Monday, March 5, 2018

Your 'Best Picture" Award

INGRID THOFT

Last night, "The Shape of Water" was awarded the “Best Picture” Oscar at the 90th annual Academy Awards show in Hollywood.  This film was a feast for the eyes and a grown up fairy tale about love, acceptance, and the meaning of "humanity."  I really enjoyed it, but that's not always the case when it comes to the "Best Picture" winner.

It seems that the “Best Picture” often goes to the movie deemed “most important” by the Academy.  Movies definitely play a role in moving forward cultural conversations and societal norms—isn’t that, in fact, one of the main benefits of any art form—but movies are also forms of entertainment.  Sometimes, we just want to escape the woes of the real world and lose ourselves in an alternate reality. 
We’ve discussed our favorite bad movies on Jungle Red, but I’m wondering to which movie you would award your personal “Best Picture” award?  My vote goes to "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  It has everything that a best picture should have:  adventure, action, a social conscience, romance, exotic locations, Harrison Ford, and it stands the test of time.  The official Best Picture winner in 1982?  “Chariots of Fire," which was a terrific movie, but not one I’ve watched multiple times.

Which film gets a shiny gold statue from you, Reds?

RHYS BOWEN:  One I thought had everything was "Out Of Africa."  Incredible romance and those gorgeous African scenes. Of the current crop I was impressed with "The Darkest Hour" and my daughter loved "The Shape of Water."

JENN McKINLAY: I'm not a huge fan of award shows because I feel like these people give themselves an awful lot of accolades and they're not exactly curing cancer, but I digress. If I had to pick my best movie, it would be "Field of Dreams." It had so many layers. I just loved it. Side note: I would absolutely follow James Earl Jones anywhere, even into the cornfield. I adored "Out of Africa" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," too, but Shoeless Joe's story wins out for me.
Ray Liotta and Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams"

HALLIE EPHRON
: I know I'm going WAY back to a movie that came out before I was old enough to even go to the movies, but I still love: "Born Yesterday." It stars Judy Holliday who was the most divine comedienne. A sort of precursor to "Pretty Woman" except the guy is a gangster and she outs him. Then, of course, "Some Like It Hot." And "Singin' in the Rain." Another much darker oldie: "Diabolique" with Simone Signoret: a man's wife and his mistress conspire to kill him and the corpse disappears. The scariest bathtub scene in moviedom.


IPT: "Singin' in the Rain" is one of my favorites, too!


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh, I love "Born Yesterday," too! ("It's car-TEL!")  But that is the world's toughest question.  For big movies, "The Godfather" is incomparable--I could watch that a million times, and see something fabulous and different every time.  But I also love "The Philadelphia Story," (and "High Society.")

I will watch "Working Girl" any time it's on--I think Melanie Griffith's character is  touching and empowering, and every time the Let The River Run theme comes up at the end, and you see her pure happiness soar compared to the vastness of New York City..ah.  I guess I love ugly duckling stories, because I am also fond of "The Devil Wears Prada." And! "Desk Set." And "Adam's Rib." But best movie of all time?  I need to keep thinking.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Ingrid, I love "Raiders of the Lost Ark!" I also love the first Star Wars, clunky dialogue and all, but such fun. "Out of Africa" was one of my picks, too, Rhys. And "Field of Dreams," Jenn! "Field of Dreams" is my daughter's favorite movie ever, but for me, "Bull Durham" is right up there with it. But, at least for the moment, my final Best Movie comes down to two that I can't choose between. "The Holiday," written and directed by Nancy Meyers, staring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black, with fabulous supporting actors including Eli Wallach, great music by Hans Zimmer, funny, sweet, smart, and romantic.


And--"The Big Easy" starring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin. Mystery, suspense, romance (sexy!!!), humor, great dialogue, great New Orleans atmosphere, and GREAT music. Anyone who has never seen it should do it now.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm so glad we're discussing picks from all movies, because the only things I've seen of this year's nominees has been "The Post" and half of "Dunkirk." (Ross and I went to see it, but the sound was SO LOUD he called it quits after forty minutes, poor guy.) I tend to spend my money on flicks that need a big screen: superhero movies or splashy thrillers. I wait for others until they come out in DVD or streaming.
That being said, my award-winner would be the original "Die Hard." It's an almost perfect example of storytelling. Every little beat from the early part of the film turns out to be relevant later. No dangling threads, nothing not in service to the plot or characters. And despite being the very definition of an action movie, it's still completely focused on the people at the center of the story: the scared, vulnerable hero; his steel-spined business executive wife; the ordinary schlub cop; and of course, Alan Rickman playing his villain just shy of over the top. Love it, and we watch it every year on Christmas Eve.

Your turn, Readers.  What is your "Best Picture?"


115 comments:

  1. My “best picture” vote goes to “San Francisco” with Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy
    [I’m with Hallie on loving “Singin’ in the Rain”] . . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never even heard of "San Francisco," Joan. Off to look that one up!

      Delete
    2. I've never heard of it either... going to find...

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “San Francisco” is one of ten films nominated for the 1936 Best Picture award . . . Spencer Tracy earned a Best Actor nomination for his role as Father Tim Mullin, one of the six nominations the film received. The 1906 earthquake special effects were simply amazing . . . .

      Delete
    5. I'm mostly on board with Deborah Crombie, love "San Francisco" too, but my "ten best" list includes also "A Room with a View" and "The English Patient"--memorable performances, wonderful scenery.

      Delete
  2. The last new release movie I saw was “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” . And that was disappointing. Lack of knowledge compels to pass on voting for Best Picture. Happy Monday all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But it gets "funniest moment in a film' award from me: when Roger Rabbit pulls his hands out of the cuffs that shackle him to Bob Hoskins' character, and Hoskins says, Why didn't you do that before? And RR tells him that he didn't do it before because it wasn't funny then. I confess, I bought a stuffed Roger Rabbit after seeing that movie.

      Delete
    2. Hallie, must have me...I have no recollection of that scene or any other particular scene. You described a truly funny moment, thanks.

      Delete
  3. This is so easy for me.

    The Silence of the Lambs. 'Nuff Said!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never saw that. Way too scary for me!

      Delete
    2. Loved it, too, and I don't usually like anything THAT creepy.

      Delete
    3. For me it was a combination of my complete and utter adoration of Jodie Foster (I've been a fan of hers since "Candleshoe") and being a 19 year old completely enamored with the idea of Hannibal Lecter and Anthony Hopkins portrayal of him.

      I liked the character of Lecter so much that people worried I wanted to be like him. I told them I could never be a serial killer, that's WAY too much work for me. Plus I don't drink or eat fava beans, much less liver. LOL

      Delete
  4. The List of Adrian Messenger...a book made into a super movie. B & W.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another one I need to go look up!

      Delete
    2. Love The List of Adrian Messenger. I thought it was a terrific film and full of surprises.

      Delete
  5. I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in a matinee filled with kids--felt like a kid myself on a rollercoaster ride of pure entertainment--it gets a vote, as does the original Star Wars, ditto Princess Bride, ditto The Holiday, ditto Out of Africa, ditto anything with Alan Rickman. But if we can include any movie--then I'm tossing in a vote for The African Queen--Bogart won for best actor; Hepburn, Huston, and James Agee were all nominated. And while I'm at it, I'll toss in Harry Potter--all of them as one award--fabulous writing, wonderful characters--costumes--scenery/special effects!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Which Hitchcock is the best? Rear Window?
    And how about To Kill a Mockingbird ?
    Lawrence of Arabia?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Warren loved Lawrence of Arabia and Apocalypse Now. Watched them over and over. Great movies, but not ones I need ever watch again.

      Delete
    2. Oh, Man Who Knew Too Much! SO great.

      Delete
    3. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of my forever-favorite films . . . .

      Delete
    4. Best Hitchcock movie is Vertigo imho

      Delete
  7. Too many good ones to pick. Also: many, many not-so-good ones that get undeserved attention.

    This would not be my pick for best picture of all time, but I just watched (for the first time--how had I missed it?) Benny and Joon. Omigod, what a cast, with great acting, and all the feels: happy, sad, sweet, despair, hope. But young Johnny Depp was utterly brilliant. I had no idea.

    Wasn't the program wonderful last night? Probably the best Academy Awards show I've seen in decades. And so many lovely gowns, for a change.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always love watching for the dresses and the jewels. Some of the jewels were unbelievable!

      Delete
    2. Benny and Joon was amazing. Johnny Depp was astonishing when it came to the physical comedy bits.

      Delete
    3. Yes, where else do you get to see such exquisite jewels?

      Delete
  8. Love many of these picks and have watched some multiple times, but the writer in me still loves both Romancing the Stone anf Shakespeare in Love. Also Joss Whedon’s marvelous Serenity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love "Romancing the Stone." So many quotable lines, and I also loved "Serenity." Come back, "Firefly!"

      Delete
    2. I'll vote for Romancing the Stone. Such a breakthrough screenplay.

      Delete
    3. So interesting, Gigi! Why was it a breakthrough screenplay?

      Delete
    4. Goodness me, we have Browncoats on this blog? Kathy/Kate/Kaitlyn, you did watch the TV show, right?

      I'm stoked to see some love for Firefly and Serenity. And to know that Ingrid likes it is killer!

      BTW Ingrid, Firefly is coming back, sort of. They announced a couple weeks back that they will be publishing three sanctioned by Joss Whedon novels set after the events of the movie, starting with the first one in October of this year. There has also been approved comic books too.

      Two of the actors (Summer Glau and Sean Maher (River and Simon Tam) were at a convention last week and said while they don't think there will ever be anymore shows or movies made, they'd be on board if it happened.

      Alan Tudyk (Wash) is coming to the Rhode Island Comic Con in November, so I'm hoping to meet him as I've met Morena, Jewel and Summer already!

      Delete
    5. Hank—use of archetypes, for one thing. Someone used it as the basis for a book on writing. Christopher Vogler, maybe. Whoever it was, i heard him speak many years ago at a Ninc cinference and even though I’m vague on details now I remember being wowed at the time.

      Delete
    6. I love "Firefly," Jay! I was so disappointed when they cancelled it!

      Delete
    7. Jay *Squeals in Excited Glee!*

      I do a rewatch every year and if I can get to area conventions when they have Firefly guests, I go.

      It is so awesome that you are a member of the Browncoats! :D

      Delete
    8. Totally! I proudly saw "Serenity" in the theater on the big screen!

      Delete
    9. I saw Serenity on the big screen, too!

      Hank, Romancing the Stone was a breakthrough screenplay because it was a romantic adventure written by a woman, with a strong female lead, in the years before Thelma and Louise. The screenplay kicked around for years before any studio would take a chance on it.

      Delete
    10. Ingrid, I saw Serenity on the big screen as well.

      I wish I could get to one of the Can't Stop The Serenity events they do across the country each year to raise money for Equality Now and local charities. The area Browncoats rent out a theater (usually Boston here) and show the movie on the big screen.

      Delete
  9. Reaching back into the mists of my childhood - Shenandoah the Jimmy Stewart movie. It's set in the Civil War and is about family, love, and surviving. I saw it so many times as a child that I could recite the book from beginning to end. Out of Africa would also get my vote as would Book, Bell, and Candle, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Sabrina (the original).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard not to like anything with Jimmy Stewart in it, Kait!

      Delete
    2. The REAL Sabrina. Oh. That dress! xoo

      Delete
    3. I loved the Jimmy Stewart / John Wayne flick "The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance".

      Delete
    4. Oh Kait, Shenandoah was such an epic, amazing movie. I must have been fairly young when I watched it for the first time, but it was such a great story. Jimmy Stewart and the young Katherine Ross. Such a sad tale, but an excellent Civil War story.

      Delete
  10. How can anyone "the best"? Doesn't it depend on what we want ( or need) at any given moment? Music and dance? Or breathless adventure? A story that grapples with something real and makes me think or feel? A story that's all fluff and romance, or silliness, and makes me smile or laugh? Fortunately, movies can do all of that, and more. Not a gadget person generally but I do love the invention of recorded movies! And wasn't the 90 years of movies montage great?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The montage was great; it made me realize there are lots of great movies that discover another viewing.

      Delete
    2. Yes, I adore montages..they always bring back such great memories.. And I know they were worried about time, but I wish it had been a tiny bit longer in each segment.i

      Delete
  11. Among my favorites are Ken and Em's Much Ado (and have you seen them in Dead Again?), Sense and Sensibility, Trading Places, Bull Durham, Foul Play, A Room with a View (HBC doesn't do much, but everyone else is great, especially DDL), To Kill a Mockingbird, Love Actually ("It's great to have someone you can chat to at work"). Nothing recent because we don't go to movies much. I keep saying I'm going to try Die Hard... maybe this time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw "Foul Play" when I was little, Jim, and it scared the daylights out of me. I'm guessing as an adult I won't find it as disturbing.

      Delete
    2. Oh, Bull Durham! The nail polish scene.

      Delete
    3. I have to admit that I'm not a "Bull Durham" fan. I think I'm the only one on earth!

      Delete
    4. Oh, my gosh. Love Actually. I would watch that whenever it's on!

      Delete
    5. Love Actually is a movie I watch at Xmas. I love the scene with Alan Rickman and Rowan Atkinson as Rickman tries to buy that jewelry for his potential affair. Freaking priceless.

      As for Bull Durham...awesome movie with some great lines.

      And I love the version of Sense and Sensibility that Emma Thompson wrote.

      Delete
  12. Oh Jim, Dead Again is a near perfect movie. Love that one for the mystery. I am also a huge fan of Pacific Heights, just for the thrills.

    My choice for this question would be Fried Green Tomatoes or Steel Magnolias. Two movies and I can watch over and over again. Clearly, I am most entertained when I am sad, not sure what that says about me.

    As a huge fan of Guillermo's work, I can't wait to see The Shape of Water (the DVD is out this week). The exhibit of his work and inspiration in Toronto was one of the highlights of the Bouchercon trip. I will also advocate for Call Me By Your Name - one of the most touching love stories ever. The book ranks as a favorite for me and James Ivory nailed the screenplay - making him the oldest Oscar Winner ever. Not bad!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've yet to see "Call Me By Your Name," but it's definitely on my list, Kristopher. Timothee Chalamet is definitely one to watch!

      Delete
    2. I have been a fan of Timothee's since his role on HOMELAND. Between Lady Bird and CMBYN, he certainly had a heck of a year. But yes, he has years to win awards!

      Delete
    3. Wha's Dead Again? have I forgotten..or did I never see it?

      Delete
    4. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101669/?ref_=nv_sr_1

      Delete
    5. Oh, I loved this movie. Wonder if we can find it somewhere...

      Delete
    6. I definitely want to see The Shape of Water. I would've seen it in theaters but never got around to it.

      Delete
    7. Debs, you can find it at our house. Give me a call when you're out east ;-)

      Delete
  13. Oh, wow, you have all hit on so many of my favorites! I love Raiders and Roger Rabbit, The Holiday, and The African Queen. Star Wars has become such a huge part of our culture it's hard not to give that some credit, too. I always give a sentimental nod to Gigi, even though I doubt the plot would pass our modern-day feminist sensibilities. My all-time favorites have to include Captain Blood (Errol Flynn! Olivia de Havilland! Raphael Sabatini!), Casablanca, and Captain America: The First Avenger. But my all-time Best Picture? Gotta be The Princess Bride.

    Am I the only one who doesn't really like To Kill A Mockingbird? I mean, Gregory Peck was brilliant, but the whole movie centers around how amazing Atticus Finch was, and that's not how I remember the book at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've not seen TKAM recently, Gigi, but the book seemed like it was Scout's story, and the movie was all about Gregory Peck. Not that that's a bad thing, of course!

      Delete
    2. I'll rewatch Princess Bride ANY TIME. My name Inigo Montoya, prepare to die. Which for some reason reminds me of A FISH CALLED WANDA. Another great.

      Delete
    3. Hallie, I loved both films! Diana

      Delete
    4. Ingrid, I love Gregory Peck movies.

      Diana

      Delete
    5. Gigi, for me Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best Cap movie. I loved The First Avenger but TWS crossed a superhero movie with a 70's political thriller and made pretty much a perfect movie.

      Delete
    6. Jay, I'm just fascinated by the way Marvel allows their characters to grow and change as they deal with the big stuff that happens in each movie. I liked the first Cap movie because it was a fun WWII action flick, but also because they took a character who had become a cliche for gung-ho Americanism and turned him into a fascinating guy who was relatable, and not often in a happy place in his life. Of course, with the ending, they gave him some REAL issues to cope with. But you're right that Cap 2 was a dang-near-perfect political thriller. Marvel does some really good stuff if you're into superheroes.

      Delete
  14. Loved The Holiday. I loved The Artist and I think that movie won Best Picture a few years ago. I was surprised by this year's Oscar nominations. I saw the movie about JD Salinger, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Victoria and Abdul, the Darkest Hour and Lady Bird. I saw Lady Bird AFTER it received Oscar nominations. I really thought the JD Salinger movie and the Goodbye Christopher Robin would receive Oscar nominations. I had seen Beauty and Beast, though I did not realize that it earned nominations until I watched the Oscars last night. When I found out that The Silent Child was nominated in Live Action Short Film category, I decided to watch the Oscars. I was rooting for that film to win and it won!

    Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The Silent Child" is on my list, Diana. I thought all of the short documentary films looked really interesting. I'll have to hunt those down.

      Delete
    2. Ingrid, that's great! It's on my list too. I saw clips on Facebook after I saw a post on Instagram. I was rooting for the Silent Child to win!

      Diana

      Delete
  15. Dr. Zhivago, Out of Africa, Reds, Schindler's List. I love the big spectacles. I also love the older comedies. Hallie, I agree about Born Yesterday and Some Like it Hot. We watch them every time they're on TV. I should break down and buy copies. Judy Holliday, William Holden, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis. What's not to love?

    I really wanted Dunkirk to win last night. It really helped me to understand what it must have been like for those men. I loved Darkest Hour and am thrilled that Gary Oldman won, but didn't think it was the best movie of the year. I'll now need to see The Shape of Water to see if they made the correct choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want to see Dunkirk, Beverly. It's just one of so many chapters of history about which I have no understanding!

      Delete
    2. We saw Dunkirk in the theater--I would recommended watching it on the biggest screen you have. The cinematography is amazing. I'd also recommend reading enough about it so that you understand that the film is switching back and forth between three different timelines; a week on the ground (the troops in France) a day on the water (the rescue fleet), and an hour in the air (the English fighter pilots.) It's an amazing film. And, having seen it first, when I saw Darkest Hour I had so much more appreciation for what was happening during that film's time frame.

      Delete
    3. Sorry to be the naysayer, but when I saw Dunkirk I found it to be the one and only war movie that bored me to tears. The film may have looked good but it was ponderously boring and I would never recommend it to anyone.

      Delete
    4. Debs, I completely agree with you about the value of seeing Dunkirk before Darkest Hour. I felt exactly the same way. And I had read so much about Dunkirk through the years that the movie really made the whole thing come alive for me.

      And that reminds me of another movie that won "Best Movie" at the Oscars and also featured Dunkirk. We've been recording lots of 31 Days of Oscar on TCM and we watched Mrs. Miniver (for at least the 30th time) a few days ago. You don't actually see Dunkirk, but you feel the effect, for sure. It doesn't matter how many times I watch that movie, I pretty much weep through the final 2/3.

      Delete
  16. Die Hard is a Christmas movie!!! H2 and i debate this every year - me for and him against. So, I just had to get that in. I have never seen Born Yesterday and now I have FOMO so I will get right on it. Debs, Hub's fave baseball movie of all time is Bull Durham and, Hank, he said the Godfather is the best movie of all time. When they re-released Citizen Kane in the theater a decade or so ago, Hub and I went to see it and I could see why people gave it the best movie ever. It was brilliant. "Rosebud. But I tend to prefer movies with buckets of heart and lots of laughs - shocker, I know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DH is definitely a Christmas movie, Jenn! What's that kid talking about? ;)

      Delete
    2. It's a family tradition! Although when I told that to our priest, he looked at me funny.

      Delete
    3. Julia, we LOVE Die Hard!!! And yes it is a Christmas movie!!!!

      Delete
    4. Oh, Julia, I just slipped through that real world/book world portal: “What does Julia mean ‘he’? Her priest is Claire, right?” 😊

      Delete
    5. Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie. Or as the memes online say, it is a documentary on the Nakatomi Plaza terrorist incident. :D

      Delete
  17. Oh, and while I don't watch award shows (they are soooooo long), I do pick up the tidbits after on Twitter and can I just say, I freaking love Frances McDormand? Love, love, love her. And as a HUGE fan of Key and Peele, I am thrilled that Peele won for screenwriting, but even better was a pic of Key jumping up in the air when his friend was announced the winner. It made my heart swell.

    ReplyDelete
  18. As much as I enjoy movies, I don't pay any attention to the award winners. It's been years since I had any interest in even seeing a movie that was nominated for any of the awards. (Except for the best animated movie award, but that's a recent thing, and even then I often disagree with the winners.)

    As you know, I'm a huge DisNerd. I'd feel badly about saying my pick would be their animated Beauty and the Beast except it was nominated for Best Film when it came out, and both Siskel and Ebert said it was their pick to win that year even though they correctly predicted that Silence of the Lambs would win that year.

    A close second would be Pixar's Up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did. I didn't seem to be as thrilled with it as everyone else. Part of that might have been everything my family has been going through in the last six months. And I thought it was very dark for a kid's movie.

      Delete
  19. "The Shape of Water" deserves the win -- very special story, great acting. My award-winner -- "Chinatown." I adore Jack Nicholson and love the noir -- and I also love how it uncovers layers of corruption. And Water!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Okay, I change my mind. Some Like it Hot is my favorite. It has everything: Marilyn Monroe, singing, dancing, trains, Joe E. Brown (hilarious, especially his utterly perfect last line). And Tony Curtis, my childhood crush.

    The seduction scene of Marilyn and Tony is one of the sexiest, hands down, in the history of moviemaking. Marilyn's formfitting gown is even more alluring than nudity would have been.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I usually watch the Oscars as a guide for what to see when the films come out on video. I've only seen Dunkirk and Darkest Hour in the theater, so have a lot of catching up to do!

    ReplyDelete
  22. By the way, I saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri last week. While I liked the dialogue and the performances, it is unlikely I'll ever watch the movie again because I found pretty much all of the characters in the film to be vile, reprehensible people. They were the kind of people you root for them being killed in a horror movie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wasn't wild about that movie either. The thing that bugged me was the idea that Sam Rockwell's character would make some magical transformation into a decent human being. I didn't buy it.

      Delete
    2. Ingrid, yes there was that. And the act that Frances McDormand's character took late in the movie really ticked me off. As the son of a cop, there's just no way I can stomach that.

      By the way, when Rockwell won the Oscar last night I couldn't help myself and tweeted out that "Guy Fleegman" had just won an Oscar.

      That was his character in the sublimely awesome sci-fi comedy flick Galaxy Quest!

      Delete
    3. Love Galaxy Quest! Perfect fan fiction in every way, on every level.

      Delete
    4. Gigi, it is the best Star Trek movie that isn't a Star Trek movie!

      Delete
  23. Miss Potter, Sense and Sensibility, Beauty and the Beast (animated), The Holiday,Love Actually, North by Northwest with Cary Grant

    ReplyDelete
  24. Star Wars. When it was released it changed the face of movies: computer generator special effects, outstanding music, good acting in an action adventure, and a story line that lives on.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Looks as if my comment disappeared again

    ReplyDelete
  26. Debs, you and I should definitely watch movies together. One of the first ones I thought of was The Holiday, and The Big Easy is a long-time favorite, too. And the other Reds' choices are all great. Another movie that came to mind for me is Sliding Doors, with Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah. Helen (Gwyneth) is fired from her publicist job in London and takes the subway home. It's a story in parallel, as it's first told from events that unfold if she catches her train and goes home to find her boyfriend (John Lynch) in bed with another woman (Jeanne Tripplhorn). The other story line is that she misses the train and how those events unfold, including meeting John Hannah. One story ends in tragedy and one ends in possibility. I'm a sucker for alternate story lines. And, it was before Gwyneth Paltrow became so annoying.

    Of course, some of the others mentioned here are my absolute top picks of Doctor Zhivago and Out of Africa. And, so many funny movies are favorites, like Young Frankenstein, A Fish Called Wanda, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (I will miss Glenne Headly in future movies), Monty Python and the Holy Grail, There's Something about Mary, and on and on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't seen "Sliding Doors" since it first came out, Kathy. Sounds like it's time to watch it again!

      Delete
  27. I just realized I didn't mention one of my favorites that I could watch over and over, Love Actually. Bill Nighy is one of my favorite actors, and so many other great actors in this amazing movie.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Instead of "Best" it's really "Favorite". INDIANA ONES (the first one), STAR WARS (the first one), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (saw it at Grumman's Chinese, with an intermission), CASABLANCA (perhaps my top pick).

    ReplyDelete
  29. Schindler's List, no contest for me. And I thought Three Billboards was brilliant. I don’t get The Shape Of Water, and we both were glad we didn’t trek out to a movie to see it. Also, Get Out is one I’ll see again. A couple of weeks ago I happened across Abacus: Too Big to Jail. Brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How scary is "Get Out," Ann? I really want to see it, but I'm a big scaredy cat.

      Delete
    2. Ann, I didn't see Get Out until it came to HBO, and I was so pleasantly surprised to love it. I'll watch it again, too.

      Delete
    3. Ingrid, I didn’t find it all that scary so much as horrifying. The treatment of the African American experience showed me yet again what racists so many white folks are.

      Delete
  30. My taste is too eclectic to pick only one...but I could watch The Way We Were over and iver...also Schindler's List, Romamcing The Stone, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much and The Shining...oh too many. Don't think I would rewatch any of this year's crop. Haven't seen Get Out...is it too "horror" filled?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Coming late to the discussion. So many great movies. If you've never seen Persuasion, it's one of my favorite all time movies. As for Get Out, I saw it before I knew the buzz and I thought it was a silly mix-up of serious and "horror." Yes, there were some "social awareness" scenes, but most of it didn't work for me.

    ReplyDelete
  32. My Best Pictures ever would be Auntie Mame with Rosaline Russell and Desk Set with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy -- I have watched them so many times, and they never get old ~

    ReplyDelete