TOP TEN MOVIE COUNTDOWN (SORTA)

Here I am, signed up for another Blog Hop and I’m almost at a complete loss. This is Alex J. Cavanaugh’s 10 Favorite Movies Blog Hop. I have so many favorites I can’t narrow it down to ten. I keep thinking of others and wondering just exactly what are my BIG TEN FAVORITES. I’m sure as I read others people’s selections, I’ll think ‘OH, I love that movie and I didn’t include it’. So, I’m gonna cheat. Not surprised, are you? I’m going to break my list of likes into categories and tell you some of my favorites in each. Oh well here goes. I’ll start backwards.

10. Christmas Themed Movies.

I’ve got to start with ‘It’s a wonderful Life’. No Christmas would be complete with the opportunity to review George Bailey’s life with him and see that it fact he did have a wonderful life. ‘Every time a bell rings an angel gets their wings.’

For the first time this year I saw the movie Scrooge the Musical and it was absolutely delightful and instantly became one of my Christmas favorites. A big ‘thank you very much’, to the friend who recommended it to me.

Finally I have got to mention ‘Mixed Nuts’ a favorite in my house. It’s wacky, and has quite the ensemble cast, but loads of fun.

Of course I also love old favorites like “Miracle on 34^th Street” (the original), and White Christmas.

 9. Musicals

One of my favorites is an oldie, ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ starring Judy Garland as a young girl. I also love ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘Showboat’.

 8. Westerns

I love ‘Westerns’ from ‘Dances with Wolves to some of the old John Wayne’s like “Red River and ‘She Wore a Yellow Ribbon’. I also love Monument Valley, the place where so many of the old time westerns were shot. ‘True Grit’ the original with John Wayne is a classic and the remake with that Bridges guy wasn’t too bad either. Recently I was also introduced to “Monte Walsh’ and I loved it, but then what’s not to love about Lee Marvin. Also a crossover western, made great by Lee Marvin was ‘Paint Your Wagon’. A western musical, who woulda thunk? I’ve also gotta mention ‘The Black Stallion’, it’s not really a western, but it has a beautiful horse and I’m not sure what other category to put it in, so here it will be. I cannot forget one of my all time favorites “Friendly Persuasion’ with Gary cooper, Anthony Perkins, with the title song sung by Pat Boone.

 7. John Wayne Movies

Yeah, the big guy gets a category all to himself. I love the movie ‘Donovan’s Reef’, heck it’s got John Wayne and Lee Marvin. Don’t forget Hatari, McClintock and The Cowboys. Probably my favorite JW flick is ‘North to Alaska’, this movie even has Ernie Kovacs, a guy who I think was an excellent comedian, playing the villain with the big black mustache and the title song is sung by Johnny Horton (remember him and his big hit – ‘The Battle of New Orleans’) John Wayne was something else.

 6. Disney Classics

I know there are some great new animated films out there and I like a lot of them but nothing beats the Disney Classics like “Peter Pan’, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, ‘Pinocchio’ and the two that are tied as my favorites ‘Dumbo’ and ‘Lady and the Tramp’.

 5. Documentaries

I have got to mention documentaries because two of my favorite films fall into this category. The first I mentioned just recently on one of my blog posts, it’s ‘The Singing Revolution’ the story of Estonia breaking the bonds of the USSR over their country. The second is my favorite Rockumentary, “The Last Waltz’, great music and great recording artists. I never get tired of seeing these guys.

 4. Fantasy and Paranormal

My choices for Fantasy are probably not what most people would think of, but my two favorites are ‘The Princess Bride’ and ‘Stardust’. Not much more to say about that. In the category of Paranormal, I love me a good ghost story and ‘The Ghost and Mrs. Muir’, another oldie but goodie, fits the bill perfectly. Recently, I saw the movie ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ and found it an interesting study in the paranormal along with one I had seen years ago but re-watched recently ‘Altered States’. When it comes to the paranormal, I don’t get out much, but all three of these had a rather profound message.

 3. Silly watch over and over movies, that make you feel good or at least not so bad about yourself.

Ron Howard’s ‘Parenthood’ probably tops that list for me, at least the part about ‘feel not so bad about yourself, as a parent I mean. I love ‘Captain Ron’ and after living three years in the Caribbean, I can attest that most of it is TRUE. ‘The Butcher’s Wife’ is one that I can recite lines from and yet I still howl at some of the sight gags. I like ‘True Lies’ for its goofy spoof of the ‘spy’ movies and the rom/com sentiments between husband and wife. Probably the only Schwarzenegger movie I would sit through more than once. Finally there is ‘Charade’ not really a comedy or silly movie, but it does have its moments and what’s not to like about Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. And, my all time favorite ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. I don’t think any other explanation is necessary for Roger and friends.

 2. Chick Flicks – not sure if this is a good title for this category but I’m not sure how else to group these films.

The first one that comes to mind is ‘Moonstruck’ starring Cher and Nick Cage. Alright so Nick Cage is kind of a weirdo but in this film it works and Cher is superb. ‘Little Black Book’ is another interesting one with a moral about snooping into the life of your significant other and coming up with all the wrong answers. Finally, I really like ‘A Good Year’, not sure this should be called a chick flick, but I don’t know where else to put it. I love the character study and how Max changes as he relives his life with his beloved uncle and soundtrack is fantastic.

 1. My favorite Movie

This movie started out as a ‘Foreign Language’ (Italian) flick that became so popular it was later dubbed in English by the original cast. I’ve seen both versions and love it in either language. The movie; “Life Is Beautiful’. I love the theme about loving someone enough to live your life for them. I’m in an absolute puddle at the end, every time, even though I know what’s coming. I just can’t help it. If you haven’t seen it, rent it right now. The film is separated in two distinct parts that show a sharp contrast in one man’s life and yet when it comes to love, he never falters.

OK that’s it. I know I cheated and names about thirty films, and I’m sure I forgot a bunch, but I just can’t help myself. I love movies, especially those that make me laugh and those that make me cry. I don’t even mind being scared a little bit. And, I didn’t even mention the love stories. Next time.

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