Today I felt like making a list. So without further ado: A List, In No Particular Order, of NonSoccerMom’s Favorite Flicks (undoubtedly missing a few because I am nothing if not forgetful):
So I Married An Axe Murderer. If you haven’t seen this movie, you are missing out. It is one of Mike Myers’ earlier movies and isn’t quite as goofy as some of the others. But like a lot of his other films, he plays more than one part (in this case the main character and the character’s father). And lo, it is hilarious. HEED! PAPER! NOW!
Die Hard. A total classic. Love, love, LOVE Bruce Willis in this movie (and all three of the sequels). Action movies are by far my favorite, and in my opinion this one is the yardstick by which all other action flicks should be measured. Well, this one and the next one on my list, which brings us to:
Lethal Weapon. ROCK ON. I love this movie. Gary Busey is very convincing as the ice-cold Mr. Joshua, and Mel Gibson does an excellent cop on the edge. And of course, Danny Glover has the classic line “I’m too old for this shit.” This movie has everything I like: fight scenes, gunfights, car chases, the works. I enjoyed the sequels too, but this one is the best.
Jurassic Park. An innovative plot, realistic special-effects, gorgeous scenery. What’s not to like? Well, the little girl is kind of annoying. But other than that, a great movie.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Awesome. Except for Frodo, of course.
Escape from New York. Kurt Russell is another one of my favorite action heros, and this movie is why. I mean, come on. Snake Plissken! What isn’t cool about that? This movie is very dark, probably thanks to director John Carpenter of Halloween fame, but I think that’s what makes it so awesome. Definitely a cult classic.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. My favorite of the original Indiana Jones trilogy (I hope to see the new movie when it comes out next week), I think this one works the best due to the interaction between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. They play off each other well. I’ve also always found the Crusades to be an interesting period in history so I guess maybe that’s part of the appeal here? Either way, a fun movie. Bonus points for not starring Kate Capshaw.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This movie is incredibly stupid, I will admit. But oh my god, SO FUNNY. Honestly, I don’t even have to be watching it to start laughing. Pulling the DVD out of our entertainment center gives me the giggles – just the ANTICIPATION is enough. Jim Carrey is such a spaz you can’t help but laugh, and there isn’t really any gross “toilet humor” (which I HATE). Well, except for that one part. Do NOT go in there. WOO!!
The Sixth Sense. Here we go with Bruce Willis again, told you I love him! Anyway, this movie is uber-creepy and that’s what is so great about it. It doesn’t have the classic horror-movie thrills, nothing jumping out at you or anything like that. It’s just make-the-hair-on-your-neck-stand-up spooky. By the way, my husband generally hates movies of this genre but even he agrees that this is a good one.
Monsters, Inc. AE went through a phase where this was his favorite movie and he wanted to watch it multiple times daily. Thankfully, I love it too and even after many (MANY) viewings this one is still on my list of faves. The dialogue is funny, the monsters are cute, Billy Crystal is hysterical. As with many Pixar films, the outtakes at the end are almost the best part.
Office Space. I didn’t think this movie was all that funny the first time I saw it, probably because I was in college and couldn’t relate. Now, however? FREAKING COMEDY GENIUS. It’s funny because it’s TRUE.
X-Men. I don’t know why I like this one so much, I really don’t. But for some reason, I can watch it over and over. I’ll even watch it on FX, where the pan-and-scan is so bad it makes your brain hurt. Is it the concept of having such awesome superpowers? Is it the special effects? Is it Hugh Jackman? The world may never know, but in the meantime I’ll just be over here watching it again.
The Princess Bride. This movie has been one of my favorites since I saw it in elementary school. It’s just phenomenal, and to my knowledge I have never met anyone who watched it and didn’t like it. Romance! Swordplay! Giants! Comedy! Robin Wright (not Penn at that time) was a perfect choice for the reluctant princess-to-be. This movie has several of my all-time favorite movie quotes, and there just really isn’t one single thing that I don’t love about it. It may just be my favorite movie EVER!
