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One of my intentions for this blog is to have lots of reviews. I suspect that this might not include a high proportion of movie reviews. Pdad loves movies; I am less interested. The other day I was looking at a several year period when I reviewed almost every movie I saw (not that many) for our family website. I noticed a pattern: I would review the movie and pan it saying, “Not very realistic, not believable, I didn’t like it much.” blah, blah, blah, and my brother would respond, “Really?! I loved this movie. We just bought it on DVD. Have you ever heard of suspension of disbelief?”
In addition to my suspension of disbelief problem, I have two other difficulties that narrow the number of movies I will enjoy: 1) I am rather conservative, even prudish, when it comes to sexual situations in movies. This content quickly makes me uncomfortable. 2) I have a stronger startle reflex than anyone I have ever met. Living life on a hairline trigger, I am tightly wound. This makes me extremely sensitive to violence; I easily find my tolerance for violence exceeded. Of course, just the sound system demonstration at the beginning of many movies is more stimulation than I can comfortably process).
These factors taken together may suggest that I do not have a role as a movie critic. There are probably several movies that I hated that you quite liked. However, my theory for my utility as a critic is that if I liked a movie you probably will too. There is one large expection, however. Of the movies listed below, there is an entire category, let’s call it “syrupy sentimental” that would not work for some people: The Sound of Music, The Happiest Millionaire, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Follow Me Boys! are examples of this. All I can say about that one is: Sound of Music haters, you know who you are.
Each title is linked to imdb.com so that you can read more about it if you would like. Is it more helpful to link to imdb or to Netflix for movie reviews? What do you think?
12 Angry Men (1957)
The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Amazing Grace (2006) (Thanks to Liz for her recommendation)
Anne of Green Gables (1985)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
The Chorus (2004)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Evita (1996)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Follow Me, Boys! (1966)
The Fugitive (1993)
Gattaca (1997)
Gettysburg (1993)
The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
Hotel Rwanda (2005)
Independence Day (1996)
Mary Poppins (1964)
My Fair Lady (1964)
October Sky (1999)
The Prestige (2006)
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Remember the Titans (2000)
The Saint (1997)
Saints and Soldiers (2004)
The Shaggy Dog (1959)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Spellbound (2002)
Tales from Avonlea: Season 1 (1989)
Thirteen Days (2000)
Comments
15 Responses to “My 5 Star Movies”
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This is such a good list! One good thing about your particular taste in movies is that I know if you recommend a movie, it is not only appropriate for me, but probably fine for my older children (whether they’ll like it is another question, but I won’t have to worry about sex and violence). Also, syrupy sentimental is fine with me, with very few exceptions. So thanks for all of the suggestions.
You’re welcome! But I hesitate to be the recommender of movies for children. (Unless it’s a movie I just saw–it’s hard to remember what objectionable parts there might be when it has been months or years). I know that a few of these are violent: The Saint and The Fugitive definitely are. And I think some of them have more mature themes like The Chorus for example. Viewer beware. But I do love these movies and I hope there will be at least one or two that people haven’t seen and might enjoy.
You liked Hotel Rwanda but you hate violence? That’s interesting. I liked that movie too, except that I hated it and never want to see it again–but I’m glad I saw it.
Same with Saints and Soldiers. My 13 y/o saw that movie and LOVED it, but he’s a history freak.
You have eclectic taste, I think, but then I do too.
Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog, which meant I came to check yours out too! I’ll email you my recipe for mince pies. They are not hard to make.
edj,
You’re right, in terms of violence, Hotel Rwanda is terrible. It is an important film though, so I stayed with it. I don’t think I could have handled it in a theater. I like to watch at home where I can hide my eyes, pace around, or leave the room briefly if necessary. Oh dear! I am just like my 4 year old. I would recommend Hotel Rwanda to grownups, because it asks such important questions: How do people arrive at a moment where they can allow these things to happen? How do some come to a point where they are participants? What are our responsibilities as we watch events like this unfold half a world away? I imagine your own more global perspective gives you some important insights into these questions.
My taste is indeed eclectic. There are some patterns though.
1. I like movies that I can enjoy with my children without being completely bored. e.g., Mary Poppins, The Shaggy Dog
2. I like musicals. e.g., Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof
3. I like stories that are uplifting–especially stories that suggest that working hard or pressing on against all odds pays off. e.g., Chariots of Fire, Remember the Titans, Akeelah and the Bee, October Sky
4. I love history. e.g., Saints and Soldiers, Thirteen Days, Gettysburg, Amazing Grace, The Chorus
5. I love documentaries. e.g., Spellbound, Hotel Rwanda
6. I like movies that support my beliefs: e.g, Chariots of Fire, Saints and Soldiers, Amazing Grace
7. Occasionally, when I’m in just the right mood I like action/adventure: e.g., the Saint, The Fugitive, Independence Day
8. I like movies that ask important questions: e.g., Gattaca, Hotel Rwanda
Evita?! ! See, you are unpretentious and hilarious. : )
Now do I get the card?
I think we’re going to have to have a pride and prejudice conversation next time i see you. I love the 1995 version, and I think it is my favorite too. Anyway, we’ll talk.
Ooh! Great list! We’re thinking about doing Netflix for a couple months and I want to put some of those on the top of my list. Thanks.
Boo!
Just kidding. I’m just hoping to help you with your startle reflex.
Except for “Dead Poets Society”–a truly awful movie–I like your list. Thanks.
I am going to have to take the _Dead Poets_ challenge (thank goodness for Netflix!). Pdad confidently assured me just yesterday that if I were to watch Dead Poets with my present well-earned maturity I would discover that in reality it is a terrible, terrible movie. Since you also think so, I will try it and report back.
While I have seen most of these movies in the past few years, _Dead Poets_ is an exception. It is on my list purely because I remember how much I liked it when I saw it as a high school student twenty years ago. We’ll see if my first impression has staying power. Poor Pdad though–wasting one of our Netflix choices (we only get two/month) on Dead Poets will be a bitter pill.
It is always good to have Pdad on my side. Let me know your view after you’ve viewed it one more time.
Who could possibly hate the Sound of Music???
Do you like Sci Fi? Mathieu and I are doing a marathon of all the reimagined Battlestar Gallactica episodes, which we never saw before since we don’t have a working TV. It is good! And all they say is “frak”, so it’s sort of Mormon-kosher …
What do you mean by “reimagined”? I used to love watching Battlestar Galactica about twenty or twenty-five years ago. I haven’t seen it recently though.
Oh, there’s a whole new Battlestar Galactica series, I think they’re into the fourth or fifth season now – it was on cable, on the sci fi channel apparently. We don’t get TV/cable in our house so we only discovered it recently ourselves. It seems to be basically the same premise – humanity’s home planets are destroyed by a renegade race of robots (cylons) and the ragtag band of surviving spaceships is searching for earth, with a few differences – Starbuck and Boomer are now female, hooray!, and the cylons have developed humanoid models that can’t be told apart from actual humans, so they have all kinds of fun infiltrating the fleet. Also, interestingly, while the humans are polytheists and believe in Greek mythology, the humanoid cylons are monotheists and have their own peculiar philosophy of life and morality. It is all quite interesting and the drama is great!
Sadly, though, you will definitely have to up your netflix quota at least temporarily in order to get through all the episodes … Mathieu and I went from the 1-at-a-time to the 2-at-a-time plan to facilitate our marathon!