My Top 5 Movies

Yesterday, some friends were sitting around trying to determine their top 5 movies. We had just heard about the Oscar nominations (If you have the chance to see the Israeli film, Footnote, you should absolutely see it!) and started thinking about what our top 5 movies would be. Of course, since we're in graduate school, and specifically a Jewish graduate school, our answer started with a question: What does it mean "top 5?" Top 5 "rainy day" movies? Or the best 5 movies? Or favorite 5 movies?

I thought it would be a fun exercise to determine my Top 5 movies. This is a very tedious and challenging task. How does one choose JUST 5 films? How could I possibly exclude certain films that I LOVE from this list? With that in mind, I am taking an Oscar's approach to the selection of my Top 5 films: lots of categories! And, of course, there will be a "Top Films" category. 

Unfortunately, Billy Crystal will not be hosting this blog post.

Without further ado, here are the lists!

Favorite Rainy Day Films

1. Keeping the Faith

2. Love Actually

3. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

4. The Social Network

5. The Royal Tenebaums

Honorable Mention: The Bucket List

Favorite Action/Adventure Films

1. Star Wars (Episodes 4-6)

2. Top Gun

3. Air Force One

4. The Matrix

5. 300

Honorable Mentions: Avatar, The Italian Job, Pirates of the Caribbean

Favorite Animated Films

1. Toy Story (series)

2. Cars

3. Up

4. Finding Nemo

5. Wall-E

Favorite Comedy Films

1. Farce of the Penguins

2. Airplane!

3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

4. Love Actually

5. Young Frankenstein

Honorable Mention: Anchorman, 40 Year Old Virgin, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Princess Bride, Spaceballs, Wet Hot American Summer

Favorite Documentary Films

1. Young at Heart

2. Super Size Me

3. Babies

4. Shut Up and Sing

5. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Favorite Drama Films

1. Forrest Gump

2. Goodfellas

3. Harold and Maude

4. American History X

5. The Social Network

Honorable Mention: In America, Pan's Labyrinth, Big Fish, I Am Sam, The Truman Show, Man on the Moon

Favorite Foreign Language Films

1. Footnote

2. Walk on Water

3. Noodle

Favorite Music/Musical Films

1. Amadeus

2. O Brother Where Art Thou

3. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

4. Once

5. August Rush

Honorable Mention: Fiddler on the Roof

Favorite War Films

1. Saving Private Ryan

2. Inglorious Bastards

3. The Pianist

4. Schindler's List

And….

My Top 5 Films:

1. Star Wars (Episodes 4-6)

2. Toy Story (series)

3. Forrest Gump

4. Goodfellas

5. Saving Private Ryan