Since the academy awards are tomorrow night, I thought it might be a good
time to bring this topic up again.  What is your favorite movie of
all time?  I'm not necessarily talking about what you think is the best movie
but what film is your favorite? which film moved you the most or changed
your life the most?

171 responses total.

  Okay since I asked the question, I will go first...there are a lot of
films that I really like, but my personal favorite is the mid-1920s
Charlie Chaplin silent film, "City Lights"  This is the film where
Chaplin really mastered the combination of comedy and pathos.  It is
the story of how Chaplin's Little Tramp character falls in love with a
beautiful blind girl who mistakenly thinks he is Prince Charming instead
of a bum.  It is a deeply moving film that has one of the most debated 
endings in cinema history, when the blind girl gets her sight back and 
sees the Tramp on the street and patronizes him until they inadvertently
hold hands and she recognizes him.
  I guess you could say that ending is testimony to the cruel ironies of life
where one's dreams turn out often to be quite different than reality.  It is
impossible not to get worked up seeing "City Lights"
                        RJW (Kerouac)

"Local Hero"  It sums up my philosophy of life, every whacky moment.

A League of Their Own...It makes me laugh and in the end makes you cry.  I've
watched it at least 50 times.  A lot of people don't like MAdonna but she does
an excellent job in it.  

   I'm not sure I could have a favorite movie, or one that espouses a
philosophy that I could take to heart.  I've observed snippets from
many movies that I creatly admire and keep in mind, but life seems 
complex to create standards based on two dimensional film.

I can't name a favorite movie.  Some of my favorite movies I can hardly bare
to watch.  Like "City Lights" is a fine film, but much too sad to watch on
any regular basis.  Maybe one once a millenium or so.

I can however name the films that I love seeing over and over again.  I've
got them on video, and I could watch the dang things ever other day for the
rest of my life and be a happy man.  I don't claim they are the best films,
just that I love them:

  African Queen
  Cat Ballou
  Room With a View
  Groundhog Day

They are all romances, all fine comedy, all deep observations of the state
of being human.  Cat Ballou and African Queen both have fine fun music.  
Love the Queen's theme tune.  "Silver Streak" just misses the list.  It just
seems a bit clumsy at times and I started seeing flaws after two dozen or
so viewings.  "Groundhog Day" appeals to my love of repeatition.  It reminds
me of some of Steve Reich's music.  The same scenes happen over and over
again, but with gradually evolving emotional content.  I should probably add
"Diva" to the list.  Yeah, consider it added.  "One, Two, Three" comes close
but just misses.

Dang there are so many wonderful films.  "The Adventures of Baron Von
Muncshausen," "I've Heard the Mermaids Singing," "The Seven Samari," "Bringing
Up Baby," "Back to the Future," "Time After Time," "Tampopo," "Lady and the
Tramp," "North by Northwest," "Edward Sissorhands."  How can anyone have a
favorite?

 If I could only pick 3 movies: Forrest Gump, Ben-Hur, and The Preducers.
/s/ The producers.

"To have and have not" and "the third man".

I think my favorite movie of all time is "The Wizard of Oz."
When I was little it was the first movie that caught my attention and
I would actually sit and watch it.  Of course, I love all kinds of movies
from romance to comedy to science fiction.  you know, this is kind of a
hard question... hmmm  <nicely wanders off to ponder>

I don't know that I have a single favorite, or that any movie particularly
changed my life, but since somebody already mentioned it I'll throw in
"To Have and Have Not".

Let me add a few to the pile:  Dead Poets Society, Parenthood, History of
the World (Part I), Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and 2001: A Space 
Odyssey.

"Night of the Living Dead" changed my life.  Twas the first horror film I
stayed up late watching on TV.  Scared the pants of me and began my love 
of horror films.
 
As far as films I can watch over and over:  "The Court Jester" starring 
Danny Kaye.  Just brilliant every time I see it.  "Cat Ballou" is also right
up there near the top.

I've never gone intentionally to see a movie twice (I have seen a few
on TV twice, due primarily to inertia). Of course I liked some more than
others, but naming a "favorite" is too simplistic, and hence trivializing.

I find it imppossible to pick one "favorite" out of all the
movies I've ever seen. Off the top of my head I'm able to think
of 4 movies that struck a chord with me, that I caould watch over
and over again: A Room With A View  Harold and Maude  Creator  The Crow

This response has been erased.

I couldn't name all of my favorite movies. But the ones I watch the
most are Natural Born Killers, The Lion King, and A Cloakwork Orange.
Oh, and we can't forget Nine Inch Nails Broken. Gory, but great!

Just to name a few:

Repo man
a christmas story
wild at heart

common thread?  all full of great one liners!

Withnail and I is so exceptional that I have trouble believing it.  It is a
british cult movie  about a couple of actor friends who go on vacation to the
country after a seven day drunk.  There's a man with eels, a gay uncle and some
guy with wigged out eyes and a joint the size of a carrot.  Wickedly funny. ..

Philadelphia Story and West Side Story are way up there.

Nine Inch Nails: Broken (thanks for the show peacefrg)
The Lion King
Aladdin
Natural Born Killers
Pulp Fiction
The Doors
The Princess Bride
Labyrinth
Willow
Anything with Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, or Abbott and Costello (radio
recordings)

 19 was very good, NBK, Lion King, Doors, Princess Bride, all terrific movies, 
as are Legend, The Goonies, Dream a Little Dream,
Three Amigos, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, Star Wars Trilogy,
The Lost Boys..i could go forever, but won't :)

Re #19:  Wow, Disney and Tarantino, what a combo.  I wonder if Tarantino
will ever make a Disney movie.

That would be cool.

Naturally drawn killers?
Resevoir dogs (starring pluto, goofy, and the 101 dalmations)

The Last Unicorn is still my favorite movie, no matter what some people have
to say about it <ducking from flying brocoli>

Yes!!! I love the Last Unicorn, and the Dark Crystal comes in a close 
second.

I really liked _The Neverending Story_.  It's what got me started in 
philosophy.

I was so ecstastic to find a video store that still holds a copy of "the
last unicorn."  I also have fallen in love with Birdy's movies, and then
Dune, Excalibur, Conan the Barbarian, Candyman, Blade Runner, When Harry Met
Sally, to name a few faves...New Fave though, Pulp fiction, and I do
believe a tarantino/disney combination, or even a re-write would be in order,
where snow white accidently snuffs a forest creature whilst singing, and
keeps in cold storage at the dwarves' house...all while the sleeping beauty
is only pretending to be asleep watching the whole thing and the
rescuers traveling around collecting debts for the lion king...still going on,
however, we find the little mermaid overdosing on the shore and the tramp
going out of town while the aristocats dance the night away with lady..and
dumbo fixing the whole problem with a simple flap of his ears and then...
<I think I've gotten a litle too nostalgic...>

The Chocolate Factory and Willie Wonka!!
...no...Strike that!  Reverse it!

Oh my dearest amanda...Do you not know that I have your lighter and cigarettes
So, you better start ducking the flying broccoli and stop mentioning it.

Or else... ]:)-I--<

Anybody want to have a nice zippo and 5 camel light cigarettes?
Just send me postage :)

Conan...what was all of that?  =)  <rotfl>  And I saw the time you typed that.
No wonder you were so distant with me...you were on the confs at the same
time  =)  Birdy's movies?  Do you mean my faves?  <birdlady is utterly
spinning in confuzzlement at this point>

confuzzlement??? Is that the nasua you feel in your stomach when you read too
many stupid romantic google eyed entries by a certain bird?

Froggie! i have a new lighter, & pleanty more cigarettes :P

I am not stupid...I am not google-eyed.  Some people wanted to hear the
story.  A lot of people like romantic stories, so they read the item.  If you
don't like it, don't read it...simple as that.

It's not a matter of telling the story once or twice. It's a matter
of having to hear little nauseating lovy dovey sentences
every response you make. Somehow you incorporate conan into all of them.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is sick of reading that stuff

No I don't.  Haven't you been reading?  I only respond to questions about
us, Frog.  =(  I'm sorry if you don't like it, though.  *hugs*  (and that's
a meaningful hug)

I agree with Sarah, PeaceFrog - if you don't like it, you should forget this
item, 'cuz lovey-dovey is what you'll find here.

This response has been erased.

Isn't there a lovey-dovey item around here somewhere?

Yes, there's a romance item. I'm not complaining that it shouldn't be in there.
I'm just complaining it shouldn't be in here.

Okay...I solemnly swear not to mention what's-his-name in anymore items,
except the ones like Romance...okay?  <birdlady holds up her right hand>  =)

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss