Let’s trade favorite movies.
It’s the time of year where I sit around with my family, while someone plays movie trailer, after movie trailer, and someone else tries to get us to watch something derided by the rest, and we never actually choose anything, and then my father falls asleep on the sofa.
Maybe this is also your family… so I am hoping that from a shared list of recommendations, we can all be like– oh yes! That is exactly what we should watch!
I will go first, but please understand— I am NOT a film critic… to prove this, I begin my list with a Nicholas Cage movie… The Family Man, love! SO GOOD!
Note: I am breaking up this wall of text with past Christmas photos.
My movie-criteria was ABSOLUTE FAVORITES: movies that make me clap my hands together and say– oh! I LOVE that movie! LET’S WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!!!
In no particular order, and with plans to update the list, as you remind me what I forgot:
Goodfellas
Urban Cowboy
Amadeus
Wolf of Wall Street
Kiss Me Kate
Roadhouse
Braveheart
Good Will Hunting
Elf
White Christmas
The Family Stone
The Princess Bride
True Romance
Aristocats
Armageddon
Brokeback Mountain
Independence Day
Thelma and Louise
Ocean’s 11
It Happened One Night
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Blow
Casino
The Martian
I love a heist movie.
Bad boys, being bad.
Anything set in another period with EXCELLENT COSTUMES.
Anything with Robert DeNiro… EXCEPT THAT EXCRUCIATING NETFLIX MOVIE.
Brad Pitt, shirtless.
Literally everything about Elf.
Young Matt Damon.
Old Matt Damon.
Howard Keel.
scored these auction urns for a great price–they were exactly what I wanted for a tree base!
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Some of my movies are garbage.
Or generally problematic.
Be warned.
I rewatched Armegeddon this summer… and… Steve Buscemi’s character is… not good.
Some of these movies I love because they remind me so strongly of periods of my life— rewatching them is sort of like revisiting myself in that time period.
Sometimes I find that a movie is improved if you edit it for yourself… example: I don’t watch the end of Thelma and Louise— because it’s wrong.
Same for Roadhouse— once all the monster trucks show up, I’m done… also, even though obviously I am fine with a young Patrick Swayze, I’m actually in it for Sam Elliot.
Life Pro Tip:
If you have a choice, always choose Sam Elliot.
After he two-steps the girl around the diner, the movie is pretty much over for me.
Now.
I want to tell you how I came to watch Urban Cowboy, which I LOVE SO MUCH– it is pure kitsch, with EXCELLENT DENIM AND HATS AND CHARLIE DANIELS BAND AND A VERY BAD DUDE AND A MECHANICAL BULL AND LOTS OF FANTASTIC MUSIC AND DANCING.
Many years ago, on some list of “films every person should see“ I made a mental note of a movie titled Midnight Cowboy.
Sometime later, as I was searching through Netflix, I saw URBAN Cowboy. And my brain remembered the “cowboy” part, so I said to Paul— oh! This is a top movie everyone should see… want to watch it?
And like 10 minutes into it? I was speechless.
TRULY, I was like– HOW have I never seen this!! This IS the greatest movie ever made!
But also, HOW is this on a list of must-see cinema!?
Usually, when they say you should watch something, it’s Easy Rider. Have you tried to WATCH Easy Rider? I tried… after four minutes I was like— this is unwatchable AND WHERE IS JACK NICHOLSON?
ANYWAY.
Urban Cowboy.
I was SO confused that I googled— why is Urban Cowboy one of the greatest movies ever made?
And Google was like— do you mean MIDNIGHT cowboy?
Which we did watch later and it was depressing and cold and not in a good way.
Ok! I think that’s it! NOW IT’S YOUR TURN… what is your FAVORITE!?
Whatever you celebrate, I hope you get to spend it with the people you love!
xoxo, VEB
Midge
December 26, 2019 @ 11:28 pm
I’m doing a bunch of oldies that people don’t seem to know about but are our family faves: Soapdish (Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Shue), Murphy’s Romance (Sally Field, James Garner), Max Dugan Returns (Jason Robards, Marsha Mason, Donald Sutherland, Matthew Broderick), and Six Weeks (Dudley Moore, Mary Tyler Moore, HEARTBREAKING). And, of course, My Cousin Vinny forevah.
Virginia
December 27, 2019 @ 7:46 pm
Has anyone listed Harvey with Jimmy Stewart?
Linda
December 27, 2019 @ 9:19 pm
The Lion in Winter–Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Young Anthony Hopkins, delicious!
To Kill a Mockingbird–Gregory Peck as the epitome of conscience! Told by a girl called Scout!
Fried Green Tomatoes–Tawanda!
The Emperor’s New Groove==Yay! I’m a llama again! Wait………..
Sam Elliott because Sam Elliott. Also, Sean Connery. Yes, I know the issues, but that voice. Wowzer.
Diana
December 28, 2019 @ 5:55 pm
Love The Family Man! Not movies, but The Durrells in Corfu and Parade’s End are life-alteringly good. Best kiss ever is North & South. Truly Madly Deeply is lovely. Eddie the Eagle is a pretty good family movie. Casanova with Sienna Miller is fun. A movie I’ve seen more than ten times is Priceless with Audrey Tautou. Oh, next-to-best-kiss ever Under the Greenwood Tree. Wait, also best kiss ever Firelight. Best pining for Jonny Lee Miller Mansfield Park.
Diana
January 9, 2020 @ 4:59 am
Oh, I forgot to say To Walk Invisible was really good.
Diana
January 9, 2020 @ 5:02 am
And I just spent a week watching everybody else’s movies and they weren’t good. Only mine. I’m saying that in a cheerful public service kind of way. Which is kinder than boringly unbearable which is what I wanted to say.
elle
December 29, 2019 @ 10:02 am
Did anyone mention Michael with John Travolta (as an unrefined angel) and Andie MacDowell. I’ll watch the whole movie, which I love, for the very last scene of Michael dancing with a ghostly Jean Stapleton. Another good one that I’ve never seen mentioned elsewhere is Three Came Home (it’s a true WWII female POW camp story that is SO uplifting, with Claudette Colbert. Or try not to cry (both sad and happy tears) watching Penny Serenade with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. I actually have a copy of this and the next one, Since You Went Away, with a stellar cast: Claudette Colbert again, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotton, a teenaged Shirley Temple and a lot of others you’ll recognize. Portrait of Jennie, a Selznic film featuring his wife, Jennifer Jones, and Joseph Cotton. In case you couldn’t tell, I love Jennifer Jones! It all started with the 1945 Love Letters. This may be my all time favorite movie. Ms. Jones and Mr. Cotton again in a romantic movie with a couple of twists. And lastly, although both Kevin Costner and Russel Crowe did an admirable job portraying my favorite thief, there is NO comparison to Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood!
Marlena
December 30, 2019 @ 3:32 pm
Late to this party, but Family Stone, The Holiday, French Kiss in which Kevin Kline speaks French so well my Hubby a native French speaker thought he was French. The Scarlet Pimpernel with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour, fun for all ages! Always love Anything Jane Austin, pride and prejudice with Colin firth, Sense and Sensibility. The Court Jester, Snowball Express and the original animated Grinch…..
Destiny
December 31, 2019 @ 10:15 am
My absolute 3 faves are Back to the Future, Splendor in the Grass, and Urban Cowboy. I do love so many of the ones you listed – Goodfellas was an indulgence for many years. Of course, there are tons more that I just love: The Sound of Music & Mary Poppins (the one with Julie Andrews), When Harry Met Sally, American Grafitti, Terms of Endearment and of course Shawshank Redemption and Forrest Gump are two of the most well laid out movies ever! Throw in Grease and Heathers! I also LOVE all the John Hughes movies of the 80s. When my son was little he LOVED the movie Cars and I have to agree the first one is pure gold (but it is essentially the same movie as Doc Hollywood) but the creativity of everything relating to cars was really something as well. It is still a fave and one of the few kids movies I never tired of.
Katie
January 3, 2020 @ 5:42 pm
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Dark humor at its finest!
Barbara Kluver
January 4, 2020 @ 11:47 am
The Tale of Despereaux
Julie
January 6, 2020 @ 6:36 pm
I love the 1940’s Pride & Prejudice with Greer Garson & Laurence Olivier.
Imagine living in a time when it was an insult to you for someone to say:
” I send no compliments to your mother”
Christine
January 7, 2020 @ 12:30 am
After having made up a list of these great suggestions, here is mine:
I suggest the comedies after the sad/weird movies.
Crazy Rich Asians
Benjamin Button
Amelie
Vanilla Sky
Memento
Wedding Crashers
Now You see Me
Horns
Random Harvest
Flawless
and I concur with About Time, Age of Adeline, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings movies and Oh Brother Where art Thou.
Mary H.
February 7, 2020 @ 9:20 pm
“The Holiday” – Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz. Jude Law and Jack Black.
Elizabeth LeDoux
April 4, 2020 @ 5:19 pm
Where ARE you? How is the kitchen? The kittens? The quarantine? Miss your updated. Imagine you’ve fallen into a deep depression but know we love you any which way. XO
Lindsey
April 7, 2020 @ 8:27 pm
Your legions of fans miss you! I hope you are doing well and staying safe.
kathryn richmond
April 29, 2020 @ 6:32 pm
Victoria, Victoria where are you. You are greatly missed!!!! We miss all your wit and fancy and everything about you. Where are you???? Please, please, please someone let us know where our Victoria is. Is she ok???? I know EVERYONE is wanting to know. thank you so much
Dianne Anderson
May 28, 2020 @ 9:18 am
Please send some humor our way, we need you!
Doesn’t matter the subject, cats, kittens, kitchens, mirrors, anything Please.
Jill
July 8, 2020 @ 10:45 am
If you like Matt Damon, you have to watch Hereafter. It’s a lovely movie with beautiful music. You will love it!
Patricia
July 8, 2020 @ 9:10 pm
You have all listed some of my favorite movies. I just like to add The Blind Side, Steel Magnolia’s (Kleenex needed) Castaway Saving Private Ryan Apollo 13 Love Comes Softly and all those wonderful movies already listed.
Leslie B
August 12, 2020 @ 12:56 am
I love the movie Millions, it’s about a heist gone wrong when two boys become involved.
Suzanne G
May 19, 2021 @ 8:10 pm
OH YES, SAM ELLIOT!
My Christmas favorites are “The Bishop’s Wife” – 1947 it always brings a happy tear to my eye, “Christmas In Connecticut”- 1945, with Barbara Stanwyck and a bunch of other wonderful veteran actors, “White Christmas”-1954, with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Crosby and Kaye doing the “Sisters” dance number is one of the silliest and funniest things I’ve ever seen. And it’s so obvious the two of them had a great time doing it. And lastly, the ubiquitous “A Christmas Story”, mainly because it reminds me of my childhood (I’m ancient).
Other than movies, there is a marvelous childrens’ opera written by Gian Carlo Menotti called “Amahl and the Night Visitors”. It’s a beautiful story about a stopover the three wise men make on their way to see the newborn Christ Child.