My Top 5 Favorite Movies (500 View Special)

For almost a century, the motion picture has become a powerhouse of the entertainment industry. For all, a movie is an extremely popular and respected form of art. For some, watching a movie is a fun little pastime. For others, a film is an experience. For others still, its an activity they do every so often to pass the time. For me, it’s much more.

People watch their first movie in near instants after we exit the hospital from birth. What starts out as an enigma in a big black box that we can stare into would become a go-to activity for me. In my family, gathering around and watching a movie is our version of family bonding time. It’s always common to see movies where we are. Hell, we have 3 large bookshelves filled to the brim with DVD’s, Blu-Rays and VHS’s. It’s never exactly been just a hobby with us or for me. It’s the glue that brings us together. That’s why I have such a passion for film and owe a lot to the artform.

I’ve seen a lot of movies in my time. So many films of so many genres, eras, and qualities. And that’s why I want to count down my personal top 5 favorite films of all-time. This will be in commemoration of my 500th view which occurred Sunday afternoon. This will be a hard list to make, but I’ll try. So sit back and enjoy as I list them off.

As a quick disclaimer, this is not “the” top 5 movies. This is “my” top 5 movies. Please feel free to disagree, and leave a comment telling me your favorite films.

#5: The Avengers

 

 

I saw this movie opening weekend at one of my favorite movie theaters. This was right after me and my family had our at home marathon of Marvel movies to get us hyped even more than we already were. That Saturday afternoon we saw it, and we were blown away. It’s the only movie I ever saw twice in one day at the theater.

To say that Avengers is my favorite comic book movie is probably not fair to the other comic book movies. To be fair though, I recognize that Avengers is in its own league entirely. This is the first instance of a AAA comic book crossover done right. What makes this movie such so fantastic (to me at least) is the interaction between the team members. We’ve seen each of them do great on their own (except for 3 of them), but they are so much better as a unit. All the arguments, the jokes, and the dialogue are just perfect. The personalities just bounce off each other in the best way.

Add an interesting villain, excellent performances, some of the most awesome action scenes ever, and about five movies to back it up, and you have what might be the most fun experience watching a movie. The best adjective to describe this movie is “fun”. Plain and simple. Please tell me you’ve seen it.

#4: Tombstone

It was just a regular night. We had relatives over, and were just hanging out when my parents have us watch this Western movie. I never really saw a Western in full before. I’m so glad that this was my first.

Tombstone is a masterpiece no doubt. It can also be considered one of my favorite action movies. I had a hard time deciding if I liked Avengers better than Tombstone or not. My thought was that while Avengers is the most fun, Tombstone is just a bit more epic. It’s action scenes are certainly something to behold. And the action is probably helped by how much the story excels it. True it’s based on real events, but that doesn’t make the writing any less powerful.

The feeling you get from watching Tombstone is this oddly tense, yet surprisingly comfortable to the point where certain things become commonplace. You feel like you’ve been transported to the era without the movie even trying. Altogether the atmophere, action, characters, and tone just make the movie so powerful and epic.

#3: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

I don’t remember the first time I saw the first Harry Potter movie, and that saddens me. All I know is that the moment I saw Harry Potter was the moment I first fell in love with a movie. Harry Potter also happens to be my favorite movie franchise ever.

Picking my favorite Harry Potter was not easy. I knew it came down to two films: Sorcerer’s Stone or Deathly Hallows Part 2 (first or last). I went with this one because no matter how many times I see it, no matter how many entries were in the series, no matter how technically better the later movies were, I never got tired of the original. In fact, I prefer this one more than the others.

I believe that it’s purely sentimental. It does go back a long time for me, so that could be why. I also believe that I prefer the much lighter tone of this movie to the much darker sequels. Not to discredit them at all. I still enjoy dark movies. However, I am just more likely to watch lighter movies more often.

That’s not the only reason I love this movie so much. It’s such a charming movie with this beautifully cool world that you can get lost in. (The lore is real). It’s story is different take on the “rags to riches” kind of story. You root for Harry for living a life in such squalor in one world and being a magical legend in another. And what makes this stand apart from the others is that this movie is much more about exploring the world of Hogwarts. Sure there’s a main conflict but that shares the spotlight with the exploration.

I can’t recommend the Harry Potter series enough. If your trying to get into the movies, never overlook the first. I know it goes without saying, but it’s true.

#2: Forrest Gump

We bought Forrest Gump in a Movie Stop in a special edition set. From what my mother told me about the story, I was really excited to see it. I knew I was going to like it before I even saw it, but I never expected to like it this much.

I’m glad I was able to talk about the movie during its 20th anniversary. For a while it was my favorite movie. This is the ultimate inspirational movie and the ultimate feel-good movie. I believe the film’s point is that if Forrest could do it, you can, too. This is another rags to riches story in a sense. Forrest Gump stands by the ideology that no matter what disadvantages you have, you are capable of so many great things. The term “idiot savant” is an accurate term for Forrest, and that’s what makes Forrest such an endearing character. The other characters are also great.

It is especially impressive the way they used history to tell the story. The film received awards for its special effects, and I’m glad of that. It is seamless the way they placed Tom Hanks into history as they did. And it covers such a wide range of time. And they were very careful about the way they did it, too. He played just as big of a roll as was necessary so that it felt natural.

If you have not seen this movie yet, you have suffered for far too long. Watch this movie immediately. I promise you you WILL like it.

#1: Pulp Fiction

I was very curious about this movie. The first experience I ever had with it was with the famous Samuel L. Jackson scene where he quotes Ezekiel. I loved that scene, so I was interested to see the whole thing. So I did and… Wow!

I love this movie with all my heart, and I have a hard time saying why. To me it’s one of the most well-done films. The faults, if there are any, are so minute because they are drowned out by all it;s good points. I think the first word that comes to my head when I think of this movie (besides “Kahuna”) is “awesome”. I know! It’s a cliche word, but if you saw the movie you know what I mean. The vibe you get from the movie is just… awesome. It’s like that one guy you know who you want to be friends with, because everything he says is the coolest, funniest, most smooth things ever.

I can actually say that about a lot of Quentin Tarantino’s movies. He’s my favorite director ever. He simply knows what will get the best response out of you without trying. That’s why the movie is so quotable. There’s a million other ways he can say or show something. His way is with by working off the implicit emotions to the current situation. Why say “Stop saying ‘what’ all the time” when you can say “What? I’ve never been to What! Do they speak English in What”?

I’m at a loss for words with this. I feel I shouldn’t have to tell you why this movie is so great. Everything is is excellent in the movie as well. The acting, the stories, the cinematography, the music, hell even the choreography (if you know what I mean) is practically perfect. I’m not sure if I’m selling you on this movie yet, but it is something you have to see to believe. Whether you like it or not is up to you, but I highly recommend you give it a try. It’s comedic, it’s action-packed, it’s suspenseful.

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There it is guys. Man was this a hard list to make, but I thank you all for reading. And thanks again for the 500 views. It means so much when you guys click on my posts. If you ever want me discuss a topic, please let me know and I’ll do my best.

In the comments below, let me know what your favorite movies are, and what you think of the movies I listed. I love talking about movies, so fire away!

I’m SBox180. Thanks for reading!