Disclaimer - These are my favorite movies. Most movie critics would probably not think much of my list. I'm sure they would point to other movies as being better. However, these are movies that I really enjoy and have had an impact upon my life in some way. They are movies that I am willing to watch again and again hoping to relive a bit of the magic that I experienced when I first saw them.
1960's
The Sound of Music (1965) - I start my list with what is actually my all-time favorite movie. It's got about everything that I like in a movie: music, dancing, and a great story. There's even some suspense as we wonder how in the world the Trapp's are going to get out of Austria and away from the Nazis.
I've never seen The Sound of Music in the theater. It came out the year I was born. However, I think it has been on television every year since I was born. I also remember that in elementary school we sang the songs from the movie in music class. I know all the lyrics and I sing along with the movie whenever I watch it. I credit this movie with helping me to fall in love with musical theater.
1970's
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) - Star Wars is not just a movie. It's a cultural phenomenon. I remember when I saw it at the Forum Theater in South Bend. This is one of the theaters in South Bend that no longer exist. All my friends had seen the movie before I did and they were quoting lines from it. Not wanting to be out of the loop, I asked my parents if I could go see it. I remember that my Dad took me to see it.
I was amazed by the visual effects. What seems so primitive now wowed me back in the 1977. I remember watching the opening lines "Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away . . ." I couldn't figure out how they got the words to look like they were floating through space.
I also loved the story and the characters. I imagined myself as Luke Skywalker dueling with my light saber. It was clear who was good and who was bad. R2D2 and C3PO were like wonderful friends who provided a bit of comic relief. I remember I had a model of R2D2 that I assembled. It was so cool.
Star Wars helped me fall in love with action-adventure movies. It was like a Western told in a whole new way. I remember simply being in awe after I saw Star Wars and thinking that the future I would grow up in would be full of space ships and light sabers and cool new technologies.
1980's
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Again, another iconic movie. I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark after I came back from a week at church camp. We were all together for the whole week and when we got home on on the Saturday after being away, we decided to go see a movie together. I don't know who chose the movie. I didn't know anything about the movie before I saw it. I didn't really read the newspaper at the time which would have been the only source of buzz about movies at that time.
Harrison Ford helped me to think that archeology could be cool. I also loved that there was a Biblical connection to the plot as they searched for the Ark of the Covenant.
I will never forget watching the Nazis faces melt off when they opened the Ark. I couldn't figure out how they could do such a thing. Again the special effects overwhelmed me.
I have such wonderful memories of watching that movie with that group of youth who I had just spent a week with at camp. It was fun and wonderful and one of the most memorable nights in one of the most memorable weeks of my life.
1990's
Forrest Gump (1994) - When I saw Forrest Gump for the first time in the theater, I didn't know what to expect. I had heard that it was a good movie but not much more.
I saw it in a packed theater and it was one of the most powerful movie experiences I've ever had. I laughed and cried and sang along with the sound track. I love history and I thought it was so wonderful how Forrest found himself at so many key places at so many key times in history. I loved how they put Tom Hanks into famous historic film footage.
I was inspired by Forrest Gump in a very lasting way. It became common at that time to quote the movie - "Life is like a box of chocolates . . ." The movie reminded me of how the thread of my life could be woven into tapestry of others' lives and into the history of the world.
2000's
Finding Nemo (2003) - I had a hard time deciding what my favorite movie of the first decade of the 21st Century is. Since moving from Indiana, I had to cut back on the number of movies that I watched in the theater and was really out of it when it came to new movies during that last half of the decade.
I really liked The Dark Knight and The Departed. However, I settled on Finding Nemo for it's amazing visual appeal and it's powerful story. I loved the characters and the incredible journey that Marlin makes in order to find his son.
I will admit that I cried like a baby when I saw this movie in the theater. It moved me deeply and inspired me. It took me on a journey to the enchanted world of the ocean. It lifted my spirit and reminded me of the power of self-giving love.
So, that's my list. I'm not sure if it's a good list or not. These are movies that inspired me and entertained me. They became a part of my life's journey. They are movies that almost everyone has seen at least once. Like them or not, they are movies that impacted our culture in some way.
I encourage you to make a list of your own. It was a fun exercise for me. It was a trip down memory lane. If you would like like to share them, I would love to know what movies make your list.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!
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