Daily Archives: April 18, 2013

My Top 75 Movies Everyone Should See Before Dying :) 14-1 THE END

14. All of the Harry Potter Movies (2001-2011) They may not have been the best, but the fact that people took the chances to make these great books into movies deserves some recognition. My favorites have to be the first one and the last. Christopher Columbus directed the first one and I thought he did a great job. He even got John Williams to score the main theme, which ended up being persistent throughout the entire series. And the last one, wow, just wow. It has powerful music that matches what is going on the movie. At first I was skeptical of them splitting up the movie, but in retrospect I’m glad they did. I think they did a great job ending the series. And Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint will forever be some of my favorite actors, just because of their dedication to this series.

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13. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Watching this made me want to be friends with Batman. Like, I wanted to be there to help him save Gotham when it was in trouble. I knew what was going to happen in the end, and at first I didn’t approve. But as the movie progressed I saw how it kind of needed to happen (well it didn’t, but it makes a nice end to the trilogy). I honestly loved Christian Bale as Batman. Personally I think he is the best that there has been, besides Adam West of course. And surprisingly Anne Hathaway was an awesome Catwoman. And I can only hope that they keep the series going with a Robin series next, because I love Joseph Gordon Levitt and he needs more movies!

 

12. House on Haunted Hill (1959) I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say not many people have seen this. And that’s sad because I am enthralled with it. It introduced me to the awesomeness of Vincent Price. This is one of those old scary movies that aren’t so scary. The first time you see it you may get a little creeped out. But, the more you watch it the more you start laughing. It’s so bad it’s awesome. And kind of weird. But hey it’s definitely worth your time. I think it adds to the diversity of my movie collection.

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11. Goldfinger (1964) Goldfinger is my favorite Bond movie. I probably watched this a thousand times before I was twelve. When I was younger I was obsessed with Sean Connery. And I can understand that because he did a great job. This is also probably why I can’t stand any of the newer Bonds. I felt like Sean Connery gave Bond a suave, classy look. Anyways, Goldfinger was a horribly awesome criminal. He was extremely smart to think to rob Fort Knox. And his sidekick Odd-Job is great. He doesn’t talk and his hat can cut people’s heads off. Lastly, the music is awesome. Shirley Bassett has a fantastic voice and I wish I was like her. Hah.

 

10. The King’s Speech (2010) I enjoyed this movie because it brought to light what had actually happened. I really appreciated the historical accurateness in the movie and the story that it told. I think what made it even better was the ability to see that even royalty can have simple, common people problems too. People often think of kings and queens as being the perfect person, but clearly they are human just as we are. Colin Firth did an excellent job. I feel like if I had to do that role I’d end up leaving with a stutter too.

 

9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) The Hobbit has been my obsession for about 5 months now. I actually went to see it twice in theatres, about 3 days apart. And I have no shame. Thankfully, Peter Jackson did not let me down. I was weary of Martin Freeman as Bilbo at first, but after watching the movie he definitely fit the part. I appreciated the scenery and also the humor that was present. In LOTR there was some mild humor, but in the Hobbit it seemed like there was a bit more humor and everyone knows I definitely love comedy. I’m really excited about the next two movies and hopefully they are just as good as the first. My favorite part of the movie might have just been the music. I’m not going to lie; I walk around campus listening to the soundtrack because it makes me feel majestic. And when the dwarfs sing it gives me goose bumps. If you don’t watch the movie, at least look up the Misty Mountains song by the dwarfs and listen to it. It’s just awesome.

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8. Snow White (1937) The one that started it all. Without Snow White, there would be no other princesses. Disney made sure to make the audience hated the Evil Witch, and I think the color scheme they used for her just added to the hatred. Heigh-ho is my absolute favorite Disney song too.  The seven dwarfs and animals provided some fantastic comedic relief. Grumpy and Dopey are my favorite. They kind of both embody me and it’s nice to see I’m not alone, haha!

 

7. Schindler’s List (1993) Despite the fact that this movie is a total downer, I think that Steven Spielberg executed this film well. It is one of the few movies about the Holocaust that I can really get through. I mean I ball like crazy, but still the fact that it is historically accurate (as much as it can be) makes me happy. It’s nice to know that there were Germans trying to protect the Jews and risking their lives. Ralph Fiennes embodied the role of Amon Goeth. He really made me want to punch him through the screen. If you haven’t seen this, please do so. It’s really informative and leaves a definite impact.

 

6. The Great Dictator (1940) The only reason this movie is on my list is because of the speech at the end. Charlie Chaplin was amazing. He definitely delivered. It definitely fit the times. If you don’t watch the movie, at least watch the speech. Also, if you want to add some spice to it I found a version on youtube with the soundtrack to Inception playing in the background. It’s kinda creepy how well they go together.

5. LOTR: The Return of the King (2003) I felt that this movie did justice to the entire series. I remember seeing it in theatres, and I actually managed to sit through the entire thing without getting bored. The battles that took place and the struggles that Frodo faced made the audience even closer to the characters. I wanted Frodo to get rid of the ring, I wanted to get rid of Gollum, and I wanted Aragorn to become king. I think for Peter Jackson to create a bond like this to characters through a movie is a pretty awesome feat. And of course, the music was fantastic.

 

4. Jaws (1975) After watching this movie, I can say that I hate swimming in the ocean. As soon as I see a blip in the water I run to shore. And for a movie to have that much of an impact makes me think it is amazing. I’ve been watching it since I was about 3, I’m probably scarred for life, but I seriously love this movie. My favorite part is when Brody, Quint, and Hooper were drunk on the boat and start singing. My mom and I sing it to each other when we are cleaning the house. What really gets me about this movie is the effect it had on people, like I said. And the music just adds to the creepy factor. Steven Spielberg did another fantastic job with this movie.

 

3. LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) I know, I’m weird because this movie is higher than the third one, but I’ve got my reasons. For some reason, the beginnings of things are always my favorite. It establishes the characters and sets them off on their journeys. I think this movie paints a picture of Frodo and the other members of the Fellowship and the other movies just build on that. I also like it because the Fellowship is all together, and nothing bad has really happened yet. This movie really made me want to move to New Zealand. I tell people I’m going, they don’t believe me, but I’m serious. It’s just beautiful there and I think that living there will make me think that I’m living in Middle Earth, which is something that I’d like to do. Howard Shore was a music genius with this movie too. The music matched the scenes so well! I listen to it and sometimes think I’m climbing a mountain with the rest of the Fellowship. Without the music, I think the movie would not have been successful as it was. And I love it. So watch it. 😀

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2. Star War IV: A New Hope (1977) A New Hope is no doubt one of my favorite movies (obviously). I go around quoting it, often over using the “these are not the droids you are looking for” one. No shame. I love the introduction of Han Solo as well. Harrison Ford fit the role perfectly and made him even more sarcastic. George Lucas was a great director for this movie and just did an amazing job. I really watch this movie like a million times a year (I’ve been having withdrawals since I’ve been here). And of course, this began the fanaticism about the film’s score. A New Hope gave the score a kick start into the world of movie music. It is probably one of the most over-played soundtracks that I’ve known of and I’m okay with that. If you haven’t watched any of the Star Wars movies at least watch this one! You will not regret it. And I bet you’ll end up watching the other five as well, because this one is just that awesome!

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1. Psycho (1960) I promise I’m not crazy. Alfred Hitchcock was an extraordinary director. And this movie just illustrates that. People often think that this is a movie about a crazy guy who owns a hotel. But they really look past the fact that this is more of a psychological thriller than a murder thriller. Growing up I was afraid to watch it because I thought that it was going to be gory. One night I sat down next to my mom on the couch and started watching the movie she was watching. I was really fascinated by it and didn’t even get up to get some food (and that’s impressive for me). At the end when I found out it was Psycho I was blown away. I had actually really enjoyed it! The fact that Norman’s mother really wasn’t alive and that he had taken up her role in his life just blew my mind and creeped me out. I was almost immediately obsessed with the movie. I enjoyed that there was little gore, but that there was still the thrill of a scary movie. It’s just interesting to me to think that someone would let a single person dominate their life so much, that they feel they must continue living as them even after they are long gone. And go so far as to stop themselves from being happy because they know that person who used to be in their lives wouldn’t want them to be happy. If you haven’t watched this, you really need to. It’s fantastic, morbid, and just all around brilliant. Alfred Hitchcock did well with this movie and it is my favorite. 😀

 

Well, that’s it. Hopefully you made it this far. I apologize for rambling, I really love my movies. Maybe I’ve given you some ideas or helped you fuel your procrastination, but either way I hope you enjoyed it. It’s interesting that this semester I started my blog with a Psycho remake blog and I’m not ending my blog with it. I guess it really is one of my favorite movies. With that, stay classy! 🙂

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My Top 75 Movies Everyone Should See Before Dying :) 29-15

29. Pitch Perfect (2012) If you read my blog a couple of weeks (maybe months I don’t know) ago you would have seen that I wrote an entire blog about Pitch Perfect. Maybe it shouldn’t be this low on the list, but it is still an awesome movie. I loved it because it made me genuinely laugh! And the songs are so catchy! I ended up buying the entire album and I listen to it all the time! If you haven’t seen it, get on the band wagon now and you won’t regret it!

 

28. Men in Black 3 (2012) I loved this movie, flat out loved it. I wasn’t expecting much from it, but it exceeded any expectations I did have for it. Yes, the first one is good, but this one is awesome too! It incorporates various things that happened in history and to me that is really cool. And also (warning spoiler!) it brings J and K’s relationship to a full circle. It’s really sad and cool at the same time to see that K knew who J was before J knew K. That’s confusing. But seriously, watching the movie will make more sense!

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27. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) Well one reason this is here is because it is one of the few anime movies that I actually watch. Another reason is because I love that Christian Bale and Josh Hutcherson voice some of the characters. It has a really awesome story line and I give it my stamp of approval (I know that means a lot to you). Also, Calcifer is my favorite.

 

26. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) This is a classic. It’s funny and gives a person potential ideas on ways to get out of class! I’m pretty sure most of us can relate to wanting to skip school, especially senior year. And I only wish I could have had such an experience. Another reason this movie is awesome is because of John Hughes, he was really my favorite and I’m kind of sad that he went into seclusion so early. I really like this movie and it definitely deserves this spot!

 

25. The Breakfast Club (1985) This again, is another classic. I just watched the other day and was cracking up.  I love that all of the characters are able to form friendships despite their differences. This movie definitely sends an important message. And of course, the last scene is by far one of the best endings to a movie. I love the fact that it kind of leaves the future in the hands of the audience. You get a chance to make up your own happy ending for each of the characters. Sorry, but if you haven’t seen this shame on you! 😀 (I say that with love) Also, John Hughes, nothing more.

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24. Animal House (1978) John Belushi makes this movie. The other actors help too, but his role is just hilarious. His character actually wasn’t supposed to have as many scenes as he did, but because he was so funny, the producers gave him more speaking parts. Animal House is also a movie that I like to quote. Many of the scenes are just full of comedic genius. Fun fact: Donald Sutherland is in this movie as a professor, and for those of you who don’t know who he is; he is actually President Snow from the Hunger Games.

 

23. Toy Story 3 (2010) Please don’t judge me for having this where I do. But I hated the second one and wasn’t expecting to love the third one as much as I did. I saw it as the perfect ending to this awesome story. I think it was also cool to put Andy’s life into perspective, as we too, who had grown up with the movie, were going to college shortly as well. It was kind of a nice slap in the face that I would be getting older soon too and I needed that.

 

22. Home Alone (1990) Christopher Columbus and John Hughes, ladies and gentlemen. Growing up this was another one of my favorite Christmas movies. It also made me be weary of wishing my family away, because I was afraid that I’d get left behind too. And the music in the movie was written by John Williams, who is one of my favorites. I used to fight my dad for the CD so that I could listen to it. Along with Christmas Vacation, this is probably one movie that I’ve seen more than I’d like to admit, especially during times no-where near Christmas.

 

21. Cinderella (1950) Cinderella was one of my top two favorite princesses growing up, closely tied with Pocahontas. I used to make my mom watch this movie all of the time, and watching it now I know why. It was the most successful movie following Snow White for Disney. And the music is extremely soothing. I listen to it all of the time. Also the colors they used for the animation were extremely interesting to me. There was one scene that I used to watch just because of the colors that were being used. I guess I’m just weird like that.

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20. Inglorious Basterds (2009) This movie surprisingly made me laugh. But also be sad at the same time. I thought I wouldn’t like it because I wasn’t the biggest fan of Quentin Tarantino, but after watching this I liked him a lot more. I think what I liked the most was that they were successful in killing Hitler and everyone was happy. In an ideal world, that would have happened, and I guess that is why I liked the movie so much, because it supplied me with a false hope of success (even though I knew it didn’t happen).

 

19. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) I first saw parts of this movie in my freshman English class in high school learning about the Trojan horse thing, and the Trojan bunny scene was used. I couldn’t believe that I had not known about this movie for such a long time. I immediately went home, watched it, and was in love. My friends and I would often quote it, and in fact still do. There are so many quotable scenes and random things that are funny. It may just be me, but the Monty Python group gets me every time. In fact, I just watched it last night and had to turn it off so I would go to sleep!

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18. Forrest Gump (1994) This is another case of the movie contains historical aspects and gets me really excited. And Tom Hanks did an awesome job with the role. It’s also very quotable. It’s probably really high on a lot of watch lists, and it’s there for a reason.

 

17. The Wizard of Oz (1939) The Wizard of Oz is awesome. And was the first movie to be in black and white and color, kind of trendsetting for the era and that’s pretty cool. The music is amazing. I walk around singing it to myself way too often. Beware of the flying monkeys though, they are really creepy.

 

16. Star Wars 1-3, 5, 6 (1999, 2002/5, 1980/83) Um. Yeah. If you haven’t seen Star Wars you really need to get on that. It actually astounds me how many people haven’t seen the movies! They are seriously my favorite. Don’t judge me and think I’m some über nerd. Well, maybe I am, but I don’t care because these movies are too great not to watch. The animation that was used to create all of the characters was just amazing for that time period (not so much the newer ones, but the original ones). And John Williams wrote some unforgettable music to match the film. I’m pretty sure every person knows the music when they hear it.  These are some of my favorites, so you better look into them if you haven’t seen them!

 

15. LOTR: The Two Towers (2002) I promise, I’m not a total geek. I think what gets me the most with this movie is the music. Howard Shore did a great job. But also, the battle scenes, actors, and plot were also amazing. It was extremely well executed and I love it. You have to watch this.

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Last WIP E-Portfolio

To be quite frank, I haven’t really thought about my e-portfolio yet. I know for sure I want to include my persuasive paper. I didn’t proofread it before submitting it and probably shouldn’t have done that. I’ll probably also focus a lot on my work from the first semester because if I remember correctly it was sad. I guess for my cover letter I’ll talk about how through my blogs I slowly became more myself. At the beginning I tried to be all proper and stuff, but as the semester went on I got more relaxed. I had a bad habit of including my dry, sarcastic humor within my blogs (which might not have always been evident). Maybe it wasn’t such a bad habit, I’ll probably end up exploring that in my cover letter. And to demonstrate the differences in my blog I’ll probably include my first passion blog and compare it with my last passion blog. Hopefully this weekend I’ll be able to sit down and work on my e-portfolio. Surprisingly I have more ideas than I thought I did and that makes me feel better.