Inspired by Loukia and her recent LouLou's Views blog post "
Best movies ever!", I decided to do my own list. (I love her list - and had to duplicate some of them, as they make it onto mine as well.)
Two caveats.
1) By "best" I mean "I can watch over and over and over again".
2) I wouldn't call this list "little" really. I got on a roll when I started this - and I did pare down the list...
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
My best. movie. ever. Love the cast. Love the writing. John Hughes?! Come on. Brilliant. I have seen this movie so many times I'm surprised I haven't worn out my VHS copy. Yup. VHS kiddies. I've had this movie for quite a while. I can pretty much recite the entire movie verbatim. In fact, being able to do so helped me get through labour with my daughter. Yes. I watched Ferris and the gang while my daughter was trying to make her way into the world.
Also, when I first joined Facebook, I used 'Sloane Peterson' as my nom-de-facebook.
And of course, that brings us to more John Hughes.
The Breakfast Club
Classic. And to watch it edited on tv. Hilarious. "Forget you. Forget. YOU!"
Uncle Buck
Again. Brilliant. Watching Macauley Culkin interrogate his Uncle Buck going a mile a minute is awesome.
Goonies
(Can you tell I'm a child of the 80s?!) Who doesn't love this motley crew of kids bonded together in their quest to save their homes? Chunk's life confessions? Hilarious. Data's inventions? Brilliant. Sloth? That loveable ugly bastard.
Bon Cop Bad Cop
First off, I love Colm Feore. He is hands down my favourite actor - on stage and on screen. Funny. Brilliant. Sexy. This Canadian movie is centred around hockey and they don't try very hard to cover who the characters are actually supposed to be. A body is found right on the border between Quebec and Ontario - literally on the sign - and the two cops must work together. Francophone/Anglophone animosity is used right from the beginning with the half-truth jabs continuing throughout the movie. The movie itself is bilingual, which adds to its realness. Great movie.
Stand By Me
I think this movie is where I fell in love with River Phoenix. He was a teenage crush of mine. I even had a framed - yes, framed - picture of him in my room as a teen. I was in disbelief when he died. :(
This movie, though, is one of the best coming-of-age dramas you will find. They go off as friends and bond in incredible ways through some great dialogue. "Mickey's a mouse. Pluto's a dog. What's Goofy?"
Along with River, we have an almost unrecognizable Canadian - Jerry O'Connell. Of the bunch, he's changed the most. And went on to partner with Rebecca Romjin. Rounding out the four-pack are Corey Feldman and the always amazing Wil Wheaton.
(And on a side note having nothing to do with the movie... Dear Joaquin, You will always be Leaf Phoenix, River's little brother to me.)
Running on Empty
Another River Phoenix movie about a family whose parents are on the run from the law for something they did decades earlier. The movie follows them as they land in a new place, with new names, new identities... This movie is when I fell in love with James Taylor's
Fire and Rain. I LOVE that scene.
Clerks
I chose this movie to represent Kevin Smith movies. I love (most of) his movies. This was my introduction to him. I was immediately a fan. "I'm not even supposed to BE HERE TODAY!"
Good Will Hunting
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams (who I love in dramatic roles), Minnie Driver... All amazing performances. Love the writing. Great story. Are we so afraid of being somebody that we try to be just anybody? Are we programmed to just try and fit in? What holds us back from realizing our potential?
Twister
"Cow." That is all.
Nightmare on Elm Street
To me, this series is WAY above Friday the 13th in quality stories and characters. Freddy's awesome. You are killed in your dreams and it happens in real life? Awesome. And those around you can see what's happening to you but not how it's happening? Cool.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Pizza-loving, gnarly, overly testosterony turtles? Brilliant.
Army of Darkness
"Shop smart. Shop S Mart." Ha! Love it. "This is my BOOMstick!" Army of Darkness is a hilarious romp from beginning to end with the always brilliant Bruce Campbell (who plays Ash.) Ash's hand gets infected with evil so he lops it off with a chainsaw, THEN uses said chainsaw as a replacment arm? 'Nuff said.
The Adventures of Milo & Otis
A curious cat and a pug-nosed pup. My brother and I loved this movie growing up and I'm rediscovering it with my kids. Dudley Moore narrates and voices all the characters. I'm not sure how many cats they went through in the filming, but the end result is loveable and funny...
Grease 2
Come on... You get to see Michelle Pfeiffer singing as the head of the Pink Ladies. This is a so-bad-it's-good kind of movie. They're in a bowling alley singing "We're gonna scooooooore tonight. We're gonna sco-o-ore to-ni-ight.... " See what they did there?
Some honourable mentions that I want to get in, but need to cut off the post before you all bail:
Grosse Point Blank - John Cusack. Looove him.
Little Miss Sunshine - Brilliant satire.
The Money Pit - Tom Hanks hanging, stuck, through a hole in the floor. Funny stuff.
Spaceballs - "Your schwartz is bigger than mine." Classic.
What are YOUR favourites?
