30 Days & 30 Movies

It's a predictable answer, but honestly still the best movie I have seen this last year. I've seen it at least 7 times, twice in theaters, and I see something new every time I watch it.
(Also an amazing soundtrack that was definitely Oscar worthy)

I dunno why people didn't like this one. I've heard it said it's the worst of M. Night Shyamalan's movies. I thought it was great. It's truth in movies, a realistic take on possibilities people haven't utilized before. Yes, it did freak me out with all of the death. It was terrifying. I haven't felt the terror of death since watching War of the Worlds, but this brought it back tenfold. It's M. Night's signature: subtle imagery and lack of information to scare the shit out of you. It works so well!

Runner up: The Wolfman (2010)

Scooby Doo :) Always knows how to put a smile on my face. A lot of people don't take these movies seriously, but they are very good in comparison to other kids movies out there. Not stupid at all; the humor is always fresh. And there's nothing wrong with a good pun now and again. :D

Runners up: Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby Doo Pirates Ahoy!, Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost... you get the idea ;)

From a certain point I could not stop crying. Then 30 minutes after the movie was over, I was still crying. Embarrassingly I saw it in theaters so everyone got to see just how depressed it made me. It was good, just very, very sad.

Runners up: I Am Legend, Unbreakable

I'm not too into romance, but I was rooting for Mark and Margot. :) I also love me some good forbidden love, and plenty of angst and drama, so this is a good example of the type of romance I do like.

Something in me will always love this movie, no matter what people say about it. It's just so much fun.

I had a stronger reaction to the end of this movie than any of the others listed bellow. I just did not see it coming, and it was so sad and shocking and terrible, and at the same time it made so much sense. Now it's the classic twist ending, and for good reason. It deserves the title.

Runners up: The Usual Suspects, Memento, Shutter Island
Ruined endings that coulda gone here: The Others, Soylent Green, The Village

I've seen this movie more than 20 times! I know all the lines and can quote most of it off the top of my head. There isn't a situation in my daily life yet that doesn't benefit from a good Hercules quote. :) And that's the gospel truth!

There is a ton of cool stuff in this movie, but the music is at the top of the "cool stuff" list. It's so awesome! Like somebody went through all the indie/rock music and picked stuff I would actually like.

Runners up: Inception, The Lion King (both on the list for other things)

The very definition of a classic. One of the greatest movies of all time. A lot of older movies pale in comparison to the graphic nature of modern movies, and lose their edge. 12 Angry Men is not one of them. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, completely blown away by how intense it was.

This movie somehow wormed its way into my life right before my parents got divorced. I watched it when I was traveling in Europe on a tour bus, which lends it an odd context in my memories. It's weird looking back on a movie and noticing how real it is, once you've experienced something like it.

I don't even want to find a picture of this movie. Thanks to Wallace & Gromit I am too afraid and grossed out to watch anything that is claymation. Even innocent actions look disturbing and twisted. And this is one of many movies that I've grown to dislike seeing, others including: Chicken Run, Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, Mary and Max, and many others. Yuck.

(No disrespect meant, obviously they aren't bad quality movies just 'cause I don't like stop-motion animation.)

James and the Giant Peach, while claymation and very very creepy, holds a place as one of my childhood movies, so I can still watch it.

Twilight somehow manages to get under my skin. In the books, Edward is supposed to be the ideal dream boyfriend. But more than anything he gives all the warning signs of an abusive boyfriend. He controls Bella completely and she is pretty much addicted to him. Nobody should be fed spoonfuls of this nonsense, thinking that's how a boyfriend should be.
But that stuff didn't make it to the movie as much, and despite everyone hating on it, I actually really enjoyed watching this first one.

I can't explain why I love this movie, haha. It's just so cute. The guys are cute, the story is cute, the dialogue is cute (and laugh out loud funny at times). It's out of character for me to love a movie that is 100% romance, formulaic and predictable, and has religion as a major plot point. But I still love it.

I share a lot of the same feelings as Kevin Bacon's character Love. It's one of those movies you think, these people are acting strangely, life isn't like that. Then something similar happens to you, and you realize, yeah, that's exactly how it feels.

I think anyone who has had some rough times in their life might be able to relate to this movie. It's a good one.

I don't hate this movie, I just watched it before I realized how much I don't like Nicolas Cage.

One expects a movie based on a novel to take many artistic liberties with the source material. I however draw the line at movies that send the exact opposite messages as the source material.

Two positive notes: Jeff Goldblum, and raptors that will scare your ass off.
Hold on to your butts!

Runner up: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Awww. :) This movie is so magical. I know it won't appeal to every movie lover, but I still wish it was more mainstream. I think a lot of animation gets brushed aside, even more-so Japanese animation, so there wasn't a huge audience for Totoro. But this is up there with the Disney movies that every kid should see growing up, and most adults should still view to get a glimpse of their inner child.

Amaaaazing! This movie was a pleasure to watch in a hundred different ways. Beautiful actors, great acting, drama, humor, animals, the circus. It was like traveling through the looking glass to another world, some magical land of circuses where you either make it or you break it, where the whole universe was being cross-country on a train.
And that elephant to totally stole the show. :)

James Stewart, the perfect gentleman. He's my #1 favorite actor, and he's had a bunch of great movies. This is probably my favorite, if not for how quirky Mr. Stewart's character was, then for the entire cast doing such a great job. Just like 12 Angry Men, when I first saw this movie I was tense with anticipation at what would happen next.

Most of my reactions when watching this were something like:
Hell yes!
Oh my fucking god!
What did he just do?!
What the hell?!
OH MY GOD

There was so much going on, it was crazy! Some of my favorite movie moments ever are in The Dark Knight, including the flip the 18 wheeler scene, and, wanna see a magic trick?

I've watched this movie dozens of times in my childhood. It was good enough to keep me hooked at age 8 and still at age 19.

The Last Unicorn is a classic that everyone should see at least once. It's beautiful and haunting, and it's got a dark atmosphere and strange humor unusual for a family movie. Unlike many animations it's very mature and somber, with painfully real characters that still get from me the same hope and fear I had when watching this as a little kid.

Yesssss. I've been waiting for this one. :) It was great. Not quite as scary as 1 and 2, those were the best, but it got my adrenaline pumping and it had some great laughs, too. It could definitely stand alone from its predecessors.

I am a skeptic when it comes to comedy movies. Most I've seen are just stupid. A lot are only funny in retrospect, and not laughable when I watch the actual movie. This was neither! I was laughing through the whole thing.

Runner up: Caddyshack

For the first 10 minutes of this movie, I thought to myself, what the hell did I get myself into? Then it got immensely better. For a lot of people, it didn't get better.

I'll tell you a secret: I actually did see The Lion King in theaters. But I was 1, and asleep for most of the movie, and now I have to experience it through my mother since she's the one who took me.

Guess what! I finally got to see this in theaters! My whole family went, and we laughed and cried and had a great time. I was a dream come true.

I guess M. Night gets a lot of flack for his movies. Predictable, not scary, etc. I guess I'm a simple thinker, but these films have always been 100% entertainment to me. Even what I'd consider the least of his creations is still fantastic to watch. He never sacrifices story for the genre; even though he delves in the supernatural and sci-fi, he never leaves the characters behind.

Signs is my favorite. It's scary and comforting, sad and funny, subtle and magical, and it's one of those movies that just makes me want to believe. Plus, it's beautifully shot:

There is always something charming about a man and a cat on a mission. The cat being an alien only adds awesome to the equation!
I watched this at least fifty times and my grandma's house when I was a toddler. There is nothing I don't love about this movie.

Disclaimer: I can never pick one favorite. But this list made it a bit easier; I can't pick The Lion King or Inception or 12 Angry Men or Rope, because they're already on the list. That whittles it down to the ones in my favorites that I haven't used. And I figure, if it's my favorite of all time, it can't be one I'll get tired of, or not feel like watching sometimes.

So I guess that just leaves Pleasantville. :) A beautiful movie about life and love and happiness and acceptance, with a timeless message, good humor, and many truths about life that we tend to overlook.