Best Movies

[Pastor Dave]

I have been accused on not having the best taste in movies:) I will admit that what critics like I often cannot stand. My taste is more in the line of "Terminator", "Ruthless People", "Independence Day" as well as movies like "Second Hand Lions", "Seven Days in May" and "What the Deaf Man Heard"

So what are your favorite movies and why? Would you rank them as great movies? What makes a movie good or great? Some of my favorite movies are, and they are not in order:
1. "Second Hand Lions"-A great family film with adventure, doing the right thing, and great actors (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall) as two old canterkerous cots who get stuck with their grand nephew one summer in the 1960s in West Texas. Highly recommend.
2. "Field of Dreams"-I like baseball. It also helps that there is some good acting and reconciliation in it.
3. "Galaxy Quest"-May be the best spoof of Star Trek there is.
4. "Seven Days in May"-Superb drama about the possibility of a military coup in the United States. May be a bit dated because it was filmed in the 60s.
5. "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy-Good story
6. "Tears of the Sun" and "16 Blocks"-Two Bruce Willis movies that deal with doing the right thing when it is not the easy thing to do. It is not easy to say Bruce Willis and thought provoking movie in the same sentence, and yet here are two of them.
7. "What the Deaf Man Heard"-Just a good clean Hallmark Movie that makes me laugh in spots.
8. "The Pride of the Yankees"-Today, today today...How can people not like this movie.
9. "Sergeant York"-Another Gary Cooper movie dealing with war and conscience.
10. "One Foot in Heaven"-A hidden gem that I have only seen on Turner Classic Movies. It deals with a man wo receives the call of God to preach in the Methodist Church at the beginning of the 20th Century and follows him through the Great Depression. I can relate to a lot of the scenes. Fredrich March stars, and I believe Beulah Bondi plays his wife.
11. Most of the Pixar movies-

That's it for now. Look forward to the discussion.
Pastor Dave

[Robert]

The Godfather trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, Cindrella Man, Elizabeth l, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List... etc. I tend to go with "hero movies" where the good are good, the bad are bad and the good always win. Lately, Gran Torino. History movies. There are exceptions; 3:10 to Yuma...

[Pastor Dave]

The Godfather has never really caught my interest even though I know it is a hugely influential film series. Cinderella Man I really enjoyed, and my wife surprisingly enjoyed it as well. That was probably due to it focusing more on the story than on the fighting. By the way, you did mean Cinderella Man and not Cinderfella didn't you?

I am like you in that I like movies where the good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and the good guys are good. I don't mind if the bad guys get redeemed. I really do not like movies that are nilhilistic, petty, dark. I have yet to figure out how "American Beauty" won the Oscar a few years ago. I really did not think it was very good at all-story wise, filming, flow, etc.

I think there are good entertaining movies, and then there are great entertaining movies, and then there are GREAT movies that not only are well made movies, but also teach us something about ourselves, others, or enduring principal.

A sports movie I forgot to mention yesterday I really emjoy is "Brian's Song", the first one with Billy Dee Williams and James Caan. As one reviewer put it, one of the few movies guys can cry at and not feel like they have to make an excuse on their tears.

Pastor Dave

[Jim Parry]

I enjoyed my youth by attending the Saturday afternoon serials and cowboy flicks where the good guy wore a white hat and the bad guys always wore a black one. One of my favorite cowboy flicks is "Rio Bravo" and the similar remake, "El Dorado". I also like "The Sons of Katie Elder" same basic plot, and same ending (good guys always win). My wife, Donna, says I'm just a John Wayne groupie. My fantasy flick is "Rustler's Rhapsody" which is a parody of the old serial Saturday flicks. Mel Brooks movies are a favorite also because of the escapism, i.e., "Young Frankenstein", "Blazing Saddles", and "High Anxiety". I also like "Brian's Song" (the first one) and "Rudy" as sports movies with a message. I have a favorite war movie, "Twelve O’clock High". My son and I saw "Gran Torino" and found the language "realism" somewhat surprising. Musicals are a favorite also, "Fiddler on the Roof". "The Music Man", "Les Miserable’s", "Stars and Stripes Forever”, and "My Fair Lady" to mention a few. "Ben Hur" and "The Ten Commandments" (the Cecil B. DeMille epics staring Charlton Heston are good ones also).

[Russ Simmons]

"Made in Heaven" with Timothy Hutton and a great variety of rock and roll greats (Neil Young, Tom Petty of Gainesville, Fla. who penned "Won't Back Down," and many more) is a treasure. While we may not agree with that particular movie's view of Heaven or that marriage made in Heaven (to Kelly McGillis of "Top Gun" fame), it is a treasure to me, thanks to my wife Shannon buying it for me one Christmas.

"It's a Wonderful Life" always gets me, time and again. Jimmy Stewart's best movie in my opinion and a powerful reminder of the sacrifices we make to put other people first, and all the lives we touch when we do. In the words of Clarence Oddbody, Angel 2nd Class, "Y'see, you really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a shame it would be to throw it all away?" and "...it's amazing how one man's life touches so many others."

Then there's "Heaven can Wait," with Warren Beaty and Julie Christy. I like the board room scene where he invites the press to watch him persuade the board that they can raise the price of their canned tuna by a penny to avoid canning porpoises. "Would you pay a penny to save a fish who thinks?"

Shannon and I are great fans of "Kelly's Heroes," a WWII depiction with Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Telly Savales and Don Rickles. Shannon references her political philosophy to Don Rickles' line about making "a deal-deal" when he's injured and cannot help solve the remaining problems in their attempt to rob a bank behind enemy lines.

One I had never seen before until tonight went back to 1962, an animation with voices by Judy Garland, Robert Goulet and Red Buttons, "Gay Purr-ee," about a female feline who leaves the farm in search of the city life. Back then, the terminology was not so perjorative that we would judge a film by its title. Our daughter Darci was quite interested, perhaps because she recognized the voice of the character Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

And of course, "The Wizard of Oz," where good liquidates evil and finally taps its heels and gets to go back home to Kansas.

"Lillies of the Field" and "To Sir, with Love" are wonderful early works starring Sidney Portier which continue to inspire me in different ways. I've played "Lillies of the Field" for Darci and will continue doing so over the years as long as the VCR player does not go the way of the 8-track tape player.

There are so many more -- "Dave," "Sophie's Choice," "Brubaker," "A River Runs Through It," "Pride and Prejudice," "Casablanca" the first three movies in the "Star Wars" collection, and "Annie," which Darci is growing to enjoy.

Her favorite, as was my mother's, is "The Sound of Music," and so at 16 months Darci was already beginning singing her first complex song, beginning with "Doe, a deer..." She can name all the major notes, and does so regularly on the ride home from anywhere, in the car, wiothout any prompting.

Movies take us to a place where we can believe in the characters and genuinely appreciate their struggles and choices. Sometimes they inspire us and sometimes they make us laugh or cry or just think a little more about things.

Thank you, Pastor Dave, for inviting an intriguing discussion.

Russ Simmons

[Shannon Simmons]

Russ forgot that the Thompson Twins and the lead singer of Quarterflash are also in made in heaven, but then he was busy with a career in the late 80's, and I was the one in highschool with loads of hours for tunes.

[Shannon Simmons]

Star wars trilogy, I still have my action figures from when I was a kid. I don't like the new movies though.

Kelly's Heroes...something about that movie always turns a blue mood on it's head in no time flat.

A Fish Called Wanda I'm a fan of anything w/ John Cleese and or Kevin Kline

Dave Another good Kevin Kline movie where he is hired to be the look alike president.

Yellow Submarine...I'm fond of calling adversaries blue meanies...Darci likes this too.

Beverly HIlls Cop

Breakfast Club...I'm a Brat Pack fan

Oceans 11 both the Rat pack original and the new version

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...I have to disagree with Russ I think this is the best Jimmy Stewart movie

Elizabeth I was good, but the director took very liberal license with her real history...which I don't care for. Darci is named after Elizabeth I, I had wanted that to be her first name, but when Russ came up with Darci Elizabeth(my old Radio name) I couldn't resist.

I love you to death -- A little known Kevin Kline movie with Tracy Ulman it sounds scary but its serioulsy hillarious...

St Elmos Fire -- Another Brat Pack flick, about post college life...I always thought Andrew McCarthy was the cutest movie star o that era...

M*A*S*H Not for those with a fear of bloody guts...but definately worth the watch...Donald Sutherland and Eliot Gould really do that movie justice. The dude who played Radar on the series is also Radar in the movie. He's actually the only who who made it to the television series.

Pretty in Pink...who can resist the Duck man... Jon Cryer, He's on Two and a Half men, which I think is hilarious, but Russ won't watch. Of course I'm a Molly Ringwald fan.

Independance Day definately, who doesn't like the world giving invading aliens a good what for. Oh and I love Will Smith, I was a huge Fresh Prince fan, and I don't think Will Smith has ever done a bad movie.

[Pastor Dave]

There is something going around facebook that asks "how many of the following movies have you seen?" If you seen a certain number then supposedly you have no life. I think I had over 1/2 of them. The movies can be great. Like Jim P I enjoy a good John Wayne movie, and like Rob I like it when the good guys win.

We own Independence Day and watch it from time to time. I know I shouldn't, but I like the scene when the ray is unleashed in DC and a certain building is destroyed. I remember at the time reading how many people yelled in encouragement when they saw it in the theater the first time.

It would be hard to rate which one of Jimmy Stewart's movies is his best. Philadelphia Story would have to rank up there with the two mentioned, and don't forget Harvey.

Have a great day,

Pastor Dave