Avatar
Added by garfield2710

on 1 Mar 2012 10:46

 
4
257 Views   2 Comments

5 Films that Define Me

Sort by: Showing 5 items
People who added this item 3162  Average listal rating (1942 ratings) 8  IMDB Rating 8.4 
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
To me, this film represents a lot of things. This was probably the first film I've ever had to take a stand on regarding how I personally didn't care for it. Lots of people are shocked to discover this, but everytime it arises, I take a stand and refuse to change my opinion. Also, this film taught me that I don't have to like the film as a whole in order to appreciate or even like certain aspects from the film itself. For example, the scenes with HAL and Dave are some of the most chilling scenes ever put on film and HAL's death scene was really nerve-wrecking and to this day makes me shiver as I think about it. Either way you look at it, 2001 definately had a say in the way I view films today.
garfield2710's rating:

People who added this item 3371  Average listal rating (2298 ratings) 7.7  IMDB Rating 8.3 
2. Die Hard (1988)
I know exactly what you're thinking. "Why are you puting this film on this list?" To be perfectly honest with you, I can't think of any other film to best sum up my taste. This film is funny, dramatic, action-packed, intelligant, simple, complex, well-acted, fun, great characters, great villains, great romance, superb but subtle visual effects, etc. If there was one film that I could point to and say summed up why I love movies in general, this would probably be it. This just goes to show that a film doesn't have to be based on real life events, or be an "artsy" film to truly be great. You can make a great film about anything ("Up" comes immideately to mind) and make the viewers care about anything if the film is done well enough. Die Hard is the crowning example of that. Not only is this a great film, it's also great fun.
garfield2710's rating:

People who added this item 120  Average listal rating (28 ratings) 8.9  IMDB Rating 7.8 
3. Shoah (1985)
Shoah is not an easy film to watch, and that makes it one of the best films I've ever seen. This is probably the first film I saw that really captured true human emotion, really tapped into the horrors of something horrific, and also to be honest is probably the one film where a tear slipped from my eye. This is one of those rare films that is pure emotion. That is all this movie is, and that makes it one of the most powerful films, if not the most powerful film I've ever seen. It showed me that film can be more than just a story, it can be more than just actors reciting lines, no matter how great. To me, Shoah represents mankind at it's best, mankind at it's worst, a sense of terror and disbelief that such things could happen, and about life. And that I think is how I could best sum up this film. This movie simply is.
garfield2710's rating:

People who added this item 1394  Average listal rating (818 ratings) 8  IMDB Rating 8.4 
4. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
My all-time favorite film, that has impacted me greatly. This film has taught me tons of things; that any book that was already fantastic can be made into an equally great, or heck even improved version of the story. It's also a very powerful film and is one of those rare films that has the distinction of making me teary-eyed. This film showed me some of the best acting I've ever seen as almost every actor in this film becomes their character. That's not Gregory Peck, that is Atticus Finch. This film gave me complete respect for filmmaking in general and every time I watch it, I get filled with wonder and awe at how powerful film really can be.
garfield2710's rating:

People who added this item 6041  Average listal rating (4077 ratings) 7.5  IMDB Rating 8.3 
5. Toy Story (1995)
This was a childhood favorite of mine, and I still regard it as one of my all-time favorite films. I've seen this film probably 100 times, and I could recite this film word for word. But there's also a technical aspect to this film I didn't quite get as a child (I was 1 when I first saw this film) but now that I'm older, I've found more and more things to love about this film. The great characters with relateable issues, the absolutely stellar and at the time groundbreaking animation, and some really funny jokes. This film also showed me how children entertainment does not have to be dumb, nor does it have to isolate itself only for kids, nor does it have to resort to adult humor or naughty words to keep the adults interested. This is what family entertainment should strive to be.
garfield2710's rating:



This is a list of films that define me as a casual film watcher. These are films that helped shape my views, the way I view cinema, my stance on my opinions, how I recognized the greatness put into filmmaking, and so on. This list was not easy to make, as I had to carefully consider why a film has impacted me so much, but I think it was well worth it. Reasons for why I put these films on this list are in the notes under the film.

Added to




Related lists

20 Most Wanted
20 item list by Banaanipalmu
19 votes
My favourite inspirational films
33 item list by Aiko
1 votes
My Top TV Shows
53 item list by Origami Killer
9 votes 1 comment
People That Define Cool
89 item list by Prisoner 1138
14 votes 1 comment
My Tearjerkers.
27 item list by SJMJ91
48 votes 14 comments
movies that made me feel
11 item list by nekochav
3 votes 2 comments
Movies that define my life
353 item list by 186FleetStreet
4 votes
Games that define my life
125 item list by 186FleetStreet
Albums that define my life
123 item list by 186FleetStreet
2 votes
Heart wrenching films
21 item list by cintamani
2 votes

View more top voted lists
Join listal and create your own lists and much more

People who voted for this also voted for

My Favourite Films Throughout the Years
My Film per Year list
Worst Films of 2010
Movies That Made Me Cry (Oh So Slightly)
Phillydude's Movie Log - May, 2012
Phillydude's Movie Log - September, 2012
Phillydude's Movie Log - November, 2012
Movies Viewed In 2012


Comments

Posted: 1 year ago at May 6 0:05
Excellent list & great notes! Never heard of Shoah before, but now I'm curious to check it out.
Posted: 1 year ago at May 6 1:10
It's not a film for everyone, and it is long. I think it's brilliant, but it is kind of an acquired taste. I would recommend watching it in parts instead of watching the whole thing. Thanks for your input!

Login or Signup to post a comment