Is It Really Possible To Have A "Favorite" Film? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Broadman]

No, I can't pick a favorite anything. I just can't make myself compare things that are so vastly different. How can I compare Clockwork Orange to Spinal Tap to Godfather to Gold Rush? Terminator 2 to Vertigo? The only thing all of these movies have in common is that they are all movies.

I can't pick a favorite band or musician, either. Do I like Charles Mingus more than Frank Zappa? That's pretty impossible to say- they're so completely different. King Crimson and Dizzy Gillespie? How am I gonna compare those? Or food: pasta primavera to cheesecake?

Maybe I'm just a confused spineless putz. Anyway, I really don't see why people are always so obsessed with ranking things. I dread the end of the year, when everywhere you look, you see lists for everything. It seems to take the artistry away from art when you rank and file everything into neat little lists.

However, I do have a favorite day of the week: Fridays, of course.

 

[Nate Anderson]

Like it was said before, my favorite movie is Almost Famous, because it's the film that illicits the most joy from me. I just love the film so much.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Tino: What would you think if I were to say "no, it's not possible to have a favorite film"? Would anyone here who might know me think I was telling the truth if I said that? So, yep, it sure is possible to have a single, all-time fave rave. And I'll let you guess what mine might be! JB

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

What would you think if I were to say "no, it's not possible to have a favorite film"? Would anyone here who might know me think I was telling the truth if I said that? So, yep, it sure is possible to have a single, all-time fave rave. And I'll let you guess what mine might be! JB

What else could it be?

Regards,

 

[Dana Fillhart]

I have a favorite film, which differs from what my opinion of "Best Film in History" (thus far) is.
Kaze no tani no Nausicaa is my favorite film; I don't know what the "Best Film" overall is, but I can give a few for differing genres: Fellowship of the Ring for fantasy (FINALLY! we have something worthy of the title of "best" for this genre, after all these years!), Star Wars for space opera, 2001 for Sci-Fi, and from there my opinions start to scatter a little with other genres.
All of this, is, of course, my opinion only, except the fact that I *do* have one personal favorite film.

 

[Craig Cunningham]

I agree with Tino.

Why must I select a favorite film?

I refuse. :p)

 

[Paul_D]

edit.

 

[Tom Ryan]

You don't select your favorite film, it selects you. For me, it's Star Wars: ANH. Star Wars has been with me as long as I can remember, and the first one has always been the movie I've loved the most. I consider its score to be the best of all time, as well. I don't, however, consider the FILM to be the best. It's merely my favorite.

Where I really break down, though, is anything particularly beyond #1.....I guess I've got a solid #2 in Fight Club now, but it's really hard making up a top ten list. The only one I know for SURE is Star Wars.

Usually it's tough for me to pick a favorite....but I know that I love Led Zeppelin the most, and recently I realized Eric Johnson's "Cliffs Of Dover" was my favorite song.

-Tom

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

I agree with you, Tino. No way can I pick what my favorite is. It's like that other question: "Who is the most beautiful woman of all time?"

 

[Marvin Richardson]

Its very easy for me to have a favorite film. My favorite film of all time is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Why? Because I can watch it over and over again and my enjoyment of it is never lessened. To me, that is not the same thing as the BEST film I have ever seen. I don't think I could define one of those, as different movies in different genres shouldn't really be compared in my opinion. I don't really think its fair to compare Raiders of the Lost Ark, the best adventure movie I've ever seen, with The Shawshank Redemption, the best drama I've ever seen, etc. etc. They aren't the same kind of movie, and I don't compare them as such. I could probably come up with a list of twenty or so movies that I consider "the best" but I wouldn't want to put them in any order.

Make any sense?

 

[Duane Robinson]

That's easy, Janet Reno.
Dammit, I was late. Oh well.

 

[MattGuyOR]

Mine is Grease. Saw it in the theater when I was 7, so it's always been my favorite. Love the music and it always makes me really happy. It's a natural upper.

 

[andreasingo]

I have two favourite movies. Strange Days and Schindlers List. Why? Because they affect me emotionally more than any other movie I have ever seen.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

It's totally possible and it's Fight Club. It grabs you and doesn't let go for two and a half hours. I have almost the entire movie memorized and I'm never bored for a second no matter how many times I watch it. I can't say that about any other movie.

 

[Bill J]

It is possible and my favorite film is Apocalypse Now. I never get sick of watching that film.

 

[Brian Lawrence]

Sure can say I have a favorite movie. That would be Accidental Tourist. Why Accidental Tourist? I just simply enjoy it more than any other movie. Why? I really don't know, It just connects with me in a way other movies don't.
Personally I judge the quality of a film by how much I enjoy it. If I enjoyed Star Wars more than "2001" than in my Opinion "Star Wars" is the better film.
Most films I like can be very entertaining, sometimes even thought provoking, but never really reach out to me in that certian way, Thus they are not my favorites, Nor do I consider them to be great.
I can't really put my finger on it but some movies just have that magic spark to them, A certian pulse that completely absorbs you into it's world and the characters who live within it, Like when you finish watching a film and you are almost dazed when the end credits start rolling, You sit in your chair or couch just staring at the screen, thinking "Fucking A! that was an amazing film" and You would not dream of ruining the effect the film is still having on you even after it has ended, by getting up or putting another movie or show on, You just want to sit there in awe inspired silence for a while.

 

[Janna S]

Chinatown - for complexity, great acting, interesting characters, cinematography, humor, history, lust, love, greed, and sorrow, and for the time and place I was in when I saw it. Cutter's Way would be next.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Hey, I'm Mr. List around here so I should chime in I think.
I easily can come up with a favorite list actually. That doesn't mean that the difference is huge between films on the list, but it's enough for me to see it. And I do think that when mentioning my fav it's key to really mention the top 5 or 10 to have a better appreciation of what I like in film. One film doesn't really tell that story.
2001
Ben-Hur
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Lawrence of Arabia
Jaws
Trainspotting
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Pulp Fiction
The Empire Strikes Back
Rushmore
To get near my top 10 a film simply has to be one that I'm drawn to every time no matter what. Something I cannot watch too much or get sick of. The qualities are usually what I feel are great filmmaking, but I understand that's subjective. So I don't propose that these are the 10 best, just my 10 favorites.
I love a film who's scenes are very well connected...where there is a smoothness to the flow of the film. I also enjoy great characters, although they have to have outstanding dialog. I'm a sucker for great dialog, lines that just hit the beat. (one reason I love Bogart films too, Casablanca being just off my top 10 and M Falcon being way up the list too)
Ironically 2001 has little dialog, yet the flow from scene to scene is strong and HAL is the great character with wonderful lines. Music is a key to me. I'm a sucker for scenes well matched with great music too.
Rushmore, 2001, Trainspotting, Pulp Fiction really fit that. Lawrence has a wonderful theme too, and I love the Williams score to Jaws.
I have a thing for non-dialog scenes if the story is really well told visually. Thus the opening to 2001 and Good, Bad, Ugly.
Finally, along with flow of scenes and great dialog, I'm very fond of films that have a consistent and distinct visual style.
Tino
I'm not a parent but was a Little League coach for 5 years and as much as I wanted them all to succeed and enjoyed working with each of them, I still ended up with favorites. I wouldn't put them above the others in terms of support or chances to play, but I felt a stronger "friendship" with my favs I guess. You don't want to be biased but it's human nature to connect more with one person than another. I think that is even true with kids. You can love them all but there will end up being one that in your gut you just like more.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

Seth, the same goes for college students.
But I still can't definitively name one favorite film.

 

[Tino]

Actually, the more I think about it, the harder it is to come up with a "favorite" anything.
I guess for me it all boils down to not wanting to choose a favorite, because I want to be able to love my favorites equally without having to pick and choose which is better. In addition my moods change as do my tastes and certain films that gave me much joy years ago do not hold the same appeal now as they once did.
I much prefer having a variety of favorites opposed to having only one in any area.
Make any sense?