The Lists ~

About Lists...

     Lists are funny things . . . we love to check them out, even (and sometimes particularly) when they aggravate us. Lists are, of course, generally subjective (everyone has their own personal favorites) but they are even privately subjective - "favorite" or "best" in what way, what do I mean by "best" or "favorite"? If by "best" I mean the film that most effectively accomplished what the filmmakers intended to achieve and presented fully believable performances, then "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" might be the greatest movie ever made . . . I mean, if Tobe Hooper was going for disturbingly unsettling creepiness, what other movie surpasses it in the fulfillment of it's design - and, who were those people, were they actors or real people caught on film?

     But, even though some notion of objective criteria might suggest otherwise, I don't count "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" to be the best movie ever made, nor is it my favorite (though, I do in fact count it a masterpiece). So, there's more to it than trying to follow a scheme of objective criteria - movies are appreciated personally, intimately . . . how we respond to movies has to do with experiences we've had, people we've known, ideas we espouse, etc. Van Johnson and Tom Cruise are not at all easy for me to enjoy . . . even if the movie is great, I find it difficult to appreciate if they're in it - but, I have a soft-spot for, say, Errol Flynn and Nicolas Cage . . . even if the movie is lame, I can enjoy watching them. Now, I recognize that this has more to do with some private perception I've gained or developed from own own personal experience - it's not an objective matter of who is the better performer, but is a subjective reaction I have (somewhat) disconnected from their abilities.

     So, my lists here are not presented as anything other than subjective favorites - not really an assertion of "best", merely my favorites. Each list I try to include different genres, different eras, etc . . . I want to avoid filling a list with 70% Frank Capra or Cary Grant films, but will try to pick an appropriate representative film from a variety of catalogs and types. All this being said, my lists are factually accurate and should be adopted as your own favorites. 

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The Lists ~

Top Ten All Time Favorites



 Mickey's

  
  1. Tale Of Two Cities
  2. Mysterious Island
  3. Taxi Driver
  4. Rebecca
  5. Catch 22
  6. Horse Feathers
  7. Talk Of The Town
  8. Brazil
  9. To Kill A Mockingbird
10. This Island Earth                                                            

Mary's

 1. Rebecca
 2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

 3. Planet of the Apes

 4. Arsenic and Old Lace

 5. To Kill a Mockingbird

 6. Midnight Run

 7. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

 8. The Sting

 9. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

10. The Breakfast Club

Mickey says . . .

     I think most of your brothers and sisters would say that "Rebecca" was instrumental in their not being hesitant to watch old B&W films with dad. Hitchcock's first American film and Best Picture Oscar winner, yet many who know "Psycho" or "The Birds", or even "Rear Window" or "North By Northwest" don't know about "Rebecca"!?

     I was happy to see all your picks, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", "Arsenic And Old Lace", "To Kill A Mockingbird", and "Mr.Smith Goes To Washington" (it bothered me not having a Capra film on my list - or a Cagney film, or a Curtiz film, etc, but there's only 10 spots, so . . . ), etc, but I was particularly delighted to see "Planet Of the Apes" and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" on your list . . . an important film gigantically influencing the biggest hits today, and a beautiful film and family favorite. 

     Of course, I would have put "The Big Chill" in-place of "The Breakfast Club", but I like that too and, even though good is good and "classic" means standing the test of time, I suppose there is a bit of a generational thing - I love your list.

~ love, dad      

Mary says . . .

      

Ask me again and I bet my list will change. I'm excited to do more specific lists. An All-Time Tops list is really hard for me because there are so many films that I like for so many different reasons. I tried to think about the 10 I would take to a desert island and watch over and over and still feel a part of humanity. I could just as easily take your list with me, although I think if stranded Catch-22 and Brazil may make me lose my mind. And Mysterious Island would have me looking over my shoulder in a constant panic but, it is one of my favs none the less. 
 

     I do think The Breakfast Club is my generations film of the times. I went back and forth or whether to include but ultimately had to. I think it gets tossed into the mix of "Brat Pack" teen angst movies of the 80's but it's so much more special. The writing is so meaningful and the characters relateable; I know every one of those kids x10. Plus it's just a joy to watch.

Top Ten Musicals

Mickey's

  
  1. Singin' In The Rain
  2. Carousel
  3. Crossroads
  4. Top Hat
  5. West Side Story
  6. The Wizard Of Oz
  7. A Hard Day's Night
  8. The Band Wagon
  9. Mary Poppins
10. Yankee Doodle Dandy                                                            

Mary's

1. Holiday Inn

 2. Singin' in the Rain                                                        

 3. Music Man

 4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

 5. Wizard of Oz

 6. West Side Story

 7. Carousel

 8. Mary Poppins

 9. Yankee Doodle Dandy
10. The Unsinkable Molly Brown