Movies
I believe that movies are simply another medium for storytelling, and I have always enjoyed watching movies. The first movie I saw in the theater, E.T., I saw with my mother when I was two. I also love knowing how movies are made: I gave a presentation on special effects in middle school, I have been to Universal Studios Hollywood twice and Warner Brothers Studios once, and I have watched way too many behind-the-scenes features on DVDs.
My Ten Favorite Movies
These are my top ten movies, displayed in chronological order.
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Casablanca (1942): This tragic love story focuses on one man’s conflict between following his heart and doing the right thing. This movie, with its rich characters and impressive screenplay, makes a strong emotional impact. -
Empire Strikes Back (1980): The three movies in the original Star Wars trilogy captivated my imagination with galactic politics, massive space battles, and epic duels. I believe stories from “a galaxy far, far away” teach us more about ourselves than many people realize. -
Back to the Future (1985): I always enjoy a good time-travel movie, and this one is definitely my favorite. The fun story explores the gap between generations, and it is filled with comical pop culture references and some good fourth-dimensional humor. -
Shawshank Redemption (1994): This movie, with its unexpected ending, is excellent on the first viewing. But it is highly re-watchable: its clever dialgoue, entertaining story, and flawless lead-up to the ending making it better with subsequent viewings. -
The Usual Suspects (1995): The events of this movie are communicated through a frametale. The surprise twist ending casts doubt upon the entire story and practically demands an immediate second viewing. -
The Matrix (1999): I saw this movie for the first time when I was studying philosophy in college. It illustrated and brought to life many of the concepts we were studying about epistemology, plus it had a great story of betrayal and sacrifice. -
Memento (2000): Many films display events out of order for different effects, but this movie’s technique of showing everything in reverse order was the perfect way to tell the story. (Be sure to watch it in chronological order on the two-disc DVD edition: read more.) -
Fellowship of the Ring (2001): I love the novel The Lord of the Rings, and this movie trilogy was an excellent adaptation. I was really excited that the movie exposed so many people to the wonderful story from the novel. -
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004): This movie beautifully presents a journey through one man’s memory to explore the nature of love and of human relationships. This movie showed me that some stories can only be told through film. -
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): Using incredible visual effects, it explores the relationship between reality and fairy tales. It tells a moving story of a young girl during the Spanish Civil War struggling to deal with radical changes in her life.
Honorable Mention
Ocean’s Eleven (2001): Stories involving a “heist” have always excited me. This movie is one of the best examples, with entertaining dialogue throughout and an exciting reversal in the ending.