immerse ourselves in parts of the human experience that would otherwise be inaccessible, they allow us to experience parts of our human psyche that would lay untapped due to personal constraints, and they give us something to actively analyze like previous mediums to discover secrets that one person might have missed. To name a few of my truly favorite films I’d have to start off with Fracture starring Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins. Few people can play unbalanced genius, or sociopathic killer, like Anthony Hopkins and his portrayal of Fracture’s antagonist is no different. The intricate story that follows Gosling’s lawyer character through Hopkins’ circus of a trial is thrilling to watch, I wanted justice but I couldn’t see how it would happen – Fracture keeps you guessing. Another great favorite of mine would be James McTeigue’s film V for Vendetta starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman. This reimagining of Guy Fawkes exposes his legend to a wealth of people who had no prior knowledge to this pivotal figure. Romanticizing Guy Fawkes as the eccentric yet incredible V, weaving a scheme that even Fawkes authorities wanted to see resolved – V for Vendetta never lost its hold on my attention. Last on this rather short list of favorite films would be the recently released Shutter Island with A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio taking the lead. Scorcese weaves such an intricate plot without audience members grasping the true meaning of what is happening on screen. This is the mark of a great thriller and without wanting to spoil too much of the film for those who haven’t seen it Shutter Island does not disappoint in any fashion.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, it doesn’t do it justice to entirely forget about other great films which unfortunately is bound to happen in this blog. So I challenge everyone who follows not to rename a movie that has already been used. It shouldn’t be too hard.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, on to my top three…
The Mask of Zorro, Gladiator, Little Miss Sunshine
I chose these three for a couple of reasons. For one, they are all very inspiring stories to me. The Mask of Zorro is an epic of the great Zorro masterfully played by Antonio Banderas (also Anthony Hopkins as the older one) complete with themes of love, adventure, rags to riches, one man vs. all, and heroism. After watching that movie, I was cutting out Z’s in the air for the next couple of Halloweens. Gladiator is a very similar movie with pretty much the same themes and my emotional responses were much alike from Zorro. Both movies started off with a great victory for the hero (Russel Crow and Anthony Hopkins) then they lost everything and were thrown in jail. They then had to work their way back up struggling against the antagonists’ armies of body guards and whatnot. Finally, both defeat their enemy, are fatally wounded, and say their goodbyes completing the tragedy. Very weird, I guess I’m just a sucker for that plot line. Little Miss Sunshine is the saddest comedy you will ever see. The best way to describe it is this: The definition of a dysfunctional family gets in an old Volkswagen road tripping to a pageant and encounters some sort of struggle seemingly the entire way. Steve Carrel is at his best in this movie. He isn’t playing the complete imbecile he normally does and his performance was not only better but hilarious. It’s a movie about the importance of family, and a freedom from judgment that comes with it. Maybe not the best top three, but they are all entertaining, fun to watch, and there’s something to learn from all of them.
Yo J! I really like the list especially since I haven’t been able to see any of them yet. I can tell you’re into psychedelic thrillers though, an excellent genre. Of all the movies you listed I’ve heard great things about each of them but the one I most want to see is Fracture. Anthony Hopkins is one of the greatest actors of our time in my opinion, and I’m sure he doesn’t disappoint in this one. People have told me both Shutter Island and V are movies that mess with your head. If that’s the case, I’ll do my best to watch them in the near future. I also wanted to sneak a couple extra of my favorite movies in so I’ll phrase them in a question to you.
ReplyDeleteDo you like… Any movie about zombies (Shaun of the Dead, Resident Evil), Rush Hour, 13th Warrior, Godzilla, Lost Boys, Land Before Time, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Predator, Shawshank Redemption, Exorcist, 10 Things I Hate about You? Ok I’m gonna stop now.
@maxwell
ReplyDeleteYou got me, I love thrillers and if you love Hopkins as an actor then you won't be disappointed at all by Fracture, V for Vendetta and Shutter Island definitely won't disappoint you either.
Shaun of the Dead was hilarious and I enjoyed the Resident Evil series, still need to see Afterlife though. I could go on about your movies but I don't think I have the space so =P. All your movies I definitely enjoyed but I haven't seen the 13th Warrior or Lost Boys. Since you seem to have an eclectic taste, I do too, I'd have to recommend Clive Owen's Inside Man, Bruce willis' Lucky Number S7even, and Heath Ledger's A Knights Tale if you haven't seen them. I'll definitely take a look at your recommendations though =]
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ReplyDeleteI couldn’t say I watch movies all the time but I do enjoy them. I think movies can have a big impact on todays society in many ways. It can change peoples views, beliefs, or just be for pure entertainment. For me I didn’t really have an all time favorite movie that I always wanted to watch. I’m not a fan of love movies like Dear John, The Notebook, and whatever else you would consider a typical “chick flick”. I’m more into true stories, drama, and action movies. I recently did find an amazing movie that is in my top list which is The Fighter. It’s about a boxer named Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) who was trained by his brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) a well known boxer. Micky is fighting to win the Welterweight title to follow his brothers footsteps. In the middle of the training Dicky struggled with drugs and crime only bringing Micky down. As the movie revolved around Mickys future on helping him there was a documentary being made about Dicky. Throughout the movie you would get lost a little bit but it almost seemed like you were in the movie while they were shooting the documentary. I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone so I will stop there. This movie has an extremely strong cast which makes it hard to take your eyes off of the screen. Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg are my two favorite actors so that plays a huge factor on why this movie can easily be in my top movies. Another movie I would call my favorite would be The Town staring Ben Affleck and Rebeeca Hall. The movie starts with a few Boston natives from the suburb of Charlestown robbing a bank. They held a woman hostage but then she was released and was contacted by the FBI for questioning. Little does she no the man that held her hostage is tracking her to see if she is giving a lot of information to the FBI. I could ramble on about this movie but it’s quite to someone who has not seen it. I like this movie because of the twists and action filled scenes. But what gets me thw most is how in the movie you could tell that the audience was rooting for Ben Affleck to get away because he was a good guy, when in reality he is criminal guilty of robbing federal banks! Another movie I liked was Avatar just because I’m into special effects and 3D. I actually waited for this movie for a very long time to be released. When it was first supposed to be released it was in 1999. My television production teacher told me about it in the 8th grade saying how amazing this movie would be but the idea was shot down because of it being over a $300 million budget. So for me the effects deffiantly make it one my favorites and just for a fun fact it was one of the most expensive movies made in the 20th century!
ReplyDeleteMovies have always been an important part of my life, ever since I was young. Three movies which I would consider my favorites would have to be Blow, Requiem for a Dream, and Almost Famous. Blow is the story of George Jung, a man with a dream of becoming the best. The movie follows Georges as he moves from a small town in Massachutes to California. Once in Cali, George begins selling marijuana and then gets arrested with over 600 pounds on him. In jail he learns about the Cocaine industry and once he is released his friends from jail bring him into the industry. The movie shows how money doesn't make you happy, and in the end George has nothing. On a happier note, Almost Famous is about a boy and his dream of becoming a journalist for Rolling Stone Magazine. He tours with a band across America in the 1960's and gets to live his dream and travel with his rock music icons. Requiem for a Dream is an indie film which focuses on drugs and how they can ruin your life. The four main characters of the film all have their own addictions and this movie emphasizes how terrible hard drugs are. These three films are all extremely entertaining and I would recommend them to anybody who seems interested.
ReplyDeleteI really like the movie Waiting because I used to work at a restaurant, so I can relate to a lot of what happens in that movie. Once you work at a restaurant, you know how it feels to have customers yell at you when they really didn’t need to at all. My favorite part of the movie is when the cooks mess with the woman’s food in the kitchen, although that would never actually happen. Also, one of the characters mentions that you should never be rude to someone who handles your food because you never know what can happen.
ReplyDeleteAnother one of my favorites is The Graduate because it is about a college graduate who still has no idea what he wants to do with his life, and he has his family pushing to go to graduate school. Any college student can relate to this movie because they know how it feels to not have a clue about what to do with their life. What makes this movie even more entertaining is that Benjamin, the main character, is nervous throughout the film. One of the most interesting scenes is the first one with the suitcase because of the major symbolism.
Life as a House is another great movie because deals with relationship problems in families. The father finds out that he has cancer, so he tries to build a relationship with his son while they are building a house together. What is funny is that every family on the block has their own set of problems which contributes to the idea that no family is perfect.
My favorite movies would have to be, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Last Song, and Blindside.
ReplyDeleteFrom this list of movies I actually saw the first two over the summer for the very first time. I enjoyed them because they are all something that could truly happen. Fried Green Tomatoes was a movie I got to experience in Great Performances on Film in the summer b session here at USF. When I heard the title i thought it would be one of those movies where I would fall asleep, but as it began to play it caught my attention more and more and has now become my favorite movie of all time. It was a movie about friendships that led to mystery. As one never knew what was going to happen next.
My second favorite movie is The Last Song. I would say this because it portrays a normal girl living her life who is only close with her mom and wants nothing to do with her father. Towards the middle and end of the movie she realizes her father is very sick and feels bad that she has treated him the way she has over the years. She soon begins to create the father daughter bond that has been missing for years, shortly before her father passes away due to cancer.
Lastly, the Blindside. This movie has to be close ranked with Fried Green Tomatoes. It was based on a true story, and truly touched my heart once I watched it. It was about a homeless, huge boy that was taken in my a caring family and was soon made into an NFL football player after many years. Michael Oher (homeless boy) took the family in as their own once they asked him, and protected all of them just as a boy should do for his younger siblings and parents, he felt loved once again. This movie is one of the most inspirational movies I have ever watched, and I would recommend it to anyone!
My all time 3 favorite movies would be Black Swan, The Notebook, and Charlie St. Cloud. Black Swan is a psychological thriller set in the world of ballet. As a dancer, this was a movie I had to see. It turned out to be the most incredible movie I had ever seen. Swan Lake is the story of a young princess who is turned into a swan (white swan) by the evil creature Rothbart and when her prince falls in love for the wrong girl she transforms into the evil swan (black swan). In the movie Black Swan, Natalie Portman (Nina Sayers) is casted as the Swan Queen and is the perfect white swan. However, she struggles with portraying the black swan because she is so pure and innocent. Her desire to always be perfect ends up destroying her and she dies. The Notebook is probably the most romantic movie I have ever seen. The story of Noah and Allie is a beautiful love story that keeps you wanting more once it has ended. This is one of those movies that gives you hope that love really does exist and one day we will all find it. Charlie St. Cloud is the story of two brothers. When Charlie St. Cloud's little brother passes away after a car accident Charlie is given the gift of playing baseball with his dead brother everyday. However, if Charlie misses one day with his brother he will move on and never see him again. Eventually Charlie chooses the girl he loves and sets his brother free. All throughout this movie I thought about how much I love my two brothers.
ReplyDeletechoosing only three films is very tough, so i wont give it much thought and ill just write about the first three favorites that come to mind: The Godfather I & II, Carlito's way, and the Rocky franchise. Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Silvester Stallone are in my top 5 best actors list. The Godfather I & II had unforgettable performances from Pacino, Brando, and Robert De Niro. In my opinion, these films where the first to accurately define to the public what true gangster was. Everytime i finish watching a Rocky movie, i feel like my level of confidence in myself skyrockets. It gives me an adrenaline rush and i feel like going outside and training like a beast in the snow to defeat Drago ( too bad there is no snow in Tampa :[ ). Carlito's Way, another film starting Al Pacino as Carlito Brigante is another favorite because of the appeal to pathos. When you see the film you'll know what i mean. Carlito's struggle to break free from his past makes me relate to him, and the performance by pacino and sean penn was just wonderful. If you havent seen these films yet i recommend that you do. These actors are unique and their work is untouchable. UGH!!! The untouchables!! i love that movie too!! man this sucks, i could lay here and make a list of 100 movies that are just simply amazing, narrowing the list down to three for a movie freak is just cruel.
ReplyDeleteWhen the question is asked to me, what are my favorite movies? It usually takes me around 4-5 minutes running through my head of all the movies I have ever seen before a few really stand out. For me the whole Star Wars trilogy, Inception, and Saving Private Ryan, all really stood out to me. I especially like Star Wars because it is based in a very fantastical future. With space travel, laser beams, lightsabers, new living species, all the little gadgets found in Star Wars are very intriguing. Personally, I am more a fan of the first 3 episodes rather than the last 3 only because of the improvement in graphics and special effects over time. I am sure if episodes 4-6 were completely re-filmed with todays tech they would be completely jaw dropping.
ReplyDeleteNow when I said Inception I really mean almost any Leonardo Dicaprio film that has ever been. Catch me if you can, Titanic, Shutter Island, anything with him in it is a guaranteed blockbuster in my book. What really gets me in Inception is that same sort of fantasy present in Star Wars, just a completely different realm. Inception places in you in life like events that are all part of a complexly drawn out dream sequence. It allows you to recreate these events in your own head and try to play out what you would do if you were put in a certain characters shoes.
Saving Private Ryan (SPR) is also among my favorites. I am not sure if it is because I just watched it or if it really is a good movie. The action sequences strongly appeal to me, they seem so much more realistic then a lot of other battle scenes in other movies. It gives me a sense of appreciation of what US soldiers have done for us. Even though the film is completely buttered up by Hollywood. It still hits home because SPR was said to be one of the most accurate war films. Many veterans of WWII cannot watch this film due to how real it is. It scares them and begins to bring back memories of a buried past. All in all movies for me have to be action packed, or highly suspenful.
I find it rather difficult to flip through 18 years of movies and somehow pick 3 to call my favorite. But since I must talk about 3 of my favorite movies I’ll choose the first three to pop into my head. “A Cinderella Story”, “The Great Debaters”, and “ATL” are the first 3 I can think of that I would truly place on my lists of favorites. I love the movie, “A Cinderella Story”. Most of the reason being because I’m a girl, and it is definitely a chick flick, and another reason being the fact that I think Chad Michael Murray is amazing sexy, and he has my last name. But from a rhetorical perspective I feel like the movie draws in teenage and young adult females with the beauty of the male actor and the popularity of Hillary Duff. Also the plot of the movie is interestingly rearranged. The plot is very cliché in that it tells the typical story of an adopted girl meeting an amazing prince at a dance, failing in love, and leaving her shoe behind which is how the prince finds her again. But for some reason the way this plot is flipped to parallel with everyday life issues is pretty awesome to me. “The Great Debaters” on the other hand is a lot more serious. It attracts me for the reason that it portrays the hidden truths of what very well educated college, African-American college kids had to face in that time period. “ATL” is one of my favorites for the simple reason that I can watch it over and over again and it never gets old. In fact I think I’ve seen it about 10 times.
ReplyDeleteOther than taking a film class here at USF over the summer and watching a couple movies while I was snowed in over Christmas break, I haven’t seen many movies recently. However, I realized that this didn’t matter. I still have seen a countless number of movies over the past eighteen years, and this is where I generated my list of Hotel Rwanda, Coach Carter, and Mrs. Doubtfire. The first time I saw Hotel Rwanda was in both my theology and global issues class in high school. It tells the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during the Hutu extremists’ genocide campaign in Rwanda. This was an extremely powerful and emotional film that portrayed a horrifying event in recent history flawlessly. I couldn’t believe this was happening as the rest of the world sat back and watched. Hotel Rwanda was definitely an eye-opener. Secondly, as an athlete, I had to put a sports film on the list. As we traveled to every volleyball tournament, my team and I would watch Coach Carter, quoting it from start to finish. Coach Ken Carter takes on the losing basketball team at Richmond High School under his strict academic rules. He straightens up both the players and the program, ending with a successful season and many potential college athletes and graduates. It’s an inspirational movie that exemplifies the amount of commitment and hard work necessary to achieve your goals. Lastly, I chose Mrs. Doubtfire, in which a father disguises himself as a female housekeeper in order to see his children after a divorce custody battle. Robin Williams stars in this film, and I think he is absolutely hilarious, one of the best comedians of all time. It is also a very light-hearted movie that many people can relate to.
ReplyDelete@arocha:
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Black Swan, but I have heard nothing but positive things about this movie. It’s not necessarily the movie genre I am drawn towards, but it sounds like it has a very good story line and actors. I might need to go see this soon! As far as The Notebook and Charlie St. Cloud, I love both of these movies. You said it perfectly. The Notebook is definitely one of the most romantic, love stories that almost any girl wants to watch. I just recently watched Charlie St. Cloud over Christmas Break, and it is now one of my favorite movies as well. It was sad to see Charlie’s brother fade away as Charlie began to not show up to play baseball. However, you knew he was set free, like you described, and Charlie was able to save someone else’s life too. I recommend this movie to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet!
I don’t really watch a ton of movies, I usually have to be in the mood for them because they take up a lot of time and some of them are just plain stupid, but I have found a few movies I really enjoy. I can’t say that I have just three favorites but there are three that came to mind pretty quickly when I read what we would be talking about this week. Those three would have to be Overboard, Chicago, and Fight Club. The first time I saw Overboard was with my mom when I was about 12, and I instantly loved it. I thought it was really funny how the carpenter Dean (played by Kurt Russell) turned this snotty rich woman Joanna (played by Goldie Hawn) into a sweet loving mother and wife figure. I liked watching as the pair fell in love with each other and she became a mom to his four kids. I especially liked the ending when even though she has the option to go back to her old life she chooses to be a wife and mom. Chicago has also been one of my favorite movies since the first time I saw it. I am a huge fan of musicals and the way this movie uses musical numbers to tell parts of the story just fascinates me. The movie Fight Club on the other hand was a completely different story. The first time I saw this movie was with some guy friends who pretty much thought it was God’s gift to man, and they were shocked that I had never seen it. I hated this movie the first time around, I thought it was stupid and didn’t make any sense, but after I watched it a few more times I decided it was brilliant and I loved it. This is one of those movies I learn something about every time I watch it and it never fails to hold my attention.
ReplyDelete@ebarton:
ReplyDeleteI took the Great Performances on Film class to in the summer session. I really enjoy that class because all of the old movies he introduced me too. I found that class really easy actually so I enjoyed going to it even though it was so easy to skip. :) My favorite movie shown in that class was Psycho. It was so funny how scary movies back then were made. But on to your favorite movies. I absolutely loved Mrs. Doubtfire my favorite part was when he was at the restaurant for his ex-wives birthday while having a business dinner with the other guy... Then when Miranda find out the Mrs. Doubtfire was really her ex-husband. Basically the whole movie was great. GREAT CHOICE.
Personally, I could never narrow it down to three all time favorite movies. There are just way too many great movies that I could watch over and over and still maintain interest. However, if we reduced it down to my favorite movies that I’ve seen recently (as in the past year) the task becomes vastly more manageable. It even took some careful consideration as it took me about 10 minutes to write this line, but my choices would have to be District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and A Clockwork Orange. District 9 was a big shock for me the first time I saw it. I was expecting another generic alien invasion film about the government’s response to a compromise in global security, but was very surprised to find that it had a very unpredictable plot and carried a lot of metaphorical value concerning the oppression and mistreatment of certain minorities. Inglorious Basterds was a movie that I saw after having it highly recommended by my Dad who is a long-time Tarantino fan and promised that I wouldn’t be disappointed. He was right as I found myself stunned by the hilarity of a film that was based on the reign of one of the most tyrannical dictators in human history. My third choice, A Clockwork Orange is probably one of the most unconventionally themed movies that I’ve ever seen. I was always aware that it was a classic but hadn’t seen it until recently when my roommate spotted it on Netflix. I figured that it would be another 70’s film that I was going to sleep straight from start to finish, but from the moment it started I was basically completely awe struck at how different it was from any other movie I’d ever seen. I definitely approve of each of these films and if you haven’t seen them, get on it.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking about my favorite movies, I must start with one of the best actors of all time, Johnny Depp. He is the reason one of my favorite movies is Pirates of the Caribbean, specifically the first one. Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the most genius characters of all time thanks to the wonderful workings of Mr. Depp. The first movie was definitely the best because the humor was surprising and very witty. My favorite movie as a kid was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The fact that there is a room where everything is edible definitely blew my mind as a child. I always dreamed of going to the factory and eating the candy grass and trees and such. Not only is the edible everything really awesome, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a musical! Being the girl that I am, I love musicals! My final choice would have to be Pride and Prejudice; the old one that pretty much follows the book completely. Pride and Prejudice was one of my favorite books and watching it play out on screen is a very cool experience. It's also a great movie because it follows the book very well. Though it takes about 3 hours to finish the whole thing, it's definitely worth it. Every girl dreams of a Mr. Darcy. The movie, especially after reading the book, evokes a lot of emotions and I love being able to really get into a movie.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing better then after a hard day of working coming home and watching a movie. I have quite a large movie collection, so it is hard to pick just three as my favorites. Right now as I am writing this I would have to say my three favorites are Rent, The Hangover, and Across the Universe.
ReplyDeleteMost of my friends will find it funny that Rent is one of my favorite movies of all times. When it first came out I refused to watch it. I was not a fan of musicals at the time, and the idea of random singing taking place in a movie did not sound interesting to me. When my friends finally made me sit down and watch it I fell in love. I just cannot help but become addicted to the music and the story it tells. Rent is about the AIDS crisis and poverty in New York during the Bohemian time period.
I happen to also love comedies. The hangover is currently my favorite comedy out there. I probably say one or two quotes from the movie a week. The movie is based on a bachelor party that gets out of control. You are taken back in time as they try to remember what happened throughout the night. I just hope when I get married my bachelorette party is somewhat as epic as the hangover.
Finally my third favorite movie is Across the Universe. Yes, another musical. I guess you can say once you like one of them you will end up liking most of them. My love for Across the Universe comes from the Beatles. The Beatles is one of my favorite bands and since the movie uses their songs I cannot help but love it. The Beatles songs fit perfectly with the intensity of love and war taking place at the time the movie is set in.
I honestly don’t watch that many movies, and when my friends start talking about all these movies that are out or that they have seen, I tend to get really lost and drown them out. Though I really don’t have any actual favorite movies, three off the top off my head that I really like are Matilda (with Mara Wilson), Killers (with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl), and Cold Mountain (with Nicole Kidman). Matilda is a really old movie, and I watched several times when I was young and have always really liked it. Mara plays a great part in this movie, and is exceptional as such a young age. I saw Killers in theaters and it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while (especially as I don’t really watch that many). This couple ( played by Ashton and Katherine) met on vacation, fell in love, and the bride didn’t realize that her husband had a license to kill and all the people in their lives who were supposedly their “friends” were out to kill him for money. It is an extremely action packed movie, especially towards the latter half and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Cold Mountain is always a movie that sticks out to me and one of the very few that I can say where the movie actually lived up to the reputation of the book that was written before it. I read the book in AP English Literature, watched the movie, and wrote a paper, and it is probably the only paper I have ever written that I did not really mind writing!
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ReplyDeleteI am such a big movie fan but, unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to watch movies or to vary my selection of movies. I love going to the movies or just watching movies I already own. I also think I can honestly say that I don’t believe I have one favorite movie, I have a bunch of favorites and therefore, picking only three was somewhat difficult for me. One of my favorite movies would have to be Moulin Rouge. I love the acting, singing and dancing in the movie. I have always loved to sing and dance which is part of the reason why I love musicals so much. I also like the plot and how intense the movie becomes at the end when characters are forced to do what is better for the company and not themselves. One of my other favorite movies would have to be She’s the Man. Two of my favorite actors star in this movie, Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. The movie is humorous and considered a “chick-flick”. I especially love the acting the characters play and how well the plot is shown and the humor that plays in the movie. Yet another of my favorite movies would have to be the Step Up trilogy because of the choreography and the level of acting these dancers show. I have danced for 13 years and find it amazing that people are so talented and can dance so well. Although these are all “chick-flicks”, they are just a few of my favorite movies however, I could not list them all.
ReplyDelete@Hillary
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you when you say that The Hangover is one of your favorite movies. I actually forgot when I was writing my post about that movie because that is one of my favorites. As for Rent, I actually have not seen all of it, although I heard that it is a very good movie and that I would enjoy it very much because of the music and the acting. We watched half of Across the Universe in chorus last year and had to analyze some of the film and talk about it because it had to do with music, but we never finished it in class and I have not had time to go out and rent it since. I have heard that it’s a really good movie as well though.
It has always been a joke in my family that if it is not a Disney movie or a sappy love story then I will not like the movie at all. If I am going to the movies and I have to choose between an action movie or a girly movie, I will always pick the chick flick which is why it should be no surprise that my three favorite movies are hands down Enchanted, 27 Dresses, and A Walk To Remember. Enchanted is my definite favorite mainly because it is a perfect mix of Disney and chick flick. I like that it is a Disney fairy tale love story but is real life. It also has Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden which make for two nice hunks of men to look at in a movie. 27 Dresses is an all time favorite because it is your typical girl falls for the guy she used to hate chick flick. As predictable as the plots for movies like this may always be, I am a sucker for it every time and get so pulled into the story that I always cry like a sissy at the sad parts. A Walk To Remember is the perfect my life sucks so I need a good reason to cry movie. Once again it falls into my unsuspecting lovers movie catergory but I still love it mainly because of how many times I have watched it and me and my friends used to have competition to see who could go the longest without balling their eyes out.
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ReplyDeleteI used to not watch many movies when I was younger but lately I've been intrigued by almost every movie I see advertised. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of outstanding films, so despite how difficult it is to pick three great ones, several come to mind right away: "Hairspray," "500 Days of Summer," and “Eat Pray Love.” I absolutely love musicals and have enjoyed every musical I’ve seen. Just about every summer I see a musical in New York City and I saw “Hairspray” a few years ago there. It’s my favorite musical that was made into a movie and I will never get bored with watching the movie or listening to the soundtrack- which I buy every time I see a musical. I love the storyline in “Hairspray” which is one of the main reason why it is one of my favorite movies. It deals with a heavy teenage girl who isn’t the most popular one in her school and gets made fun of a lot. She watches a youthful, and enthusiastic sing-along show every day and her dream is to be a part of it one day. After many struggles with prejudice, she finally gets a part as the lead role. I’m a big fan of romantic movies so that’s why one of my favorites has got to be this next one. “500 Days of Summer” is an artistic and unusual type of movie and I’ve never seen anything like this remarkable movie before. It is about two young adults who experience everything most couples do in a normal relationship within a period of time. It breaks down everything that happens over the 500 days since they have met, including several flashbacks in the movie too. “Eat Pray Love” is about a woman who escapes the tormented struggles in her life and takes a one- year adventure to different parts of the world, such as Italy and India, where she can marvel at the beauty of life. One of my favorite things to do is travel to new places so I loved watching a movie that showed foreign countries we are not used to seeing every day.
ReplyDelete@ kcheek,
ReplyDeleteI agree, Johny Depp is one of the most talented actors. But he still needs improvement to be considered the best. I say this because it has been very hard for Mr Depp to get out of his Jack Sparrow persona. You can witness this when you watch Alice In Wonderland. He still had the jack sparrow walk and sometimes he would burst out talking like jack sparrow. He still has a hard time changing roles, but it is understandable since all of his roles are so complex. When he manages to take care of that issue, there is no doubt in my mind he is going to be considered one of the best. His film Public Enemies was awesome by the way, if you havent seen it, see it! That goes to everyone! It was an amazing movie, even though it sometimes wasnt that accurate with the true story. But who cares lol
@lindizzy91
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love all three movies you picked, especially A Walk to Remember and 27 dresses. For me both of these movies never get old. No matter how many times I have seen each of these movies I can always watch them again and again. A Walk to Remember ALWAYS makes me cry. The first time I watched the movie I was watching it with my friend who was in remission from having cancer and not knowing Mandy Moore was going to have cancer in the movie we watched it, so we were both balling our eyes out for pretty much the entire movie. Even today when I watch it I get some tears in my eyes. And I definitely have to agree with you about James Marsden and Patrick Dempsey. Very good looking gentlemen to watch throughout these movies.
@brittnicoral
ReplyDeleteMatilda was one of my favorite movies when I was little, and I think Danny Devito is hilarious. It’s also really funny that the guy from Peewee Herman has a role as an FBI agent. My favorite scene has to be when Brucey eats the cake because he is extremely nervous at first, but he starts going at it when everyone continues to cheer his name. It’s pretty cool that she spends most of her time at the library and eventually becomes smarter than her parents. I’m really glad you chose this as one of your favorites.
@arocha
ReplyDeleteI love your choice of movies! I saw Black Swan right after it came out and I also thought it was the most unusual and phenomenal movie I have ever heard or seen before. I used to be a dancer for several years so when I saw the commercial for this movie, I was quite intrigued by it and was so happy I went to see it because it was so worth it. The Notebook is definitely a favorite of mine too. Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mccadams were the perfect actors for the roles. I have never seen Charlie St. Cloud yet but I have heard nothing but great opinions of it so I can’t wait to see it soon.
@brittnicroal
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I totally love the movie Matilda!! When we have a family movie night at my house, it’s always mentioned. I’ve watched it since I was little and now my brother and sister watch it to! I recently saw Killers, sad to say it kind of disappointed me, I just expected it to be a little better than it was, and I didn’t like the ending at all. I haven’t seen Cold Mountain, but I love Nicole Kidman, and I’ve heard the movie is amazing, it is definitely on my list of movies to see soon!
@ S.Spear:
ReplyDeleteThere are SO many movies that I have yet to see and, and Hairspray is one of them. I have heard nothing but good things about it, and I actually usually like musicals, so I need to see that soon. I find that if I really like a movie, I usually love the soundtrack as well, for example in TWILIGHT. I love the TWILIGHT soundtrack. There you go Mr. Breckenridge, have at it! As for “500 Days of Summer” and “Eat Pray Love”, I have not seen either of those either but they sound pretty good :)
@ebarton
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you. I love the movie Coach Carter, as it displays what college athletics will be like, even though it was in a high school setting. It makes you realize what athletes have to go through, but also shows that if you put your mind towards your goal you can achieve anything. Mrs. Doubtfire is definitely an old school favorite. This movie displays that anything can be taken away in the snap of your fingers. I completely agree with everything you have said, because it is so true. I also enjoy watching any Robin Williams film.
@Hillary
ReplyDeleteI have to commend you on your choice of Rent as one of your favorite movies. It's actually one that I would have added to my list had I remembered it. I love the story and the developement of all the different characters. Of course I have to say the musical numbers are my favorite! My favorite is the one about the cows. (I don't remember the real name.) Such a great movie! I've never seen all of Across the Universe but I heard it's a very good movie. As for The Hangover, I'm not so sure it's a work of art, but it's definitely comical. I usually don't like those types of comedies and I found that it was actually worth watching, if not for the entertainment, than to be socially exceptable. All in all, great choice of movies!
@NSmart
ReplyDeleteAlthough not exactly my favorites your movie selection definitely rates pretty high on my list of good films. I mean, I'm not exactly always down for watching Star Wars because of how long all of those movies are but I have a strong appreciation for the epic because of how big an influence it has had on many individuals. I can also agree with your recognition of DiCaprio's talent as he has been the lead actor in many very popular films in the past two decades. I especially enjoyed his performance in Inception, which I saw recently and was pretty impressed.
@kcheek
ReplyDeleteI would have to completely agree with you Johnny Depp is an amazing actor. Pirates of the Caribbean are also some of my favorite movies. No matter what role Depp plays he does an outstanding job. I have never seen the new Charlie and the Chocolate factory with Depp, but I did love the original. I'm sure with Depp playing Wonka it is just as good if not better then the original.
@ Jkurtz i agree with you completely on your movie selection. After a couple of years of working in the restaurant business you understand what really goes on behind closed doors and Waiting satirizes this perfectly. I have to say that after completing watching the film, i was apprehensive in where and what i eat haha. I think that the combination of Ryan Renolds and Dane Cook really made the movie over the top. Although i think the series of flashing games they played while on shift was a bit too much. I've heard that there is a sequel that was released, but i'm sure it will not be able to own up to the original.
ReplyDelete@Meagan: You have awesome taste in movies. She’s the Man and Step Up are definitely on my list of favorite movies, but I don’t really know what Moulin Rouge is. But I agree that Amanda Bynes is a pretty great actress. Her movies are so funny to me. My favorite Amanda Bynes movie would definitely have to be Mean Girls though. And I don’t know much about Channing Tatum, but from what I’ve seen he’s a pretty good actor too and is really cute which adds to his expertise in “chick-flicks”. But I love the plot of the Step Up movies. I think it is so adorable how they fall in love over dance, I don’t know, sounds corny but for some reason it works for me. But anyway I agree that She’s the Man and Step Up are great movies and now I will have to go and watch Moulin Rouge.
ReplyDelete@Hillary
ReplyDeleteI think you picked some awesome movies to be your favorites. I too love good comedies and musicals. Hangover is definitely my favorite comedy ever. I don’t know if I want my bachelorette party to be as crazy as that though. As for Rent and Across the Universe, by far my favorite musicals ever. The first time I saw Across the Universe I could not figure out why I liked it so much and I agree that the Beatles songs make the movie. In Rent, I did not care for it at first but it is for sure a movie you have to watch a couple times in order to love it.
If I had to choose three movies to choose from I would have to choose Black Hawk Down and Gone in 60 Seconds. I choose Black Hawk Down because it has always been one of my favorite movies to watch since I can remember. I've always loved military action and war movies. It is probably because my father was in the army and I have always been drawn to anything with war. It is also because I have a strong love for America and I love watching movies about troops fighting for our country. My second movie is one of my favorites because I love movies about cars, racing and violence. It's not exactly that reason though because its my fathers favorite movie. I'm not sure if it's because of the cars and racing or the beautiful lead female actress Angelina Jolie but I've been watching that movie with my father as a tradition. Every time it comes on I can't help but watch it.
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