What’s Your Favorite Movie?

That sounds like the dumbest question over, but I bet that half the people reading this will struggle to come up with an answer.  Call it a hunch.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on this blog for a while, you may have noticed that a while back, I did a post naming my top ten favorite movies.  If you’re not in the mood to check the link, I’ll save you the trouble and say it’s a list that includes some smart movies, and some movies so unapologetically stupid that they almost warp back into being brilliant.  Let it be known that I’m no hoity-toity elitist.  As evidenced by my use of the phrase “hoity-toity”.

In any case, one of the reasons why a blog like this exists is so I can try and figure out what a story does that makes it work.  It’s true that I’m just as likely to find something that doesn’t work, and have to spend time with that nonsense, but it goes without saying that I prefer “proving the case” of something good.  It’s something done for readers’ benefit, but it’s also something for my benefit, too.  If I can understand WHY I liked something besides visceral thrills, then I’d wager that I’m more likely to incorporate those good elements into my writing, and my stories.  I’m already starting to see it take form in my writing adventures…even if that does demand a complete annihilation of years of work.

But like the title says, this post isn’t about me.  This is about you.

One look at this blog’s header will tell you that my competency zone is with video games.  That’s the medium I know fairly well, if not the one I know best.  What I don’t know?  Movies.  As I’ve said here and elsewhere, I’ve missed out on many, many, MANY “classic” movies, and missed out on even more recent fare.  (Case in point?  I haven’t seen a single RoboCop movie.  Nope, not a single one.)  Likewise, my DVD collection -- if one could call it that -- is absolutely pathetic.  The last one I bought was Safe starring Jason Statham, and that was only as a gift for my brother.  To say nothing of the fact that -- as per a buddy’s swift vengeance -- I’m a co-owner of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

There’s a lot that can be taken away from movies, be they good or bad.  There’s a lot to be learned; whether you’re a would-be writing hero or not (or just one of those creative/artsy types), you can get up from your seat after watching a movie and say “Yeah.  This.  This is what it’s all about.”  And that’s awesome.  That’s what good art should do.  And that’s why I want to give you guys a chance to sound off.  So let’s create a scenario. 

Let’s say that one day you’re just walking around, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you get abducted by aliens.  But don’t worry, they’re cool aliens that know and speak fluent English for some reason.  Anyway, they just want to take a sample of human culture back to their home planet -- something they can show to their people over the span of, say, a few hours.  Something they can show in the comfort of their new home theater systems back on the planet Krarbgorp.  That’s why they’ve called upon you.

That brings us to the question at the center of this post: If you had to pick one movie to show off as your number one -- the proof of what a movie can be -- then what would you choose?  Assume that there are no “wrong answers” (i.e. you can name your favorite movie, no matter how dumb or low-quality it may be), and the Krarbgorpians will accept it with open tendrils.  Also, for argument’s sake let’s go ahead and assume that A) you can only name ONE movie, so no wishy-washy waffling -- and B) you should at least try to explain why you feel the way that you do about it, however objective or subjective you want to be.

And there you have it.  One simple question, wherein the fate of the world is (not) at stake.  Think you’re ready to act as an ambassador of art?  Then you know what to do.  Ready?  Set?  Take a dump all over RoboCop (2014), because it’s terrible and it should be ashamed of itself!

Still not happy I saw that.  Not at all.