2020 - Favorite Films

I thought I'd send 2020 on its way with a list of the 5 new-to-me movies I most enjoyed last year.  Interestingly, these are all new movies.  That's rather unusual. I watched a fair amount of classic movies last year, but none grabbed me.

5. Terminator: Dark Fate

I'd wanted to see this one when it came out, but just never had a chance to make it to the theater.  I watched it on Amazon Prime and loved it.  Yes, its plot is basically Terminator all over again, but that didn't bother me.  This movie is a direct sequel to Terminator 2, disregarding all those other movies, and I loved that.  It came back to the characters and situations I loved about the first two movies.  Having Linda Hamilton back was awesome.  She rocked.  So did Arnold.  But most of all, I have discovered Mackenzie Davis.  I adored her!  She was wonderful, and she made the movie for me.

4. Frozen 2

One of the very few movies I saw in the theater last year, when it came to the discount theater.  No one in my family liked this one but me.  They love the first movie.  I had the opposite reaction.  I like the first one, but don't love it.  This is the one that spoke to me and really hit my sweet spot points.  I loved the songs more, I loved the characters more, I loved the plot, the scenery, basically everything...  This one just works for me.  I can't say I was much of an Anna fan before, but here, her arc was amazing, and I was so happy with where she ended up.  

3. Onward

This Pixar movie was so much fun, not at all what the previews seemed to make it out to be about.  I loved all the characters, really related to the sibling relationship, and cried at the end.  This one goes up high on my personal favorites list of Pixar films.

2. 1917

Another of the few movies seen in the theater, and one I saw more than once in the theater.  I loved everything about this movie.  So well-done, so powerful, so moving, and the score is my favorite score I bought last year.  

1.  Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

This movie is my favorite movie of last year, and I know, that seems absolutely crazy.  This is not a movie I suspect anyone who knows me would think I would watch, let alone love so much I've watched it multiple times.  It's my most re-watched movie last year.  Whenever I needed a pick-me-up, I put this on.  There are so many reasons this shouldn't have worked for me.  I'm not a Will Ferrell fan.  I'm not a modern music fan.  I'm not even a Rachel McAdams fan.  Nor a Pierce Brosnan fan.  But this movie is magic.  This movie is gold.  Are there a few moments of crude humor I could have done without?  Yeah... but they didn't detract enough to matter.  I loved Will Ferrell and loved Rachel McAdams.  They were perfect and wonderful together, and who thought I'd ever love Will Ferrell in anything?  The songs are great, and it was freaking WEEKS before I could get Ja Ja Ding Dong or Double Trouble out of my head.  Probably just mentioning them here is going to get them stuck all over again.  Biggest earworms of last year.  The movie was uplifting in just the way I needed in the middle of 2020, and I will continue revisiting this movie whenever I need something happy to watch.

2018 Favorite movies - revisited

Naturally, since I made my list of favorite 2018 movies before the year was over, before the Christmas movies came out, my list changed before 2018 ended.

Conclusion:  it is really a three-way tie between Ready Player One, Avengers: Infinity War, and Bohemian Rhapsody.  I honestly cannot pick one over the other.  All three were seen multiple times in the theater, all of them leave me revved up and bouncy-happy coming out of the theater.  I wouldn't change anything about any of them.  All three were shared with family who loved them just as much as I did, so there are many memories, and hours of conversation about each of them.  Music is infinitely important to what makes a movie a favorite movie, and the scores to all three have been listened to repeatedly.  Obviously, the movies earlier in the year have been listened to more, but Bohemian Rhapsody, being Queen, kind of gets a pass there, as that is music I've listened to for even longer, though I've discovered some new songs.

Which makes 2018 one fabulous year for movies for me.  It is rare to have not one, not two, but three movies of that calibre, that captured my heart so completely.

I was reviewing the movies I streamed on Amazon Prime and Netflix last year (which was a LOT), and oddly, I did not discover anything there that grabbed me.  There was only one movie viewed from a streaming source that I wanted to own on DVD, and that was Macbeth (2015).

2018 was definitely a year for theatrical movies for me, not small screen.

Top Ten Favorite Television Series

So, I'm stealing this from Hamlette and Eva.  My favorite television series.  I have a whole bunch of television shows I love and love to watch, but not all of them make the favorites list.  It's really got to have characters/actors I love, well-written shows, emotions, humor (the right kind), action.  These make the grade.

1. Combat! (1962-1967)
Vic Morrow.  WWII.  Some of the best written shows ever. Only show I've written fanfic for as an adult and have another website, co-owned by White Queen, that is devoted just to this show.

2. Highlander: The Series (1992-1998)
I enjoyed the original movie, but didn't love it.  It was Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod in the series that sucked me into this world, not Connor, though I still love Connor too, and that premiere ep when Connor and Duncan are sparring... that never ever ever gets old.  And Joe and Methos are probably two of my favorite characters of all time.  I even love Amanda.  And Kronos, of course. He may only be in a few episodes, but this series would be among my favorite television shows based solely on the "Comes A Horseman"/"Revelations 6:8" two-part ep, though there were plenty of other really good solid episodes.  Only show that had enough awesome sword fights to satisfy me.  I watched this one from premiere to conclusion when it aired.

3. Star Trek (1966-1969)
This one goes back to early childhood.  We watched an episode a day for years and years and years as they aired in re-runs throughout the 70s and 80s.  It was the backbone of my youth.  Love that crew!  Love their adventures.  Love that ship.  (Although my favorite captain from all the ST series is still Captain Pike...).  I listed my top ten favorite episodes of this show here.

4. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Another show I watched start to finish as it aired.  Didn't think I'd like it initially, but silly me. I had yet to realize the power of Joss Whedon's writing.  This show took over my life the entire run time.  Waiting for new episodes to air was almost painful some weeks.  The fifth season remains my favorite season, and "The Gift" remains my all-time favorite episode.  Buffy is my favorite character, followed by Spike, but there wasn't a single main character I didn't like.

5. Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979)
Was too young for this show when it aired, but started watching re-runs in the 90's and was instantly hooked.  I loved the two lead characters so much.  Loved all the regulars.  Loved the eps.

6. Have Gun: Will Travel (1957-1963)
Paladin is one of my favorite characters, and these little half-hour episodes are so well-written.  They pack a lot of punch into a very short time.  Some are funny, some deadly serious.  This is the only show on my favorites list that I haven't seen every episode of yet, as I'm savoring and spreading out the later seasons so I have something to look forward to. 

7. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968)
My earliest television memories are of Voyage and Star Trek.  There wasn't ever a time when they weren't part of my memory.  Both dominated life from early single digits well into my teens. These two shows were family shows, so they're also both tied up in family memories and a boatload of nostalgia. 

8. Rejseholdet (Unit One) (2000-2004)
Danish crime drama with Mads Mikkelsen that follows an elite police force around Denmark.  I really did not expect to fall in love with this show and in particular, all of the characters.  I'm not a fan of most American crime shows, as they... hm... well, they seem to play to the audience, to invite the audience to try to solve the mystery ahead of the characters.  I'm not interested in solving fictional mysteries, so I find those shows annoying to watch.  Red herrings and cleverness and crimes that have to outdo other crimes to keep the audience on their toes... Not my thing.  This show, on the other hand, is just very matter-of-fact, isn't designed to make you a participant.  I love how straight-forward it is.  And I LOVE those characters, every single one of them.  So much that I've started watching other Danish movies and tv shows that star those actors, and not just Mads.  And the show really helps my Danish language lessons too.

9. Xena: Warror Princess (1995-2001)
A spin off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (which I happen to be re-watching right now! We're introducing my nephew to it, and he is absolutely loving it.), Xena was both darker, more emotional, and also funnier at the same time.  I watched both shows to completion when they aired, but Xena was the show I preferred.  I love Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor as the two leads, loved how they grew and changed, particularly Gabrielle.  I loved the crossover eps and the wacky meta eps set in the current day.  This show also introduced me to Marton Csokas, so, yeah...

10. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (1993-1994)
I just can't leave Brisco off this list. I've talked before about it, and about my favorite episode here.  I still just love this show so much.  Western, comedy, drama, so much fun.  Bruce Campbell rocks.  I'm amused that he's in two of my favorite shows on this list (this one and Xena), and one of my runner up favorite shows is Burn Notice, in which he's also a lead.  I have much Bruce Campbell love, clearly.

So, there you have it!  My top ten favorite shows right now.

100 Favorite Movies

Okay, so here's the list of my 100 favorite movies as of March 2016.  This list is grouped in five sections, with the top section being the can't-live-without-them movies, and the favorites-but-I-don't-need-to-watch-constantly at the bottom.  The movies are alphabetically listed within each section, cuz trying to rank them any other way was impossible.


1. 13th Warrior, The (1999)
2. 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954)
3. Aliens (1986)
4. Avatar (2009
5. Avengers, The (2012)
6. Battle of the Five Armies, The (2014)
7. Big Jake (1971)
8. Dirty Dozen, The (1967)
9. Empire Strikes Back, The (1980)
10. Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
11. Flight of the Phoenix, The (1965)
12. Force Awakens, The (2015)
13. Full Monty, The (1997)
14. Galaxy Quest (1999)
15. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
16. Hunt for Red October, The (1990)
17. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
18. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
19. Lone Ranger, The (2013)
20. Lonely are the Brave (1962)
21. Mask of Zorro, The (1998)
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
23. Untouchables, The (1987)
24. Wild Bunch, The (1969)
25. Wind and The Lion, The (1975)

 
26. 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
27. Adventures of Tin-Tin, The (2011)
28. Ben-Hur (1959)
29. Big Hero 6 (2014)
30. Casino Royale (2006)
31. Cat Ballou (1965)
32. Cowboys and Aliens (2011)
33. Crossed Swords (1977)
34. Dead Again (1991)
35. Desolation of Smaug, The (2013)
36. Diamonds are Forever (1971)
37. Die Hard (1988)
38. Epic (2013)
39. Fifth Element, The (1997)
40. For Greater Glory (2012)
41. Great Escape, The (1963)
42. It's a Mad Mad  Mad Mad World (1963)
43. Man from UNCLE, The (2015)
44. Postman (1997)
45. Rango (2011)
46. Shadow, The (1994)
47. Skyfall (2012)
48. Sons of Katie Elder, The (1965)
49. South Pacific (1958)
50. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)


51. Dances with Wolves (1990)
52. Frisco Kid, The (1979)
53. Hercules (2014)
54. Horse Soldiers, The (1959)
55. Hour of the Gun (1967)
56. Island at the Top of the World (1974)
57. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
58. LA Confidential (1997)
59. Open Range (2003)
60. Our Man Flint (1966)
61. Paint Your Wagon (1969)
62. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
63. Thunderball (1965)
64. Time After Time (1979)
65. Wyatt Earp (1994)


66. Alamo, The (1960)
67. Alvarez Kelly (1966)
68. Black Rain (1989)
69. Brassed Off (1996)
70. Dragonslayer (1981)
71. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
72. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
73. Jungle Book (1994)
74. Jurassic Park (1993)
75. Ladyhawke (1985)
76. Lockout (2012)
77. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
78. Return of the Jedi (1983)
79. Revenge of the Sith (2005)
80. Ride Lonesome (1959)
81. Road to Bali, The (1952)
82. Road to Rio, The (1947)
83. Rocketeer, The (1991)
84. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
85. Seven Percent Solution, The (1976)
86. Silverado (1985)
87. Star Wars (1977)
88. Vikings, The (1958)
89. Von Ryan's Express (1965)
90. Where Eagles Dare (1968)


91. Evita (1996)
92. Expendables 3 (2014)
93. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
94. San Francisco (1936)
95. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
96. Sunshine (2007)
97. Terminator (1984)
98. Time Machine (1960)
99. Titanic (1997)
100. Without a Clue (1988)

100 Favorite Movies - breakdown

So, after Hamlette posted her list (s) and breakdown of her 100 favorite movies, I thought I'd copycat.  Between work and puppy there's not time for much else right now.

I had created a 100 favorite movie list in 2014.  So, I sat down last week and, without looking at the old list, wrote down a new one.  Then I compared the two.  70 movies were the same on both lists, so obviously, those went on the new 2016 list.  Then I had basically 60 other movie choices from both lists to review and see which ones would make the final list for this year.  It wasn't easy, because every one of these films is in the I Love This Movie category.  I love the 30 I left off the list as much as the 30 that made it on the list.  The only difference is mood.  If I wasn't in the mood to watch the movie Right This Second, I left it off.  Probably not the best way to do it, but I needed some extra criteria to fall back on, and that was easiest.  I've read through my list multiple times, and at the moment, it stands.

I'm going to post the breakdowns first, then post the list of movies tomorrow.

Actors with the most movies on my list:

10 - Harrison Ford
6 - Kevin Costner
4 - Andy Garcia
4 - Daniel Craig
4 - James Coburn
4 - John Wayne
4 - Orlando Bloom
3 - Antonio Banderas
3 - Johnny Depp
3 - Kirk Douglas
3 - Lee Marvin
3 - Sam Neill
3 - Sean Connery
3 - William Holden

No surprise that Harrison Ford tops the list.  Between the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies alone, he'd make top spot, but he's also made other movies I love.  Also no shock that Kevin Costner is so high up either, because I love Costner, and he has a particularly good set of movies he's made.  I was a wee bit surprised to see James Coburn up there.  But that surprise only lasted about 30 seconds, because he's also one of my favorite actors, though he tends to get taken for granted like all the actors who have been part of my movie-going experience since day one, and he's been in some great movies.  He actually had 5 movies here for awhile, but I sadly had to drop one off.

Genres
23 Action
8 Comedy
15 Drama
10 Fantasy
5 Musical
15 SciFi
4 War
20 Western

This breakdown seems right on par with what I like.  Deciding on a genre is a bit arbitrary, particularly as fantasy, SciFi, War, and Western are really all action films. (I did not put animated movies in an "animated" category, by the way, but ranked them in a genre as if they were a live action movie.)

Movies by Decade
2 from the 1930s
1 from the 1940s
12 from the 1950s
18 from the 1960s
9 from the 1970s
15 from the 1980s
18 from the 1990s
7 from the 2000s
18 from the 2010s

This is probably the most surprising breakdown, because there are sooooooo many movies from the '40s that I love... but they're just not on my current radar, so I had to drop them off the list for now.  Yes, my favorites are fickle  It's all dependent on my mood!  I'm also a bit surprised how many films I have from just the last 5 years.  Wow.  And I know the 2000s were the doldrums, but so interesting to see how that reflects in favorite movies.

And since Hamlette had the movie MPAA ratings, here's how that rolls out:

23 NR (not rated)
6 G
28 PG
28 PG-13
15 R

Favorite Superhero/Comic book movies

I thought I'd continue with a few more favorites lists.  Superhero/comic book movies this go-round.  And I suck at this one.  Yes, that's right.  I couldn't come up with ten.  I guess that leaves room for Avengers 2 (hopefully) and other future films!

There's a few more films I like - Iron Man 3, X-Men 2, X-Men 3, Thor 2, but none of those are genuine favorites.  They're just enjoyable films.  Captain America: Winter Soldier would have made the list -- except that it is unwatchable due to the way it was filmed.  The incessant camera motion was so nauseating that I felt like I spent more time looking away from the screen than looking at it.  I will probably never be able to watch it again, and that makes another movie where the directors made me hate them for ruining what would have been a favorite.  There might be some other movies I love that have comic books origins that I'm unfamiliar with, and I'll add them on if I find them.  I only had Star Wars comics growing up, so very little comic book experience.

And no.  I am most decidedly not a Batman or Spiderman fan. Neither holds any appeal for me whatsoever.

1. The Avengers
2. The Shadow
3. The Rocketeer
4. Iron Man 2
5. The Phantom
6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
7. ?

8. ?
9. ?
10.?

These were the only ones I could think of that I return to over and over.  I realize I have movies on here that most people wouldn't pick.  Like I'm the only person I know who vastly prefers Iron Man 2 to the other IM movies, although it has a few things I'd change if I could.  And of all the X-Men movies, I think Origins is probably the least popular among moviegoers.  But I never read the comic books, so I have no issues there, and I also recently realized I greatly prefer spending time with the characters of Origins to the characters of the other X-Men movies.  I am just not a fan of Magneto or Prof. X or Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops, etc.  The only one I truly like in those movies is Wolverine.  But I love all the characters introduced in Origins.  So, if I'm in the mood for Wolverine, it's the movie I'm going to put in the DVD player.

Favorite Animated Movies

With a six-year-old nephew around, we watch a lot of animated movies, although I'm still amazed how many animated movies (old and new) I have not seen yet.  Of the ones I have seen, here's my personal top ten favorites list.

I made this list by looking at all the animated movies I love (which is a large list), and then asking one simple question:  "if I never see this movie again, would I be okay with that?"  If the answer is no, it makes the favorite list, which I then narrowed down to ten.  If the answer is yes, the film stays on the "I love this movie!" list, but doesn't advance to favorite status.  I've been revising all my favorite list using this criteria.  It's quite a useful question and really helps me narrow down my current favorites.  I find I answer "yes" and drop a movie off the current favorite list for multiple reasons.  Sometimes, I've simply seen a movie so many times, it's part of my consciousness and I can quote it, etc., but I've overdone it and have no desire to actually see it again right now (although if it came on, I would still watch it).

As for which movies I love, (and this applies to every favorite movie I have), I have to want to be one or more characters in the film, and those characters almost always have to be protecting someone, or some ideal, or some place, or some thing.  There's also almost always some kind of beautiful scenery or locations in my favorite movies. I've come to realize that beauty is a key element that draws me to one movie over another.  It's actually mostly why Kung Fu Panda makes this list.  It is such a beautiful movie -- I might even rank it the most beautiful of all of these -- with the most exquisite colors and scenery.  I oooh and ahhhh every time I see it.  There are so many moments in Kung Fu Panda that I want a picture of to put on my wall.  I love the story and characters, beside, but man, do I really love how they chose to animate this movie.

1. Rango
2. Epic
3. Tangled
4. Up
5. Wall-E
6. The Lorax
7. How to Train your Dragon 2
8. Brave
9. Wallace & Grommit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
10. Kung Fu Panda
11. Puss in Boots

Okay, I cheated and included eleven, but Puss in Boots is sort of a tie with Kung Fu Panda, sooooo...

Favorite Christmas movies

This December is flying by!   I have my tree up and most of my decorations, although it's been raining, so I have not been able to put up the outdoor lights yet.  To celebrate the season, here's a list of my top ten favorite Christmas movies.

1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - just a perfect movie, regardless of the season.  The whole cast shines, and I bawl every single time I see this movie.  The Phoenix Big Theaters are showing this one all next weekend, and I'm planning on going.  I haven't seen this on the big screen and I can't wait.

2. We're No Angels (1955) - Hamlette introduce me to this film a few years ago and it became an instant favorite.  I'd never seen it previously because it starred Humphey Bogart and my mom was not a fan, so we tended to not watch anything he was in. This movie is very sweet, and very funny.  Another one where the whole cast is perfect.

3. Donovan's Reef (1963) - This movie is definitely a product of its time, but I still love it.  Mostly I just love Lee Marvin and John Wayne together, and not as enemies.  Their traditional birthday brawl cracks me up.  Lee Marvin's train cracks me up.  I love the Hawaiian on-location scenery.  I love Jack Warden, and I love how funny this movie is.

4. Holiday Inn (1942) - I love Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby in this, love the Irving Berlin music, with, of course, the classic "White Christmas" song.

5. Babes in Toyland (1934) - one of the movies I grew up with.  One of my favorite Laurel and Hardy full length films.  Really love Bo Peep and Tom-Tom.  They're so cute together.  And I love the wooden soldiers and how they save the day.  The bogeymen were quite scary when I was young.  Still find them a bit creepy!  We used to make pee wees and smack them around.  They never came back though, like Laurel's does.  Hmph.

6. The Bishop's Wife (1947) - Is there anything more wonderful and Christmas-y then Cary Grant's angel decorating that Christmas tree?  Always one of my favorite Christmas images, and every Christmas, I can't wait to see this movie, just to get to that moment.  This is also one of my favorite Cary Grant movies.

7. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - I saw this movie for the first time last year, and really loved it.  Loved Maureen O'Hara and John Payne, and loved how the trial turned out.

8. White Christmas (1954) - I love this one mostly for the ending, which makes me cry every time.  Great cast here, too.

9. The Polar Express (2004) - this one is on the list more from familiarity than anything else.  Have seen this one a jillion and one time because my nephew loves it, and it's grown on me.  It's got some great parts, and some weird parts, but ends really well.  Watching my nephew sing along with the little girl in one part makes this movie special to me.

10. Joyeux Noel (2005) - the WWI drama of the true story of the truce on Christmas.  A wonderful movie, so touching and beautiful, even more so because it is depicting real events.  One of the few WWI movies that doesn't leave me plunged into despair at the end. 

And no Christmas movie list would be complete without a bonus mention of my favorite non-Christmas movie set during Christmas:  Die Hard.  One of the best action movies ever, and the Christmas setting is integral to the plot and to some of the best parts of the film.  I tend to watch it at least once every Christmas season.  "Oh the weather outside is frightful... da-de-da, de-da delightful."

25 All-time favorite movies

I haven't ever posted a list of my favorite movies here.  It's probably about time.  My list will probably surprise a lot of people, as despite the sheer quantity of classic movies I love, they don't actually tend to make my favorites list.  There are reasons for that.

I think that word “favorite” means different things to different people.  What makes a favorite movie to me is something above and beyond what makes me simply love a movie.  There are many movies I absolutely love and adore (and I’ve seen them enough times you’d think they were favorites) – but they don’t actually make the favorites cut.  Why?  Well, it’s actually easy to explain:

For me, “favorite movie” means:

1) a film with which I have a special, emotional bond.  Favorite movies move me emotionally in ways movies I simply love have not.  I am passionate about them, and quite a few of them have changed my life in various ways.

2) a film I have seen many many times, often in the theater.  This is why quite a few of my favorites are newer films – I bonded with them over repeat viewings in the movie theater when they came out.

3) a movie with a score that matters deeply to me.  This may seem odd, but the musical element is almost more important than any other piece.  The score is part of what forms that emotional bond with a film.  The soundtrack alone is often the difference between a well-loved movie and a favorite movie, and is one of the primary reasons many of the older 1940's films I love don't make the favorites list.  I simply don't love their music the way I do other films.  With only one exception (and that's only because the CD is currently out of print), I own the scores to every film on this list. I sing the scores, I listen to the scores, I hum them, I live and breathe them.  Many of the scores to the movies listed below rank among my top favorite music of all time.  So yeah, music really is one of the most important things in my life, and that applies absolutely to movies.

On this list, the top seven movies haven't changed in years. Nothing really displaces those films, particularly the top three, which I don't think will ever budge.  The rest of the movies change order depending on my mood.

1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

2. The Dirty Dozen (1967)

3. Big Jake (1971)

4. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

5. The Thirteenth Warrior (1999)

6. The Wind and the Lion (1975)

7. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

8. Ben-Hur (1959)

9. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

10. The Wild Bunch (1969)

11. Aliens (1986)

12. The Hunt for Red October (1990)

13. Galaxy Quest (1999)

14. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

15. Star Wars (1977)

16. The Mask of Zorro (1998)

17. The Untouchables (1987)

18. Avatar (2009)

19. The Vikings (1958)

20. Time After Time (1979)

21. Where Eagles Dare (1968)

22. South Pacific (1958)

23. The Shadow (1994)

24. Ride the High Country (1962)

25. Diamonds are Forever (1965)

Favorite Singing Actors

Favorite male actor singing voices. And I'm limiting this to movies only, otherwise opera singers would take over.

1. Dean Martin
2. Hoagy Carmichael
3. Bing Crosby
4. Howard Keel
5. Gordon MacRae
6. Fred Astaire
7. Bobby Darin
8. Frank Sinatra
9. Bill Lee
10. Frankie Laine

Okay, sort of cheating on the last two. Bill Lee did the singing for John Kerr in South Pacific and Christopher Plummer in Sound of Music, and I love his voice so much, I have to count him here, even though I don't actually know what he looks like! I just love his voice.

Frankie Laine didn't do any acting that I'm aware of (?), but there are quite a few movies that he's sung the theme song for, where the movie would not be the same without his singing, so that puts him on this list for me.

Everyone else is pretty self-explanatory, I would think. Dino's been my favorite popular singer for ages, so naturally he tops the list, and I love his acting too. Hoagy Carmichael makes any movie he's in better just by being there. Now Frank Sinatra... I like his singing when he's young (like in Anchors Aweigh, etc.), but I honestly prefer him as an actor to a singer. I really enjoy his acting performances.

Runners up - any time an actor who is not a singer really sings in their movies. I'd rather hear Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood sing any day of the week then listen to someone dub over them. I love Sean Connery's singing in Darby O'Gill and Dr. No. I love when George Raft and Gary Cooper sing in Souls at Sea. I don't really care if they're good or bad, I just love when actors knock out a few notes on their own.

Favorite Actor Voices

Here's my top fifteen favorite male actor speaking voices (because I had a hard time narrowing it down to 15, and 10 was almost impossible). Not singing voices... which is another thing altogether. And not the voices I think are just plain cool... that would be yet another list! Or the voices I love that are just so distinctive and famous you'd know them anywhere.... I love all of those in a different way. (Man, there are so many ways to love and categorize things, aren't there.) This is more the list of voices I'd like just to talk to me over a quiet, candlelit dinner, where I'd be resting my cheek on my hand, sighing and listening and not eating. Perhaps I should just call these the voices I find sexiest? Hm, but it's more than that. We'll just go back to saying "my favorite speaking voices..."

For the most part, there seems to be a commonality here... I appear to like deeper throaty/raspy/purring/gravelly, well-enunciated voices.

1. Oliver Reed - by a landslide!

Everyone else (ranking quite flexible):

2. Aldo Ray
3. Lee Marvin
4. Dana Andrews
5. Yul Brynner
6. Richard Burton
7. Alec Baldwin
8. William Holden
9. Sean Connery
10. Ralph Meeker
11. Malcolm McDowell
12. Vic Morrow
13. James Mason
14. Anthony Hopkins
15. Antonio Banderas

When I got to meet Malcolm McDowell, one of the coolest things ever was just listening to him talk. Yowza, what a marvelous voice! Way better live and in person than out of that box in my living room. I could have stood there all day, just listening. Which makes me wonder how the other actors sounded in person? Mmmmm.

Least favorite male actor voice... Marlon Brando. Cannot cannot cannot stand listening to him. Nails on a chalkboard.

Listy things - Jimmy Stewart

Favorite James Stewart films:

1. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
2. The Naked Spur (1953)
3. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
4. Rear Window (1954)
5. Vertigo (1958)
6. The Man from Laramie (1955)
7. Bend of the River (1952)
8. The Far Country (1954)
9. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
10. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Like John Wayne, there's no time when I can't remember Jimmy Stewart. He's my dad's favorite actor. I love watching all of his films, but because I gravitate towards Westerns, those are what dominate my favorites list for him. My sister used to complain that there were "happy" Jimmy Stewart roles (early years) and "cranky" Jimmy Stewart roles (later years). She prefers the early stuff, I prefer the later stuff, but he was so good at both.

Listy things -- John Wayne

My favorite John Wayne films:

1. Big Jake (1971)
2. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
3. The Horse Soldiers (1959)
4. The Alamo (1960)
5. The Quiet Man (1952)
6. Donovan's Reef (1963)
7. The Comancheros (1961)
8. Rio Bravo (1959)
9. El Dorado (1966)
10. Rio Lobo (1970)

There's no point in my memory where John Wayne wasn't part of my movie-viewing experience. I've been watching his Westerns since before I could probably talk. Big Jake is not just my favorite John Wayne Western, but it's one of my top five movies of all time. John Wayne movies are like comfort food, and I return to them again and again.

There was a statue of John Wayne at the bank we used to go to when I was young, which was Great Western (I'm still mad it's gone, and sometimes slip and call my current bank Great Western). They also handed out posters of John Wayne once, and I still have mine. It's one I should frame at some point. I used to wear a silver bracelet like his, just because he did.

Rio Lobo, on the other hand, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with. This movie got watched an awful lot when I was young. I had a big crush on Jorge Rivera for awhile. I love this movie (particularly the beginning) with one BIG EXCEPTION -- I cannot stand Jennifer O'Neill in this movie. She almost single-handedly ruins the whole picture with her inability to act or deliver her lines. She drives me insane. If you remove her (and Sherry Lansing), everything else goes fine, swimmingly, delightfully! Jack Elam is hilarious, Chris Mitchum is earnest and cute. But then, here comes Jennifer O'Neill's character, and I just cringe. So, a love-hate relationship indeed.



(next up... Jimmy Stewart)

Listy things -- Ralph Meeker

Today is Ralph Meeker's birthday! Here's my favorites of his films:

1. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
2. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
3. The Naked Spur (1953)
4. Jeopardy (1953)
5. Paths of Glory (1957)
6. Four in a Jeep (1951)
7. Desert Sands (1955)
8. Birds of Prey (1973)
9. The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957)
10. Battle Shock (1956)

I know, I'm one of the few people who even knows who he is, but my love for him has not diminished in the slightest. There're very few actors I'll sit through movies like Food of the Gods for, but he's one of them. I love his easy, smiling charm. Paths of Glory is such a powerful, gut-wrenching movie, and I absolutely love his doomed Corporal Paris. Desert Sands is a rather ridiculous story, but he looks so good in it that I ignore the story. I really want to see Run of the Arrow, but haven't yet had an opportunity. I like all the clips I've seen from it, although I will be looking away and covering my ears for the gruesome ending, which I've had spoiled, but that's okay in this case.

But more than the films, I really wish I could see two of his Broadway stage performances: Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and Hal Carter in "Picnic," with Janice Rule. I think that he would have been fabulous in both.


(next up, John Wayne)

Listy things -- Kirk Douglas

My favorite Kirk Douglas films:

1. 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
2. Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
3. The Vikings (1958)
4. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
5. Tough Guys (1986)
6. Seven Days in May (1964)
7. Paths of Glory (1957)
8. Out of the Past (1947)
9. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
10. Heroes of Telemark (1965)

Kirk Douglas is one of those actors I tend to take for granted and forget how much I really love him. He stars in my favorite movie of all-time, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and The Vikings is, if not in my top 10, then my top 15 movies. If you had asked me who my favorite actor was when I was a kid, I would have told you it was Kirk Douglas.

I have to rank Lonely Are the Brave at the top because I absolutely love him in that movie (might actually be my favorite Kirk Douglas performance), but as I've said before, I have a hard time actually watching the film. I have two tough-to-watch films on this list. Lonely and Paths of Glory. Those go along with The Ox-Bow Incident, on my list of very painful movies to watch, but all three are also so good.

And why is Tough Guys not out on DVD??? I love this movie. I went and saw it a bunch of times in the theater when it came out, and I'm not sure I've seen it since! I think I saw it on video once, but that's it. This was such a good, underrated movie. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas and Eli Wallach were so great in this movie. Man, I'd dearly love to see it again.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kirk Douglas at a book signing, oh man, twenty years ago now (where is the time going??). When I told him 20,000 was my favorite movie, he sang part of "A Whale of a Tale" for me. It's one of my fondest memories.


(Tomorrow... Ralph Meeker)

Listy things - Richard Widmark

My favorite Richard Widmark films:

1. The Alamo (1960)
2. Alvarez Kelly (1966)
3. Run for the Sun (1956)
4. Yellow Sky (1948)
5. The Law and Jake Wade (1958)
6. The Last Wagon (1956)
7. Warlock (1959)
8. Pickup on South Street (1953)
9. The Sell-Out (1976)
10. The Frogmen (1951)

I find it interesting doing these lists to see that I tend to have a strong sentimental attachment to the first film I saw someone in. In Richard Widmark's case, it was The Alamo, and I admit, I'm still a sucker for him in that film. Widmark is another actor who never turns in a bad performance. I've seen some rather odd movies he's been in (I'm thinking of A Talent for Loving here), but he is always great, playing smirking, violent bad guys as easily as upstanding good guys. My favorites are the rather greyer characters in the middle, naturally.


(next up... Kirk Douglas)

Listy Things -- Oliver Reed

Favorite Oliver Reed movies...

1. Crossed Swords (1977)
2. The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)
3. Gladiator (2000)
4. The Sell-Out (1976)
5. The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday (1976)
6. Revolver (1973)
7. The Three Musketeers (1973)
8. Lion of the Desert (1981)
9. Royal Flash (1975)
10. Z.P.G. (1972)


(next: Richard Widmark)

Listy things -- Lee Marvin

My favorite Lee Marvin movies:

1. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
2. The Professionals (1966)
3. Paint Your Wagon (1969)
4. Cat Ballou (1965)
5. Donovan's Reef (1963)
6. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
7. The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday (1976)
8. Attack (1956)
9. The Comancheros (1961)
10. Seven Men from Now (1956)

Lee Marvin never turns in a bad performance. I've liked him in everything I've ever seen him in, and that includes some very fine television roles as well as his film roles. His guest star appearances on Bonanza and Combat! are particular favorites of mine. This was a hard list to narrow down. I love his voice (and yes, I even like his singing!), his swaggering stroll, the way he could play the meanest guy ever and turn around and play comedy (or both in the same movie: Cat Ballou).

The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday should probably be considered a guilty pleasure. I didn't expect to like the movie when I first saw it, but I couldn't resist the lure of seeing Lee Marvin and Oliver Reed in the same film. Two of my favorite hard-drinking, hard-hitting men together? In a comedy Western? Where Oliver Reed is playing, of all things, a Native American?? I started out watching the movie sort of open mouthed, a bit shocked, and then the movie got a little farther along, and I started laughing... and laughing. By the end, I found I'd thoroughly and unexpectedly enjoyed it, irreverent as it is. And it is very irreverent. Ahem. I've known how funny Lee Marvin can be, but I didn't know Reed could be just as funny. The combination is rather brilliant. (The IMDb trivia notes on the film say the two got into a drinking contest. Of course. If they hadn't, I'd have been shocked. Apparently lasted ten hours, and Reed won, which also does not surprise me in the least.)


(Tomorrow, since I've just been talking about him... Oliver Reed)

Listy Things -- Aldo Ray

My favorite Aldo Ray films:

1. We're No Angels (1955)
2. Battle Cry (1955)
3. What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
4. Nightfall (1957)
5. Men in War (1957)
6. God's Little Acre (1958)
7. Kill a Dragon (1967)
8. Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
9. Pat and Mike (1952)
10. The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Mmmm, Aldo Ray. Love his brawniness, love that raspy voice, love how vulnerable he can still be despite that physical strength. If this was a "favorite roles" list, there would be a couple television episodes on here, but I chose film, so...

God's Little Acre is a rather bizarre film, but yowza, Aldo Ray is so hot, I don't care about the rest. Same with Miss Sadie Thompson. I can't say I like the film (Rain with Joan Crawford is a much better version), but it's got a good cast, and I just ignore the stuff I don't like. Besides, with scenes like the opening scene -- Aldo Ray and a very young Charles Bronson (Charles Buchinksy in those days) rising out of the tropical surf, dripping wet and in nothing but swim trunks -- I admit, any substance to that film is completely lost on me after that beginning of sheer eye candy appeal. Um, yeah... where was I? And the last film on my list is indeed an animated film, with just his voice, but I really love his character of Sullivan in that film, so I'm counting it for now.



(next up... Lee Marvin)

Listy things -- George Raft

Favorite George Raft films:

1. Spawn of the North (1938)
2. Souls at Sea (1937)
3. Each Dawn I Die (1939)
4. Invisible Stripes (1939)
5. Rumba (1935)
6. Scarface (1932)
7. Some Like It Hot (1959)
8. They Drive by Night (1940)
9. Loan Shark (1952)
10. Background to Danger (1943)

I find it very amusing that my favorite two George Raft films also star two actors I'm not particularly fond of, Henry Fonda and Gary Cooper. Yet I'll watch each any day of the week just to catch those two particular films, which showcase George at his least smooth and well-dressed. Not that I mind him smooth and well-dressed, because damn, the man can wear a tailored suit like nobody's business. But I tend to love rough-and-tumble first, and Spawn of the North and Souls at Sea deliver that. I love the first half of They Drive by Night for the same reason, rough and tumble and scruffy, fisticuffs and wise-cracking.


(up tomorrow... Aldo Ray)