With the Thanksgiving holiday rapidly approaching, we’re all gearing up for the annual ritual of stuffing our faces full of turkey and pumpkin pie, followed by football and intermittent periods of snacking and napping… followed by the act of dragging ourselves out of bed WAY earlier than is natural with the intent to be first in line at the retail store of choice the the ridiculous, insanely unbelievable “black Friday” shopping deals that stores use as human catfish bait to kick off the holiday shopping season.
However, we do sometimes forget what the Thanksgiving holiday is all about… giving thanks. So, the Geeks at WeAreMovieGeeks have put together our lists of the Top 10 Movies we are thankful for. In other words, these are the movies that are most important to us, have had the greatest influence on our lives or have some significant meaning to us. One might say these are the movies that have, in some way, made our lives better. We also invite you to submit your own Top 10 Movies List that you’re thankful for in the comments section. Happy Thanksgiving!
Scott:
1. Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2 – “Quentin Tarantino throws back to every martial art genre of film and does it better than most of them did originally.”
2. Clockwork Orange – “Kubrick was so far ahead of his time with this flick that no one really knew how to take it. The movie is one that you can watch over and over and still not fully appreciate it.”
3. Fight Club – “This movie turned me into the movie geek that I am today. Thank you David Fincher/Chuck Palahniuk. One of my first websites was a Fight Club movie fansite!”
4. Eyes Wide Shut – “I think this is one of the most underrated movies of our time. No doubt about it.”
5. Dazed and Confused – “So many great actors in this, they really captured the essence of the 70’s.”
6. Anchorman – “This movie paved the way for Judd Apatow, Will Ferrel, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and the whole gang.”
7. Mallrats – “The first Kevin Smith movie I ever watched, still my favorite and a rewatchable classic.”
8. Closer – “This movie is so depressing but features some of my favorite actors/actresses… NATALIE PORTMAN!”
9. Saving Private Ryan – “One of the greatest war flicks ever made, this is a must on any list.”
10. Garden State – “Sappy indie rock romance… you cant go wrong.”
Travis:
1. Citizen Kane – “I still consider this the greatest film ever made and am still amazed by what it achieved every time I watch it. That, and it was the first film I saw (in high school) that really made me appreciate the art of filmmaking.”
2. Shawshank Redemption – “One of the most incredibly moving and inspirational movies ever made… and I second what Ram Man says about Morgan Freeman!”
3. Burden of Dreams – “Such a powerful and significant film that illustrates an artist’s passion for what he does and the lengths he’ll go to achieve his vision. The subject of the film is Werner Herzog, one of my favorite directors.”
4. Pulp Fiction – “Hands down, the all-time coolest movie ever made. It came out my junior year in high school and really made an impression on me. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this one.”
5. [Insert Kubrick Title Here] – “I originally had Dr. Strangelove listed in this spot, but I simply can’t choose just one of his films. In truth, I consider his entire filmography to be quintessential viewing and all of them have had a major influence on me as a movie geek and as a human being.”
6. Blood Simple – “The first of many extraordinary films from the Coen brothers. Not my first experience with their work, but if not for this we may have never received The Big Lebowski.”
7. Rivers and Tides – “Having started early in life as a student of art, it remains a significant part of who I am. This is a fascinating documentary about a man who combines his love of art and nature in a way I hold great respect and appreciation for.”
8. Oscar and Lucinda – “A great story and it introduced me to Cate Blanchett, my favorite actress in the whole wide world!”
9. The Lord of the Rings – “One of the most incredible cinematic experiences of all-time! Truly, nothing compares to this film(s) on a level of pure spectacle!”
10. A Christmas Story – “I watch this classic every year. Being the oldest of two brothers, it’s like watching a version of my own life as a child on screen. I’ve seen this at LEAST 25 times!”
Ram Man:
1. Star Wars (original trilogy) – ‘Nuff Said!
2. Shawshank Redemption – “I can listen to Morgan Freeman read the phone book!”
3. Lord of the Rings Trilogy – “One film, because all three should be watched together.”
4. Clerks – “If we didn’t have this, Kevin might have been working in a drive thru.”
5. Godfather 1 and 2 – “Historic films.”
6. 50 First Dates – “Sandler, barrymore and SeaWorld!”
7. The Matrix – “Special effects innovation.”
8. Miami Vice – “Loved the show and the movie.”
9. I Am Sam – “Sean Penn robbed for an Oscar.”
10. Xanadu – “If they didn’t make this we would’ve missed the great music from the film.”
Jeremy:
1. Pulp Fiction – “This is the film that convinced me to go into film school.”
2. For Your Eyes Only – “This is the first film I can remember ever seeing.”
3. Return of the Jedi – “This is the first film I can remember seeing in the theater.”
4. The Others – “This is the film I saw with my future wife on our first date.”
5. Van Helsing – “Going to see this film was the last thing my wife and I did in Las Vegas on our Honeymoon on the best day of my life.”
6. Speed – “This is the only film I can vividly remember going to see with just my dad and me.”
7. Heat – “This is the first film I remember driving my friends and myself to see right after I got my driver’s license.”
8. Seven – “This was the first, full movie review I ever wrote for my high school newspaper.”
9. Mary Poppins – “This was the first VHS movie my family ever rented.”
10. Halloween II – “This was the first horror movie I remember my brother ever showing me.”
Melissa:
1. Gandhi – “This is probably one of the most powerful movies that I have ever watched. Not only was he a great man, but he was inspiration. Movies about historical figures are usually hit or miss, and they did a great job! It still pulls the same raw emotions out of me that it did the first time I saw it.”
2. Nightmare on Elm Street series – “As I child I dreamed about becoming a special effects artist because of this movie. Freddy opened the door to my love of horror films. I have many fond memories of sitting in my Rainbow Brite room as Freddy slashed across my TV screen!”
3. Annie – “There will always be a place in my heart for the first movie that I ever saw in a theater. I will forever be thankful for the spunky little red-head who sang her way into the hearts of Daddy Warbucks and myself! (Sidenote… totally a cassette tape out there of me singing Annie tunes in the bathtub! LOL)”
4. Switchblade Sisters – “A bad chick gang movie that is highly entertaining. I am thankful for the Jezebels… and for Patch, although you never really find out what happened to her eye!”
5. Edward Scissorhands – “I am thankful for the underdog finding love… Even if it was with Winona Ryder! The beautiful, dark and mysterious world of Tim Burton gives a whole new meaning to the art of unconditional love.”
6. Dead Poets Society – “I am thankful for Carpe Diem! This film proves that men can enjoy poetry and romance without compromising their intelligence or masculinity!”
7. Goonies – “Good enough.. It’s good enough for meeee… Wah wah woah wha whaow! Enough said!”
8. Amelie – “Wow! I am thankful for Gnomes (I collect them!). I was kind of surprised when my boyfriend first showed me this film… but man is it great! I love her strange quirks and her romantic search… and most importantly the GNOMES!”
9. Alice in Wonderland – “This could either be Disney or the made for television version that is also called Through the Looking Glass… It’s a story of being comfortable with yourself, growing up, and mass confusion. They had to of been on some pretty good drugs to write this fable!”
10. Reform School Girls – “I am thankful for Wendy O. Williams being in such a delightfully terrible movie. The girls are all awesome 80’s chicks who can’t really act… but it’s still really entertaining!”
Michelle:
1. Saving Private Ryan – “A heartfelt Thank You to the men who selflessly and bravely defended our country when confronted with true evil – and to those who continue to serve now and in the future – a debt of gratitude is owed!”
2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – “Thankful for the true story of Santa Claus that begins with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
3. Chariots of Fire – “Thankful for the spirituality of it – love the British.”
4. Gladiator – “Thankful for the return of the sword and sandal epic and an emotional score from Hans Zimmer.”
5. JAWS – “Thankful for the first blockbuster that became a life long passion (along with local connections).”
6. Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge – “Thankful for a new take on the musical genre.”
7. Terminator and ALIEN – “Thankful to the 2 movies that made the women the strong, calm, rational heroes of the film and not stereotypical screaming victims.”
8. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – “Thankful for the first fantasy movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture.”
9. Toy Story – “Thankful for Pixar who made us fondly remember what it was like to be a kid. (Didn’t all our toys come to life when we weren’t looking?)”
10. The Dish – “Thankful for this little indie from Australia that still gives me goosebumps over the proudest achievement of mankind, Apollo 11.”
Jerry:
1. Clerks – “Because I never had that film that changed my life and made me want to be a filmmaker but this was close enough.”
2. A Christmas Story – “Because it is pretty much the greatest Christmas movie ever made and it just wouldn’t be Christmas without the TBS marathon of this film.”
3. American Pie (1, 2 & American Wedding) – “Because they dominated my junior high/early high school years.”
4. Night of the Living Dead – “Because it created the zombie genre and zombies are our friends. Our flesh eating friends.”
5. Cabin Boy – “Because it was at a special screening of this film that I met Chris Elliott and we still keep in touch.”
6. Evil Dead (I, II & AOD) – “Because they still amaze me.”
7. Dave – “Because it was the film that finally put me to sleep during the Netflix competition. At the rate I was going, there was no way I would have made it the full 5 days so I am thankful that this film put me to sleep before the hallucinations got worse and I deprived myself of sleep any longer.”
8. Good Dick – “Because it was the first film I saw and reviewed as a Movie Geek. It also led to my first real interview for the site.”
9. Superbad – “Because in addition to being a hilarious film, it’s simple story with amazing characters inspired me to write the simplest film possible, a film about 2 people stuck in a room.”
10. Stuck Like Chuck – “Because I am proud to have accomplished the monumental task of completing my first film and every day working on it gave me joy and great experience.”
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