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How do you know what your favourite movie is?

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NewGeekPhilosopher Wizard Basement from Sydney, Australia Since: Jul, 2009
Wizard Basement
#1: Nov 15th 2012 at 9:37:48 PM

Because it's always bothered me that I love a lot of movies, but can never seem to pin down the all time favourite movie of mine that I can pull off the shelf and put in for a good time.

Right now it's a fight to the death between Heavy Traffic and Midnight In Paris, but I can't decide between the two since I adore both but I have this odd thing that happens when I've already seen a movie before and I know how it ends, where my brain drifts in between tweeting about the awesome parts on my phone and I still know what's going on.

I guess what's wrong with me is that I've been going through a period where I watched a ton of movies hoping to find my favourite of all time but I'm noticing that I need to get the passion back again, like how I've been trying to read fiction books instead of just non-fiction all the time.

Have any of you guys had trouble pinning down what your favourite movie you could watch again and again and never get tired of? I mean, autistic repetition aside there are certain movies I adore but would never watch in certain situations because it's too violent or depressing (Cannibal Holocaust) or doesn't have enough of a plot (Michael Jackson Moonwalker) or is too terrible for me to concede that my taste in movies might actually be awful (Showgirls).

There is hope though, 500DaysOfSummer and Clueless are new contenders but I don't think I'm ready to announce a favourite yet.

Hell Hasn't Earned My Tears
kalel94 Rascal King from Dragonstone Since: Feb, 2011
Rascal King
#2: Nov 15th 2012 at 10:14:27 PM

If you can think of any movie that you enjoyed every second of, and can't really think of any flaws (or at least as close to that as you can get), chances are that'll be your favorite. For me, that movie's Singin' in the Rain.

The last hurrah? Nah, I'd do it again.
Millardkillmoore Since: Mar, 2010
#3: Nov 15th 2012 at 10:51:29 PM

For me, it's Pulp Fiction. It's the one movie I loved every second of. I could watch it again and again without ever getting tired of it.

Any movie that you can rewatch many times and still enjoy should probably be in contention. Once the field has been narrowed in that way, it should be easier to pick a favorite.

edited 15th Nov '12 10:53:23 PM by Millardkillmoore

0dd1 Just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2009
Just awesome like that
#4: Nov 15th 2012 at 11:34:55 PM

The Truman Show for me. It has everything I want in a movie: Clever comedy, a compelling plot, decent characters (including an extremely engaging protagonist), a memorable score, and a unique concept. Plus, as a bonus, it's one of those movies that has thus far stood the test of time extremely well.

Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.
JRPictures Since: Nov, 2010
#5: Nov 16th 2012 at 2:19:00 AM

There's my problem, as my all time favourite films list says:

I'm rather indecisive as I love all these films equally even if plenty may disagree and I really don't care FOR ANY of their flaws.

edited 16th Nov '12 2:19:54 AM by JRPictures

NewGeekPhilosopher Wizard Basement from Sydney, Australia Since: Jul, 2009
Wizard Basement
#6: Nov 16th 2012 at 6:17:40 AM

Well, the more I thought about it, and having just rewatched Midnight In Paris, the more I realised that Heavy Traffic just can't be replaced as my favourite movie.

I've watched Heavy Traffic so many times that I've lost count, and it never gets old. And yet I went through a very short period in my life where I was insecure about this being my favourite movie ever, because a lot of people don't like Ralph Bakshi and whenever I try and explain to those people why Heavy Traffic is the highlight of his career, nobody listens. They don't listen because they've already made up their minds that everything Bakshi touched was terrible, regardless of whether they've actually seen any of Bakshi's films to know any better.

Well, at least I know my favourite movie of all time isn't Showgirls. Because that was the second most watched movie I've ever seen that wasn't Heavy Traffic or the Star Wars movies, and having to admit that Showgirls might have been my favourite movie ever might just have killed me. In comparison Heavy Traffic is hardly an embarrassing choice, though I must say I still like Midnight In Paris enough for it to make the top five. (AKIRA, Clueless and 500 Days Of Summer are the other three)

Hell Hasn't Earned My Tears
terlwyth Since: Oct, 2010
#7: Nov 16th 2012 at 8:05:46 AM

Yeah I find myself in an indecisive rut between Castle In The Sky, The Incredibles, Willow,and The Princess Bride

All of them I enjoyed every second of and could overlook what flaws they could have.

#8: Nov 16th 2012 at 10:54:48 AM

Mine is Inception. For me, it was the film where I really noticed the soundtrack and cinetography while watching the movie. I'll happily admit that there are films which are far better than it but I still have a personal connection with it .

Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.
0dd1 Just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2009
Just awesome like that
#9: Nov 16th 2012 at 12:37:36 PM

[up][up][up]Ralph Bakshi really has that vocal of a hatedom? In my experience, most people into animation really seem to like him (in spite of rotoscoping) and most people in general don't seem to know the name.

Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.
NewGeekPhilosopher Wizard Basement from Sydney, Australia Since: Jul, 2009
Wizard Basement
#10: Nov 16th 2012 at 2:46:18 PM

[up]

I have a pet theory that Wizards is actually a game of Warhammer and Blackthorn or whoever the bad guy's name is is using the bare minimum of black undercoated troops (rotoscoping) to cheat at Warhammer due to the Games Workshop policy of painted troops only allowed on their gaming tables.

Hell Hasn't Earned My Tears
syvaris Since: Dec, 2009
#11: Nov 16th 2012 at 4:52:38 PM

I don't really have a favorite. I have a collection of favorite films in various genres and set ups. Sometimes I want one thing, other times something else.

Harold and Maude is always good though.

You will never love a women as much as George Lucas hates his fans.
HamburgerTime Since: Apr, 2010
#12: Nov 16th 2012 at 4:55:17 PM

I've discovered that good music can be a major factor in whether I like a movie, and that there's often good music in movies that are overlooked. As such, I'm a big fan of cult musicals.

maxwellelvis Mad Scientist Wannabe from undisclosed location Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: In my bunk
Mad Scientist Wannabe
#13: Nov 16th 2012 at 7:58:55 PM

[up][up][up]And for some reason he's using 40k pieces in a game of Fantasy. Avatar would complain, but he's too blazed to really give a crap.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great
NewGeekPhilosopher Wizard Basement from Sydney, Australia Since: Jul, 2009
Wizard Basement
#14: Nov 17th 2012 at 10:36:29 PM

Ah crap, I just rewatched Army Of Darkness and realised I really like that movie too, because it contains everything I love about fantasy/horror/urban supernatural genre fic in one movie without the annoying parts.

It has a retail worker with a chainsaw hand fighting a skeletal army of evil! And then he beats the evil! And cracks one liners about it! What more do you need?

I mean, I love Heavy Traffic and Midnight In Paris, but Bruce Campbell is giving those flicks stiff competition in the Favourite charts.

EDIT: FUCK I FORGOT ABOUT Stranger Than Fiction, which was one of my most watched DV Ds ever, how did that one slip from my memory? That movie had nearly everything I wanted in a movie with writing as a central motif.

edited 18th Nov '12 1:25:15 AM by NewGeekPhilosopher

Hell Hasn't Earned My Tears
pagad Sneering Imperialist from perfidious Albion Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Sneering Imperialist
#15: Nov 18th 2012 at 5:58:38 AM

Alien will always be my favourite film, because I find every minute of it utterly sublime. It basically hits the sweet spot of Everything pagad Loves In A Film, which no other film I've ever seen has quite managed to do.

With cannon shot and gun blast smash the alien. With laser beam and searing plasma scatter the alien to the stars.
0dd1 Just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2009
Just awesome like that
#16: Nov 18th 2012 at 5:04:51 PM

[up][up]Let me put it this way. You don't have to have a favorite movie. You can just have a list of a few movies you really like a lot if you can't narrow it down to a single one, but there's no need to limit yourself, even for the sake of conversation or categorization. Besides, there's a lot of movies out there to choose from. Hell, I have trouble deciding what my favorite Beatles album is half the time, and there's far fewer of those than there are movies.

Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.
SummonerAmaterasu Master of Parasol-fu from Somewhere over the rainbow Since: Aug, 2012
Master of Parasol-fu
#17: Nov 18th 2012 at 5:16:01 PM

My Favourite movie seems to be a duel between Twister and The Hunger Games. Twister is just so Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud and Anachronism Stew that I can't help but love it. The Hunger Games is just amazing. I have loved them both since the times I saw them.

As for how I know..I guess it's because I can reliably say that I will watch it if it comes on. I can prove to you how much I've seen them by recounting quotes and scenes from them. (Especially Twister.) I'll acknowledge that Twister and The Hunger Games do have some flaws. And When you can say that and still love something unconditionally. That's when you know somethings your favourite.

edited 18th Nov '12 5:19:34 PM by SummonerAmaterasu

physics_one Since: Oct, 2015
#18: Oct 27th 2015 at 3:05:19 PM

I assume everyone has a different answer. I if you cannot explain why you think one is better than everything else you have seen, then you do not have a favorite movie. I am old school, I still like Citizen Kane. Every time I watch it I find new things that I like, which are in no other movie. Values do matter. The old school I mentioned value acting, complexity of character, and the artistic quality of each frame. Some people with the same general values choose another film, such as Tokyo story, because they like certain aspects of that movie. I believe there is a school that values action and special effects more. I would also say that some people would simply describe how they feel when they watch their favorite movie, and that is their reason, whether or not they can pin down why they feel that way. Those people simply value their feelings more than any answer that could pin down.

Every one does not have a favorite movie, but if you have one then you can confidently explain how one movie fits your values the most. With the range of values that exist, there is no reason to have a favorite movie. Having one is simply an eccentricity that some people pursue. But if you have one, you do know why.

BadWolf21 Since: May, 2010
#19: Oct 27th 2015 at 7:49:28 PM

The movies I consider my favourites (I have two) are the ones that if I notice they're on TV, I will always stop what I'm doing to watch them.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#20: Oct 28th 2015 at 4:30:09 AM

I don't think that it is possible to have only one favourite movie...I think you can have one favourite movie of each genre, but how compare an Action movie to a historical piece?

My favourite movies are simply the ones I watched the most. On which I will always pause while zapping through the channels (not that I do that often). Because of this, I need some time before I can decide if a movie is a fav or not, because sometimes movies I really liked at one point just loose their interest to me.

willyolio Since: Jan, 2001
#21: Oct 28th 2015 at 2:45:33 PM

well, the list of movies i decided were worth paying money to watch is narrow.

the list of movies i've paid money to watch twice is very narrow: The Dark Knight and Mad Max: Fury Road

I liked Mad max better.

edited 28th Oct '15 2:46:15 PM by willyolio

Anthony_H Since: Jan, 2001
#22: Oct 28th 2015 at 4:01:34 PM

I have a perfect triangle: three movies that feed me in a different way. I know it's silly, but it works for me:

I have a long list of favorites, but I can for sure say that the top 3 always end up being those movies. What order? It all depends on the mood I'm on.

HisInfernalMajesty Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
#23: Oct 29th 2015 at 9:46:42 AM

The Shining has long been my favorite movie, and I think it always will be. I caught it on AMC or something years ago and my mom said it was just a good horror flick. But watching it and reading about it left me so mesmerized. And all the conspiracy theories surrounding it and how much of a Troubled Production it was with Kubrick's aggressive directing.

I think it's my favorite because it's a perfect balance between Kubrick's artsy style but still accessible. It's the combined beauty of another one of Kubrick's masterful paintings and a horror story - and nothing is ever really explained or spelled out or gory. It's just such an atmospheric film that really makes you feel like you're at the Overlook slowly going crazy. And I find something cool in the background of the cinematography or acing or whatever every time I watch it.

Any film that just kind of entrances and traps you within its universe I think can easily be called a favorite, if not the favorite. I feel the same way about some of Wes Anderson's work because they all seem like such cool little quirky worlds to live in.

"A king has no friends. Only subjects and enemies."
Lionheart0 Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: I'm just a hunk-a, hunk-a burnin' love
#24: Oct 29th 2015 at 10:03:06 AM

Truman Show is my favorite movie as well.

I saw it by chance because TBS used to play it often and I fell in love with the movie.

everyfloatingcat everyfloatingcat Since: Sep, 2011 Relationship Status: Charming Titania with a donkey face
everyfloatingcat
#25: Oct 29th 2015 at 2:18:50 PM

[up][up] Very well said on The Shining, I'd count it as one of my favourites too.

I think you generally want different things from different types of movies, so any singular favourite could change depending on your mood. Donnie Darko was huge with my age group so I have a lot of nostalgia attached to it, whereas if I feel like having a great visual experience I'd go with something like Upstream Color. Or if I want a comedy I'll watch Zoolander. I suppose an overall favourite would be a movie that you know will reliably fill your needs whenever you go back to it and still feels nourishing however many times you rewatch.

Ho, talk save us!

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