Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday: Movies

I'll just go ahead an admit from the start that my favorite movies are not sophisticated.  They are not even really that tasteful, if we're being honest.  But what they are is AWESOME!

I'm not a huge "movie" person.  I probably would be if I had the time to actually sit down and watch them, but that hasn't really been the case in the last five years.  (Hmmm...wonder why that would be?)  Any time I do have a moment to watch a film, it's almost always one of these ten, so obviously they've made an impression.  Here are my favorite movies, in no particular order.  Judge away.

1. Blazing Saddles.  You can blame my husband for this one.  I had never seen it until we were bored on vacation one night, and this cracked me up.  It is not my usual brand of humor; in fact, it is offensive in a multitude of ways.  But that Lili von Shtupp?  Hilarious.  "It's twue!  It's twue!"

2.  The Ten Commandments.  Quite a change of pace, no?  Of course I am referring to the epic version with Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner.  I don't watch this constantly or anything, but my family used to watch this every Easter, so it holds a special place in my heart.

3. Toy Story (the entire trilogy).  I am a kid at heart, but these movies have humor that's for adults, too...at least, that's what I tell myself.  I really adore each of these movies, but the third is currently my favorite.  The animation is beautiful, the attention to detail is brilliant, and remembering the toys I had as a child is nostalgic.  These are actually movies I do get to see often, as my kids are in love with the whole franchise.  I don't complain.


4. Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version).  In the UK, it was a mini-series, but it is continuously pieced together on DVD, making it a movie to me.
This has lots of good things going for it.  First of all, it is about my favorite book of all time.  Secondly, the costumes, sets, and locations are gorgeous.  And most importantly, Colin Firth.  Mmmmhmmmm.  If I see a snippet, I have to sit and watch the entire 300 minutes.  Or I just watch the scene where Mr. Darcy jumps in the lake over and over.  Either way works.

5. Peter Pan.  Of course I'm referring to the Disney animated version.  Just typing the name conjures up such a warm feeling.  I remember exact times I saw it as a child, and now I love to watch it with my kids.  It's full of magic...or to be exact, "faith, trust, and pixie dust."  I love the songs, the story, and the themes.  We all hate to grow up, but we have to eventually do just that.  That doesn't mean we have to stop imagining.

6. Amelie.  Oh, fancy!  This French film is visually stunning.  It is a quirky story of a unique girl who sets out to help others in her own way.  I can use the subtitles, or I can just sit back and enjoy the film quality.  It is entertaining and gorgeous either way.

7. The Golden Girls.  The boxed sets count, right?  I'm counting them.  They are on DVD, after all.  I can nearly recite most episodes, and that's pretty sad.  I probably shouldn't have admitted that.

8. Bridget Jones' Diary.  What can I say?  This is just funny.  It also stars two of my favorites: the city of London and Colin Firth.  That alone knocks it into perfect movie territory.

9. Notting Hill.  Brandon's rolling his eyes at this one, but he always secretly watches it and laughs at Spike.  I never intentionally set out to watch this, but if it's on, I'm watching.  I think I like it because I watched it before spending the summer in London once, and it earned instant sentimental points for introducing me to an area I loved to frequent while I was there.

10.  Love Actually.  The rest of the movies are not in any order, but I will tell you that this is my absolute favorite movie of all time.  Number one.  There are so many storylines, all of them good.  I love the soundtrack.  I love Colin Firth (again).  I try to watch it every couple of months, more so during the Christmas season.  After all, "Love actually is all around."

In writing this, I've noticed some things.  I like London.  I love Colin Firth.  And Hugh Grant ends up in lots of movies I enjoy, even though I really have no affinity for him.  I think it's just because he's in nearly every British film.  Or at least he tries to be.  He might be the sole reason my husband hates to watch movies with me; he hates his smarm and his floppy hair, and who can blame him?

What are your favorite movies?  Bonus points if they include Colin Firth.

1 comment: