photo: ABC News
All of my local morning show TV pals were wide awake and cheerily tweeting away. Lindsay Wilcox at NBC 5 tweeted out an admission, "Confession: Never seen a Star Trek episode. What's a 'must see' that you haven't?" to which her co-worker Samantha Davies tweeted, "I've seen Star Trek but never Star Wars…"
I'm sorry… WHAT?!
That got me thinking… What are my favorite movies of all time. The ones that I have watched over and over and over and they continue to inspire me, entertain me and make me laugh?
Disclaimer: I love action, adventure, romance and singing. I like happy endings and tap-dancing off into the sunsets. You will find no horror movies or gut-wrenching dramas on my list. When I pay $48 for a movie ticket I better walk out of the theater feeling good about myself and the world. Not miserable and depressed about how life sucks. Just sayin'. So, here are a few of my must-see flicks of all time:
Let's start with the obvious:
STAR WARS
I like the original three films. Not the latter three that Hayden Christensen ruined because he sucks so bad. My favorite of the trilogy is the second film in the series: The Empire Strikes Back (which is technically called Start Wars V). One of the best movie lines of ALL TIME comes from this movie when Han Solo is about to be frozen in carbonite and Princess Leia finally admits she loves him. What woman can't relate to this frustrating response? Classic.
Here's the rest of my list in no particular order:
- E.T. - I still cry every time I see the scene where the boys are on their bikes trying to get E.T. to the forest and the cops are chasing them and they think they are about to be caught at the bottom of the hill and then…. E. T. makes them FLY over the cop cars. I am literally tearing up as I hear the music in my head. John Williams is a GENIUS and his score made this film one that is sure to be on anyone's "must see" list.
- Grease - I mean, c'mon. Olivia Newton John made the best good girl turned bad ever and who didn't want John Travolta to be their boyfriend after this film. Wop baba loo bop, a wop bam boo!
- Enchanted April - This quiet film shows that even through you may be generations apart, we women have to stick together. Unlikely friendships form as four women share an Italian villa for the summer in the 1920's. The clothing is out of this world. Between the Italian countryside setting and the wardrobe, this movie is sheer eye candy.
- Footloose - This movie came out my senior year in high school and embodies the youth rebellion again the status quo. Dance on, Kevin Bacon!
- White Christmas - Ah, now this is singing and dancing at its finest. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney embody the wonderment of the MGM musical era with this post-WWII classic.
- Poltergeist - I know I said no horror films would be on this list. But this isn't horror as much as it is suspenseful. You never saw blood. Scared the bejeebers out of me in a good way. "You moved the tombstones but not the bodies!!!!!"
- To Catch a Thief - George Clooney owes his entire career to Cary Grant. The handsomest, suavest, most delicious man that ever walked the face of this earth.
- Amadeus - Not only did it expose the wonder of classical music to an entire generation but Tom Hulce does an amazing job portraying the mad genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart.
- Some Like It Hot - Another classic movie line delivered by Marilyn Monroe, "I'm not marrying him for his money. I'm marrying him for your money.". To which her future Father-in-Law responds, "Hey, they told me you were stupid…. you're not stupid at all!"
- The Goonies - "Hot water burn baby!" E'nuff said.
- Toy Story I-II-III - I love all three of the films in this series. There are magical moments in each of the films making it difficult to choose a favorite. Randy Newman's catchy songs also make these flicks movies you can't get out of your head or your heart.
Grease
To Catch a Thief