Our Top 13 "Favorite" films of all time.

[BillyTucci]

Hey everyone,  
I was just cleaning up my horribly distressed studio this weekend (still got a long way to go) and was thinking of my favorite (changed from "Guilty Pleasures") movies of all time.   Not that I think these are the best of all time, just really fun films to watch that make you laugh and dare I say, cry.   You know the one's that you watch everytime they're on.   I'm sure I'll think of others and change everyday.   Again, some of these are my favorites of ALL TIME.  
What do you think?   If I spell the actors names wrong, oh well, I don't have time to check it out.  These aren't in any kind of order.
 
13) The Rough Riders (1997)
John Milius' does it right.  Being a huge Theodore Roosevelt fan, I was very sceptile.  But Milius is one of my favorites and I'd love to meet him and Tom Berenger.  Everything about it from the casting to the costumes, weapons and it brings a tear to my everytime!  One of my all time favorites.  
 
12) Jaws (1975)
This movie scared the sh@t out of me when I saw it in the theatres.  Bruce the shark looks laughable  and dated now, but Robert Shaw is one of my favorite actors of all time and he should have been awarded the academy award for his protrayel of Quint.  "This shark, big fish, swallow you whole..."  
 
11) "Real Genius" (1984) , Val Kilmar...  Just every damn part of that movie is hilarious.  I quote this movie in every aspect of my everyday life still.  And I mean EVERY DAY!
 
10) Ferris Beuller's Day Off (1986)
One of the best movies of the great 80's (better than Weird Science - which is awesome too).  Very styalized, great acting and very original.  Mathew Broderick's face after Cameron tells him they didn't have any fun that day.  And who wouldn't want to marry Mia Sara.  Beautifully shot and directed.  Jeffrey Jones as Ed Rooney is brilliant.  Good thing I had graduated highschool before this came out!
 
9) True Romance (1993)
The best movie of 1993, Gary Oldman,  Alabama Worley and  " I like you Clarence, always have.... Always will."

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Aside from my wife, Audrey Hepburn is my absolute dream girl.  Deborah actually reminds me of her.  Okay now that I covered my ass.   My mom and I used to watch this movie and I still love it.  Blake Edwards does an incredible job and who wouldn't want to spend a day in Manhatten (oh how clean it was back then) like Holly and Paul Varjak did.  And when Audrey's singing on the fire escape...  okay, next.
 
7) The Rocketeer (1991)
I shouldn't follow my idotic Audrey rambling with a Jennifer Connelly movie.  Boy am I asking for trouble, but I've got to be honest.  Dave Stevens is a genius.  1930's Hollywood, Gangsters, Nazis and Jennifer Connelly.  Alright,  I'm gonna get in trouble again with all these brunettes.
One of the best dialogues of all time:
 
Peevy  
Just be careful, dammit.  Somebody's playing for keeps - and your the jackpot.  No heroics.
 
Cliff
Do I look like a hero to you?
 
Peevy
Yeah... you do.
 
And Cliff looks up and blasts off to save the world...
 
Awesome... totally awesome.

[BillyTucci]

6) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
When I was a kid this was my all time favorite film (still up there in the top three).  Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, the colors, costumes, sets  and my god... the sword play.  What a pissa!  It was always on the afternoon of the Academy Awards.

5) Braveheart (1995)
Now I do believe this is my all time favorite, and # 3.  What can I say, I've seen it about 400 times and can recite the entire "Son's of Scotland" speech at Stirling.  If you see me ask me to do it and watch my wife run.  ;D

4) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Probably the most fun I ever had in a theatre.  I just loved the whole damn thing.  Everypart.  I think the actress who played Elsa married some rich dude and lives in Switerland now.  I love them riding off into the sunset at the end.  Just great.  I didn't get the German plane that was chacing them.  I don't think it exists. (that flying- wing bomber in "Indy 1" was awesome!

3) Forrest Gump (1994)
C'mon, how great is this movie - EVERYONE loves this. Tom Hanks is great, Robin Wright is great, the whole damn thing is great.  "Gump, why did you assemble your rifle so quickly"
"Because you told me to Drill Sergeant", makes me smile throughout the whole movie (when I'm not crying)

2) Big (1988)
I love this movie and have to stop everything I'm doing to watch it.     I love these fantasy movies about going back or forward in time and just love watching it and remincing about the look and feel of the 80's.  Ended one of the best days of my life by seeing this for the first time. Tom Hanks is just amazing in everything he's ever done.  Very inspirational.

1) The Professional aka Leon' (1994)
Luc Besson is one of my favorite directors and this film has everything.  Incredible direction, wonderful actors and it's very moving.  You really feel for Jean Reno and Natile Portman is adorable.  The best part of it though is Gary Oldman's Norman Stansfield.  When he asks his guy to bring him everyone...

Guy
Like who?

Stansfield
EVERYONE!!!

I do that one too... ;)

Honorable mention:
The Godfather. (1972)
We spent our childhood reciting every line from this masterpiece.  Still do.  Francis Ford Coppala is a true artist and how can you beat that cast.  Got to be the best film of all time.  Well, that and Citizen Kanel, but it's a lot more fun and if you're Italian you can really relate to all the relatives.  The opening scene is one of my all time favorites.  We'll do that next:  "top 10 scenes of all time."

Honorable wussy mention:
"Streets of Fire" (1984)
Motorcycles, Winchesters, Studebakers, Wilhem Defoe (awesome in Shadow of the Vampire too) and whose hotter than a 20 year old Diane Lane as Ellen Aim?

Also of note (can't believe I left them off):
I'll write about these next.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Ten to Chi to (Heaven and Earth)  (1990) Japan
Haruki Kadokawa's masterpiece was a huge influence for Shi
The Battle of Britain (1969) U.K.
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)  Good year for movies huh?


What's yours?  And do you care to comment.  Am I nuts?

[BillyTucci]

For some reason a couple of "8's" became  8) sorry.

[BillyTucci]

Everytime I watch this movie, I drink about 4 gallons of milk the following week!  A classic!

[toranoshi]

hi billy,

leon is an awesome movie , but are you watching the us version the professional, or the european (and dare i say much better) version called leon , the professional. i would also have to add to your list of guilty pleasure movies sugar & spice , something about cheerleaders robbing banks is just hillarious .

[BillyTucci]

I've seen both and do like "Leon" better!  How about, (okay, wussy moment coming on here... "Bring it on")  I did say that didn't I?

[Aithne]

I can agree with you on  some of the films.

Ferris Beuller's Day Off  is the best film Mathew Broderick has ever done(in my opinion) and I still watch it now and then,and it is still funny  ;D

Braveheart is just awsome. No need to say more

The Professional aka Leon' has indeed everything...  8)

I also have a bunch of Jackie Chan movies I like,but they are to many to list right now.Maybee another time...hehe

[BillyTucci]

Who's the green woman!????? :o

[Steve]

Gosh Darnnit!  Now I can't stop thinking about Braveheart, so i'll have to watch it tonight.  Did you ever read the full version of the sons of scotland speech?  A scribe actually recorded it at Stirling, and i came across it in an anthology of literature.  Let me know if you want me to type it out :)

[KAZE]

Braveheart is also one of my all time favortie, with The Crow and Blade Runner, and Fellowship of the Rings... Aside from that, Leon is GREAT!

And I want the full speech, I quote the one from the movie so often...

KAZE

[kikuchiyo]

"Braveheart" is my all time favorite movie. With Mel Gibson being my favorite actor." Star Wars" ranks high up on the list also, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, what an offbeat character." Tombstone" is probably my favorite western. Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday, is probably one of the best supporting characters ever.  Check out " The Hunted" with Christopher Lambert, not a great movie but I think it is very entertaining, Especially the train scene, where the modern day Samurai takes on a crapload of Ninja. John Lone is also in this movie. He has got to be one of the coolest looking Asian actors.  Lets not forget " The Seven Samurai" with Toshiro Mifune. His portrayal of Kikuchiyo is hilarious. If only I understood a word of Japanese.
I like "Pretty Woman" as a predictable "feel good at the end of the movie" movie. I agree with you about " Ferris Bueller" As far as Mia Sara goes. WOW! ;)
I'll add more later...

[BillyTucci]

Stirling happened before Shakespear's "Henry V", if you know the play, or the movie there's Henry's "Immortal Order of Brotherhood" speech.  It's quoted many, many times "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers..."  I thought that Randall Wallace wrote Wallace's "Son's of Scotland" after that.  If this is true, could old Bill from Strafford von Avon have done a little poaching> :-/

[Aithne]

I think I told you in another post that it was just something I found quite amusing one night I was *drunk*.I have no idea who the green woman is...

And now I only use it because it is fun... :)

[Delvie]

I could never decide on just 13

;D

So here goes

The usual suspects for obvious reasons
BRAVEHEART
ROB ROY
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
SHOGUN
THE PATRIOT
THE GLADIATOR

HONORABLE MENTION

;D
SHI... presumably ;D
;D

THE HUNTED - several reasons,
a) Sensei Obata is one of the most incredible iaijutsu & aikijutsu practitioners & teachers alive today. It's too bad he doesn't speak much English or he would get more acting jobs in American movies. If you want martial talent to work under Arashi in the movie, you REALLY should consider him. Training scenes between him & Arashi would be phenomenal w/ a good choreographer. He could do the choreography, for that matter.
b) Excelllent kenjo & iaido scenes
c) KODO!  Taiko Drums in the park
d) a taste of feudal code & honor of the samurai
e) almost a complete tragedy
-nearly ALL the good guys die
&
-2 ryu's wiped out
f) humorous drunken swordsmith
g) beautiful love scene - skin is in ;D
h) great film for sword etiquette

THE 13TH WARRIOR - in a word... HERITAGE

AMERICAN SAMURAI - Another in an unlikely string of b movies. Great swordplay. Good look at sword etiquette, honor of the samurai, sword training & though cast as a villain, Mark Dacascos always makes for a good martial arts movie.

LEGENDS OF THE FALL - A great tragedy



HONORABLE WUSSY MENTION
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK - Great tear jerker & a great tragedy, if you're man enough to handle girlie movies. ;)

STRANGE RELATIONS - another good tear jerker complimented w/ irish humor.

MOLL FLANDERS (remake w/ Morgan Freidman (sp) - Unbelievable rags to riches story



XMAS VIEWING
RUDOLF THE RED NOSED REINDEER - In college, we had Rudolf party's. Everybody in our dorm would get together & watch this. Every time Rudulf's nose lit up... you had to take a shot.

LAND BEFORE TIME
It has always been tradition for me to sit & have a Land Before Time Holiday Marathon, whether by my self, or w/ a girlfriend. I don't know why. Just a little quirk of mine. ;D




Others of note:

Any movie w/ grown up Alyssa Milano in it. Have a slight 'Lyssa fettish. ;D

RISING SUN - Japanese Honor Code, High Tech, Armani, KODO Taiko, Tia... need I say more?

ALIEN NATION - IMHO the best scifi movie ever. Louis Gossett, Jr. makes an excellent alien. When's the damned sequal?!?

WILLOW - Great most insignificant person saves the world story. Great swordplay scenes for Val Kilmer. Again, when's the damned sequal?!?

DRAGONHEART - Sean Connery makes an excellent Dragon, Redhead Fetish, 'nuff said
;)

THE SAINT - I love the High Tech, Val makes a good thief, I bought my 1st cellphone after seeing that movie. Val used the Nokia Communicator 9000e. I love this phone.

XXX - Once again... High tech & Extreme Sports

CUTTHROAT ISLAND - excellent girl power movie, great action

THE QUEST - Great Martial Arts combat

Any of the Treasure Hunter Adventure movies
ie
Any Indiana Jones
Romancing the Stone
Tomb Raider
etc

THE SEVEN SAMURAI Mifune ROCKS!!!]

ANY 3 MUSKETEERS movie, but especially the Disney comedy version starring Charlie Sheen, Keifer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnel as the 3 & Rebecca DeMornay (sp)

MAN IN THE IRON MASK - Although I hate Leo DeCRAPPio, the remake was a good movie.

VISION QUEST - This appeals to my early life. I was heavy into summer & collegiate wrestling

Most Jackie Chan Movies

Any 0f the  HIGHLANDER movies.

Any NO MAN's LAND 1-20 - Both Lickie & I like this for obvious reasons
;D

That should about do it for now... I think.

;D

[Steve]

I am scatterbrained!  It was the speech that Robert the Bruce gave at Bannockburn that i was thinking of, although the one at Stirling was cool too.  I sincerely apologize for any confusion that ensued after my last reply. :-[  

[Delvie]

;D Not a Law firm ;D

Have you seen the movies:
THE REAL ROBERT THE BRUCE
THE REAL WILLIAM WALLACE
THE REAL ROB ROY
???
They were a set of movies released shorty after  BRAVEHEART by Scot funded sources using Scottish actors/ess' to try to get a more accurate story out. They are not as good quality or production, but very good movies, just the same.  

[BillyTucci]

Delvie's got some awesome one's there. How could I forget "Last of the Mohicans!?  But I think that'll be on my favorite list.
Rudolf Rocks too.

[TopDog]

How about those "cult" movies you wont cop to watching but probably have seen more than once.  You know the corny stuff:

Streets of Fire - Some great lines in that one " I don't know what's more pathetic, the way you talk or the way you dress"  There were a bunch of - unknown at the time but became big stars in that one.

Army of Darkness - Good come on lines in this movie.

Six String Samurai - This one is so off the wall it just cracks me up every time I see it.

A Boy and his Dog - One of Don Johnson's early movies  "A boy communicates telepathically with his dog as they scavenge for food and sex..." His dogs sniffs out women for him.

Anyone else want to name one of Those moves?

[Aithne]

Ok...

Here is one film I forgot,and I don't know why.

But Men At Works with Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez is one of the most funny films of all time(in my opinion)
I think they play off eachother rather well,and even if the plot is not that good I have a good laught every time....

[JCVaughn]

Why are these GUILTY pleasures?

I think of a "Guilty Pleasure" as movies like, oh, TANGO & CASH... a piece of work I know to be bad on so many different levels...

A lot of your the films on your list are classics!

[JCVaughn]

GODFATHER
Francis Ford Copolla's breakthrough hit film featured great acting from a superb cast, an excellent score, and breathtaking camera work. Is there anything that doesn't stand up in this film?

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
One of the funniest dark comedies ever. Great script, great performances all around. It's a film I watch over and over. And over and over.

BREAKFAST CLUB
Maybe because all the characters were recognizable to me as people I went to school with, but I think this film stands up. It may be more of a period piece to today's kids (I don't know), but I think it the characters are solid, the actors were well chosen, the script was wonderful, and the music definitely captured it.

THAT THING YOU DO
Years from now, people will wonder how Tom Hanks' directorial debut was so seamless. Solid performances, impeccable timing, wonderful humanizing elements, and great period piece music.

STAR WARS (now "Episode IV: A New Hope")
It's so hard for many to imagine how different this movie was when it came out. There's so much like it now (including its sequels), but there was nothing like it when it first arrived in theaters. The number of creative types that entered their chosen fields because of this film must be uncountable, but it definitely includes me.

THE QUIET MAN
John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara, directed by John Ford, give their best performances, and every supporting player seems like a story unto themselves. As in The Shootist, Wayne gives one of his top performances, playing far more than the usual John Wayne character. This was a deeply personal film for Ford, and it shows.

BRAVEHEART
Mel Gibson's proverbial tour de force as director and star makes me want to invade England every time I see it. And I'm an anglophile!

PLANET OF THE APES
Charlton Heston's performance heads up the list of many persuasive reasons this Franklin J. Schaffner-directed picture stands up despite special effects advances in the years since its release. Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall (of course!), and Linda Harrison all brought he most they could to their parts. Great script. Overlooked as social commentary and drama and generally just lumped in with science fiction, this is a great movie.

REAR WINDOW
Alfred Hitchcock directs Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in what I think is his best film. It is simultaneously highly commercial and much darker than it would superficially be perceived to be. If you're a guy and don't fall in love with Grace Kelly the first time you see her in this film, well, maybe you're more attracted to Jimmy Stewart anyway...

PATTON
Franklin J. Schaffner directs George C. Scott in his greatest performance. This is another of those stop-what-you're-doing-and-watch-this movies no matter how many times I see it. Great supporting cast, score, and camera work.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Cecil B. DeMille's epic is just one of those films that stops me, even on broadcast TV, and gets me to sit down and watch. Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Edward G. Robinson, the whole cast.... Just compelling. There are some truly funny things in the film - Edward G's accent for one - that would break the willing suspension of disbelief in a lesser film, but for whatever reason everything works.

GODFATHER II
The rarest of exceptions - a sequel better than the original. Francis Ford Copolla, Mario Puzo, the cast... at every stage this film had an excuse to just follow in the footsteps of its incredible predecessor, but it doesn't. Instead it's a study in great filmmaking.

CITIZEN KANE
The more one studies this film, the better it gets. Ignore what everyone else says about and it still ends up being the greatest film ever made. Everything works. Orson Welles' efforts stand against the tide of history. Great performances and great technical achievements stand as well.

[Delvie]

EEE GADS!!!

I left off Disney's  ROCKETMAN. Lickie & I are constantly laughing at that one. If you can handle "stupid humor," I definately recommend this one.

Sure to become another one is GET SMOOCHIE. I am a HUGE Robbin Williams fan & his psychotic personality really prevailed in this movie.

We also enjoy(although, not a movie) most of Eddie Izzard's comedy specials.
ie
DRESSED TO KILL
GLORIOUS
etc

Should be enough for now

OH YEAH!!! THE MASK OF ZORRO with Banderas, Zeta-Jones & Hopkins just got bumped wayyyyy up on my list!
ttfn
;D

[BillyTucci]

WONDERFUL LIST J.C.


GODFATHER
Oh yeah (Did we miss the mark on Guilty Pleasures altogether? ) :-/
 
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
Another really good movie, I think we need to put movies like "Grease 2" in here! :o Did I just say that?!
 
BREAKFAST CLUB
Don't you think Molly Ringwald was too ugly to play the "hot chick"?  
 
THAT THING YOU DO
I really enjoy this film too.
 
STAR WARS (now "Episode IV: A New Hope")
The release of this film (along with it's respective time)  rivals Beatlemania and dare I say, surpasses the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Gold Medal.  Again, you cannot truly appreciate its impact unless you where there.
 
THE QUIET MAN
God Bless John Ford
 
BRAVEHEART
Mel Gibson's proverbial tour de force as director and star makes me want to invade England every time I see it. And I'm an anglophile!
:D
 
PLANET OF THE APES
You can't trust anyone over 30.
God Bless Charlton Heston
 
REAR WINDOW
God Bless Jimmy Stewart.

 
PATTON
And God bless Franklin J. Schaffner!
Do I sense politics interwoven within your list J.C?
 
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
This is definately a "guilty pleasure"
 
GODFATHER II
I think the sequal does surpass the original, but my heart leans towards GF 1
 
CITIZEN KANE
Forget directors.
How many comic book artists do you think this film has influenced?

Rob Worley of www.comics2film.com raised the astute observation that aside from a few (Delvie's good) these films aren't guilty pleasures and just plain favorites.  I'll be honest in the next write up on my "GP" movies.  

[JCVaughn]

Here's another bunch of movies that could be on any list of great films:

PSYCHO
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
GONE WITH THE WIND
LAURA  8)
LA FEMME NIKITA  8)
A MAN AND A WOMAN
A MAN AND A WOMAN: 20 YEARS LATER
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA  ;D
A DAY AT THE RACES
THE PRODUCERS
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
RAN
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
THE SHOOTIST
FIELD OF DREAMS
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
SEX, LIES & VIDEO TAPE  :o
TOMBSTONE
WYATT EARP
GRAND CANYON (I can't believe I left it off my list)
THE BIG CHILL
SILVERADO
EMPIRE OF THE SUN
SCHINDLER'S LIST
JAWS
THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
EL MARIACHI
MANHATTAN
MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
ALICE
CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS
ZELIG
STARDUST MEMORIES


More to come, I'm sure!

[Weldon]

Quite a list there Mr.Vaughn...
As for 'Guilty Pleasures', I would have to say almost anything with Tim Curry in it!
I have also just recently developed a taste for Gary Anderson's THUNDERBIRDS series thanks to TECH-TV.
They have been showing them 'pop-up video' style.
It's GREAT!

But if we are talking just 'Greatest Flicks EVER', then I would have to mention these:
A Night at the Opera (Marx Bros)
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
Arsenic & Old Lace
Castle Cagliostro (Lupin III, anime)
[and then the list gets dark]
M
Seven

I'm sure there are others...but I can't think of them right now...not enough coffee in my system yet...

---Wel