I got into a discussion about my favorite movies over lunch yesterday and it sparked an afternoon of phone calls and emails back and forth between spouses, friends and coworkers. Before I get into my favorite movies and why, let me give you a little background on my movie watching, in general. We watch a LOT of movies at our house. Josh & I aren't big on television shows (other than a handful that we obsess over), but we will watch movies every day. When we first started dating we saw at least one a week in the theater and over the summers, it wasn't out of the ordinary to be there several times a week. I set the DVR to record our favorites and things we've never seen in the middle of the night, so we always have plenty to see, and there is usually a healthy stack of Redbox rentals near the television, too.
I do like chick-flicks. I do, but they will never rank near the top of my list. While Josh will disagree, most of my friends would say I don't do girly movies. Nicolas Sparks is fine, I like Dirty Dancing as much as the next girl, I'll cry during the funeral scene of Steele Magnolias, but you won't find any of those on my top ten list and maybe not my top 25. I like dude movies. A LOT. Particularly anything unsavory or including any of the following: gangsters, cops, wars, fights, secret agents, thieves, etc. I don't mean cheesy action flicks (although I like Die Hard as much as the next guy), I mean smart, dangerous movies.
Now, let's talk about my favorites...
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - I saw this movie for the first time my sophomore year of high school and fell in love. I love everything about Andy Dufresne. I love how unexpected the sequence of events are at the end of the movie. Even though you know something big is going to happen, the "hows" are so different from what I put together in my mind. The soundtrack is amazing, it is well directed and I love how the movie is narrated by Red. I cannot count the number of times I've seen this movie and can probably recite it backwards and forwards.
- Good Will Hunting (1997)- One of the first movies I saw in the theater with Josh. Such a smart movie. Funny, witty and the acting is spot on. I could listen to Matt Damon & Ben Affleck talk in those accents ALL. DAY. LONG. We always joke that this movie was before Ben got his teeth fixed! Not only is the story brilliant, but it has some of the best movie quotes of all time. This is, of course, the most popular scene and this one sparked the frequent use of the words tomfoolery and shenanigans in our house. And the last scene of the movie? Fantastic.
- Dead Poet's Society (1989) - If this movie doesn't make you wanna stand on your desk, I don't know what will. And baby Ethan Hawke. Need I say more?
- A Bronx Tale (1993) - A gangster movie definitely had to be in my top five. I love Goodfellas and the Godfather movies, but this is my favorite. I love C at every age and never get tired of watching this one. The soundtrack is phenomenal and if you've ever used "the door test" on a date, this is where it came from.
- The Departed (2006) - The only movie in my top five that came out after I graduated high-school. Holy stacked cast - Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson AND Mark Wahlberg?! I loved everything about this movie. Pretty boys, policemen and the mob. What's not to love?
I emailed SD and asked him what his favorites were and he listed these as his top ten: Good Will Hunting, The Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, A River Runs Through It, The Return of the King, Saving Private Ryan, Casino, Goodfellas, The Godfather and Dumb & Dumber. I'm on board for all of these except the last one. I was forced to watch that too many times with he and Chris in high-school and I've officially reached by Jim Carey quota for life. Otherwise, we're pretty compatible when it comes to movies. I will say, that I don't care to ever see Tombstone again and he will watch Point Break EVERY SINGLE TIME it comes on cable television, even if he just watched it yesterday. I can only take so much of Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.
Okay, your turn! Tell me in the comments what your top five movies of all time are. Go.





