One of the Hardest Questions You Could Ever Ask Me

On the first of this month, a question was posed to me that has been posed to me many times in the past. It is a question that I, being who I am, can never avoid: what are your top ten favorite films?

This question is evil. It's like asking a good Catholic woman to chose her favorite child. I usually avoid answering this question, or any variation, by saying "I have too many to list," or sometimes I go with, "It depends on my mood." Well...now is the time to tell the whole truth.

If you are as obsessed with movies as I am, you can never have a stagnant top ten list. I am no true critic, and film studies was my least favorite class in school. Therefore, my top anything list is not about the creative prowess of the people who made the film or about the new standard in filmmaking the movie may have set. Even though I may notice the cinematography and the editing and the writing and the acting, what I really notice is how these affect me. That is what makes a film great--the sort of impact it leaves upon the audience. And because I have new experiences every day, my top list is forever changing. I hope that it will always be a challenge to put together.

Now, after that big schpeel, I'm going to contradict it with one more truth I must reveal. The Sound of Music is my favorite movie of all time. This is a big deal for me to realize, but every time I sit down to even attempt to make a list of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music ALWAYS rears its fantastically entertaining head. Since I was a little girl, my mother and I watched it every year around Thanksgiving. I know every single song. When I hear a scene, I can visualize it perfectly in my head. I don't care what you say; this film is timeless. My mother loved it, I love it, and if I have children, they will love it too. (Or hate it because I will make them watch it every year.)

Before I share the rest of the list, let me tell you how long it took me to narrow it down. As I said at the beginning of this blog, choosing movies is like choosing children, I actually feel that I'm unfairly leaving certain movies out when I make a list like this. I spent days pondering what would be here. Film titles would fly into my head, and then I'd question how much I loved it over another title that was hovering in the background. Finally, I just started writing them down, and with a little pang in my heart, I slowly weeded out much loved films to bring you this list.

1. The Sound of Music
2. The Princess Bride
3. Edward Scissorhands
4. Parenthood
5. Garden State
6. The Silence of the Lambs
7. Goonies
8. The Shawshank Redemption
9. The Neverending Story
10. Hotel Rwanda

When I think of movies, these are ten that come to mind. These are ten that make me recall certain lines, certain scenes, certain feelings. These are not the only ten, but these are the ten you get this time around. Next year, this list could very well be different. Last year, this list was definitely different. I hope this has given you a little insight into who I am as an avid movie watcher. Maybe in a few months, I'll venture off topic and talk about great television too. Now, I must go and get ready to experience another (hopefully) great movie.

Cheers