Five Favorite Films with B.E.

Every week, Rotten Tomatoes will do an article featuring a celebrity's list of their five favorite films, respectfully. Let me say that my list always changes, as is expected with all the new releases and lists of favorites that come out every year. Plus my list overwhelms me everytime I look at it. Looking at my choices recently, however, I've been able to narrow down and start small by focusing on a top five list of favorites a la Rotten Tomaotes. (Who knows, I may have an absolute ten list in a few months, but we'll save that for later.) Anyway, here's my list, for your consideration and enjoyment.

Number 5: It’s A Wonderful Life. Frank Capra’s 1946 classic remains timeless and significant, not just as a perennial holiday favorite, but also as a reminder of the extraordinary lives of ordinary American citizens. Jimmy Stewart’s most memorable film. “That a boy, Clarence!”

Number 4: Up. Pixar reached a high point in terms of emotional resonance and depth (and not just in CGI). They even managed to make the most oddball cast of onscreen characters into something meaningful. This is animated poignancy at its best.

Number 3: Fantasia. Walt Disney’s magnum opus memorably combines classical music and animated images into an unprecedented and breathtaking achievement. My candidate for the greatest animated feature of all time.

Number 2: Chariots of Fire. Based on the true story of runners Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire chronicles these men’s motivations, their struggles, and their strengths and weaknesses as they compete in the 1920s Olympic Games. The ending almost moves me to tears every time. A great film.

 

And my number one favorite:

The Shawshank Redemption. Based on Stephen King’s novella “Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” writer-director Frank Darabont’s two-and-a-half-hour film adaptation assembles a great cast, an excellent script, and a message that transcends the human spirit: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are perfect, as is Thomas Newman’s bittersweet and hopeful score.

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I’m happy with these choices overall. Again, it’s overwhelming for me every time I come back to and update these lists, especially when ranking them (which I find very, very, very hard to do). The alphabetical approach is less stressful, but condensing the list down (as above), depending on the state of mind, is helpful, too.

Sincerely yours,
B.E.
(10/08/2011)