Top 5 kids movies

Lets be honest, everybody loves a good kids movie. I don't know how many times that I've wanted to sit down with one of the movies on this list, even when there was a more adult movie that I hadn't seen yet. So here is my list of top 5 kids movies.

5.Wall-e

Wall-E will forever have a special place in my heart. I had just finished up my first year at a college I transferred to, and I had this friend who was absolutely freaking out over this movie. I think we saw this movie together three times in theater. The day it came out on DVD, he bought it on DVD and Blu-Ray, even though he didn't own a Blu-Ray player, but this was all for good reason. Wall-E combines the best part of dystopian novels with the kid friendly/sci-fy concept. Both of these elements really make Wall-E stand out as not only one of the best kids movies ever made, but as one of the best movies ever made

4. Iron Giant

Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), the Iron Giant is a perfect blend of old school animation and computer CGI. Coming out right around the 2000's, the Iron Giant tells the story of Hogarth Hughes, a kid with a wild imagination. Near the beginning of the film he saves a giant alien robot from being electrocuted at a power station. After saving the giant, Hogarth begins to teach the giant about friendship and having a good time. Its a wonderful story filled with great dialogue, witty characters, and a great villain. I don't think I can recommend this movie highly enough

3.Peter Pan

the old Disney cartoon Peter Pan holds a special place in my heart. I saw this movie when I was extremely young, and the thought of being able to fly and pirates and mermaids and indians was almost too much with a person with a very active imagination. I don't think that I need too much of an introduction for this movie, as it has become a staple of kids movies, but I think that it deserves the recognition of a place on this list. (Secret note, the theme song for Peter Pan actually has the exact same music as the next movie on this list. Additionally, Wendy was also voiced by the same person who voiced Alice)

2.Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is a fantastic movie. Widely shunned by disney movie lovers, Alice in wonderland I believe has gotten a bad card. This is really the first and only move where there really isn't a villain until the 50th minute or so. I realized this during one of my many viewings. That is quite a feat for any movie, building a world so fantastical that there really doesn't need to be a tension, because the moviegoer is having just as much fun exploring wonderland as Alice is. Never mind last year's remake, this movie is the original, and the arguably the best, Disney cartoon ever made.

1.Muppet Treasure Island

I recently went on a vacation and read the entirety of Robert Louis Steven's "Treasure Island" in one day. I enjoyed it immensely, it was funny, adventurous, and heartfelt, everything a good novel should be. I finished it though, and to be honest, I think I actually preferred the muppet take on this literary classic. Starring every muppet that you would expect, as well as Tim Curry as Long John Silver, this muppet movie is flat out hysterical. The Crazy innkeeper, the talking lobster, and the musical number "Cabin Fever" are just a few of the standout moments in this incredible kids movie. Do yourself a favor, get a bunch of friends together and watch this movie, you won't be sorry.

Honorable Mentions: The Incredibles, Beauty and the Beast, Jonah: A veggie Tales Movie, Every other Muppet Movie

Top 5 movies made before 1960

5. Casablanca

Casablanca has been called the perfect movie, and in many regards it is. Humphrey Bogart is a man's man, a swindler, a crook, and a bad boy with a heart of gold. Ingrid Bergman plays her part to a T, struggling between the two men that she loves. I don't need to continue to doll out praises for this movie. Chances are, if you've seen any movies in the last 20 years you've seen this one (Or heard a million people chide you for not seeing it.) Clocking in around 80 minutes, there isn't really a reason why you haven't seen it.

4. It's a wonderful Life

What can I say about this movie? I could probably make a top 5 of just Jimmy Stewart (I have to at least mention Mr. Smith goes to Washington), but he plays George Bailey with more conviction and heart than almost any other actor. An interesting fact, it was widely panned after it came out, and only when it became public domain did it get it's massive following. This movie is a christmas must. The scene where he has his honeymoon dinner, and later when he comes home yelling "MARY" is a scene I'll remember forever.

3. The Great Escape

This is my absolute favorite man movie. The classic telling of a concentration camp bustout, this story has everything that you would want, except women. In fact, there are no women entirely in this film. Steve Mcqueen's character in this movie is timeless, throwing the ball against the wall and being aptly named "The Cooler King." This movie also stars Richard Attenborough, James Garner, James Coburn, and a huge list of others. This movie is a marathon, clocking in at over 3 hours, but if you're willing to put the time in, the Great Escape will not disappoint.

2. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

This movie might be the closest thing to the perfect comedy. The story is about a group of people that see a man drive off a cliff. Concerned, they go to help the man, only to find out that he has a huge stash of money under the giant "W". Perplexed, the 15 or so race to Santa Barbara to get the money. The police chief of Santa Barbara is on to their game and watches them the whole way to Santa Barbara. Hilarity ensues. Seriously, Hilarity. The scene with Jonathan Winters and the gas station is probably one of the funniest scenes I've seen in all of movies. Plus, this movie has spencer tracy (SPENCER TRACY!), who is one of only two actors to win back to back academy awards for best actor (Other than Tom Hanks). This movie is also around 3 hours, so be ready for a long watch, but its worth it. It's a must see.

1. Boys Town

Boys town is a real place. No I'm not talking about the north side of Chicago (Although that's a real place too), no, I'm talking about the town actually made for boys. This movie is dedicated to that school. It's about an Irish Catholic priest who believes that there is no such thing as a bad boy, and he builds a school for them to prove it. No sooner is the place constructed than the toughest boy anyone's ever seen comes strolling it to prove Father Flannigan wrong. This definitely has one of the best morals I've ever seen in a movie, and its just an enjoyable one to watch. I've always had trouble showing this to people because it sounds boring, but I've never had one person be angry that they've watched it. Everyone that has watched it that I know has loved it, and it easily becomes one of their favorite all time movies. Starring Spencer Tracy (This was one of those two back to back movies he won best actor for) and Mickey Rooney, you can't go wrong in Boys Town.

Honorable Mentions: Dr. Zhivago, Mr. Smith goes to Washington

Top 5 Romantic Movies

5. In good Company

This movie works as a romance movie because it isn't one. well, let me explain that a bit more. It isn't strictly a love story. Starring Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, and Scarlett Johansson, this movie is about an aging man who is trying to cope as his company is bought and a 20-something comes in to be his boss. The characters are believable, the storyline is interesting, and the subject is a bit unusual. All of these things really make this movie work on a fundamental level. Its one that will leave you with a good feeling and is just a good time

4. Ever After

This has been my go-to movie for dates of almost any occasion. Drew Barrymore plays a solid performance in this classic re-telling of cinderella. Made in 1998, this movie has just about everything that you would want in a romance movie: Comedy, witty dialogue, and an honest to goodness good guy. If you haven't seen it I would recommend it for almost any date idea, because this one floats on water.

3. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

I'll be honest, I'm not terribly positive why I love this movie so much. It's true, I think that Kate Bosworth is gorgeous, and I actually really like Topher Grace (He's in two of the movies on this list), but I think overall, I'm just a sucker for small towns in movies. I actually had Elizabethtown on the list but it got just a bit too competitive and it had to be ebbed out, but I love the feeling that small towns have in movies. Not only that, but a genuine performance by both the actors above and Josh Duhamel make this movie fun to invite a few (female) friends over and enjoy.

2. All The Real Girls

Note: Don't watch this movie as a date. The movie is an incredible cute and adorable indie love story set in another small town America. I had never seen Paul Schneider act before this movie, but was already in love with Zooey Deschanel for several of her previous movies (I have a top 5 of just her movies, seriously), and neither of them disappointed in this incredibly powerful movie about love and the destructive power of sex before marriage. One of the things I loved about this movie is there are literally scenes just because they wanted to be in the movie. I studied film in college and the first thing I learned was to cut scenes that weren't needed. this movie gives a fresh break from that and really just develops things slowly. I watched the first third with a friend of mine who had to leave. Up till that point, it had been just the cute romantic comedy with some junk nudity (Oh yeah, theres male nudity in this, so be warned). Literally the minute he left the movie to an emotional right hand turn. it left such an impression on me that it had to make my list of romantic movies, because this list isn't just about fun romances, but about serious ones too.

1.(500) Days of Summer

I saw this movie's trailer in the fall of 2008 when it was announced at Sundance. I was immediately intrigued. Joseph Gordon Levitt had been one of my favorite actors as a child (Angels in the Outfield anyone?) but I hadn't seen him in a movie for probably about ten years. Then, out of nowhere comes this powerhouse romantic comedy about life and problems and growing up. I've probably seen this movie 15 times since its come out and every time I do it becomes better in some way. After I had finished my watching of this movie in 2009 I put it away for about 7 months till July 2010. I've never had a movie change in perspective so much as (500) days of summer. I actually identify with different characters and see entirely different points that are being made. Its a movie that's almost impossible to watch once, so grab some popcorn and get ready to watch what might be the best romantic movie to come our way

Top 5 Artistic Movies (also, the introduction)

Being as there are countless lists online, I thought it only appropriate to add yet another voice to the already overpopulated favorites in different categories. Since there really is too many different types of media and genres and time differences, it isn't possible to simply do one top 5 list, and as time goes on my lists may change, so the following blogs will be for 2011, my favorite movies, books, tv shows, videogames, and albums, each having 5 categories, which will be different based on the type.

I'm going to start off with Artistic movies. These movies may not have the best storylines in the world, but man, if they aren't absolutely beautiful to watch. Thus, here is my list of top 5 artistic movies.

5.Sunshine

Sunshine is a sci-fi movie about the Sun dying and a group of humans on a mission to reignite it. Directed by the Academy award winning director Danny Boyle, Sunshine chronicles the story of the Icarus II, a spaceship with a nuclear payload the size of new york. The movie is gorgeous all the way through, with Danny Boyle mixing a fresh blend of CGI and an interesting color scheme to make space come alive. With powerhouse performances by Chris Evans and Cillian Murphy, Inception really makes sci-fi come alive. The last third of the movie gets to be really lacking in story, but the visuals are strong throughout, giving Sunshine a spot on this list.

4. Inception

inception is Christopher Nolan's followup to the 2008 smash hit "The Dark Knight". The Dark Night was a beautiful movie, showcasing my hometown, Chicago, like few movies prior had (one other in particular did a fantastic job, but we'll get to that in a minute). I applaud Christopher Nolan for his ingenuity and creativity with scenes like the hallway shootout and the Purgatory-esque bottom layer of the dream world. The story-line is solid, the acting is superb, and it may have one of the best endings to a movie I've ever seen (I'll give you a hint, its great because it doesn't matter), but Christopher Nolan's dreamworld has been given such life in this movie that it may be the most visually striking movie of 2010

3. Road to Perdition

Road to Perdition is a movie made by Sam Mendes, who is known for his work on American Beauty (A fabulously depressing movie, but fabulous none the less). Starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, the movie is based around Irish Gangsters in the outskirts of chicago and a family man (Hanks) who is trying to protect his son after he sees a gruesome murder by another gangster. The performances are solid and the casting is well done, but the real winner in this movie is the cinematography. Conrad Hall was the Director of Photography for this film. His previous movies were American beauty, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, and many others. He had won several acadmey awards for his excellence in cinematography, and he picked up another one for this movie. The movie showcases beautiful early 20th century Chicago and its surrounding areas, and leaves a lasting impression on all who see it.

2. Eternal Sunshine

For every stinkers that Jim Carey Makes (Yes, I'm looking at you The Number 23, Yes Man, and the like), he makes wonderful movies (Eternal Sunshine, Truman Show, The Majestic). Eternal Sunshine is not only probably Jim Carey's best movie, but also Kate Winslet. The premise about a man who decides to get his memory erased after he finds out his recent ex-girlfriend had recently done it to get him out of her mind. With its beautiful scenes and clever moments (the books disappearing, Jim Carey always running towards the end of the street), this movie leaves you with not only a profound story, but an even more buffet of visual beauty. My favorite scene based on cinematography is in this movie (The shot where Jim Carey is in the B&N and walks into his house), as well as probably one of my favorite love stories, this movie isn't to be missed

1. The Fall

This movie was created by a very wealthy artist who cared more about visuals and making this movie than he did about making money. It was shot in 26 locations over 18 countries, took 3 years to make, and doesn't have any CGI special effects to create environments. At all. Watch the trailer and its hardly believable, but the production was so excellently done that its almost impossible not to fall in love with this movie almost right away. Winner of my most visually striking movies, The fall is in a world all its own.