My 15 Favorite Movies

Some friends on Facebook have been posting their 15 favorite movies of all time.  Below is a list of movies that I can watch over and over again.  Some of them may not be the best movies ever made, but I love them.  Some are movies from my childhood that will always stay with me.  Please post your top 15 in the comments section.  Please enjoy.


1.  Star Wars: A New Hope - I saw it at the theatre when I was 4 years old.  That year for Christmas, my grandmother gave me four of the original Star Wars figures:  Darth Vader, Hammerhead, Walrusman and Jawa.  The original three movies were just phenomenal.


2.  Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory - I love this movie.  Gene Wilder was amazing as Willy Wonka.  While I did appreciate the Tim Burton remake, nothing could top the original.

3.  The Shining - Probably my favorite movie of all time.  I saw this when I was 8 years old.  There was also a remake, but tell me... how can you replace Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall or Scatman Crothers?! If you have not seen The Shining, click on the link here and order it now.    So rad.


4.  The Warriors - Warriors... come out and plaaaayaaaay.  Ah.  This movie reminds me so much of growing up in Stone Park, Illinois.  I'll assume you haven't seen this one.  It's about a street gang from Coney Island, NY.  They get blamed for the killing of another gang's members and the entire movie focuses on them fighting for their lives to get back home.


5.  Watership Down - I saw this when I was really young and it changed me forever.  Based on the book by Richard Adams, Watership Down is an animated film about rabbits.  Get it.  You'll love it.

6.  The Karate Kid - I love it.  Why did they remake it?  The original was perfect!


7.  The Lost Boys - This came out when I was in 9th grade.  My neighbor and I went to see it and because we were only 13 and it was R-rated, we bought tickets for Big (with Tom Hanks) and snuck into The Lost Boys.  Corey Feldman and Corey Haim (RIP).  Such a great movie.

8.  Ed Wood - I've seen this movie many times.  It's about the B-movie director Ed Wood, played by Johnny Depp.  Martin Landau is fabulous as Bela Lugosi.  My favorite Tim Burton film.


9.  Buffalo 66 - Starting Vincent Gallo, who also wrote, directed and composed the music, and Christina Ricci.  It's a strange and depressing movie.  You have to see it, because it's kind of hard to describe.  Definitely one of my favorites of all time.  I could probably recite the entire dialogue along with it.

10.  Rosemary's Baby - I watch this every October.  Such a classic.


11.  Being There - One of the last Peter Sellers' films.  I saw it at the theatre when I was a kid and it's stuck with me all of these years.


12.  Mean Girls - Yes, that Mean Girls.  Hilarious and super clever.  I have no idea how many times I've seen this movie.  50?  Maybe.


13.  Hedwig And The Angry Inch - I saw this at the old Valley Art Theatre in Tempe, AZ when it came out.  Probably the best musical since Grease.  Incredible music and a great story.

14.  The Outsiders - Such a great cast of actors brought S.E. Hinton's novel to life.  A coming of age story in a small town.  Reminds me of my youth.  The version that is linked here is for the complete version that has a lot of extra scenes that were cut for the theatrical version.  Definitely check it out.


15.  Snowball Express - There are a whole bunch of old Disney movies that I love. They remind me of growing up in Chicago, where we would go rent movies at the Dominick's across the street when we first got our VCR player.  Snowball Express, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Parent Trap and The Ugly Dachshund are one of the many that bring back many great memories.