Dare I say, my top ten movies?

One of my grandchildren asked me my favorite bird. I don't usually have favorites at all. Favorites show that you haven't had that much experience. My favorite is usually the next thing I see in that category. So my favorite bird is whatever is the next lovely bird I see, or flower, or book I read and so forth. I would only compile a list of the top ten (or ten thousand) for illustrative purposes.

Since I started going to movies when I was about six years old, and used to go to up to three or four a week during the summer, I have seen a lot of movies. Narrowing down the field to a top ten or whatever is nearly impossible. For example, The Gods Must Be Crazy is not on anyone's top ten list, but it would be on mine. Some movies had a great impact on me at the time, like Butch Casidy and the Sundance Kid, but I wouldn't want to see it again anytime soon (since I saw it about six or eight times when it came out). The same thing goes for the Magnificent Seven, a really interesting movie but after about ten viewings it is pretty predictable.

Additionally, I view the original and all the sequels to be one huge movie, so I consider Lord of the Rings to be one movie in three parts, not three separate movies. The same with Star Wars, except you can make some difference between the movies because they came out so long apart.

I would have to put Star Wars and Lord of the Rings on my list, for the simple reason that both movies are monumental in their impact on me and the rest of the world. I cannot think of a movie I enjoyed more than Star Wars the very first time at the Cine Capri in Phoenix.

I entirely disagree with the lists of best movies by how much money they made. Some of the high money making movies I will not go see under any circumstances. Some movies had a big impact but I do not consider them to be good movies, like all of the Indiana Jones bunch. Entertaining, but not good movies.

You might guess that I like action adventure/science fiction movies and you would be right. But that is mainly because that is where all of the innovation is. I do not care for any of the so-called classics like Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon. I also think the African Queen is tedious. They are OK but wouldn't get on any of my lists. I would have to add Independence Day as one of the most memorable, as is Men in Black (only No. 1 not No. 2). I like the Harry Potter movies but they are not great movies.

I also like Secondhand Lions. There are no animated movies that I would put on a top ten list, unless I was doing a top ten animated movies or something like that. I also like Lawrence of Arabia, good acting, good scenery and etc. I also like Rocket Man (Walt Disney) it is still a little bit funny.

If we are going to go back in time, I like Witness for the Prosecution, one of the few legal themed movies that is worth watching. Now that brings up Princess Bride, which has to be on anyone's list. There are few movies that have had such an impact on the American language as that movie. I also like North by Northwest and Singin' in the Rain. I also have to mention To Kill a Mockingbird and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

But it is truly amazing how many movies I wouldn't watch even if I were paid to do so. You guess which ones are in the top ten.