I love movies of all kinds, old, new, love stories, thrillers and especially musicals, I guess I just love watching a good movie.  Over the past month I have watched a couple that I’d seen before but forgotten how fantastic they were, so I thought I’d do a post on “my all time favourite movies”.

First up is The Color Purple.  I probably saw this movie twenty years ago when I was “young” and really not that interested.  Sure I loved Whoopy and Oprah but I didn’t really get it, well that has certainly changed since my last viewing.  This movie doesn’t just tell a tail it also gives us an insight into history.  The scene that got me the most was when Sofia is asked if she would like to be the maid for the Mayor’s wife and she replies “hell no”.  You just know that her life is about to change, and for the worse.  If you haven’t seen this movie for a while it’s well worth a look.

Dirty Dancing is next up.  I think I saw this movie three or four times at the movies, a dozen more times on video, DVD and the telly.  It’s just one of those love stories that lifts you up and makes you wanna sing.  And of course there is that line … “nobody puts Baby in a corner”!

I couldn’t write this post without including Little Women, whenever I see that it will be on telly I’ll make sure I’m home and that the boys are out.  I love all three versions of this classic, including the newest version filmed in 1994.  The 1933 version staring Katherine Hepburn is great but I think the 1949 version is by far the best.  And how could it not be with stars like June Allyson, Margaret O’Brien, Janet Leigh and the amazing Elizabeth Taylor. 

If you have an entire afternoon free to watching telly you just can’t go past the 1939 extravaganza that is Gone With The Wind.  Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable burn up the screen with their love/hate relationship.  If there is one movie with more quotable lines in it it’s this one.  Who could forget Scarlett exclaiming “Fiddle-dee-dee. War, war, war; this war talk’s spoiling all the fun” and “Great balls of fire. Don’t bother me anymore, and don’t call me sugar”.   Of course Rhett Butler doesn’t get away without a couple of memorable lines, I mean how many of us haven’t exclaimed at one time or another “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”.  But it’s this line that I wish I could remember on occasion,  ”I’ve always thought a good lashing with a buggy whip would benefit you immensely”.  Finally I couldn’t write about this movie without one more quote, which I use often … “After all, tomorrow is another day!”

When my nieces were small and I would spend the night babysitting we would often find ourselves watching Father of the Bride.  This is a really funny movie with loads of lines I just love.  Martin Short’s carecter, Frank Eggelhoffer, is wonderful and has more quotable lines than I have room for in the post.  A great chick flick if ever I saw one.

Another really sweet movie that I love on a rainy day is Serendipity, it’s just lovely.  There is something really magical between John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, and who hasn’t bumped into someone for a few moments and wondered what could have been?

While on the subject of great on screen romance, I really love the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan combination.  Two movies I could watch over and over are Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, no violence or swearing just lovely.  If I were single and living another life it would be in the NY apartment that Meg’s character lives in, just wonderful.

Tom Hanks should probably have a category all of his own as he just doesn’t know how to make a bad movie.  Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13 the list really is endless.  His voice over work on all three Toy Story movies are classics as well, whenever my boys would ask if they could play their Toy Story DVD I’d always have a little secret smile.

Trilogies, lots and lots of trilogies!  Of course there are the blockbusters like James Bond, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Treck, all great movies but would I watch them over and over?, nahh not really. 

When I was a kid I just loved musicals, I didn’t have the movies to watch, I had the records to play.  I know that really dates me and my kids probably wouldn’t understand how I could play those records over and over but I did.  I’d spend all Sunday afternoon switching from Hello Dolly to Oliver or West Side Story and South Pacific.  It wasn’t until I was married and we bought our first video player that I got to see the characters behind the words.  More recently I’ve been able to get them all on DVD and when the boys are out I’ll put one on, turn up the volume and sing to my hearts content!

And finally I’d like to finish with a little movie, not a blockbuster but one of my favourites, Steel Magnolias.  The women in this movie are fantastic, all play wonderful parts but my number one character has got to be Olympia Dukakis as Clairee Belcher, what a woman!  This movie has more one-liners than any other so I’ll just quote a few for you… “In a good shoe, I wear a size six, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size eight”, “Sammy Wayne Desoto, what is this in my Frigidaire?” “Well, we went skinny dipping and we did things that frightened the fish”.  If you would like to read more you can go here, I highly recommend it!

I was going to link each movie to IMDb but it would have taken me way too long so I’ll just leave you with their link, it’s a great site for movie trivia and has settled a number of arguments in our house.

Well that’s my list, I’ve left out some great movies like Pride and Prejudice, Grease and Pirates of the Caribbean which it goes without saying I’d watch over and over.  Let me know your favourites and have a great weekend everyone.

TTFN