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.

[muppy]

hubby and I dated when the original "Rocky Horror Picture Show" was in rave movie for Midnight showings. The costumes, the toast and rice throwing, the vocal comebacks.  It was a wild scene back in the day

 

The reason I bring it up is because it is nowhere near the favorite movie I have ever seen. But I have spent many a Halloween night watching it and it became a tradition.

 

holy cow Im guessing I've seen it at least 30 times counting theater and halloween. wow. that's crazy! lol-m

[DrW]

Well, it is not art cinema, but I love "My Cousin Vinny". The interplay between Pesci and Tomei is so funny, and the courtroom scenes are more convincing than in many courtroom dramas. I have seen the beginning of the movie perhaps 10 times, but the end more than 30 times. Every time I see it on the TV schedule, I switch to it, independent of how far we are into the movie.

[Nextmanup]

7 hours ago, I am the egg man said:

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

Right, why engage in conversation about movies.

 

Simply create a list of movies.

WTF is the point of that?  How very 2BD of you!  

 

We already know what movies have been made.  Why list them here?

 

Most threads devolve into this type of thing.

 

"Name your 3 best Bills defenders of all time" which quickly deteriorates into a long list of past Bills defenders.

 

I don't have a favorite movie; too hard to do that.

 

Somewhere in my Top 10 would be:

 

Godfather I and II which I view as really 1 piece of work.

Apocalypse Now

2001: A Space Odyssey

Schindler's List

Alien

Dr. Strangelove

Goodfellas 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

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.

It definitely had a "rah-rah" Patriotic vibe to it, especially at the time of its release. 

 

There were a ton of these war movies, some of which I enjoy.

 

Another Bogart WWII film that I would much rather watch than Casablanca is "Sahara".

 

 

[US Egg]

1 hour ago, Nextmanup said:

Right, why engage in conversation about movies.

 

Simply create a list of movies.

WTF is the point of that?  How very 2BD of you!  

 

We already know what movies have been made.  Why list them here?

 

Most threads devolve into this type of thing.

 

"Name your 3 best Bills defenders of all time" which quickly deteriorates into a long list of past Bills defenders.

 

I don't have a favorite movie; too hard to do that.

 

Somewhere in my Top 10 would be:

 

Godfather I and II which I view as really 1 piece of work.

Apocalypse Now

2001: A Space Odyssey

Schindler's List

Alien

Dr. Strangelove

Goodfellas 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It definitely had a "rah-rah" Patriotic vibe to it, especially at the time of its release. 

 

There were a ton of these war movies, some of which I enjoy.

 

Another Bogart WWII film that I would much rather watch than Casablanca is "Sahara"

 

Holy Shiite!

 

OK Casablanca sucks.

 

 

 

[PastaJoe]

My favorite black and white movie is The Grapes of Wraith. A story of the common people persevering over adversity.

[LewPort71]

2 hours ago, muppy said:

hubby and I dated when the original "Rocky Horror Picture Show" was in rave movie for Midnight showings. The costumes, the toast and rice throwing, the vocal comebacks.  It was a wild scene back in the day

 

The reason I bring it up is because it is nowhere near the favorite movie I have ever seen. But I have spent many a Halloween night watching it and it became a tradition.

 

holy cow Im guessing I've seen it at least 30 times counting theater and halloween. wow. that's crazy! lol-m

Mrs. Lew  and I saw RHPS at the downtown theater on Sat night.  It was packed and everyone had a blast.

[LewPort71]

There are too many choices..

I'll go with Jaws.

Mrs. Lew and I were soon to be married.  We went to the mall and Mrs Lew (to be) had not yet  had her ears pierced.

Mom was a strict Catholic who did not believe in piercings.

We went to the piercing place and the process was done.

The lady said come back in two hours, so we went to see Jaws.

After the movie the piercings were complete.

my wedding gift to her were diamond earrings.

 

[The Dean]

I'm not one to rank my "favorite" of just about anything.  Almost always depends on context, as they can vary over time/place/attitude.

 

But I'll toss one into the hopper:  

 

Network (1976)

 

No clue how many times I have watched it, but I have used that movie (as well as Being There (1979) as a teaching aid in various classes, over the years. So maybe 20-25 times?

 

https://youtu.be/yuBe93FMiJc

[BritBill]

Dead Man’s Shoes 

 

A tale of brotherly love and revenge. Directed by the excellent Shane Meadows. 
 

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it.

 

Also on my top films list:

 

In Brugge 

The Guard

The Banshees of Inisherin

Three Billboards

 

[Dr. Who]

I don't have a favorite movie. I do have favorites. 

 

To Have and Have Not -- the best of the Bogie & Bacall combos.

Babette's Feast -- lyrical and poignant.

The Black Stallion -- there is a wondrous quality to the boy and the horse on the island.

Wild Strawberries -- dreamlike, dark, yet sweet.

Blue -- the best of Kieslowski's color trilogy

In the Mood for Love -- pitch perfect period piece by Wong Kar-wai.

[f0neguy]

What I’ve watched the most?  Monty Python and the Holy Grail, no idea how many times..!

 

A lot of my favorites have already been posted but a couple that I’d add to the list are..   Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, and Pulp Fiction.

[Not at the table Karlos]

The Shawshank Redemption. 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

11 hours ago, Wooderson said:

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. 

In college a decade ago, a buddy of mine and I decided to watch it after a long night out with lots of drinks. We caught it being replayed on some cable television station, commercials and all. 
 

I watched about an hour, fell asleep on the couch for an hour and a half, woke up and there was still another two hours left in the movie! 
 

Longest movie ever. Or most commercials. Idk but def thoroughly enjoyed the classic Mexican standoff scene. 

Edited November 4, 2022 by EmotionallyUnstable

[Bills4everNY]

Repo Man (1984)

Why? It's totally original, weird, funny, great characters and dialogue. 

Seen it at least 50 times. 

5 hours ago, f0neguy said:

What I’ve watched the most?  Monty Python and the Holy Grail, no idea how many times..!

 

A lot of my favorites have already been posted but a couple that I’d add to the list are..   Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, and Pulp Fiction.

A Clockwork Orange would be in my top 5 favorite movies.

[K-9]

7 hours ago, The Dean said:

I'm not one to rank my "favorite" of just about anything.  Almost always depends on context, as they can vary over time/place/attitude.

 

But I'll toss one into the hopper:  

 

Network (1976)

 

No clue how many times I have watched it, but I have used that movie (as well as Being There (1979) as a teaching aid in various classes, over the years. So maybe 20-25 times?

 

https://youtu.be/yuBe93FMiJc

Chance is one of my favorite movie characters of all time. 

[LeGOATski]

Incredibly hard to choose, but I'll go with Bladerunner (along with Bladerunner 2049). Fantastic movies all around and I'm partial to sci-fi stuff. Seen Bladerunner maybe 5-10 times.

[The Jokeman]

My favorite depends on the day or mood I'm in. Today feels like a Stand By Me kind of day. I've seen it all the way through maybe 8 times. Something about Gordo, Chris, Vern and Teddy keeps me going back to a time that I never lived but feels like a childhood memory. 

Edited November 4, 2022 by The Jokeman

[Just Jack]

Contact is a favorite of mine.  But now I'm more into The Martian.  Either one, if it's on, I will watch it.  On a plane flight earlier this year, I saw The Martian was one of the seat back selections.  Even though I did not have headphones with me, I still put it on since I knew almost every line of dialogue. The way Jeff Daniels played the Director of Nasa, is how I envision myself being a boss.  

[qwksilver]

I'll mention a few that haven't been discussed. 

Rocky - Saw it many times in the theatre and dozens of times since.

Empire Strikes Back - Same as above as it's the best of the original trilogy.

 

Goodfellas is probably my most watched, I really find the dubbing on the cable version quite funny.