I have kept a list of my favorite movies and my favorite songs on my phone since I was 18, in case anyone ever asked. I was going into college and I thought “What’s your major?” was the stupidest question I ever heard. I didn’t have one picked out yet, and thought that no one would want to talk about their bio classes or their math formulas. Do those things really set souls on fire? As well, even if it’s a bit more of a selfish thought, would I really connect with someone about that sort of thing?
At any rate, I recently watched “Almost Famous” for the first time in a while, and I have always said that Almost Famous is my favorite movie.
Ten years later, it still is. I know the average feminist would say that parts of it are degrading to women, but the average feminist would say that Harry Potter isn’t feminist because of the Bechdel test even though every modern feminist was molded and shaped by Hermione Granger.
Political tea aside, “Almost Famous” is perfectly written, perfectly acted, and has one of the greatest soundtracks to any movie.
That said, I want to take a look at my other nine favorites, and see if they don’t need reevaluating. Let’s deep dive!
NOTE: No animated Disney exists on the top ten. They have a league of their own. It’s deserved.
2. Psycho — This movie truly triggered my fascination with the macabre, after reading “The Face on the Milk Carton” and watching (and being terrified by) an episode of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” where the perp was a cult leader. The camera work, the plot twist reveal, and maybe the nostalgia of it all , knowing it was the first “slasher” movie and all, it’s still one of my favorites. I haven’t watched it in a while though, and I think I should.
3. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off — There’s probably at least five Buzzfeed videos talking about how Ferris is a bad person or a bad friend or a sociopath or something similar. Some people think Jake Paul is a sociopath, but cutting class to go to a museum, eating at a fancy restaurant, being in a parade and then destroying a car is a pretty low key Team 10 vlog. I think the reason why John Hughes’s coming-of-age films are so classic are because they were honest. There’s nothing cliched about Cameron and Sloane talking about their futures. Ferris’s antics may be a hyperactive version of that ONE friend, but we all have that manic fun kid who acts impulsively, lives his life to the fullest, and often does it all with a smile on his face and a song in his big dumb heart. And that “Twist and Shout” rendition can’t be beat.
4– The Breakfast Club. Damn John, back at it again with the relatable teen angst. I think, like Ferris Bueller, it’s an accurate way to depict what it’s like to be in a high school. I think it should be required viewing for everyone. I dont think that would be a cure all for bullying, but I think (hope) it would encourage everyone to recognize that we all have our own struggles that no one knows. In the words of the epic dance sequence, “We are not alone.”
5 — Forrest Gump. This movie is perfect and beautiful and American modern cinema at its finest. Alan Silvestri’s music inspired me so much that when I think of the motifs of the soundtrack, I’m instantly brought back to being a young eighth grader, sitting on the dock of my Appalachian summer camp, wishing the guy I liked would notice me. It idealizes some tough times in America but it’s pure at its core.
6 — The Devil Wears Prada. THIS. FREAKING. MOVIE. It is the millenial’s “Working Girl,” as we struggle through trying to make it in a world we dont understand under the heels of a “dragon lady”. True fans know that Miranda was not the true villain.
7 — Casablanca. I was going through a classic movie binge when I made this list, and its always stuck with me. Fantastic one-liners and a tough love story.
8 — The Parent Trap. This movie introduced me to London and The Beatles. I love this movie and will watch it almost every time it’s on tv.
9 — Inglorious Basterds. Hans Landa is without question one of the greatest villains in cinematic history. The writing, the acting, and yes, my Semite wish fulfillment of killing Nazis, make this a no-brainer. I will forever request whipped cream with my strudel.
10 — My Week with Marilyn. I love Marilyn Monroe. She was beautiful, smart, compassionate, and the world didnt give her enough time. This story of how one man saw beyond the pretty, aloof icon, into the real human who just wanted to be loved, is a lovely period piece that I would watch every week.
Truthfully, my list doesn’t need to be changed THAT much. If anything, I would remove one of the John Hughes movies or Casablanca and replace it with Black Swan. I think Black Swan is compelling, captivating, and brilliant. It belongs in my top 10. As well, Girl, Interrupted has been floating in my top 20 for years and I thought it should be higher on the list.
1 — Almost Famous
2 — Psycho
3 — The Breakfast Club
4 — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
5 — Inglorious Basterds
6 — My Week with Marilyn
7 — Black Swan
8 — The Parent Trap
9 — The Devil Wears Prada
10 — Girl, Interrupted
I like my updated list, eight years later! I’m writing this from a plane, after having another terrible migraine yesterday. I will probably need to adjust formatting later.
And maybe this list again. I’m watching “Us,” for the third time since it came out in theaters. I think it’s my favorite movie of this year… and maybe more.