by John M. Floyd
I like to hear about favorites, of any kind: novels, stories, authors, movies, TV shows, restaurants, cities, vacation spots. Discussions like that can not only tell you a bit about the person naming the favorites, they can also provide recommendations for your later enjoyment. One of our best family trips--two weeks in DC, with stops at Mount Vernon, Williamsburg, Jamestown, etc.--happened because we had talked with a neighbor who'd been there and done that and said it was her favorite vacation.
That certainly applies to reading material. I like to find out what books my friends have enjoyed the most. That's the way I discovered Harlan Coben's Tell No One, Grisham's A Time to Kill, Follett's Eye of the Needle. And one of the guys in our writing group made what I thought was an interesting observation the other day: he said that your favorite books--not always, but often--are those you occasionally like to re-read. That's especially easy to do with favorite short stories (because, well, they're short).
The same can be true of movies. I have hundreds of DVDs stacked up in my little home office--I absolutely LOVE movies--and there are some that I find myself plugging in every now and then and watching again. I suppose those qualify as my favorites.
Given the theme of this blog (we're all mystery lovers), and the fact that I needed to come up with a topic for today's column, and the fact that my film preferences seem to have a history of violence, I decided to make a list of my most-often-watched mystery/crime/suspense movies. On the off chance that anyone might be remotely interested, here are thirty of them, in no particular order:
Die Hard -- New York cop vs. L.A. bad guys
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 version) -- Boston bank heist
Crash -- different stories that converge and "teach a lesson"
No Country for Old Men -- best villain since Lecter (maybe best villain ever)
Dirty Harry -- did he shoot six guys, or only five?
Once Upon a Time in America -- Sergio's gangster epic
Blood Simple -- the first Coen Brothers film
In Bruge -- brooding bad boys in Belgium
Reservoir Dogs -- colorful characters: Mr. Pink, Mr. Brown, etc.
Death Wish -- the only really good vigilante movie
Witness -- a Philly cop among the Amish
Psycho -- don't take a shower if the desk clerk's named Norman
Pulp Fiction -- overblown and complex, but great fun
To Kill a Mockingbird -- the education of Scout Finch
Rear Window -- a peeping Jimmy in the neighborhood
The Spanish Prisoner -- great puzzle, with Steve Martin as a bad guy
Fargo -- kidnapping and woodchipping in the Far North
The Godfather -- this is business, not personal
Out of Sight -- best Elmore Leonard adaptation
The Shawshank Redemption -- best Stephen King adaptation
A History of Violence -- Viggo without Frodo (the first hour is especially good)
Twelve Angry Men -- best courtroom (actually jury room) movie ever
Lethal Weapon -- the Mel man goes postal
The Usual Suspects -- great ending, another great villain
At least for now. Last year my list might've been different, and next year it probably will be different.
Isn't that part of the fun?