Saturday Question: What Are Your 3 All Time Fave Movies?

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Portia

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Hello Fellow Fumies,

Every Saturday we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a $10 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Over 200 responses I will draw a $20 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Comment purposefully on yours or anothers comment & you’ll have a chance, random.org will draw on Friday.

Last Weeks Winner: Didn’t make 100 responses

eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with the eMail you’d like me to send your Gift Card to.

Saturday Question:

What Are Your 3 All Time Fave Movies?

OK, totally off topic but I feel like I’m in a film rut. Basically I watch a couple of oldies that I adore and the DC and Marvel series. It’s been a long while since I bothered to see anything much at the movies except the Kingsman sequel (awful but hilarious) and some dreck on planes.

A bit of background history. When I came back from the UK at the end of 2015 Mum kindly offered to have me back at our childhood home. My sister had moved out and taken all the VHS Video Cassettes except a very limited selection. Mum and I only really like a few of the movies but two of them could always be relied on for entertainment on so many levels. We must have watched my first two choices 40 times each or more in the 6 years we had before she died. I still love them and can watch them again and again.

My Answer:

The Colour Purple: 

The story of Celie’s life, a coming of age. Every time I’m completely and utterly captivated. Every character built and portrayed to perfection, cinematography, music, everything. Love it.

Stage Door: 

Rich girl Katherine Hepburn wants to be an actress so she slums it with the rest of the wannabe starlets in a hostel for young actresses. It’s a star studded cast with young Lucille ball, Ava Gardner, Ginger Rogers and a slew of others. Some of the funniest lines, arch zingers and some tender moments.

Muriel’s Wedding: 

You’d think because I was part of Priscilla it would be my favourite Australian film, nope. Muriel’s Wedding is freaking hilarious. Everything about it is perfection. It was shot in and around Sydney in places I used to haunt, has the most spectacle;ar cast and is a genius gem of 20th century Australian comedy.

My Saturday Question to you is:

What Are Your 3 All Time Fave Movies?

 

 

140 thoughts on “Saturday Question: What Are Your 3 All Time Fave Movies?”

  1. Ahh what a question, there are so many but a few stand out as being the most watched repeatedly over the years and they are very diverse, they are
    Victor Victoria
    Being john Malkovitch
    The lost boys.
    Lord of the rings trilogy is up there too

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  2. Don;t know why but this is a tough question for me! Right now the only one that comes to mind is A Room with a View.

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  3. I’m way behind most of the world on movies watched for a variety of reasons – I can easily list more that I haven’t seen than I have. That said my favorite 3 are:
    Donnie Darko
    Coal Miners Daughter
    Silence of the Lambs

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  4. Just for the look – A Single Man
    For the look and the story – Lost in Translation
    For the look, the story, and getting your heart going – Match Point

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  6. I’ll have to agree with A Room With A View as an all-time top 3 fave. I love many movies, so this is hard! Another would be Sense and Sensibility; and two more, tied, would be Peter Pan (the 2003 live action version) and The Last of the Mohicans. I like movies with marvelous soundtracks as well as cinematography.

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  8. 1.The Fifth Element
    2. All of Me
    3. A tie between several: Grave of the Fireflies / My Neigbour Totoro / Princess Mononoke / Howl’s Moving Castle

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  10. So I have ahem a thing for sappy movies though I do love lots of others as well😁. But based on the ones I watch over and over it would probably have to be: Sweet Home Alabama, The Family Stone, Ja Ik Will

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  11. Easy Rider.
    Night of the Living Dead.
    Taxi Driver.
    The Graduate.
    This Must Be The Place.
    Dog Day Afternoon.

    Oh. Three?

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  12. Only three? Wow, I have a tough time when people ask me for a top ten with films!

    * His Girl Friday (I love screwball comedies of this era–snappy dialogue, great hats, glorious chaos, and ALL the glamore! HGF narrowly pips Bringing up Baby and The Philadelphia Story to the top spot, because Hildy is just. so. fabulous.)

    * Die Hard. (The smartest big dumb exploding movie ever made. Also, I watched it about a million times in my third year at college. I can still recite large chunks of it.)

    * Afterlife. (A japanese film from ’98 taht got remade horribly by Hollywood. it’s a strange little thing: the premise is that when you die, you get to choose a single memory from your life that is recreated for you. Quiet, charming, beautiful, funny. One of those films that gets under your skin.)

    And some sneaky additions of films I adore and can watch over, and over again: Heathers, A Matter of Life and Death, Bill & Ted, Aliens (but absolutely NOT the directr’s cut), Now Voyager, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot, Donnie Darko, The Matrix, 12 Angry Men)

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  15. This is a real Sophies Choice question. I can’t pick. My tastes change. I follow by e-mail only and that will never change. 🙂

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  17. Hmmm – hiya – 3 favourite films…

    Chopper – about bad boy Mark ‘Chopper’ Read
    Driving Miss Daisy – the wonderful relationship between a lady and her Chauffeur
    The Warriors – ‘Warriors come out to playyyyy’ – street gangs of New York

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    • Hey Patsi,
      I saw Driving Miss daisy, what a wonderful film. Probably need to see it again now I have some years on me.
      Portia xx

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    • I’m sure Bana wasn’t meant to be funny as Chopper, but fresh out of his Poider (Peter) days, it was all I could see in that role. He was fantastic in it, but that strong connotation was too much for me.

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  18. Three is just too difficult, because I love movies and watch them a great deal, so I stopped at seven.
    Gone With The Wind
    Casablanca
    The Frisco Kid
    The Philadelphia Story
    The Bird Cage
    Love Actually
    1939 Version of A Christmas Carol

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  20. Pan’s Labyrinth, The Lobster, Moonrise Kingdom (for now). I have to admit that Australia puts out some amazing films: Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Muriel’s Wedding (LUP)– stand for Laugh Until Peeing.
    Often Hollywood doesn’t do it for me. Recently, we saw a film about our hometown, quite good: Ladybird.

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  21. Being a huge fan of film, it’s tough just to narrow it to 3 favourites as I have up to 50 favourites!

    1) Braveheart, The sweeping epic.
    2) JFK, the taut and suspenseful Oliver Stone project.
    3) The Exorcist. The chilling possession film by Friedkin.

    Honourable mentions are Se7en, Kingdom of Heaven, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Casino and many, many more.

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  22. Some brilliant choices that I’d forgotten about. Delicatessen, Being John Malkovich and Taxi Driver are amongst my all time favourites. Gong Li has got to be one of the finest actresses ever. I’m thinking more about ones I’ve watched many times over and still get solid enjoyment from without turning it off half way, or skipping bits.

    * A Clockwork Orange. Kubruck brought the dark, monotone Burgess book to hyper life. Mc Dowell was superb.

    * Casablanca – Claude Reins (sp?) hogged the film, and I do not begrudge him a thing.

    * Hercules Returns – I know! Crude toilet humour, bogan Aussie accents and kitsch galore, BUT I adore David Argue and the ingenuity of Des Mangan.

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  23. Out of Africa, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and The Piano. I also loved Sophie’s Choice, Meet Joe Black, the trilogy Bleu/Blanc/Rouge by Kieslowski, and Moonstruck.

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    • Hey TaraC,
      OMG! I love Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil too. What a stellar film. Did you read the book?
      Portia x

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      • I can’t recall if I read the book. Was it quite different from the movie? I remember that The Horse Whisperer was quite different from the book, which I read first, and I was disappointed.

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    • The Piano was an excellent film, another I need to see again soon. I never saw any of the others on your list but I want to now that I’m in this movie watching place.

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    • Great movies TaraC! I’d give all of them a 9/10 on IMDB. I cried a river watching Out of Africa and Sophie’s Choice and I suppose that’s what I like in movies – when they really touch me.

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    • Oh yes, Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources! The whole theatre gasped when the old woman told him that the child was born alive but hunchbacked and he realizes he’s killed his own son.

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      • Tara, that’s storytelling at its finest. And Verdi’s music score, The Power of Destiny! Have you seen “My Father’s Glory” by the same author Marcel Pagnol? You can get these movies in most public libraries.

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  25. All About Eve, any of the Thin Men series (Myrna Loy is perfection ) Out Of Africa. And soooo many more, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Women, The Godfather, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Philadelphia Story….

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  26. Well, you’re terrible Muriel! lol Picking just 3 is so hard for me, I’ve been a movie buff as long as I can remember. I used to write top 20 lists in 15 different genres! But off the cuff I’d go for:

    Muriel’s Wedding – classic Australiana and still highly quotable almost 25 years later
    The Poseidon Adventure – 70’s disaster films at their life affirming best. And Shelley Winters.
    The Goonies – my childhood! Oh, and Sean Astin and Josh Brolin 🙂

    Too many others to mention, but a few would be:
    Aliens, Heathers, Clue, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, A Place in the Sun, Steel Magnolias, Star Wars, Fried Green Tomatoes, Postcards from the Edge, What’s Up Doc?, Rebecca, The Color Purple, Outrageous Fortune, You can Count On Me, The Joy Luck Club….argh stop me.

    Thanks for another interesting question! X

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    • Scott,
      You should get together with Jin’s BFF Matthew and talk film. I think it would be super fun for you both.
      Portia xx

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  28. only three!!
    The Godfather
    The Wedding Singer
    Any Bette Davis Film
    As it is in Heaven..
    Muriels Wedding
    Sorry cant count!

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  30. Sorry, I can’t pick just three, so here goes:

    Love Actually – my fave christmas movie, watch it every year.
    Dead Poet’s Society – At the end when the boys stand up on the desks has me sobbing every time.
    The Breakfast Club
    The Birdcage
    Amelie
    Howards End
    The Age of Innocence – just the most indulgent dessert you could think of but for your eyes.

    But, I could go on and on ….. love seeing what other people enjoy.

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  31. I follow via email
    Breakfast at Tiffany’s (I adore Audrey Hepburn)
    Hercules Returns (so wrong lol)
    Anything with Maggie Smith in a prominent role

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    • Hi there Carolyn,
      Yep, Maggie Smith is heaven. Even better now she’s getting older, what a star.
      Portia xx

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  33. This is such a difficult question. My 3 may not be the usual favorites:

    1. Grave of the Fireflies (cannot watch again, too heartbreaking)
    2. The Matrix Trilogy
    3. A Walk in the Clouds (love the scenaries and chocolates 😀 )

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  34. I stopped watching new movies in the last 10 years so my all-time favorites would be from earlier years:

    The Fifth Element
    The Sixth Sense
    Groundhog Day

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  35. My all time favorite movies are those that I can watch over and over again.
    1. A Room With a View
    2. A Christmas Story
    3. Love Actually
    Fun question Portia!
    Sandra xo

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  36. Great question. So many awesome picks already.
    I go
    The Big Blue by Luc Besson, with Jean Reno = beautiful. My all time favourite.
    Phenomenon with John Travolta – I cry as soon as it starts!
    Great Gatsby/Romeo & Juliet/ Moulin Rouge – a Baz Luhrmann trio

    PS Lost Boys is a classic – great soundtrack

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  37. Ooooh, Muriel’s Wedding! The story, the setting, and the actors are all wonderful. Also love to watch About a Boy with Hugh Grant, but I enjoy Toni Colette’s performance too. She is just marvelous. If I’m looking for something good to watch I often go to her filmography for inspiration.

    I named three favorites that I can always enjoy watching again and again:

    Amelie
    Moulin Rouge!
    Lost in Translation

    Each of these is a mental vacation for me, I feel transported in time and place when I watch them.

    Holiday bonus: I watch Elf, A Christmas Story, and Love Actually every December.

    Fabulous and fun question, I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s lists. Thank you, APJ, now my movie choices for the next year are all set.

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  38. Great question:
    1. Himalaya, the rearing of a chief (must see!)
    2. The Truman Show and almost all movies by Peter Weir
    3. Dances with Wolves

    Holiday Bonus (thank you Tiffanie) the Remains of the Day, Lion (the long way home), Steel Magnolia’s and a Beautiful Mind

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  39. I’ve been thinking a lot about this question and still I’m sure I’ve forgotten something important:
    1. The Lives of Others – the atmosphere, the acting, the story
    2. The Great Gatsby, the old one with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow – a beautiful depiction of the jazz age
    3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – oh, again a story by F.S. Ftzgerald? I guess I love him very much 😉

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  40. Very tough question; I always end up giving an answer that I’d change a week later. I’m a bit of an arthouse fan and don’t tend to go the big blockbusters so mine might be a bit different. So here’s three I can think of right now.

    1. Around the World in 80 Days. Including this one because it’s the first film I can recall going to see. I would have been in primary school when I saw this. I can still recall the cameo performances that Mike Todd worked into his film.

    2. No Worries. David Elfick’s heart-rending film about a farming town torn apart by the effects of the ’80s drought. The scene where the little girl who has had to leave her farming home due to the lack of any water sees Sydney people watering their lawns made me cry.

    3. 2001 A Space Odyssey. Seen this many times, and I get a little mo0re out of it every time.

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  41. Argh! Just three??? All-time fave is Antonia’s Line. Also love Bread & Tulips, Wings of Desire, A History of Violence. The Proposition… I don’t think I could watch it again, because it is so violent, but the performances were brilliant. Danny Huston scared the bejeezus out of me. Of course, Perfume: The Story of A Murderer. Ben Whishaw was incredible.

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  42. ….. and of course I forgot to mention the Korean new-wave film Oldboy. It will mess with your mind on so many levels. The ending to me is very French. I almost forgot the French film La Haine (Hatred).

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  43. I loved Out of Africa, typically a film best watched on the big screen. I gravitate towards European films otherwise, cannot pick three favourite films. Here are some examples: Raining Stones, Il postino, Le grand chemin (from the 80s), many films with Depardieu and generally French and Italian classics.

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