Favorite movie(singular)and why and how many x

[US Egg]

Casablanca.

 

It seemed so intense and believable for an old movie when I saw it for the 1st time 40+ years ago.

 

It still does.

 

12+

 

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by I am the egg man

[Gugny]

While I don't think it's the best movie, ever ... my favorite movie is "I Am Sam."

 

No other movie moves me to tears like this one does.  Sad tears and happy tears.  And a lot of them.

 

Sean Penn absolutely deserved a Best Actor Oscar (Denzel Washington won it for Training Day, which I get) and the soundtrack (all Beatles covers by great artists) is absolutely fantastic.

 

I don't watch it often, but when I do, I always make sure everything around me is right.  It's just a great film, all around.

 

 

 

[Nextmanup]

6 hours ago, I am the egg man said:

Casablanca.

 

It seemed so intense and believable for an old movie when I saw it for the 1st time 40+ years ago.

 

It still does.

 

12+

 

 

That's an interesting comment.

When I saw it for the first time, I felt exactly the opposite.  It looks, feels, and smells like an "old movie" to the point of it being a distraction.  The dialogue, acting, delivery...it's just a very primitively shot film compared to (good) modern standards.

 

I never got the enormous love for Casablanca.

 

Though I do realize I'm probably a minority opinion here.

 

 

 

[US Egg]

2 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

That's an interesting comment.

When I saw it for the first time, I felt exactly the opposite.  It looks, feels, and smells like an "old movie" to the point of it being a distraction.  The dialogue, acting, delivery...it's just a very primitively shot film compared to (good) modern standards.

 

I never got the enormous love for Casablanca.

 

Though I do realize I'm probably a minority opinion here.

Mr. Ebert, the thread asks what is your favorite movie, kapeche?

[Greg S]

Goodfellas. Amazing cast of actors in this one.

[WhoTom]

The Godfather.

 

It has everything: drama, suspense, action, romance, irony, and even a touch of humor. Outstanding script, cinematography, and acting.

 

[Wooderson]

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.  Amazing cast of actors and characters and one of the best scenes in movie history.  Clint Eastwood is amazing in the whole Dollars Trilogy. 

 

I've only seen it a handful of times, but I've loved it every time. 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Wooderson

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

4 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

That's an interesting comment.

When I saw it for the first time, I felt exactly the opposite.  It looks, feels, and smells like an "old movie" to the point of it being a distraction.  The dialogue, acting, delivery...it's just a very primitively shot film compared to (good) modern standards.

 

I never got the enormous love for Casablanca.

 

Though I do realize I'm probably a minority opinion here.

 

 

 

I like Casablanca because I was a Bogart fan when I was a kid. But you aren’t wrong. As I recall reading, the studios were just pumping out movies constantly around WW2, and this was just one of a bunch of sort of mindless movies they put out.

[Teddy KGB]

 Back to School     20 plus 

 

 

[muppy]

Singular? Oh My.  Which Keanu Reeves movie to pick. I have 2 I absolutely adore.  But if I am forced to choose one I select 

 

The Matrix. the entire series is serious muppy eye candy. I loved every minute of it.

 

how many times: 10 or so

 

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by muppy

[dpberr]

Heat.

 

Absolute masterpiece in filmmaking.  It is legitimately one of the very best crime films ever made IMO, and one of the best movies of the 1990s (released in 1995). 

 

I've watched this movie so many times I could act out the coffee scene between Pacino/DeNiro on the street.   

 

While I've read Michael Mann's book (Heat 2), I don't want a sequel.  I don't think you can make movies like that today without neutering the story.    

 

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1) My personal favorite is the original Karate Kid (probably obvious from my screen name!)

 

2) in terms of the “classics,” it’s tough to pick just one great movie. I think of very minimalist movies as being some of the greats— like “”12 Angry Men,” which was basically all in one room. Or, “Rope,” which Hitchcock filmed with 10 long takes. One more recent similar movie that I have come to really appreciate is “ Castaway”— amazing how Tom Hanks could give such a compelling performance with so little dialogue. 

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, WhoTom said:

The Godfather.

 

It has everything: drama, suspense, action, romance, irony, and even a touch of humor. Outstanding script, cinematography, and acting.

 

 

I consider The Godfather to be the greatest movie of all time and easily one of my favorites to watch.

[Logic]

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

I realize that that's a weird answer, and is not many people's favorite movie.

I don't care. It hits just exactly the right notes for me. The script by Noah Baumbach, the direction by Wes Anderson, the way the lines are read by Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Willem Dafoe.

It's funny, it has action, a great soundtrack by Seu Jorge doing acoustic David Bowie covers in Portugese, and it hits some strong emotional notes. When they're all in the submarine at the end and finally see the jaguar shark and the song "Staralfur" by Sigur Ros starts up and Zissou says "....do you think he remembers me?" and starts crying...

Just exactly perfect for me. I've watched it AT LEAST 10 times, but likely more than that. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

2 hours ago, muppy said:

Singular? Oh My.  Which Keanu Reeves movie to pick. I have 2 I absolutely adore.  But if I am forced to choose one I select 

 

The Matrix. the entire series is serious muppy eye candy. I loved every minute of it.

 

how many times: 10 or so

 

 

my favorite Keanu Reeves movie is “point break”! Great surfing movie! 

[Rico]

Not the best, but my top 2 favs are Dirty Harry and Gimme Shelter, no idea how many times I’ve seen them but a lot.

[sherpa]

Godfather 1 and 2.

Two is a bit better, but only if seen after 1.

 

And a sleeper I really like, the Count of Monte Cristo, the 2002 version.

I really like well schemed revenge stories.

 

Mask Of Zorro, 1998.

The sequel is atrocious. 

[Toomstone.Part.Duex]

All of the Christopher Nolan Batman's. 

 

I'll watch any of these when I see them on.   Goodfellas, Breakfast Club, and Roadhouse  

[Max Fischer]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

I realize that that's a weird answer, and is not many people's favorite movie.

I don't care. It hits just exactly the right notes for me. The script by Noah Baumbach, the direction by Wes Anderson, the way the lines are read by Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Willem Dafoe.

It's funny, it has action, a great soundtrack by Seu Jorge doing acoustic David Bowie covers in Portugese, and it hits some strong emotional notes. When they're all in the submarine at the end and finally see the jaguar shark and the song "Staralfur" by Sigur Ros starts up and Zissou says "....do you think he remembers me?" and starts crying...

Just exactly perfect for me. I've watched it AT LEAST 10 times, but likely more than that. 

 

Rushmore is probably in my Top 10. Every scene is a delight. It hits every time.  Likewise, Royal Tennenbaum's and for the most part, Bottle Rocket. For some reason I never got into The Life Aquatic, although it has much of what I like about the first three.  I know I'm in the minority but his last few films have left me cold. Yes, they are technically proficient, but I find the stories and characters are blah. 

[Logic]

33 minutes ago, Max Fischer said:

 

Rushmore is probably in my Top 10. Every scene is a delight. It hits every time.  Likewise, Royal Tennenbaum's and for the most part, Bottle Rocket. For some reason I never got into The Life Aquatic, although it has much of what I like about the first three.  I know I'm in the minority but his last few films have left me cold. Yes, they are technically proficient, but I find the stories and characters are blah. 

I totally agree about his last few movies.

To me, the sweet spot was Rushmore through The Darjeeling Limited. Everything after that, from Fantastic Mr. Fox onward, hasn't done it for me. 

Also, I do think I'm in the minority in loving the Life Aquatic. It has its cult following, but it also has a 56% critic's score on Rotten Tomatoes. It's Anderson's least well reviewed movie.

All I can say is that it just hits me right emotionally. I've always felt that art -- including film -- is highly subjective. I like the analogy of each person being like a radio antenna putting off a certain unique frequency. For whatever reason, certain art -- music, visual art, movies, whatever -- puts off a frequency that harmonizes perfectly with your unique frequency. Sometimes there's no logic or reason to it. It just...WORKS for you.

Other times, you can see that something is technically proficient, possesses great skill and talent or whatever, but it doesn't move you. The Rolling Stones are that way for me. I accept that they're great, but they're not for me. They just don't move me. Same with Anderson's last several movies.