My Favorite Movies

I love movies. And like anyone, I have my favorites. What follows is my list of favorites, along with some memories of each. Note that this is not a list of what I consider the best movies, but rather my personal favorites, at least as of the time of this writing. So, while you may not find some well-regarded cinematic masterpieces below, you will find the movies that I love.

My 10 Favorite Movies (in Alphabetical Order)

Airplane! (1980)

"Joey, have you ever been in a...a Turkish prison?"

A parody of airplane disaster movies, and an almost-direct copy of a 1950s movie named Zero Hour, Airplane! has been included on many "Funniest Movies" lists, and rightly so. I've seen it countless times and it still makes me laugh. It's also very quotable ("Of course I'm serious, and don't call me Shirley" has practically entered our lexicon). I first saw this in grade school when they showed it on TV one night, and the next day at school a bunch of my friends were talking about it, we all found it hilarious. I still do.

Aliens (1986)

"Game over, man! Game over!"

Co-written and directed by James Cameron, Aliens is the oft-copied sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), but whereas Alien was a horror film, Aliens goes the action route, and is phenomenal. Cameron seems to be really good at making sequels which are (IMHO) better than the original. I first caught this one on cable when I was a kid, and I wish they had ended the franchise here, but instead, they kept making sequels. A few years ago, it was reported that Cameron was going to return for a direct sequel to Aliens, but it appears those plans have been scuttled. This is also one of those movies that's very quotable, and I've lost track of the number of times I've quoted it at work, across multiple jobs.

The Avengers (2012)

"That's my secret, Captain: I'm always angry."

I read comic books as a kid, though was never a fan of the Avengers (though I was a fan of West Coast Avengers). I didn't have anything against them, it was just never a title I was into. So it surprised me when I found The Avengers to be such an enjoyable film. It succeeds on so many levels, and I've watched it more times than any of the other Marvel movies. I saw this in 3D when it was released, and plan on eventually ripping the Blu-ray to a 3D MKV for use in Skybox VR so I can watch it in 3D again on my Oculus Quest 2.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

"You said that we had one shot. This! This was our shot. We shot it, it's shot! Six stones or nothing! Six stones or nothing!"

Clocking in at just over 3 hours, Avengers: Endgame is the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War, and caps off the previous 21 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Amazing. And there's a moment in this film which may be my favorite moment in any film ever. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say: hammer. That moment.

Being a fan of comic books as a kid, it's a thrill to watch them come to life in these movies. The Marvel films have been done very well.

The Cannonball Run (1981)

"You are certainly the most distinguished group of highway scofflaws and degenerates ever gathered together in one place."

Sometimes we like a movie when we're a kid, then watch it again and think "What was I thinking?". The things we like as kids don't often hold up for us when we're adults. Well, I was expecting that here, but instead, I like this movie more and more every time I watch it. It's corny and goofy but I love it. Based on a real-life cross country race, and filled with a Who's Who of stars of the day, this movie is a guilty pleasure. I first saw this on cable when I was a kid, and I think it may have been one of the movies that got recorded so we could watch it again.

Midnight Madness (1980)

"FAGABEEFE?"

This was another perennial on cable TV when I was a kid, and I've known other people with a love for it as well. The premise is that of "The Great All-Nighter", which is an all-night scavenger hunt, with multiple teams trying to decipher each clue, with each clue leading to the next until the end of hunt location is revealed. This is one of those movies I introduced to my son, who proceeded to watch it so many times that my wife became sick of it.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

"Oh, Marcus. What are you trying to do, scare me? You sound like my mother. We've known each other for a long time. I don't believe in magic, a lot of superstitious hocus pocus. I'm going after a find of incredible historical significance, you're talking about the boogie man. Besides, you know what a cautious fellow I am."

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) searches for the Ark of the Covenant in a race against time with the Nazis. What can I say about this film that hasn't already been said? The score is iconic, and I especially love the dialogue by Lawrence Kasdan, along with everything else about this classic film. My family prefers Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (which I also love), but I prefer this one. Again, this is another one I first saw as a kid when we rented it. Also, fun fact: any commute becomes more enjoyable when set to the "Desert Chase" track from the soundtrack!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

"Ship...out of danger?"

Building a Star Trek movie around a villain who appeared in a single episode of the series sounds like a questionable idea (IMHO), but an excellent script by director Nicholas Meyer (who received no screenwriting credit), and William Shatner's best performance as Admiral Kirk (again, IMHO) make this the best Star Trek film in the opinion of the majority of Star Trek fans. And how many times did they promote a new Trek film by comparing the new villain to Khan?

Without spoiling anything, there's an emotional part near the end of the film that my former co-worker Paul would call my office and parody, doing a near-perfect imitation of Spock/Leonard Nimoy. My phone would ring, I'd notice it was Paul calling me, and I'd answer the phone, to which he'd say "Ship...out of danger?", and then proceed to do the scene over the phone. As a result, whenever I've watched this film since, I can't help but laugh during this serious, emotional scene.

This is another film I first saw when I was a kid.

Star Wars (1977)

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. Why that's a name I've not heard in a long time. A long time."

Nowadays, this one is referred to as Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope, but back in the day, it was just Star Wars. I know that The Empire Strikes Back is the fan favorite, and I like that one too, but the original is my favorite. Again, this is a movie I first saw when I was a kid.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

"Are you the legal guardian of John Connor?"

Another James Cameron sequel that is (IMHO) better than the original. One of my favorite moviegoing memories is of seeing this on the Friday of the opening week (which was probably the opening day in my area). I went with some friends and saw it at a theater we called "Pothole City" due to...well, all the potholes in the road the place was on. 

One of my all-time favorite moviegoing memories is from this film. During one scene, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator character is on a motorcycle and using a shotgun. It normally takes two hands to cock a shotgun after each shot, but Arnold does this neat one-handed maneuver to do it while still riding the bike, and the first time this happened the crowd just gasped. It was such a reaction! Later, my friend Ed pointed out that John Wayne had done the same thing in an old western, while riding a horse, and I saw a brief clip of it. It's a pretty neat trick.

Other Favorites (in Alphabetical Order)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

We rented this one with low expectations and laughed a lot. Great movie. This is another one we quote a lot. Great characters and humor.

Enter the Dragon (1973)

"A good fight should be like a small play, but played seriously. A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit: it hits all by itself."

You don't have to be a fan of martial arts movies to appreciate this one. Bruce Lee was so much more than a martial artist. The quote above is from the extended cut of the film. I first saw this as an adult, and watched it again recently and had forgotten just how great it was. It has a great 1970s soundtrack too! And you can't go wrong with John Saxon and Jim Kelly, who play fellow good guys Roper and Williams, respectively.

The Fugitive (1993)

"We're eating oranges and we're making IDs."

Before this one came out, they were badmouthing it on Oprah Winfrey's talk show because it was yet another remake of an old TV show. Who knew it would turn out to be a great film? Suspenseful and smart.

Highlander (1986)

"There can be only one."

There should have been only one, but they kept making sequels, both films and TV series. And somehow, the sequels continued to get worse, even after the first sequel which reveals the immortals of the story were aliens. My friend Ed and I went to see Highlander III in the theater on opening day, and within 15 minutes, one of us turned to the other and asked "This is pretty bad isn't it?". When sequel #3, Highlander: Endgame came out, they touted that it was "from the producers of the original Highlander", which was misleading because those were the same producers who had produced the crappy sequels!

The Naked Gun (1988)

"Go get him, Stephanie!"

From the makers of Airplane!, and based on their short-lived TV series Police Squad!. Continues Leslie Nielsen's portrayal of wacky characters which began in Airplane!, which unfortunately led to him starring in all sorts of crappy, unfunny (IMHO) movies. Apparently, Ricardo Montalban was cast as the villain after the Zucker brothers saw him in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I had the movie poster for this hanging at my desk at one of my jobs, and it's now rolled up and sitting in a corner in my home office. I first saw this as a kid via a rental.

The Naked Gun 2 1/2 (1991)

"I've been swimming in raw sewage...I love it!"

Released the same summer as Terminator 2, and I saw it at "Pothole City" with the same friends. We got there a little late and missed the first 30 seconds or minute. The audience howled during the opening scene. It was great seeing this in a theater.

National Treasure (2004)

"It's just that... the last time this was here... it was being signed."

Another unexpected gem. The country was in the midst of DaVinci Code fever when this was released. I'm not sure why we rented this or who suggested it, but I'm glad we gave it a shot, because I love this movie. Also, if you have kids, it's kid-friendly (it's from Disney), with no profanity, and nothing too violent. There's some stuff near the end that might scare younger kids though.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

"Ted Nugent called: he wants his shirt back."

I think my wife recommended this one and had seen it before I did. I liked it so much that I decided to give the original a shot (this is a sort-of remake of a Rat Pack film from 1960), but I was surprised to find the original to be very slow (I haven't made it all the way through yet, and I have a fondness for movies from that era).

Seven Samurai (1954)

"You embarrass me. You're overestimating me. Listen, I'm not a man with any special skill, but I've had plenty of experience in battles; losing battles, all of them. In short, that's all I am. Drop such an idea for your own good."

Probably a better film than anything else on this list. I don't watch it very often due to the length (I don't often have 207 minutes of consecutive free time) and the fact that it's all subtitled, but it's a phenomenal film. George Lucas has referenced parts of it in at least three Star Wars films. I first watched this as an adult, and I can't remember what piqued my interest in it, but it's amazing. It has action, drama, humor, and heart. Director Akira Kurosawa is legendary, and after watching this, I understand why. 

Wayne's World 2 (1993)

"So there I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night."

I like both Wayne's World movies, but the second is my favorite due to the character of Del Preston (former roadie extraordinaire), and the Jim Morrison dream sequences, among other things. Both films have a special place in my heart because they're pretty accurate representations of my life at that point in time, cruising around town with my friend Ed. I saw this when it came out. Probably with Ed!

In Conclusion

So there you have it! These aren't the best films ever, but just one guy's favorites. If you've made it to the end, thanks for reading!