The Silver Screen

We all knew it was coming, Michael's Favorite Movies. Now, this is a really hard list to make because you have to factor in many a-variables. For instance, are we talking Oscar worthy? Rainy day value? Comedy? Drama? Or are these the ones I watch it over and over again? Well, in my first attempt to rank 7 of my favorite movies, the ones I watch over and over again... So here it is...

7. The Queen

There is something great about this movie. I love it every time I see it. Maybe it is the vivid writing (Great dialogue and direction.), the intense acting (Simply perfection by Ms. Mirren!), the time period (It was a brilliant to capture a small portion of history.). Whatever the reason this one is always great to watch on a rainy day and when I'm in a British mood. So here's to my mum and our English heritage. Pip, pip and all that sort of thing.

6. X2

Many a viewers will argure with me that this one is inferior to X-Men 1, and some fools will try to convince me X3 is better. To both of these groups I say, "BAH!" X2 was perfect. First of all I loved the soundtrack, the visuals were better than the first X, and the characters had mostly been established. X-Men 1 lagged a little for me as I big fan of the comics but X2 speedier. While I find this to be the superior X-Men Movie, there were still some flaws, but the good scenes outweighed the bad-- Nightcrawler's Assassination scene, Magneto's Escape, the fight with Lady Death Strike, the Attack on the School... All fantastic.

5. Batman Begins

This was the turning point in the Batman Series. While I was a die-hard fan of all of the original Batman Series (Yes, even Arnold as Freezey) I have to admit the best by far is Begins. I do love the Dark Knight, but I fear it is too new to add to my list. Time will tell (though it does have a bright future in my estimation). What Begins did was change the way the superhero movie was made. It took a more authentic slant on the process. Though it was still "out there" it was more believable as a story line. That paired with a guy named Falconey, a guy who wears a sack over his head (still gives me nightmares), and Morgen Freeman, I say this is a good one.

4. Love Actually

I can't believe I am confessing this to the world, but I love this movie. The first time I watched the movie all I could think was how awkward one of the story lines was. But now, after watching the edited version at Jon and Morgan's (Thanks for the screen blockage, Jon), I can safely profess I think this movie is superior. The way the writer, editor, and director was able to have 7 different stories going at once and then tie them all together was fantastic. In particular my favorite story line is Emma Thompson's. She has great depth in portraying this character and makes the dramatic elements really believable. For her scene, the amazing elementary school singer, and Miss Dunkin' Donuts I give this film two thumbs up.

3. Minority Report

Every year I watch this movie once or twice. There is something fascinating about this movie. Maybe it is because Parker hates it so much, or perhaps because the old woman kisses Tom Cruise, or maybe still it is the idea behind a self fulfilled prophecy. All of it is intriguing to me. Mix that in with a great story line, cool visual effects, and turning non-likable actors into likable characters and you've got yourself a guaranteed favorite.

2. Clue

This has been a favorite since I was a wee tot. With each viewing this movie gets funnier and funnier. It is a bit campy, but that works for this one. The characters are so perfectly placed for the movie, and it is a rather novel idea to film only 7 main characters (Well, I guess you could add the 6 dead bodies to the list) and film them only in one setting for an entire 90 minutes. And it was born of a board game of all things. This movie inspired me to create my own murder mystery parties, first penning one at age 10. Since then I have written approximately 7 Clue Parties and I have plans to write at least one more this summer. At any rate, Clue is a delightful treat that I can watch over and over.

1. The Devil Wears Prada

OK. There's my Chick Flick for the list. But I have to say I really like this one (hence the placement). I would say the Fauf and I have watched it about 30 times since it came out on DVD. I first saw this in the theatre by myself those were the best of times and the worst of times. I use to see nearly EVERY movie in the theatre. Often I would frequent the cinema alone, and with this movie this was the case. Back to the movie--It is a great movie with a perfect balance of comedy, luxurious lifestyles, drama, and great acting. Notably Ms. Streep gives a perfect performance as Miranda Priestly and Emily Blunt creates one of the best P.Oed characters of this century. Great movie, and for today it ranks top.

Now I left off Finding Neverland (tear-jerker), Hocus Pocus (holiday movie), and a few others that I love. But I'll save those for another list). Until then, on with the show!