Favorite Movie

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I thought it might be interesting to hear what everyone's single favorite movie is (and how many of those movies are mob-oriented). I was thinking of asking for your top 3 or top 5 but I think just knowing a person's #1 favorite movie says a lot about that person. That being said, my favorite is "Showgirls".
Just kidding.
My favorite is "Chinatown". "Godfathers 1&2" are close second and third, but "Chinatown" just edges them out. Because I love movies so much, I've long been fascinated by tales of evil and corruption in early Los Angeles. And although the story at the heart of this movie is fictional, I feel like the filmmakers just perfectly nailed the atmosphere and mood of what it must have been like in L.A. at that time. Jack and Faye are so good (and so young!) in this and has there ever been a more despicable villain than John Huston. And the ending just leaves you numb. Yep, this one's my favorite. If you're feeling bored, tell us yours.

Re: Favorite Movie

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According to my mood, in no particular order, my favorites are:

Goodfellas
Casino
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Watched it a million times in High School with my friends)
Joe Dirt (It irritates my wife and my sons and I love it only because it is so stupid it is funny)
Office Space (I work in the IT Field and it is so dead on accurate)
The Shawshank Redemption
Caddyshack

Re: Favorite Movie

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If I have to name just one movie, I would have to say the Godfather, but I consider that movie one three-part materpiece, so I couldn't just choose GFI, GFII, or GFIII.

Unlike many folks, I don't exclude the third one from the epic. There were definite narrative/script weaknesses in GFIII compared to the first two, but it also had an emotional power in the last 25 minutes that IMO superceded anything we ever got from the first two. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen a film that more elegantly combined set design, costuming, lighting, and photography than Godfather III. From the mellow skin tones to the deeply-saturated dark reds and golds and browns, there's a somber beauty about the visuals that instantly seduces you and sets the mood of the movie. Can't remember whether it was Gordon Willis, Dean Tavoularis, or Melina Canonero, but one of them stated that Coppola's whole intent was to try to make GFIII look and feel like a Caravaggio painting. I think they succeeded.

I would have to rate Sophie's Choice a very close second to Godfather. Unlike Godfather, it's not a movie you want to watch over and over, and it has a dead spot or two. But William Styron's story is pure genius. I always felt you got as much appreciation for the horrors of the Holocaust in a select 5 minutes of Sophie's Choice as you got from the whole of Schindler's List. And Meryl Streep's performance in that movie is the finest acting I've ever seen.

Others that I rate in the top tier (in no particular order):
  • Nixon (IMO Oliver Stone's finest film, despite its historical liberties)
  • Scarface (Pacino version)
  • Shadowlands (great score from George Fenton, great performance from Anthony Hopkins, great story about author C.S. Lewis)
  • The Song of Bernadette (true story of the French saint Bernadetee Soubirous with a terrific performance from Jennifer Jones)
  • A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennesse Williams+Vivien Leigh+Marlon Brando+Elia Kazan=classic)
  • Gone with the Wind (my mother's ghost will haunt me if I leave this one off!)
  • Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) (Spanish film that became the basis for the Tom Cruise vehicle "Vanilla Sky")
  • Once Upon a Time in the West (you could put almost anything to the Ennio Morricone score and make a great movie out of it)

Re: Favorite Movie

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Hey this is my first post back on the forums. I was Louisbrasisleepswithfish on the old boards, and with the new season coming I figured now was the best time to make a return... My favorite movies are The Godfather 1&2, The Big Lebowski, Big Trouble in little China, and Leon: The Professional. I can watch all of those movies from any point and be entertained throughout.

Re: Favorite Movie

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Welcome back, ChristophersRelapse. So that you don't lose credit for all your prior posts, I'm going to merge your old account with the new. Everything you've contributed to the forum will then show up under your new screen name.:smile:
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: Favorite Movie

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I saw that you did this when I made my last post. I tried signing in with that one earlier because I still had my old account stuff, but it didn't work for some reason. I guess I just didn't remember the password. Thanks though I hope I can contribute something worthwhile so your awesome display of power is not in vain. I sort of like this name a bit better anyhow, it may lack the humor of the old but captures the mood of the show a bit better. Thanks again.

Re: Favorite Movie

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Life is Beautiful. Never before have I giggled at his humor and cried about his situation in the same sixty seconds. I felt that movie had everything. Good script, great emotion from the actors, and a LOVE of LIFE!
I didn’t want to show crime pays, I didn’t want to show crime doesn’t pay...David Chase on the ending
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