In some earlier posts, I talked about some of my favorite books and songs.
So what about movies?
Well, we don’t seem them all that often; I’m no film expert like James-Michael Smith.
But occasionally, I have gone to the theater and been either thoroughly entertained or genuinely moved. There’s a difference, isn’t there? Movies are a form of escapism; a couple of hours entering another world and emerging happier if not deeper. Films, on the other hand, shake you, challenge you, and usually leave you with some emotional ambiguity at the end.
Having said all that, here are a few of my favorite all-time movies. And films.
Movies
Ghostbusters. It was 1984, Julie and I had just returned from our honeymoon, and the Ghostbusters craze was sweeping the nation. The song, Sigourney Weaver, and Bill Murray all made for a ride that I still like to take from time to time. Edited versions on broadcast TV? Not so much.
Romancing The Stone. I know a guy probably shouldn’t include this one, but it sure was fun. The sequels were horrible.
Heaven Can Wait. Warren Beatty was so good in this — one of the most agreeable characters ever. I’m not so sure about its theology anymore, but what a great period piece for the late 1970s.
Films
Sophie’s Choice. Oh my gosh. When you find out what Sophie’s choice actually was, it shakes you to the core. It’s still the only movie I remember seeing in which the entire audience could not move when it was over. We all just sat there, emotionally spent, and watched the credits roll. Meryl Streep at her best.
Field Of Dreams. The first time I saw it, in 1987, I thought it was all about baseball, corn fields, and nostalgia. The second time I saw it, in 2003, I realized it was all about fathers and sons. What happened in between those two dates? I became the father of a son. So the second time, I cried and cried.
I Walk The Line. Who knew Reese Witherspoon could sing like that? Ostensibly, it was about the romance of Johnny and June Carter Cash. More poignantly, it was about the tortured relationship of Johnny and his father. More tears.
Those are some of mine. And yours?
There are 4 comments
A River Runs Through It and Shawshank Redemption are 2 of my favorites. Raiders of the Lost Ark (first & third) were great.
We saw a film last year called “Into the Wild” by Sean Penn. Wow – that was moving. -Ben S.
One of my all-time favorites is “Mr. Holland’s Opus”. It always makes me cry at the end when his former student, Rowena (who is now the governor) says, “Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and on a lot of lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a great part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn’t rich and he isn’t famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he would be wrong, because I think that he’s achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.”
What I really love about this is that Mr. Holland was so focused on the symphony he was writing that he almost missed the most important legacy of his life…the students whose lives he touched. His “fallback job” was his destiny and his legacy. Beautiful!
It inspires me to be faithful in what I perceive to be ordinary and mundane–we sometimes don’t know until much later what a difference our lives make.
Sophie’s Choice? Really? That surprises me, TD.
For me, I’d say Reign Over Me, Fried Green Tomatoes, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Steel Magnolias & Crazy in Alabama. Of course…those are only my “serious” favorites. 🙂
Groundhog Day! For a silly Bill Murray movie, I found it to be deep, too. 🙂
Loved Field of Dreams.
Also loved Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy has to go through the bibilical snares and pick out the carpenter’s cup.
And how can you leave out Rocky 1,2, 3, and 4 (awesome)…didn’t like 5 or 6. Terminator 1 & 2…how deep am I looking at this point?
I did like the one on the life of C.S. Lewis…forgot the name.
Those are just a few that came to mind.