Your Picks: Five Movies

[JediJman]

I like 5th Element, Justin.  So that's 4 people! (and I'm not even listing my 5).

That's fine. So no there are four of you who's opinions are wrong.   

[Artoo]

It was okay, not Bruce's best.

[Brian]

Yeah, its really tough to pick five alone.  I'll go with two lists as well, but even then its tough.  Here's if I go the "franchise" route:

1.  Star Wars Franchise (leaning more towards OT overall)
2.  Indiana Jones Franchise
3.  Lord of the Rings Trilogy
4.  Spider-Man Trilogy/Franchise
5.  Harry Potter Franchise

Then, going by individual movies, I'll try to keep it fair and limit it to only one movie per franchise (otherwise the OT would take up 3 of 5 probably).  Here's my favorites, and some honorable mentions:

1.  The Empire Strikes Back (always a tough choice here)
2.  Raiders of the Lost Ark
3.  Fellowship of the Ring (tough choice, but I remember just being amazed the first time I saw this in the theater - especially not being overly familiar with the books yet at that point)
4.  Spider-Man 2
5.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (although I enjoy all of them)

Honorable Mentions - Batman Begins, The Goonies, The Incredibles, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Christmas Vacation, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion..., X2: X-Men United, Transformers - the list goes on.

My favorite might not necessarily be "award winners", but I love movies that just entertain - and these fit the bill for me.  I'd watch pretty much any of them whenever they are on TV, and the DVDs get regular viewings as well.

[Scott]

After recently seeing again a couple of these below, I've been trying to think of what exactly is my favorite movie...here are the 5 contenders...

The Iron Giant

It has been a long time since I've seen this but we recently watched it again one rainy afternoon, it is just so great on so many levels.  The animation is top shelf, the story is wonderful and the end couple of scenes are fantastic. 

The Empire Strikes Back

I remember distinctly sitting in my hometown movie theater as a 5 year old boy with my mouth dropped open the entire time.    AT-AT's, Yoda, Lando, Hoth, the Lightsaber Duel, Vader...I cried like a 5 year old should when Han got frozen.  My friends and I talked about this movie and how it would all turn out for years.  I got the Falcon for my birthday in 81, probably the best present I ever got.  It probably was my favorite movie for a long ass time but it no longer holds the throne.   Star Wars burn out, prequels revisionism, EU etc etc etc have sort of dimmed the star a little.  My boys and I have watched I, II and IV...we'll see what they think of V.  The other films are right up there but Empire trumps them all and always will

Fight Club

I will maintain Fight Club was one of the worst marketing efforts of all time.  Having Brad Pitt in every commercial say "I want you to hit me as hard as you can" over and over became a joke and there was no way I was going to ever see it.  That being said, when I finally did see it, not knowing any of Chuck Palahniuk's book are plot I was absolutely blown away.  It is a great "guy" film and one I watch whenever I see it on cable.

Caddyshack

Anyone who plays golf regulary knows pretty much every line in this flick.  It is that classic and I can laugh almost every single time I see it...

E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial

Me and my boys watched this about a month ago and I just love absolutely everything about it...to me, the all time best scene in movies is the last good-bye between Elliott and E.T.  I tear up each and every time it happens, Williams score blazing in the background.  It is both kid friendly and adult and to me, it has totally changed from my childhood to adulthood and the themes and story are different.  I remember being Elliott, the little kid with Star Wars figures and a brother and sister with a semi disfunctional family who escaped to the back yard woods and dreamed of fighting Russians, finding pirate treasure and meeting aliens.  I played that out over and over again...it is probably why I like Iron Giant so much as well because it is basically the same story with a Robot instead of an alien.  It took my personal top spot at the rerelease in 2002, it is just perfect


It is really, really hard to not have the LOTR trilogy and Indy on here but I just can't find a spot

[knashdx]

I will go based on what I can purchase at retail...

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.



1 & 2 - Easiest way to get all the movies there so I am not without a single one.
3. One of the greatest comedies in the world. I just about have the whole movie memorized, but I still laugh each and every time I watch it.
4. Explosions, guns, and swearing - The basis for any good action movie.
5. It was a toss up between Terminators, Indy and this one. I went with this one because I am huge baseball fan and because...

"Well, I believe in the soul, the ****, the *****, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.

Goodnight"

[Nicklab]

A desert island movie list is kind of tough to distill.  But here are the movies that I find myself coming back to:

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - Probably the best film of the Saga.  And no doubt with the best ending of any of the movies.

GOODFELLAS - No doubt this is Scorcese's masterpiece, even if he did win the Oscar for "The Departed".  It's really epic in scope, spanning a generation.  Just the long shot alone when you make your way into the nightclub through the kitchen is a spectacular achievement in filmmaking.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI - This one just gets better with every viewing.  It's hilarious and blends stoner culture with a film noir story.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - Arguably one of the best films ever made.  And definitely an epic.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - Such an amazing movie.  I've never seen Jim Carrey act better than he did in this role.  The premise is amazing.  The cast overall is very cool.  And the situations that the story carries you through are surreal and astounding.  And mmmmm...Kate Winslet!

[David]

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
T2: Judgment Day
Zombieland

Honorable Mention:
Men in Black
Napoleon Dynamite
Nacho Libre
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek: First Contact

[Brian]

We've actually been discussing this at work lately, and it made me think of this thread again.  I always enjoy reading what everyone's favorites are (and why), and just thought I'd bump this up again.  It seems like everyone has at least one Star Wars movie on the list (often Empire), but I'm wondering - with all the hit and miss enjoyment of the prequels, do those movies make your list?  If so, how far down would they be?  Would it take a Top 10, Top 20, or further?  Also, do you feel like you get more nostalgic with these types of lists, including movies from your childhood/teenage years - or do you include more recent movies?

I'm kind of re-assessing my favorites overall right now, but I know I have a tough time leaving out any of the OT movies from a list.  Empire is always my favorite, but I think the original Star Wars is such a nicely done movie that can really stand on its own.  I think of it like "what if there wasn't ever any sequels?" - well, it would still be a really awesome movie simply called "Star Wars".  I have fond memories of ROTJ as well, and it holds sway being the first movie I can remember seeing in the theaters, going with my Dad.  This thread was originally titled "Five Movies", but if anyone would like to expand their list to 10 (or more), feel free.  It is always fun to read.

[efranks]

If I could do franchises it would be easier, let's say five boxed sets:

1 Star Wars Saga
2 LOTR
3 Harry Potter
4 Mallrats
5 Office Space

If I had to pick individual movies I'd go with:

1 Star Wars: ANH
2 LOTR: Fellowship
3 LOTR: Two Towers
4 LOTR: Return of the King
5 Mallrats

As much as I love Star wars, if I only had ANH I'd be okay, but I'd still want the whole LOTR trilogy

   E...

[iFett]

Is Mallrats really that good?  Must be the only Kevin Smith movie I haven't seen yet.

[efranks]

Mallrats is still my favorite Smith film.  It's as funny for its one-liners and odd look at relationships as it is for a then-unknown Ben Affleck playing sleazy mall store salesman Shannon Hamilton.

Classic:
Hammilton: You see, Bruce, I like to pick up girls on the rebound from a disappointing relationship. They're much more in need of solace and they're fairly open to suggestion. And, I use that to **** them some place very uncomfortable.
Brodie: What, like the back of a Volkswagen?

   E...

[GrandMoffNick]

Is Mallrats really that good?  Must be the only Kevin Smith movie I haven't seen yet.

Mike don't tell anyone I told you this because I don't want to get into a discussion about Mallrats, but no it's not really that good. Ok is a good adjective for it.

[JediJman]

Is Mallrats really that good?  Must be the only Kevin Smith movie I haven't seen yet.

Mike don't tell anyone I told you this because I don't want to get into a discussion about Mallrats, but no it's not really that good. Ok is a good adjective for it.

I'm with Nick, though I might elevate the status up to a "so-so" rating.

[JesseVader08]

Personally, I think Mallrats is Kevin Smith's best movie.  Nothing else has achieved the craziness of that movie, and Jason Lee's character kills me.

Anyway, my 5 favourite movies:

1. Star Wars (A New Hope) - I still prefer it for its ability to stand alone.
2. Die Hard - Classic Bruce Willis action and attitude - yippie ki yay, mother...
3. Toy Story 2 - A movie about how kids loved their toys during their childhood.  Nuff said.
4. Ace Ventura - Jim Carey in his prime.
5. The Princess Bride - Ingenious writing - "anybody want a peanut?" 

[Jayson]

Empire Strikes Back - (for obvious reasons)
Caddyshack/Fletch/Airplane (3 way tie) - if you can't laugh your ass off during any of these, you're dead inside
Fight Club - I saw this movie at a weird time in my life and it totally blew me away
Saving Private Ryan - if you don't cry like a baby at the end of this movie you're dead inside
Indiana Jones ROTLA - It's one of the best adventure/pop corn flicks evar! Still as enjoyable as the first time.

Honorable Mentions:
Superman I & II SE - the Donner SEs make these infinitely better than the original releases. Not to mention the soundtrack
ST: Wrath of Khan - Shatner/Montalban = awesome and again the soundtrack
LOTR Trilogy - possibly the best all around trilogy in terms of story and quality
The Dark Knight - best comic adaptation and Ledger's Joker is unbeatable
Rocky Saga (all except V) - come on it's Rocky!

and about a hundred others.