“Rubber” - It’s a (french?) movie about a car wheel that suddenly becomes aware of its own existence. It then starts rolling around, and somehow it has the ability to KILL telepathically. It starts small with squirrles or rats exploding, but at some point even the military needs to intervene.

I like trash :)

Lord of the Rings. It has all my heart desires. Great shots of nature, camaraderie, action, feels, swords, a message, charge of the Rohirrim… I could go on. It’s a masterpiece.

You may say it’s cheating, that’s three movies - well to that I say the books are also actually one book split into three. They shot all the movies together as well. Besides, I only ever watch them all or not at all so… one big movie as far as I’m concerned.

Gotta be The Matrix (1999). It blew my mind with the action when I saw it as a teenager, it continued blowing my mind with the philosophical and existential ideas when I started understanding those as an adult, and now it’s the ultimate comfort watch for me.

The two sequels have a special place in my heart too.

Gut reaction?

“Big Trouble In Little China.”

I know there are better movies, but this is my favorite. Magic and gangsters, a dimwit hero, cheesy dialog, really good fight scenes, and a really hot actress.

Every time I watch it I feel like I’m 14 again.

Back to the Future. It’s both an amazing time capsule of the era and somehow also timeless. All the actors absolutely nail it and it’s just super fun to watch. I never get tired of it.

My Neighbor Totoro

I have never had a single favorite film. I don’t think I could list my top five favorite films of many different genres.

It’s hard to name my favorite with certainty, but one of my favorites is The Incredibles. The world building, the score, the action, the comedy, the relationships. It’s all great.

The stakes are very real too. Syndrome is willing to murder not just superheroes, but kids. When he orders Elasti-Girl’s plane shot down knowing it has her and Bob’s kids on board, you feel every bit of tension as Helen tries to stay calm while doing everything she can to save her kids. The scene is even more believable because the way she uses pilot jargon while speaking through the radio.

And the themes! Each main character’s power is tied to their role. Super strong Bob being weighed down with the crushing burden of mediocrity. Over functioning Helen has to stretch herself to take care of everyone. Super fast Dash has too much energy and resents being contained. Insecure Violet just wants to be invisible to the world. Even baby Jack Jack is just full of possibilities.

Honestly I could go on and on. It’s a movie that’s suitable for kids but has some very grownup themes and relationships. It hits different after you have kids, feeling what the parents are going through on a new level. To me it’s not just a great superhero movie, it’s just a great movie that most people can find something to relate to in.

Sunshine. It’s one of the only non fiction cosmic horror films I know of. That experience of awe and insignificance at the sovereignty of the sun moved me. And recently I got to experience it first hand just like in the film, and for the half second I comprehended the size of sun it was… terrifying.

The movie has it’s faults, but it’s one of only a few films that put us in our place.

can’t really go to one because the lotr trilogy is still top for me.

Damn. I have a hard time pinning that down. Way easier by genre, but even there I wouldn’t come to a permanent conclusion since the process is highly dependent on what I remember.

Most of the time, I end up on Fight Club. It’s my most rewatched movie for sure. It hits the right buttons between tight acting, phenomenal camera work, a structure that works, and a concept that can be challenging when first encountered. I hate that it got turned into a symbol for morons that only look at the surface of it, but that’s people for ya; they’ll take the exact opposite message from something and run with it like a pair of scissors.

That being said, I’ve watched spaceballs damn near as many times, along with young Frankenstein. Most of the Brookes ouvre rank pretty damn high for me, and dominate my comedy folders.

But there’s also Princess Bride that’s such a simple and comfortable movie, and Rocky Horror that thrills, chills, and fulfills me. All of those, I’ve seen so many times I’ve lost count, but reach triple digits (and probably exceed that considering I’ve been known to put any of those on to help me sleep when insomnia is kicking my ass, and some nights I’ll go through multiple via playlist now that digital exists).

Eurotrip. My friends watched it like 8 times. It’s not rated as great movie, but the jokes are really good, makes fun of stereotypes, every scene is a meme. Maybe I’m biased, but its a fun movie

The Lord of the Rings (pick any one)

Boondock Saints for me. Watched it obsessively for a solid semester in college, and it helped shape my views on capital punishment, especially with the “person on the street” interviews at the end

Gut reaction. Fear and Loathing. Just a perfect movie. It is pretty faithful to the book, Depp gives an amazing performance so close to the real Hunter it is spooky and the whole thing is just perfect in every way.