I don’t care for “The Godfather.” But gun to head, these are my favorite movies of all time!
Uhm, don’t judge me?
I love films just like the next guy. But I must confess, I don’t have a very sophisticated palate. I don’t know the first thing about what makes a film a classic, with the potential of having a cult following.
Many have said that “The Godfather” is one of the best films of all time. And to be fair, I get it. The movie is one of those cinematic masterpieces that will always be in living memory, and whose cast changed the film landscape. But honestly, it didn’t do much for me.
It was just too long for my popcorn. The pacing could have jogged a little bit and more action could have been slid between dialogues, which could have been made shorter and punchier.
Now that my pedestrian tastes have just unfairly lambasted one of the most beloved pieces of film of all time, let me reveal to you guys my two all-time favorites.
Now these will date me, but here goes:
Coming to America (1988, Paramount Pictures)
It’s the story of Akeem (Eddie Murphy), the prince from the fictional kingdom of Zamunda, who goes to New York to find his bride. Accompanied by his best friend and personal aide Semmi (Arsenio Hall) they ended up working as a crew for McDowell’s fast food restaurant — a parody of McDonald’s.
To make the long story short, and without any spoilers, he finds the love of his life, and they lived happily ever after.
And so you might ask, “Okay, what’s so special about this one?”
To be honest, I really don’t know. It just does something for me. It rocks my boat. I don’t really know why.
(I can explain it, but I won’t be putting too much credit on that explanation, because I know that there’s something else that I couldn’t put into words.)
And I have a sneaking suspicion that this is not just for movies. This also goes for love, relationships, even your favorite ice cream, and many others. We know we love it. We just don’t really know why. (Although we could build reasons in our heads.)
As for my second all-time favorite…
Cool Runnings (1993, Walt Disney)
This is a sports comedy (very) loosely based on the story of the Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. It’s a story of ambition, redemption, family, and friendship.
What were they — a bunch of sunny islanders who never experienced snow — doing in a winter Olympics?!
I find myself warmed by the four memorable characters who were dealt a bad hand but dared to challenge the best in the sport.
Did they win? (Watch it…if you haven’t.)
At times, the scenes can be cheesy or sappy. But then again, it works for me.
Why?
I don’t know why. That’s the thing.
That’s the thing with movies, books, love, and many others.
So how about you, are there things that you love that don’t make sense???
Or are there movies that you want to tell everybody about? (Out with it. Don’t hold back. It will be very liberating.)
Write about it in the comments.
Don’t worry we won’t judge.
