My 100 Favorite Films (20-11)

It's the TOP 20, baby! TOP 20!

20)  Return to Me-  I'm a sucker for "chick flicks," and this is one of the best ones ever. I love David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. Their chemistry was spot on. Bonnie Hunt (who wrote and directed this gem) and Jim Belushi are extremely relatable and hilarious! But the best part of the film is the restaurant of old men and their improvisation! I laugh so hard every time I watch this movie.

19)  Forrest Gump-  There are a few Tom Hanks movies on my list (Cast Away was so close to being in my top 100--I'm still upset it's not here). He is truly an incredible actor. I love the scope of this movie. So many great moments and experiences that make their way into this story.

18)  Collateral-  My favorite Tom Cruise movie. He is brilliant as a cold hearted hit man. Jamie Fox is so good in this. They develop an awesome "relationship" throughout the movie. Definitely my favorite portrayal of Los Angeles. Michael Mann's cinematography is perfectly done.

17)  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2-  I have posted many times on this blog my love for Harry Potter. The books are are my all-time favorite series and I just love the movies so much. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are perfectly cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Each director over the series added their own vision and captured beautifully, certain moments from the books. It was hard to narrow down my favorite from the last 4 films, but I have to go with the final one. Alan Rickman... It gets better and better every time I watch it.

16)  Raiders of the Lost Ark-  How can this not be in the Top 20?

15)  The Goonies-  I looked exactly like Sean Astin when this movie came out. I lived an envious life for years. I used to dream that my cousins and I would find a map that would lead us through Mount Timpanogos. There are many movies that I wish I were in--this is near the top of the list.

14)  It's a Wonderful Life-  I weep every time. Weep.

13)  When Harry Met Sally-  My favorite romantic comedy. Billy Crystal is a genius. Meg Ryan is who I would want if Lindsay did not exist. A perfect script.

12)  The Bourne Supremacy-  The Bourne trilogy might be my second favorite trilogy (it's not hard to guess my favorite). I love the emotion and vengeance driven plot of Supremacy--track down who killed Marie. Add Karl Urban to the mix and you've got a great movie.

11)  Saving Private Ryan-  This was the beginning of my love of World War II. When I first saw this, it messed me up. Bad. Lindsay and I came home from the theater and I cried and cried. I couldn't get it out of my head for weeks. I watched it this past week and it's still so affecting. Tom Hanks gives my favorite performance of his. Steven Spielberg created something incredibly profound and personal with this movie. It's just so good.

My Favorite Films (30-21)

Getting closer to the Top 20! It's just so exciting!

30)  Peter Pan-  This was a very hard choice to make. Walt Disney and his team created such a wonderful group of classic feature-length cartoons. Which one to choose? Sleeping Beauty? Alice in Wonderland? 101 Dalmations? I had to go with Peter Pan. It is of course my link to my childhood, Disneyland, and a choir tour during my junior year of high school.

29)  Schindler’s List-  It's not easy to watch this movie, but I don't know if any movie (other than Saving Private Ryan) has ever affected me so deeply. Your life is changed after watching a movie like this. That's real power in art.

28)  Terminator 2: Judgment Day-  I collected Terminator 2 trading cards. Yeah. I know.

27)  Point Break-  The all-time best guilty pleasure ever! Patrick Swayze is so freaking cool. His name is Bohdi for freaking sake!

26)  White Christmas-  "The best things, happen while you're dancing..."

25)  E.T.-  This was my first favorite movie! Every time I watch it, or even think about it, my childhood comes rushing back. I love, love, love this movie.

24)  Home Alone-  I know this is a strange movie to be so high up on my list of all-time favorites. But this is my go to "feel-good" movie. I will watch it in the middle of the summer if I'm feeling stressed or blue. It's Christmas. Pure Christmas.

23)  Inception-  The hallway battle scene is one of the best things ever put on film. Christopher Nolan's best movie and one of Leonardo DiCaprio's best, as well.

22)  Aliens-  James Cameron knows how to make a sequel (Terminator 2). This movie took a totally different direction from the small, claustrophobic feel of the original and gave it a huge, claustrophobic feel. So crazy and creepy! "Game over, man! Game over!"

21)  The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers-  Great musical themes, introduction of Gollum, Helm's Deep, King Theoden, Faramir...Brilliance in film making.

My Favorite Films (40-31)

40)  A League of Their Own-  "There's no crying in baseball!"

39)  The Three Amigos-  Absolutely one of the funniest movies of all time! Martin (a talent in so many art forms), Chase, and Short have such great chemistry. Some of my favorite quotable lines. We show about 45 minutes of this to our sixth graders each year on Cinco de Mayo.

38)  Raising Arizona-  Many think that Nicolas Cage sold out after his early years in acting. I still love him, but I agree that he had a different approach when he was younger. The Coen Brother's best film. "I'll be taking these Huggies, and whatever cash ya got."

37)  Hook-  This movie is grossly misjudged. I think it's one of the best family films ever made. I love Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Smith, the lost boys. In my opinion this is the best music John Williams ever created.

36)  The Little Mermaid-  The last film Walt Disney personally oversaw before his death was 1967's The Jungle Book. Over the next 20 years, Disney's feature length cartoon department almost disappeared with some pretty horrible outings. Then The Little Mermaid opened and changed modern cartoons as we know them today. I can still remember sitting in the Scera Theater seeing this movie over and over. Life changing.

35)  The Sting-  Newman and Redford at their best. I love this movie! It reminds me of my friends in high school. Great revenge.

34)  Moulin Rouge-  I was absolutely blown away by this film when it was released--still am. If I'm not mistaken, it kick started the wave of movie musicals from recent years. Ewan McGregor is incredible. The "Elephant Love Medley" is brilliant.

33)  Sleepless in Seattle-  If you don't like this movie, there is something wrong with you. I'm sorry, there is.

32)  Ghostbusters-  "The flowers... are still... standing!" Everything about this movie is just so good. What a fantastic idea with such great talent. Who would have thought it would work?!

31)  Out of Sight-  "Fake legs?!" This is George Clooney's first great movie. If you watch him in anything earlier, he really is not a very good actor. I think Steven Soderbergh made him into the talent he is now. The scene between Clooney and Jennifer Lopez in the trunk is so sexy. And then...the hotel scene!--sexiest scene on film.

My Favorite Films (50-41)

I'm down to my Top 50! I'm going to start listing 10 at time now. As always, these are subject for your agreement or argument.

 

50)  William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet_  Gotta be honest, I hated this movie when it came out. Now? I can’t watch any other version but this one. Baz Luhrman captured this story in such a crazy/beautiful way. DiCaprio and Danes killed it in every way imaginable (no pun intended).

49)  Joe vs. the Volcano-  “As a luggage problem, I believe I have just the thing.” I love this movie. It is my early teenage years with my cousins.

48)  Pollyanna-  “When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.” I have to watch this movie every 4^th of July. I don’t think a better child performance has ever been captured on film.

47)  3:10 to Yuma (2007)-  My favorite western of all time. Christian Bale’s best performance.

46)  The Great Escape-  So many wonderful, funny moments in this. Steve McQueen is just so cool.

45)  Titanic-  You may have gotten sick of it at one point, but watch it again. It’s a very powerful movie.

44)  The Breakfast Club-  John Hughes' best film. I know the script by heart, I’ve seen it so many times. Every character is perfect.

43)  Wall-E-  Wall-E expresses such an emotional range with virtually no dialogue. It’s an amazing artistic achievement. A beautiful film.

42)  Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back-  Question- How’s the temperature in a Ton-Ton? Answer- It’s not too Hoth, it’s not too cold. It’s Luke warm.

41)  Back to the Future-  One of my first favorite movies! Marty McFly, Doc Brown, George McFly, Biff…so good.

My 100 Favorite Films (75-51)

75)  Jurassic Park-  James Cameron’s The Abyss was the first time seeing something CGI that was truly impressive (the water snake). Then Jurassic Park opened and blew you away! The music, the T-Rex, Spielberg’s talent for creating fear and intensity. Still holds up so well.

74)  Lethal Weapon 2-  Sequels can ruin or strengthen a series. This film is so well done. It took everything you loved about the original and kicked it up with caffeine.

73)  Willow-  “I stole the baby!”

72)  Mission Impossible III-  I love Tom Cruise. I love J.J. Abrams. I love Alias. This movie was a combination of all.

71)  The Incredibles-  The best superhero movie ever made. Sorry Dark Knight.

70)  The Princess Bride-  One of my favorite scripts of all time. Probably the most quoted movie ever.

69)  End of Watch-  This movie is quite harsh. It’s not for everyone. But the relationship developed on screen between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena is so real. Beautifully done.

68)  Duck Soup-  I love the Marx Brothers! Their all-time best.

67)  Pulp Fiction-  Before my mission I was in California with friends and we went into a movie memorabilia store on Santa Monica Boulevard. I had enough money to buy either a Pulp Fiction script or a mint condition Yoda action figure from The Empire Strikes Back. I chose the script. Great movie, but that was a HUGE mistake.

66)  Contact-  I love Jodie Foster. She is brilliant in this movie—it reminds me of my sister Jani.

65)  Untamed Heart-  This is such a simple film. I love the story, I love the performances and the music is at the top of my list.

64)  Close Encounters of the Third Kind-  This also reminds me of Jani. Crazy great visuals and Richard Dreyfuss is so perfect. The scene where he is trying to get his kids to go see Pinnochio…love.

63)  The Professional-  This is another wonderful relationship film. Jean Reno and Natalie Portman create the most beautiful kinship. I love, love, love Natalie Portman in this movie.

62)  The Silence of the Lambs-  This is how a horror movie is made. Brilliant.

61)  Dances With Wolves-  “Tatonka.”

60)  The Parent Trap-  I remember when I found out that Hayley Mills was just one person! What the?! Disney classic at it’s finest.

59)  How to Train Your Dragon-  I love the music, the vocal work, the visuals (great 3D film).

58)  The Shawshank Redemption- “I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.”

57)  Garden State-  And so continues my love affair with Natalie Portman…

56)  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-  Robert Downey, Jr.’s best work. Whip smart script and perfectly executed by Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer.

55)  The Fugitive-  I can’t believe that Harrison Ford was not nominated for an Oscar for his work in this! Great thriller.

54)  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-  I wish I could say this is John Hughes’ best film (coming up soon), but it’s just about perfect. It’s no surprise I wanted to be Ferris and have Sloane be in love with me.

53)  (500) Days of Summer-  “This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know up front, this is not a love story…” And yet, one of the best love stories ever told.

52)  In the Name of the Father- Daniel Day-Lewis is insane. I was obsessed with this movie at age 17.

51)  Always-  An unappreciated gem from Steven Spielberg. 

My 100 Favorite Films (100-76)

I have loved movies my entire life (I've got the embarrassing tatoo to prove it). I grew up watching classic Disney films, both animated and live-action (you will find a few on my list). I love action, comedy, epic, romance, horror…Film, more than any other artistic medium, affects me deeply and occupies a great deal of my thoughts and conversation with others.

You notice that my title for this blog is “My 100 Favorite films,” not the 100 best films. I’m sure there are best films that did not make my list (there’s no Godfather, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Psycho). I’ve seen them and they’re good, but I’ve made a list of films that I really enjoy watching and will watch again and again. I know there are movies I have forgotten and a couple on my list that I’m still battling with, but this was a very difficult process. I challenge you to try it!

So for your enjoyment here is the first in a series to follow over the next few days: Films 100 through 76.

100)  Mannequin- Yes, I wanted a mannequin to come to life for me when I was 12. I’m pretty confident I was not the only one…

99)  Signs- My favorite of Shyamalan’s films (he did make some good ones early on).  Water premise aside, it’s got a good, creepy feeling. Mel and Joaquin are brilliant.

98)  Say Anything… “I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen.”

97)  The Social Network- So intriguing! I love what Fincher did with this, but I know it would not have been as effective if not for Trent Reznor’s score. 

96)  Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl- Jack Sparrow is one of the greatest characters ever created.

95)  The Holiday- Winslet, Black, Law, Diaz…great story.

94)  I Am Legend- Will Smith’s best. I love the feel and visuals of last man alive in New York City.

93)  A Bug’s Life- This movie for me is a link to Kam’s childhood and California Adventure.

92)  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey- It has DNA of LOTR. I think this will get better for me over time. Peter Jackson and his team put SO much love, time, and passion into these films.

91)  50 First Dates- An Adam Sandler film on any list might be cause for rejection of said list. But this movie is a winner.

90)  Shaun of the Dead- I love zombies and this is as good as you will find.

89)  The Iron Giant- “I am Superman.” Tears every time.

88)  Sense and Sensibility- Emma Thompson is a genius. This is a fantastic film!

87)  Blazing Saddles- The only movie I know of where a horse gets punched and it’s the funniest thing you have ever seen.

86)  Sneakers- My first Phil Alden Robinson film on the list. Redford and Kingsley are so good. Perfect music, great intensity, I want it further down on my list.

85)  Groundhog Day- Bill Murray’s second best film. “It’s just a couple of flakes…”

84)  Clue- I watched this non-stop as a kid. Loved the game, thought it was so weird it was being made into a film, but it worked.

83)  The Untouchables- “Here endeth the lesson.”

82)  In Bruges- This was a sweet find. Who knew Collin Farrell was so funny?

81)  Catch Me If You Can- This is a film that grew on me. John Williams created a great score and Leonardo DiCaprio gave such a layered performance.

80)  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid- “Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?”

79)  The Mummy- I could watch this movie anytime. Brendan Fraser is perfectly cast, as is Rachel Weisz. Popcorn fun.

78)  Warrior- Some of the best performances I have seen. Nick Nolte killed in this.

77)  Big- Again, this is a movie that every boy wishes would come true.

76)  Oceans 11- It’s hard not to enjoy this film. It shows the Las Vegas you wish were real.

Lake Powell Part 3

Last round of pictures. I promise.

Max painted these two with charcoal to look like football players.

Boating, swimming and cliff jumping in Moqui

Max is the ref

Chilling in the houseboat. Great space in the main room.

Lake Powell Part 2

Next round of pics:

Kam caught a couple of fish!

Devro and Tommy--they love and hate each other

Adam loved to chill in the boat. He is quite the boat driver.

I loved the evenings sitting around the campfire.