Favourite films and why?

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Hey, there was another post on this a long while back, but I thought I might refresh it...

What's everyone's favourite films and why?

My favourite film at the moment is The Twilight Saga:Eclipse. It's not because of Bella and Edward and all the snogging and romantic declarations... It's because I love the idea of Vampires and werewolves, especially when they form an alliance. My favourite character has to be Jasper, where you get to see his life story and how he was turned from human to Vampire in the American civil war. Also, the sequences in the fight scenes were intense. The scene where little Bree Tanner gets killed almost made me cry, because I read the book that explains her story up until the point of her death, so I formed an attachment to her, bless.

Why?

I noticed my favorite movies have a very particular, simple theme in common. The protagonists find themselves lost in surreal situations. That is true for all of these:

Inland Empire
Mulholland Drive
Stay
The Jacket
Chasing Sleep
The Machinist
Jacob's Ladder

I also like movies with complex narratives that slowly unfold to reveal a clearer picture. That is true for all of the above, and also:

Primer
The Fountain

I find Scotch Tape to be very useful. The transparent packing tape is my favorite, it doesn't yellow with age as badly as some. Automobile window tinting is a very useful film, too, when properly applied. I guess those are my two all-time favorite films.

Soap scum on the other hand, is nasty and dreadful - that's my least favorite film.

Harry Potter films. Reason: many different types are accepted.

these are a few of my favorite films:
http://mubi.com/users/175164/films

I like 'A beautiful Mind' and 'Casino Royale' (James Bond)

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels just for the Cockney accents.

Austin Powers movies for a character that I can relate to, minus his libido.

My Fair Lady reminds me of a change that I've gone through last September, though I didn't lose my Cockney accent.

The Star Wars Trilogy because I grew up on Star Wars movies.

As bad as Percy is, it has a really good soundtrack. Kinky.

Flushed Away is a good kid's movie. It looks like I could relate to a different character every three years, at this rate. :O)

Help! and A Hard Day's Night are great Beatles classics.

A Christmas Carol. I feel the money pinch in December as I buy gifts for my family. When Christmas Eve Day comes around, I'm magically in the Christmas Spirit.

[quote="CockneyRebel"]
Austin Powers movies for a character that I can relate to, minus his libido.

The Star Wars Trilogy because I grew up on Star Wars movies.
quote]

Yes and Yes.

Btw - Cockney Rebel -
This is a weird thing to say in a topic about movies, but I have been reading other topics, and you seem unsure of your credibility, etc. I would like to say that I value your input.

Star Wars!

Pineapple Express and Superbad (both from fellow canuck Seth Rogen)

Shaun of the Dead, and basically any zombie movie.

Edward Scissors Hands

Donnie Darko

Muppet Treasure Island

What Dreams May Come

Antz

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I love both of those movies because they don't have movie happy endings, they have endings that I can relate to.

Of course I also love the original Star Wars movie trilogy. Seriously, who doesn't?

I think I am sucker for inspirational films.
I think I am one of the few people that enjoyed Contact.(logical scientist gives into realizing that some things are based more on faith after meeting her dead Father in some far off place)
I have fond memories of Good Will Hunting (Guy puts snobs in place then gives it up to chase after the girl) and Field of Dreams(Father tossing the ball with now older son gets me everytime.)
Miracle the 34th Street (the 40s version) is a favorite when the old man brings back the spirit of Christmas.
Apollo13 when they suspensefully wait for radio contact after the splashdown. Despite knowing the ending, it still put me on the edge of my seat.

It is funny that most of my movies are from the 90s, back when I think I was more willing to believe anything was possible. I can't really say anything from the last 10 years has given me the same satisfaction. Maybe I need to try relocate that sense of astonishment.

I've found that I prefer films that are carefully constructed, with a certain level of detachment, almost sealed off in their own little world and without any distraction from pop-culture references or whatever. Last Year at Marienbad is the perfect example of this kind of immersive, semi-hermetic filmmaking, so no surprise that it's one of my absolute favorites.

Here's some of my favorites: http://mubi.com/users/65488/films

DUEL
This was Steven Spielberg's first major motion picture. From the time he began this made-for-TV movie to when it aired was less than a month! The movie aired on prime time TV in 1971 when I turned 7 years of age. I remember Mom and Dad letting me stay up to watch it. I was entranced, and it became one of the films that remained a vivid memory for me throughout my life. I find it neat that there are really only two main characters to keep track of (the protagonist--- David Mann, and the antagonist---the truck driver that we never see). It is not a confusing plot (it's a linear plot), but yet it is intense. It is also neat that the film uses no music for the opening and closing credits---except for the sound of Mann's radio at the beginning credits.

JAWS
Another Spielberg classic. Mom and Dad took me to the local drive-in movie theatre to watch this 1975 horror film that forever made us a little less comfortable to enter the ocean's water thereafter. One character became an obsession of mine---Captain Quint. Because of that gruff character, I found my favorite actor---Robert Shaw. I thought Shaw was the greatest actor in the world. When I learned he had died (shortly after Jaws), I was saddened. I also became interested in the boat, Orca, in the movie. I researched through yacht magazines until I found a similar boat---a Grand Banks trawler.

THE LONG, LONG TRAILER
This 1954 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz comedy has made me laugh, laugh, and laugh. I love this movie. In addition to the comic appeal it has for me, I also love camping trailers---especially vintage ones.

THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN
When I was a child, Mom and Dad used to stay up with me late on New Year's Eve to watch the scary movies. Sometime back then, on one of those special events, we watched this 1966 Don Knotts classic. For some reason, this scary movie (which is actually a comedy), became the film I most remembered from those New Year's Eve nights. I find it a very funny film.

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON
I love this H.G. Wells film version of his story. An added bonus is the year it was released---1964, the year I was born. This is one of those movies I love to watch because it makes me feel cozy. It keeps alive the dreams of manned space exploration. It brings to life the fascinating possibilites of life beyond earth. And, it is quite comic at the beginning, but turns rather horrific toward the end. I also love the special effects work of Ray Harryhausen.

There are more films I could list, but this represents a great sampling of the films I love.

Because I like the fact that natural enemies can still work together if there is a real need for it. And I've always been interested in anything unusual or things with special powers and abilities.