A long time ago…I thought of writing this up. Now that I’m finally getting around to it, this is one of those posts that is just pure fun to write about.
Obviously these are my Top 5 favorites and everyone has their own. Let me know yours with a comment!!
#1
What can I say about the Sci-Fi franchise that started it all? As a kid who grew up in the 80’s I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I watched all three of these movies.
One of my very distinct childhood memories was being super sick for a couple days and not able to make it to school. So what did I do? I watched this trilogy on repeat.
As an adult, like many others, I have thoroughly enjoyed the new Star Wars movies and bringing my kids to the theaters to watch them warms my heart.
Interesting Fact: The first Star Wars almost caused an actual war.
To create the barren desert planet of Tatooine, Lucas found the perfect setting in Tunisia. What he didn’t account for was how even a little movie production could lead to socio-political tensions. Tunisia shares a border with Libya, which, at the time, was ruled by ruthless dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The Tunisian government received threats from Gaddafi, warning that a conflict was inevitable if they didn’t remove a military vehicle from the Libyan border.
The “military vehicle” in question was actually a Jawa Sandcrawler. Lucas agreed to move the prop because, well, inciting an international incident isn’t a great way to publicize a movie.
#2
Honestly…are you surprised?
What kid growing up doesn’t want to be the storybook hero that travels around the world looking for treasures of mythical proportions?
I remember making my own treasure maps on yellow construction paper, roughing them up to make them look old, and then traipsing around the woods with my friends as we “followed” this map.
These movies still hold up today as great action/adventure movies that grab you from the very beginning for a wild ride all the way to the end.
Interesting Fact: R2D2 and C3PO make an appearance in the Well of Souls scene.
#3 (tie)
I saw this for the first time a couple years after it came out.
This was the first movie that really took for for a ride mentally and straight up blew my mind at the end. I’ll keep this spoiler free, but let’s just say, to me…this defined that “twist-at-the-end ” genre of suspense/drama movies.
Quite some time later I saw movies like, The Prestige, Inception and some of the Christian Bale Batman Movies…and realized that the director for all of those movies, Christopher Nolan, had also directed Memento. Christopher Nolan has a knack for this genre, and Memento propelled him on to the scene.
Interesting Fact: Memento did not take long to make.
Despite the intricate script, Memento was a rather breezy production. Shooting wrapped in just 25 days. What’s more, all of Carrie-Ann Moss’s scenes were shot in just eight days.
#3 (tie)
This movie caught me completely off guard when it came out. I liked it so much, that I actually went to the theater three separate times to see it.
If you review my #1 and #2 movies, you can probably guess why this rocketed in to a tie for 3rd in my favorite movies of all time. This movie is the perfect combination of roguish treasure hunter and futuristic space movie with a dash of humor and perfectly selected 70’s music. Honestly, the perfect recipe for an all-time favorite flick.
Star-Lord (Peter Quill) gathers this band of misfits for some adventures that will make anyone laugh while also clinging to the edge of your seat.
Interesting Fact: Star-Lord’s hilarious (but obscene) gesture from the trailer was actually improvised by Chris Pratt on set.
This just goes to show why Pratt makes for the perfect Star-Lord: he didn’t even need Gunn to tell him what worked for his character!
#4
I don’t remember how young I was the first time I watched this Christmas classic, but the holiday season hasn’t started until I’ve heard Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas”.
This movie epitomizes the quintessential holiday musical and is one of the great classics of our time. Watch the movie and you will see which actors were cast for their singing chops and which were chosen for their ability to dance from ballroom to countryside hotel.
Interesting Fact: Bob and Phil’s ‘Sisters’ wasn’t scripted
At first, actors Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye were just playing around on set when they dressed up in parts of their female counterparts’ costumes and performed their musical number. But director Michael Curtiz found it so funny that he filmed it and worked it into the movie.
#5
I didn’t realize until writing this that this movie came out in 1954…just like White Christmas!
The musical movie trend with these last two films is really no accident. As a youth, I didn’t have cable or even over-the-air network television. Thus, I was at the mercy of what my parents had on video.
This led to me watching a lot of musicals as, for some reason, that’s what we had on VHS.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was a surprise hit when it came out and it has stood the test of time as far as classic musical movies go. While the subject matter may not exactly be politically correct today…the lesson the oldest brother (Adam) learns at the end is timeless.
Interesting Fact: MGM did not have high financial expectations for the film, and chose instead to allocate its resources to Rose Marie (1954) and Brigadoon (1954)–films that, as it turned out, never matched this film’s commercial and critical success.
I hope you enjoyed my favorite movies…I’d love to see yours in the comments!
Scott from California 