A few of my favorite movies, vol. 1
Thought I’d share a few of my favorite movies with you, and why I like them.
Rocky (1976) – I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and let me tell you, our boring field trips to the Philadelphia Art Museum were never the same after Rocky came out. All of a sudden, we all wanted to go out to the front steps, run up to the top, then strut around with arms raised high, just like Rocky. With all of the caricatures (“Yo! Adrian!”) and cheesy, plot-starved, commercially-driven sequels, it is easy to forget that the original was quite good. It’s hard not to get choked up when Rocky struggles with all his might to pull himself off the canvas in the 14th round.
Chariots of Fire (1981) – One of two movies that I have seen that immediately made me want to be a better Christian (Passion of the Christ is the other). Was there really someone who was so serious about his Christian commitment that he wouldn’t run in the Olympics on a Sunday? Some movies that are based on a true story employ artistic license, but as far as I know, Eric Liddle really did run the 400 meter race in the 1924 Olympics clutching a piece of paper that said “Those who honor Me, I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30). Very, very inspirational.
The Untouchables (1987) – Great cast with Connery, Costner, DeNiro, etc. My favorite line is repeated throughout by Connery: “What are you prepared to do?” I think this is a question that Christians ought to ask themselves every day (about their Christian life, not about hunting down bootleggers in Chicago). This question was the title of the first sermon that I ever preached.
A Few Good Men (1992) – Okay, everybody together . . . “You can’t handle the truth!” This is a great based-on-a-true-story drama (the real-life lawyer practices in the Norfolk area and runs TV adds with scenes from the movie), with great deliveries by Cruise, Nicholson, Keifer, et al. I have always thought that this movie gives an outstanding portrayal of the institutional and cultural differences between the Navy and the Marine Corps. Many times in my Navy career, as I witnessed this or that situation, I was reminded of this movie while observing the interactions between Marines and sailors.
That Thing You Do! (1996) – Probably in my top 3 of all time. I love the funny little running jokes like the “Oneders,” the small town quaintness, the excitement of the rise of the band, the sentimentality of a first kiss, and the Beatle-esque music. A great depiction of the waning days of innocence before the country went haywire in the mid-late 60s.
Rocky (1976) – I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and let me tell you, our boring field trips to the Philadelphia Art Museum were never the same after Rocky came out. All of a sudden, we all wanted to go out to the front steps, run up to the top, then strut around with arms raised high, just like Rocky. With all of the caricatures (“Yo! Adrian!”) and cheesy, plot-starved, commercially-driven sequels, it is easy to forget that the original was quite good. It’s hard not to get choked up when Rocky struggles with all his might to pull himself off the canvas in the 14th round.
Chariots of Fire (1981) – One of two movies that I have seen that immediately made me want to be a better Christian (Passion of the Christ is the other). Was there really someone who was so serious about his Christian commitment that he wouldn’t run in the Olympics on a Sunday? Some movies that are based on a true story employ artistic license, but as far as I know, Eric Liddle really did run the 400 meter race in the 1924 Olympics clutching a piece of paper that said “Those who honor Me, I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30). Very, very inspirational.
The Untouchables (1987) – Great cast with Connery, Costner, DeNiro, etc. My favorite line is repeated throughout by Connery: “What are you prepared to do?” I think this is a question that Christians ought to ask themselves every day (about their Christian life, not about hunting down bootleggers in Chicago). This question was the title of the first sermon that I ever preached.
A Few Good Men (1992) – Okay, everybody together . . . “You can’t handle the truth!” This is a great based-on-a-true-story drama (the real-life lawyer practices in the Norfolk area and runs TV adds with scenes from the movie), with great deliveries by Cruise, Nicholson, Keifer, et al. I have always thought that this movie gives an outstanding portrayal of the institutional and cultural differences between the Navy and the Marine Corps. Many times in my Navy career, as I witnessed this or that situation, I was reminded of this movie while observing the interactions between Marines and sailors.
That Thing You Do! (1996) – Probably in my top 3 of all time. I love the funny little running jokes like the “Oneders,” the small town quaintness, the excitement of the rise of the band, the sentimentality of a first kiss, and the Beatle-esque music. A great depiction of the waning days of innocence before the country went haywire in the mid-late 60s.
All great movies. Knew you loved "That Thing You Do", but didn't realize it was in your top 3 all time.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Our favorites run to older movies but here are 3 of them.
ReplyDeleteTreasure of the Sierra Madre ("We don't need no stinking badges")
Days of Wine and Roses (Jack Lemmon, Charles Bickford)
The Heiress (Olivia De Havilland, Montgomery Clift)
I am surprised you did not mention "Miracle on Ice." I did not see it but I remember you saying how much you liked it.
ReplyDeleteRocky was a great movie in my book. As I am sure you know Sylvester Stallone wrote it. I was working out the other night and I turned the channel to Rocky IV and Rocky was training in the snow in Russia. Sure the other movies were not nearly as good as the first but it was still fun and inspirational to me as I worked out.
And two of your favorites, Rocky and Chariots have great inspirational music. That is always nice.
Movies these days are so silly. We saw a promo for "Hot Tub Time Machine." It actually looked a little funny but mostly pretty silly.
I just noticed that this was Vol 1. Sorry about that. I should have waited for the other volumes before talking about Miracle on Ice.
ReplyDelete