What movie have you watched the most time? It would probably have to be "It's a Wonderful Life". I've watched it every Christmas and many times since I was a kid. "Casablanca" would probably up there too, as well as "The Apartment".
What is the first DVD youve owned? I was so excited getting a DVD player for the first time, and although my brother got me "Minority Report" for Christmas, I would say the first DVD I ever purchased myself was Robert Altman's "MASH"
What is the first movie you saw in theaters which you remember clearly? I distinctly remember seeing "An American Tale"
Genres
What is youre favorite comedy? Pretty much all the early Marx Brothers comedies, but I think "Horse Feathers" has my favorite comedy bit they ever did, "The password is Swordfish". It also has my favorite Groucho song "I'm against it"
What is the scariest movie of all time? Hitchcock's "The Birds" freaks me out, but if I really want a scare I go with the original "Halloween"
What is the best thriller? "Vertigo" has a lot of thriller elements to it, and it is my favorite Hitchcock film, but ultimatley as an all out thriller, I would have to go with "Double Indemnity" which is my favorite film noir ever.
What is the ultimate action movie? I kinda have a soft spot for the first two "Lethal Weapon" movies, to me they are the ultimate in that kind of 80s action film. I would have to say though that Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies are the best action films in recent memory.
What is your favorite adventure movie? "Raiders of the Lost Ark", nothing has come near in pure adventure even before or after it.
What is your favorite fantasy movie? If you consider the "It's a Wonderful Life" a fantasy I would say that. And even though you could argue it being in science fiction, "E.T." has a lot of fantasy elements in it as well, so I would choose those two.
What is your favorite Sci-Fi movie? Spielberg has made some of the most significant science fiction films from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to "War of the Worlds" (Yes everything up to the phony happy ending was pretty brilliant. but I have to go with Kubrick's masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" which is one of the greatest films of all time.
What is the most historically sgnificant movie in film history? There's no doubt about it, "Citizen Kane" changed the ways movies were made. It created a whole new kind of film language, and no matter what your thoughts are of it as a film, that aspect cannot be denied.
Themes
What is the most romatic movie? This is tough. There are many romantic films that deserve this title, starting with "Casablanca". Some might even argue "Annie Hall" which I look as somewhat of an anit-romance. My kind of romance that fits with my personality is "The Apartment". But if I were to choose a great no-nonsense romantic comedy with two appealing and likable people you really want to see get together, look no further than "The Shop Around the Corner". Also for those who haven't, take a look at "Once", the best modern romance in years.
What is the best movie about friendship? I mentioned it above, but not many films come close to showing a true friendship better than "E.T." Elliot and E.T. share a common need for eachother at a time when they need a friend the most.
What is the best movie about sacrifice? This is a good spot to use "Casablanca". I mean come on, Rick gives up everything, his freedom, his cafe, and the woman he loves for a cause greater than all of them put together.
What is the best movie about war? From "The Thin Red Line" and "Saving Private Ryan" to "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima", I have to say they got something right in depicting the harsh realities of war. However as a throwback to a good old fashioned war adventure movie, I'll go with "The Great Escape."
Which movie is the biggest in terms of epic scale? After just re-watching "The Lord of the Rings" films, it's easy to say those are pretty epic in the biggest terms possible. But I have so far seen nothing in the scope of "Lawrence of Arabia" when it comes to portraying a huge adventure but also being part character study.
What is the best coming of age movie? I'm not a big fan of these kind of movies, maybe I was back in the day. I'm not sure if "American Graffiti" can be put under this but that would be my pick.
Scenes
What is the best action scene?Love the truck chase scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
What is the best sex scene? I'm stumped. There's something really unsenuous about actual sex scenes. It's the build up to one I like. So I'm going to go with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in "North by Northwest". They are alone in a train car, together in bed. Cut to the outside of the train going into a tunnel and fade to black, that's all you need.
What is the funniest comedic scene? I mentioned The Marx Brothers Swordfish routine. Also love Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck confusing Elmer Fudd as to weather or not it's rabbit season or duck season. Also love the "puttin on the ritz" scene in "Young Frankenstein", and I don't know, did I mention the Marx Brothers?
Decades
Waht is the best film of the 30s? Impossible to pick one. "The Thin Man" would be up there, but so would "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "The Grand Illusion", ""City Lights" and "The Bride of Frankenstein". So that would be my top five
40s? "It's a Wonderful Life", but I don't want to forget "Late Spring", "Double Indemnity", "Citizen Kane", "The Big Sleep" and "Notorious"
50s?"Tokyo Story", but also "The Searchers" and "Vertigo". Oh and "Seven Samurai"
60s? "Jules and Jim" hands down, but practically anything by Jean-Luc Godard at this time is worth seeing. And "2001: A Space Odyssey". And "Psycho"
70? "Mean Streets" which is my favorite Scorsese (probably) but I also like Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third kind", and Woody Allen's "Manhattan". And you know what I like "Rocky" there I said it.
80s? "Raging Bull", "E.T.", "My Dinner with Andre", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Do the Right Thing", "Raising Arizona"
90s? "Miller's Crossing", "Schindler's List", "Fargo", "The Three Colors Trilogy", "Unforgiven"
sicne 2000? "Once", "No Country for Old Men", "The Terminal", "Kill Bill" Vol 1 and 2",
Sorry forgot one in scenes. what is the best battle scene? The Normandy invasion at the beginning of "Saving Private Ryan" is pretty stellar.
Charactors?
Who is the best movie hero? In a way people like Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, and Woody Allen are all movie heroes to me. Indiana Jones is like the ultimate movie action/adventure hero. I would also go with Capra heroes like Jefferson Smith, Longfellow Deeds, and George Bailey.
Who is the best movie villian? Of recent movies I would go with Anton Chigurh from "No Country for Old Men". But you know what? Women haven't been given their due for great movie villanesses, so in honor of the ladies, I'll choose the great Barbara Stanwyck in "Double Indemnity". She's as cold as ice.
Who is the best movie charactor in terms of complexity? You could make a good case for Charles Foster Kane. I think Michael Corleone from "The Godfather" deserves a mention. I'm gonna go with a somewhat obscure reference and choose Gabriel Byrne's character in "Miller's Crossing". The thing that fascinates me about that movie is his characters motives, he keeps you guessing till the very end just what he's up to.
And finally
What is the best movie of all time? As I have probably shown here in my list, I don't think there is a best movie of all time. I love so many movies for so many different reasons. As a default I always seem to go with "It's a Wonderful Life" since it probably is my favorite. However I'm gonna change my tune a bit in an effort for people to try something new. In many ways I think Yasujiro Ozu's masterpiece "Tokyo Story" is the greatest film of all time. It's a film that indeed demands your attention, but it is probably the greatest film I've seen about life, and death, and family, and how people should be treated.
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