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What are some of your all-time-favorite movies?


T-Bone
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I love relaxing to a good movie. And I usually have to get psyched-up to watch a new movie (even if it’s just new to me  ); by that I mean I read lots of reviews about it, get an idea of what it’s about, talk to friends who have seen it…things like that…By no means would I ever try to offer a serious movie review – but I’ve learned to appreciate many movies – and on several levels - by listening to film critics, film historians, producers and directors like the late Roger Ebert,  Gene Siskel, and Robert Osborne – as well as Leonard Maltin, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola , and of course, some of the newer breed online and TV. Keeping that in mind – I just wanted to share and hear from others about some favorite movies – even if it’s nothing more than a guilty pleasure you derive from watching a movie so bad it’s good.

When I say all-time-favorite movie – for me that means something I will watch at least a couple of times every year. Once I’m familiar with a movie there’s nothing more relaxing than watching it again to savor the acting, directing, cinematography, technical details, or even just the sheer goofiness or rottenness of it all    . One of my favorite genres is thrillers – and so

Michael Clayton: George Clooney plays a “fixer” hired by a law firm to help out after one of their lawyers had a meltdown defending a big company from a multibillion dollar class action suit. In my opinion Clooney does great in roles that call upon some inner turmoil – like the troubled fixer in Michael Clayton, or the stoic assassin in The American.

Tilda Swinton plays the general counsel for the company. I’ve read some comment years ago about Swinton’s acting quality or screen presence – and it was something along the lines of her not seeming to be altogether from this planet and yet at times can appear down right earthy – that she can be ethereal and gritty. One of the things that make a good thriller is a good villain – and Swinton does a great job. If Michael Clayton was a superhero movie – she is a believable supervillain – super at being dastardly yet still possessing human weaknesses.

Michael Clayton on IMDB

71G3Qgre0wL._SL1500_.jpg

…so got any all-time-favorite movies you want to share?

 

 

 

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I don't know about any movies I watch several times a year, but I watched "Mary Poppins" a gazillion times when I was young.  Some others I've seen many times:  "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," "The Princess Bride," "Sleeper," "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" and "Amazon Women on the Moon."  (No, Raf -- not "Traxx.")

George

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George, don't go by my criteria - maybe I'm OCD :biglaugh:

surely there's some movies you've enjoyed more than once. How many times have you seen The Green Lantern or some other superhero movie?

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5 hours ago, GeorgeStGeorge said:

I don't know about any movies I watch several times a year, but I watched "Mary Poppins" a gazillion times when I was young.  Some others I've seen many times:  "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," "The Princess Bride," "Sleeper," "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" and "Amazon Women on the Moon."  (No, Raf -- not "Traxx.")

George

He didn't say several times George he said a couple of times.  And there's a difference.  I watch some movies several times (5 or 6 or 10) maybe  because they're on TV or cable and I like them.  But I watch a couple of movies a couple of times every year because they are my favorite movies.  For instance, "How to lose a guy in 10 days', no not even close.  I watch Frequency, When Harry Met Sally, Sense and Sensibility, Pulp Fiction, Office Space and Stranger Than Fiction regularly throughout the year.

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11 hours ago, T-Bone said:

George, don't go by my criteria - maybe I'm OCD :biglaugh:

surely there's some movies you've enjoyed more than once. How many times have you seen The Green Lantern or some other superhero movie?

If it's on cable and I have nothing else to watch, I'll watch a superhero flick, again.  I've actually only seen "Green Lantern" about four times.:rolleyes:

George

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Another movie I'll watch at least 2 or 3 times a year is Finding Forrester.  One of  Sean Connery's last movies.  Of course he's retired now and not dead.

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21 hours ago, Human without the bean said:

He didn't say several times George he said a couple of times.  And there's a difference.  I watch some movies several times (5 or 6 or 10) maybe  because they're on TV or cable and I like them.  But I watch a couple of movies a couple of times every year because they are my favorite movies.  For instance, "How to lose a guy in 10 days', no not even close.  I watch Frequency, When Harry Met Sally, Sense and Sensibility, Pulp Fiction, Office Space and Stranger Than Fiction regularly throughout the year.

Pulp Friction is great !

You’ve got me thinking there’s probably another group just below my all-time-favorites…maybe an every-so-often-favorites. Pulp Fiction, Memento, Donnie Darko, Inherent Vice are all in that group with a subset of weirdness all their own  – probably a few others I can’t think of right now. They have a temporal-distortion-trippy vibe to them…kind of a non-linear narrative which can be disjointed and often frustrating on first run through – but I get a big kick out of that because it’s such a different approach to storytelling;

all of these I’ve watched 3 or 4 times the first year they came out – then after that maybe catch them every other year or something. These movies are almost like puzzles – once I’m familiar with it – it’s fun to revisit after being away awhile to see if I remember how it all goes together.

You had to mention Office Space ! I must bring up the big 3 of Mike Judge movies – Extract which is like Office Space but from a boss’ point of view. And Idiocracy – a goofy “futuristic” dystopia – which kinda has some current-times truth to it if you know what I mean. :biglaugh: all 3 are big favorites at my house !

 

 

12 hours ago, GeorgeStGeorge said:

If it's on cable and I have nothing else to watch, I'll watch a superhero flick, again.  I've actually only seen "Green Lantern" about four times.:rolleyes:

George

By George, I think you’ve got it ! :rolleyes:

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"Idiocracy" was pretty funny.  I suppose I cold go on a tangent in this thread, with movies that I just stumbled upon (bored, and it came on on cable) that were delightful surprises.  I would put "The Princess Bride" in this category, as well.  A number of people told me how wonderful it was, but from their descriptions, it seemed rather dorky.  One weekend, it seemed as though every network was running it 24/7, so I just sucked it up, and watched it.  Now one of my favorites.  You know those stick on name tags you get at meetings, which say "Hello, My name is" (and you fill in your name)?  I bought a T-shirt for my stepson that had one, silkscreened on, which said, "Hello, My name is Inego Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die."

:jump:  George

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On 8/25/2017 at 6:05 PM, Human without the bean said:

Another movie I'll watch at least 2 or 3 times a year is Finding Forrester.  One of  Sean Connery's last movies.  Of course he's retired now and not dead.

Human WTB, I've never seen that - but have read a few summaries about it after reading your post - sounds interesting - I'll have to catch it sometime; Wikipedia says though it was not based on a true story, some critics compare the Forrester character to the real-life writer JD Salinger....and come to think of it - i think i remember a preview about a Salinger movie - i'd like to catch that too.

 

On 8/26/2017 at 9:12 AM, GeorgeStGeorge said:

"Idiocracy" was pretty funny.  I suppose I cold go on a tangent in this thread, with movies that I just stumbled upon (bored, and it came on on cable) that were delightful surprises.  I would put "The Princess Bride" in this category, as well.  A number of people told me how wonderful it was, but from their descriptions, it seemed rather dorky.  One weekend, it seemed as though every network was running it 24/7, so I just sucked it up, and watched it.  Now one of my favorites.  You know those stick on name tags you get at meetings, which say "Hello, My name is" (and you fill in your name)?  I bought a T-shirt for my stepson that had one, silkscreened on, which said, "Hello, My name is Inego Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die."

:jump:  George

George, I really like Princess Bride too. Rob Reiner was behind that - and also This is Spinal Tap....i admire the way Princess Bride is played more or less straight (maybe that's some of the dorky element you referred to) - while still having a lot of funny lines and situations...my favorite scenes: Westley and Vizzini in a battle of wits and drinking poison, Westley and Prince Humperdinck exchanging threats while Westley is trying to recover his strength, and the visit to Miracle Max & Valerie "have fun storming the castle" ....- - Spinal Tap is often over the top and goofy funny - -but  i like that too."does your amp go up to eleven?"....and what bass player isn't impressed by the live performance of "Big Bottom" - if i remember the scene correctly they all are playing bass guitars.

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Some of the funniest movies I like to watch are There's Something About Mary and The 40 yr old Virgin.  Both are off the wall and absurdly funny.  Sometimes crude, sometimes blatantly rude, sometimes taking shots at "exception people" [mentally challenged] a Coen Brother's trademark in the case of TSAM or the "speed dating" scenes of Steve Carell trying to get laid or of his "getting waxed" in 40 yr.Virgin all make for hilarious and highly entertaining movie watching.

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9 hours ago, Human without the bean said:

Some of the funniest movies I like to watch are There's Something About Mary and The 40 yr old Virgin.  Both are off the wall and absurdly funny.  Sometimes crude, sometimes blatantly rude, sometimes taking shots at "exception people" [mentally challenged] a Coen Brother's trademark in the case of TSAM or the "speed dating" scenes of Steve Carell trying to get laid or of his "getting waxed" in 40 yr.Virgin all make for hilarious and highly entertaining movie watching.

There's Something About Mary - that is a very funny movie ! I love the off-the-wall characters – like the Hitchhiker (Harland Williams) with his 7 minute abs video

 

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On 8/24/2017 at 3:14 PM, T-Bone said:

I love relaxing to a good movie. And I usually have to get psyched-up to watch a new movie (even if it’s just new to me  ); by that I mean I read lots of reviews about it, get an idea of what it’s about, talk to friends who have seen it…things like that…By no means would I ever try to offer a serious movie review – but I’ve learned to appreciate many movies – and on several levels - by listening to film critics, film historians, producers and directors like the late Roger Ebert,  Gene Siskel, and Robert Osborne – as well as Leonard Maltin, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola , and of course, some of the newer breed online and TV. Keeping that in mind – I just wanted to share and hear from others about some favorite movies – even if it’s nothing more than a guilty pleasure you derive from watching a movie so bad it’s good.

 

 

When I say all-time-favorite movie – for me that means something I will watch at least a couple of times every year. Once I’m familiar with a movie there’s nothing more relaxing than watching it again to savor the acting, directing, cinematography, technical details, or even just the sheer goofiness or rottenness of it all    . One of my favorite genres is thrillers – and so

 

 

Michael Clayton: George Clooney plays a “fixer” hired by a law firm to help out after one of their lawyers had a meltdown defending a big company from a multibillion dollar class action suit. In my opinion Clooney does great in roles that call upon some inner turmoil – like the troubled fixer in Michael Clayton, or the stoic assassin in The American.

 

 

Tilda Swinton plays the general counsel for the company. I’ve read some comment years ago about Swinton’s acting quality or screen presence – and it was something along the lines of her not seeming to be altogether from this planet and yet at times can appear down right earthy – that she can be ethereal and gritty. One of the things that make a good thriller is a good villain – and Swinton does a great job. If Michael Clayton was a superhero movie – she is a believable supervillain – super at being dastardly yet still possessing human weaknesses.

 

Michael Clayton on IMDB

 

 

 

71G3Qgre0wL._SL1500_.jpg

 

…so got any all-time-favorite movies you want to share?

 

 

 

 

 

T-Bone, I loved MC!!  Great movie!!  I know this is an old movie, but I loved "All The President's Men."  1976 is when it came out I think.  Robert Redford, and Dustin Hoffman are superb in it.  It really made me think!

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On 8/24/2017 at 11:08 PM, T-Bone said:

George, don't go by my criteria - maybe I'm OCD :biglaugh:

surely there's some movies you've enjoyed more than once. How many times have you seen The Green Lantern or some other superhero movie?

T-Bone, I have no idea what TGL is, but my favorite movie of all time is "The Wizard of Oz."  Decades ago, we used to watch it as a family.  I have seen it over 40 times, and still love it.

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2 hours ago, Grace Valerie Claire said:

T-Bone, I loved MC!!  Great movie!!  I know this is an old movie, but I loved "All The President's Men."  1976 is when it came out I think.  Robert Redford, and Dustin Hoffman are superb in it.  It really made me think!

Grace,  I LOVE "All the President's Men" - I had a regular copy of it on DVD - but then when they came out with a 2 disc special edition on Blu-ray I had to get that - has a bunch of extras, documentaries, etc.

2 hours ago, Grace Valerie Claire said:

T-Bone, I have no idea what TGL is, but my favorite movie of all time is "The Wizard of Oz."  Decades ago, we used to watch it as a family.  I have seen it over 40 times, and still love it.

"Wizard of Oz" is a GREAT movie - I loved it ever since I watched it as a little kid

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5 minutes ago, T-Bone said:

Grace,  I LOVE "All the President's Men" - I had a regular copy of it on DVD - but then when they came out with a 2 disc special edition on Blu-ray I had to get that - has a bunch of extras, documentaries, etc.

"Wizard of Oz" is a GREAT movie - I loved it ever since I watched it as a little kid

T-Bone, I rarely go to the movies anymore, because I think most of them nowadays suck, but I do think the 1970's had some great movies.  The Godfather(1&2), Chinatown, Blazing Saddles, are just some of the movies I saw decades ago, and still love today.

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3 minutes ago, Grace Valerie Claire said:

T-Bone, I rarely go to the movies anymore, because I think most of them nowadays suck, but I do think the 1970's had some great movies.  The Godfather(1&2), Chinatown, Blazing Saddles, are just some of the movies I saw decades ago, and still love today.

Grace you're talking about the good stuff now....the 70's a great year...like a fine wine :biglaugh: ....again not to brag or anything but I have "Chinatown", and have bought Mel Brooks collection on Blu-ray, as well as "Godfather" collection on Blu-ray !!!! I think I  need to invest in a good popcorn machine now :biglaugh:

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"Young Frankenstein" could be included in that list.  Some of my favorite movies come from the 80's or 90's.  "Goodfellas", "Silence of the Lambs", "Sense and Sensibility","Good Will Hunting" , "Pulp Fiction",  "Rain Man", "American Beauty","Leon: The Professional",  "Jerry Maguire",  those are some of my favorites.

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29 minutes ago, T-Bone said:

Grace you're talking about the good stuff now....the 70's a great year...like a fine wine :biglaugh: ....again not to brag or anything but I have "Chinatown", and have bought Mel Brooks collection on Blu-ray, as well as "Godfather" collection on Blu-ray !!!! I think I  need to invest in a good popcorn machine now :biglaugh:

T-Bone, Hell yes!!

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1 minute ago, Human without the bean said:

"Young Frankenstein" could be included in that list.  Some of my favorite movies come from the 80's or 90's.  "Goodfellas", "Silence of the Lambs", "Sense and Sensibility","Good Will Hunting" , "Pulp Fiction",  "Rain Man", "American Beauty","Leon: The Professional",  "Jerry Maguire",  those are some of my favorites.

Human, SotL scared the Hell out of me!! Too gory for me, but I thought Anthony Hopkins deserved his Oscar!  What an actor!!

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1 minute ago, Grace Valerie Claire said:

Human, SotL scared the Hell out of me!! Too gory for me, but I thought Anthony Hopkins deserved his Oscar!  What an actor!!

Human, Mel Brooks produced The Elephant Man, I believe.  Good movie, but it was a serious movie, about a man with a serious Medical Condition.  I would not suggest watching it by yourself; I think it is a movie that was meant to be shared with others.

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45 minutes ago, Human without the bean said:

"Young Frankenstein" could be included in that list.  Some of my favorite movies come from the 80's or 90's.  "Goodfellas", "Silence of the Lambs", "Sense and Sensibility","Good Will Hunting" , "Pulp Fiction",  "Rain Man", "American Beauty","Leon: The Professional",  "Jerry Maguire",  those are some of my favorites.

Human, I am surprised that no one has mentioned Harrison Ford.  I loved the first two Radiers of the Lost Arc movies; but I thought the third one was boring. I have seen HF in a number of movies, and think he is a terrific actor.  I also liked most of the Rocky Movies; SS is still a hunk IMO.  I can't stand boxing, but I love most of the Rocky Movies, as strange as that seems.

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1 hour ago, Human without the bean said:

"Young Frankenstein" could be included in that list.  Some of my favorite movies come from the 80's or 90's.  "Goodfellas", "Silence of the Lambs", "Sense and Sensibility","Good Will Hunting" , "Pulp Fiction",  "Rain Man", "American Beauty","Leon: The Professional",  "Jerry Maguire",  those are some of my favorites.

Human  , I’m with ya on all those...”Leon the Professional “ written and directed by Luc Besson - - check it out - - some  of his movies are about empowering women : Lucy, the Fifth Element (probably ranks hi on my all time favorites), La Femme Nikita and remake Point of No Return.

54 minutes ago, Grace Valerie Claire said:

Human, I am surprised that no one has mentioned Harrison Ford.  I loved the first two Radiers of the Lost Arc movies; but I thought the third one was boring. I have seen HF in a number of movies, and think he is a terrific actor.  I also liked most of the Rocky Movies; SS is still a hunk IMO.  I can't stand boxing, but I love most of the Rocky Movies, as strange as that seems.

Yeah Grace , Harrison F is good as an understated actor...I like the first Indiana Jones Raiders - and the last one - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - it’s jam packed with great scenes starting out with Indiana surviving an atomic blast rolling end over end in a lead-lined refrigerator to the crystal skull aliens wrapping up the end a-la-another dimension or something....check out Harrison F in “Presumed Innocent “ - good thriller for sure...

I like Rocky 1 and 3 the best...I endure Rocky IV just to watch James Brown perform! I do think the last one “Creed” is really good too - there’s kind of a symmetry with Creed and Rocky 1 .

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30 minutes ago, T-Bone said:

Human  , I’m with ya on all those...”Leon the Professional “ written and directed by Luc Besson - - check it out - - some  of his movies are about empowering women : Lucy, the Fifth Element (probably ranks hi on my all time favorites), La Femme Nikita and remake Point of No Return.

Yeah Grace , Harrison F is good as an understated actor...I like the first Indiana Jones Raiders - and the last one - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - it’s jam packed with great scenes starting out with Indiana surviving an atomic blast rolling end over end in a lead-lined refrigerator to the crystal skull aliens wrapping up the end a-la-another dimension or something....check out Harrison F in “Presumed Innocent “ - good thriller for sure...

I like Rocky 1 and 3 the best...I endure Rocky IV just to watch James Brown perform! I do think the last one “Creed” is really good too - there’s kind of a symmetry with Creed and Rocky 1 .

Human, bingo!

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