Continuing my long-standing practice of never ever responding to Facebook memes on Facebook, please find below my list of 15 movies that will always stay with me. Thanks to Julanne for the tag. If you’d like to leave your list, feel free to do so in the comments.

Note: With the exception of the first and last entries, these are listed in no particular order.

Airplane! I typically refer to Airplane! as my favorite film ever. I can’t begin to explain why this humor works for me — but it reduces me to red-faced, teary-eyed, shaking uncontrollably laughter every single time. The same goes for the Naked Gun films and the Police Squad! TV series.

The Sting. The soundtrack sucked me in as a kid, but it’s everything else that makes this one of the best movies ever made.

The Godfather. When I come across The Godfather on TV, I stop what I’m doing and watch. The same goes for The Godfather: Part II.

Star Wars.This isn’t the best of the Star Wars franchise, but as the first, it opened my eyes to the possibilities that lied ahead.

48 Hours. I was so taken with this that Juan and I paid to watch this in the theater twice in the same afternoon when it was released. It’s also the reason I was fond of singing a falsetto “Roxanne” at the top of my lungs from the chairlift on ski club nights in high school.

The Last Waltz. There is no better concert film, period. As a bonus, this provides a nice glimpse at why Bill Graham was the best-ever concert promoter.

American Pop. An animated film by Ralph Bakshi that tells the story of American music through the eyes of an immigrant family. It’s not a happy story, but the energy is undeniable.

The Blues Brothers. This post from two years ago will tell you everything you need to know about why this movie is on my list.

Rear Window. Saw a restored copy of this in the Ohio Theater in Columbus when I was in high school. If Airplane! wasn’t at the top of my list, this probably would be.

Casablanca. Another high school date, another Ohio Theater screening. Perfect.

Hannah and Her Sisters. I am a huge Woody Allen fan. And I’m having some trouble reconciling my love of his films with what is alleged to have happened in his personal life. Mrs. Crappy and I recently watched Hannah and Her Sisters — my personal favorite Woody Allen movie — and couldn’t shake the creepies.

Lost in Translation. A familiar notion: being disconnected in a world where connection is so easy. And the mandatory serious Bill Murray movie on my list.

Groundhog Day. Contemplative and razor-sharp funny. The mandatory funny Bill Murray movie on my list (this could have been Stripes, Ghostbusters or Caddyshack as well, but Groundhog Day wins by a nose because it’s Groundhog Day, for crying out loud).

The World According to Garp. A brilliant adaptation of a brilliant book by my favorite contemporary author. Also, Robin Williams.

Cannery Row. A brilliant adaptation of a brilliant book — actually a couple books, Sweet Thursday and Cannery Row — by my favorite not-quite-as-contemporary author.

Rocky Horror Picture Show. My default Saturday night entertainment option in high school: Get to Graceland Shopping Center by 11:30, buy a bag of rice at Big Bear, and have my butt in a seat at Graceland Twin Cinema in time for the weekly midnight showing. And I did that somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 Saturday nights. Castles don’t have telephones, asshole.

2 Comments

  1. I used to love Woody Allen (Annie Hall was my fav) but find myself unable to watch his stuff anymore also.
    And I thought I was the only one who appreciated Cannery Row!

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    1. I thought I was the only one who even knew about Cannery Row. :)

      The Woody Allen thing is really hard for me, because I could name a half-dozen or more of his films that would be high on my list of favorites. But re-watching Hannah recently was really uncomfortable. I’d hate to think I’m done with his movies — as in, could I go the rest of my life without watching Manhattan again? — but that might have to be the case.

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