Jen's Top 10 Movies of All Time

Okay, so Maria inspired me to list my favorite movies with her list of top 10 scary movies. Here are my all-time favorite, most of which are NOT scary. This list was really hard to make, considering I am passionate about so many dang movies!

#10

I'm not sure how many people have even seen The Lost Boys sine its release in 1987, but it is my idea of a great vampire movie. These vampires don't sparkle. They're cruel and dangerous. I was young when this came out and admittedly had a huge crush on Corey Haim (most girls of the 90's did). There is a bit of humor in this one, mixed with (light) horror and adventure.

#9

I am a giant Star Wars fan. When having to pick just one to say is my favorite, I think Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) is the one. While I think Episodes I-III are still good, the newness of them has worn off and I don't find myself watching them over and over like I do the first three (or rather the last). I was even younger when this one came out, so maybe I was drawn by the adorable little Ewoks and the fact that Princess Leia came to Hans' rescue. Plus Luke gets to finally see his father's face and the guy turns out to look way less harmless than we could ever imagine. Regardless, I thought it was a nice wrap-up to the series (at the time anyway).

#8

Yeah, I'm cheating on this one. I am in love with all of the Harry Potter movies. When trying to pick a favorite, I kept finding fault with each. Before Harry and the gang drop out of school, the movies were happy, although at times a bit cheesy. The last three or so are pretty dark, but full of emotion and adventure. The thing that always cracks me up is I remember renting the first HP for my step-daughters when they were young and I thought the show was dumb and boring. Fast forward to many years later, when I finally read the books, and I felt 100% differently about the movies. Although I've only been part of one HP marathon, this would be a series I would love to just take a day or two off for fun and watch them all back-to-back. J. K. Rowling is my hero, and a total genius for creating this world of wizards and muggles.

#7

Easy A should probably be closer to the top of my list, but there are some pretty big contenders coming up next. The first time I saw this movie I was hooked. Emma Stone is a brilliant actress and does funny better than anyone I've seen (notice she appears again second to my top favorite). There are so many one-liners that have me rolling in this movie, plus it has an 80's vibe that no other movie has yet to accomplish since the creation of the Brat Pack movies.

#6

I think it's safe to say E.T. would make a lot of people's top 10 list. It's heartwarming, adventurous, humorous and just plain great all around. I am the same age as Drew Barrymore, so I was pretty young when I first saw this in the theatre. Thankfully my children appreciate this one and we watch it together quite often. Is there any better feeling than the scene when the boys are lifted into the air on their bikes and the violins start playing?

#5

Super 8 was one of those movies that quietly went through the theaters with very few people getting excited about it. I blame the terrible trailers. I know they were trying to keep the big secret from being revealed, but I thought it was going to be a horror movie and had no interest at first. This movie is definitely a mash-up between E.T. and The Goonies with the young boys' adventure and paranormal aspect mixed together (I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it yet but will after hearing how awesome it is). Although I'm not 100% pleased with the very end of it, this movie touched my heart in ways that only Steven Spielberg can.

#4

Oh, Sixteen Candles, how many ways do I love thee? I first saw this when in junior high and USA came to be on cable. Up until I was married, I had never seen anything other than the made-for-TV version and was surprised by some of the extras I missed. I haven't necessarily heard a lot of guys say they love this movie, but really think it hits home for those of us who were young, awkward and in love at one time. Yes, I had a ginormous crush on Michael Shoeffling (Jake) at the time, and went on to have a major crush on Anthony Michael Hall after Weird Science (which honestly should have made this list but somehow got pushed out). There are so many hilarious scenes in this movie, yet it is written with a lot of heart as well.

#3

After first seeing Shaun of the Dead, it immediately made it into my top 10 list. A lot of people won't get the off-humor (I sometimes don't even understand what British people are saying) or appreciate the whole zombie theme. But in my world, this is one of the best movies ever written. Strangely enough, the ending makes me cry like a baby every time. If you haven't seen it, you will have to watch to understand why! Simon Pegg is among the comedic geniuses of our time. His movie Paul is also one of those that would have been on my list if this were the top 20.

#2

Hands down, one of the funniest movies of all time. Genius. Zombieland does a great job of combining adventure with comedy and horror, all each having just the right amount in the mix. Honestly, it still kind of bothers me that Jesse Eisenberg's character makes fun of irritable bowl syndrome, because if you have the disease, it makes your life miserable. It's kind of like making fun of someone for having diabetes. Regardless, I was able to look past that and appreciate all the other funny points, like the appearance of Bill Murray (one of my top 10 favorite actors, who is also in Ghostbusters, another movie to make my top 20). This movie actually has two of my other favorite actors, Emma Stone and Woody Harrelson. If you don't mind seeing zombies in a non-jump-out-at-you kind of way, I recommend renting this one.

#1

I swear there are so many boys' adventures on this list that you would think I was once a tom-boy (but I really wasn't). The Goonies always has and always will hold a special place in my heart. I think I was about the same age as Mikey when it first came out, so maybe I felt like I could see myself in this adventure with the kids. As with most of my other favorites, Goonies has the recipe for greatness: comedy + adventure + heart-warming.

That was actually really hard. I feel like I left out some of my favorites, like X-Files, Indiana Jones, Sex and the City, and the others I mentioned earlier. It almost feels like not telling a child you love them. I guess I'll always be one of those people who says to nearly every other movie, "That's my favorite!" Maybe I'll just have to keep lists going until I reach 100.

Did any of these make your top 10?

~Jen