Megan's Top 10 Favorite Films

I wasn't always such a big movie lover. Sure, I liked movies just about as much as any other person, but I didn't start to really love them until about high school. I can't pinpoint the exact moment it happened, but I think I just started to search out different types of movies, started to pay attention a little bit more, and that's when I grew a true appreciation for film.

I'm a huge list person. I don't particularly consider myself type A, but I'm really into lists. If you ask me for one movie recommendation, I'll give you eleven. If you ask for a specific genre, I'll give you a few in that genre and ten more outside of it. I just really like movies, and when I find one that I absolutely love I feel compelled to make sure everyone I know sees it as well.

That being said, I have a list of my top 10 favorite films. I keep it on my phone in case it comes up in casual conversation and I forget one. I update this list a couple of times a year. Sometimes the order changes, but here it goes:

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

This is about as cliche as a #1 pick can get considering it's rated #1 on IMDb, but I can't help it. I love everything about this movie. It may also help that it's adapted from a Stephen King short story and Stephen King is my favorite, but regardless, it leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside that just makes me incredibly satisfied every time I watch it.

2. Fargo (1996)

I think Fargo is the first movie I ever watched that had the dry and dark humor that has quickly turned into my favorite type of movie. I remember watching this as a kid and thinking about how the comedy was so different than what I'd seen before. The Coen brothers are two of my favorite directors because of this.

3. Sling Blade (1996)

Bill Bob Thornton. Enough said. The guy is absolutely phenomenal in this. Sling Blade is incredibly touching and pretty much everything I never expected from Thornton.

4. American Beauty (1999)

First of all, I am in love with Kevin Spacey. He's just so cool. Second of all, this movie is awesome. It's weird and touching and violent, and all of the characters have these really interesting story lines that I really appreciated.

5. Good Willing Hunting (1997)

You can't go wrong with Matt Damon and especially Robin Williams. I even really like Ben Affleck when most people don't. Super quotable, super heartfelt. Again, I get that warm fuzzy feeling when I watch it. 

6. The Birdcage (1996)

My sister made me watch this after Robin Williams died and I fell in love. Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and drag queens. It's just a really fun movie.

7. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

This was the first Wes Anderson film I'd ever seen and I was instantly a fan. It's quirky, heartfelt and has a killer cast.

8. The Princess Bride (1987)

It's a classic, guys. This is the first movie I suggest to people who haven't seen it when they ask for a recommendation. There's comedy, romance, fighting and I think I bring it up in conversation at least once a day.

9. Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

I just think this movie is insanely cool. Michael Keaton made a total acting comeback, and the ending was perfect.

10. Rain Man (1988)

I really only watched this because I felt like I should, but the story was awesome. I loved watching Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman interact with each other and watching them both grow throughout the story. Total heartwarming movie and even a little sad.

And that's my list! If you didn't notice, 1996 was apparently a really good year for movies in my opinion.

Who Watches the Watchmen?: When America Doesn’t Want a Hero

 

I think it is safe to say that almost everyone has seen a superhero movie at some point in their life, especially with Marvel releasing movies yearly since 2008 and DC Comics almost yearly since 2005. Personally, I love superhero movies and one of my favorites from the genre is Zack Snyder’s Watchmen (2009).

There are several aspects of Watchmen that pay homage to your typical superhero movie, the first being the stellar and dynamic band of characters similar to the Avengers. There’s also the gravelly, low-voiced vigilante, Rorschach, who sounds like eerily similar to Batman, the technological genius and animal-based hero, Night Owl II, who reminds me of Iron Man and Batman, and the science experiment gone wrong, Dr. Manhattan, who resembles a mix of Captain America, the Hulk and Thor with his patriotic, monstrous and God-like reputation. Not to mention, Watchmen’s throwback soundtrack had me immediately thinking of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) during my last viewing.

REVIEW: Calvary (2014)

I have always been a huge fan of dark comedy. In fact, two of my all-time favorite movies, Fargo (1996) and American Beauty (1999), fit into this genre. In keeping with this month’s “Irish” theme, the Cardinal Film Society’s first member's screening was writer/director John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, and the film definitely did not disappoint the darker portion of my movie tastes.

The Cardinal Film Society (CFS) screening was actually the second time I had seen the film, and watching it this time was a lot more enjoyable than the first. I was able to pay better attention to the dialogue and interaction between characters because I knew what was going to happen throughout the movie.

Released in 2014, Calvary stars Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges, Braveheart) as Father James, a Catholic priest in a small Irish town. The film opens on a close-up of Father James in a confessional, where an unseen man tells him that another priest, who has since died, sexually abused him for years as a child. Because this man cannot seek revenge against his abuser, he announces to Father James that killing a “good priest” will have to do, and that he is planning to murder the Father the following Sunday, giving him time to get his affairs in order. The identity of the parishioner is well known to James, but remains a mystery to the viewer until the end of the film.