What is your favorite movie?

Much of contemporary criticism of this movie revolves around bitterness for its dark horse Oscar win for Best Picture in 1982. Watching this film years later, though, it is difficult not to be grabbed by the passion of its characters, and not to be reminded why it garnered such praise in the first place. When Eric Liddell throws his head back in ecstacy as he runs the race of his life, he shows us the inward freedom of his own life. Along from its iconic score, the acting, directing, and writing are superior. This film stands out not as the recipient of a Best Picture Oscar, but as an example of genuinely good art.

As a child, I loved the movie because I love baseball. While I still love it as a baseball movie, I appreciate the movie so much more now that I am aware of all the mythological symbolism. Aside from all that, I think The Natural has some of the greatest actors, some of the best cinematography, one of the most underrated scores, and some of the greatest lines in movie history. I can watch it over and over again and I never tire of it.

How could anyone come up with one favorite movie. I more than the above to go a top of the heap list. I love movies for many reasons. The Pianist is a emotionally powerful work with one of the great acting performances of all time.

American Beauty is funny, hypnotic, lyrical, beautifully photagraphed, great writing, acting………. Great Story telling. Hip.

Godfather I & II all of the above and insightful.

Bulworth: I movie I never tire of watching. It is hillarious……..

Thunder Road….. Robert Mitchum

The Hustler……. Again great cinematography, acting.
Solyaris: But if I had to pick my greatest movie it would probably be Solyaris. A beautiful film that is the most affective film I’ve seen that paints a picture of transcendence and creation.

Just one comment about a movie lot’s of people love and I send to the bottom of my list. Namely 12 Angry Men. Thought this movie was God awful. It does not put you in the room in the sense that you could make a decision on the fate of the person being judged. The evidence used to walk you to this jury’s conclusion was non-existent.

De Niro’s Best; Scorsese’s best; the best film of the ’80’s; the best film ever made!

The film gets into the mind of Jake Lamotta. Everything De Niro does in this film is incredible. Never in the history of film has any actor given a more honest, and truthful performance. De Niro morphs into Lamotta, and not just by gaining weight, but learning how to breathe and think like Jake Lamatto. His journey is heartbreaking, and yet oddly inspiring. Scorsese doesn’t use voice over to get you into Jake’s head, he know’s De Niro can do it for him. The brutality of the boxing scenes carries a mythic, visceral sense of reality. This movie isn’t for the light weights, it’s heavy material, it asks you to care for a horrible human being, and by some miracle, you do! Raging Bull is not just my favorite movie of all time, I would indeed call it the best film ever made!
By: Stephen Wagner

This movie may be relatively new, but I’ve never been so blown away by a film. The story revolves around female boxer Maggie, born from 2 hillbillies, who’s a waiter with a dream to box. The other co-lead is Frankie Dunn played by director Clint Eastwood, an aging, angry owner of a boxing gym, who is detached from his daughter.
Frankie is at first hesitant when Maggie wants to join the gym, and flat out refuses to coach her. Eventually, Magghie gets Frankie to coach her.

This movie is easily the greatest sports movie ever made, but it’s more than that. Sure, there’s the underdog aspect of it, but Clint Eastwood has created living, breathing characters that we feel for. You have to be a cold heartless man to not be saddened by the ending to this, if not break down into tears.

This movie grips me emotionally in a way that no other motion picture has. He may not get respect as an actor, but Stallone gives one of the greatest performances in movie history. Consider that Rocky Balboa is seen almost as a real-live athlete. Anytime life is going the way I want it to, this movie brings me back. As a male, I’m not afraid to say that I cry every now and then when Rocky yells out for the love of his life. More than an action movie, this film eventually showcases Rocky’s true triumph in life, which is to be somebody he himself can be proud of.

I am a Notre Dame fan.

I am a Notre Dame fan.
By: Sean Mullen

It is the quintessential film in that it evokes every reaction from the viewer.

It is the quintessential film in that it evokes every reaction from the viewer. It can be dramatic, sad, comedic, romantic, thrilling, suspenseful at any given moment, just like life. Its sheer emotion and ability to inspire make it the best film ever.

It’s a great story and a psychologically acute character study, filled with an iconic main character, great other characters, as many quotable lines that exist in any movie, and two of the most rousing sequences (the training montage and fight scenes) in motion picture history.

Its high artisitc quality, importance to independent cinema, and technological innovations (steady cam) only add to its greatness. In 1976, no film like this had ever been made and you can coun its influence in future films by the hundreds.

But none of that would manner if the movie wasn’t so perfect and versatile in what it can get out of its viewer. The best film ever!
By: David Pirozzi

Rocky is not Art but the storyline,acting and musical highlights all combine to give birth to an exceptional movie experience. After 30 years I can still remember my heart pounding during the final fight scene accompanied by Conti’s exhilirating score.

The choice of this film was difficult as City Lights, To Kill A Mockingbird, Casablanca, Verigo, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington are all superior films but for a sheer moviegoing experience nothing can beat my first encounter with Rocky as 12 year old kid. The story of a hasbeen fighter who squandered his youth only to be given an incredible second chance is a modern American Cinderella Story. The fact that the odds were enormous and the reigning, flamboyant champ disregarded Rocky’s drive and ambition lead up to one of the greatest finale’s in American Cinema. Stallone’s script with Alvidsen’s directing combined with a great supporting cast(Burgess Meredith, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers) and Conti’s score gel together to create a truly American original. The scene of Rocky running up the Philadelphia stairs is a great scene and one in which I reenacted as a high-schooler while living near Philly. Yo Adriannnn…..!!
On another note I would like to add that City Lights is arguably one of America’s truly artistic masterpieces and thus would qualify as The #1 film in American Cinema.
By: Vance Snyder

THE MOVIE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

I WILL NEVER FORGET THE NIGHT I WATCHED THIS MOVIE. I WAS ELEVEN YEARS OLD AND THIS FILM SHOCKED ME. ROCKY MADE ME FEEL THE PASSION FOR MOVIES.
By: ANDRES MARTIN

A dual thematic biopic of boxer Jake LaMotta and director Martin Scorsese.

This is the movie that opened my eyes to the possibilities of film. The acting is the best in any ever movie ever, the cinematography is haunting, the use of sound imagery laid beneath the soundtrack during the boxing scenes is sublime. It is powerful, funny, touching, risible and pure genius.
By: Timothy Sexton

I wasn’t that impressed by it the first time I saw it. It took a few viewings for me to fully appreciate it.

It has everything I look for in a movie…great visuals, music, and acting, and direction.
By: Cole Biodrowski

Raging Bull will always be the crown jewel of film history to me.

Raging Bull will always be the crown jewel of film history to me. Everything about this movie absolutely sweats. The directing is astounding and although Scorsese would go on to direct many more impressive pieces of film, this has been his greatest achievment. There has never been a boxing movie before or since that made you feel as part of the fight as this, the ways the camera is placed inside the ring with the fighters, the shots of the audience being sprayed with blood, the sound going from loud and abrasive, (hearing bones crunch and leather slap skin) to muffled and distant, as I’m sure it does with boxers in the ring, and the most impressive, Scorsese holding flames under the camera during LaMotta’s most difficult fight, to create the illusion that we are in some kind of hell with this character.
The performances are the best these actor’s will give in their careers, which is saying alot, the editing by Thelma is brilliant and the script is flawless, not a word of ‘filler’.
I could go on and on, but I’ll close with this:
Raging Bull is amoung the few movies that, aside from its technological accomplishments, can evoke a plathora of emotions in me in a single viewing, all along with the characters as they feel them, anger, laughter, fear, suspense, loyalty, betrayal, embarrassment, satisfaction, and regret, are but a few.
If I was to be trapped on a desert island for the rest of my life and was allowed one film, this would be it, that way I won’t ever forget how to feel…anything.
By: Dustin Griffin