Day 13: Favorite Underrated Movie

Busy today, so just the trailer.

Day 12: Favorite Remake

Oh, this is pretty tough. I was going to say True Grit, but technically that's just a new adaptation of the book, not a remake of the John Wayne film. The Thing is based off of the book too, not the old movie. So, I'm going with King Kong. I saw it Christmas Eve with my dad and thought it was great. It's not in my top ten list of favorite films, but remakes tend to suck. King Kong was very successful at not sucking, and proved to be very entertaining.

Day 11: Favorite War Movie

I'm not a big war movie fan, unless it's a war in a pseudo-medieval fantasy world or in space, but I do enjoy other films based on actual wars. One of these was Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. There's actually not a whole lot of combat, but it certainly takes place in a war, specifically the Napoleonic War. It's actually a surprisingly good film, one that I have watched twice in a row because of how good it was, which is no small feat. For a story that is mostly about the exploits of sailors, it's very captivating. I would definitely recommend seeing it.

Day 10: Favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy Movie

Well I've already said how LOTR is my favorite series, and that's all fantasy, so they're spoken for. Instead, my favorite sci-fi film is The Empire Strikes Back.
I've always loved Star Wars, as every guy does, but obviously I love it more than the average guy.
I wish I could say how much of an impact it has had on me like the other films I've mentioned, but Star Wars is Star Wars. It's been in my life forever, it's my childhood and adulthood, past and present. It's the classic tale of good versus evil put into space. It's what everybody wants, but can only live out here. It was my introduction to sci-fi, it's something that leaps to mind at least once a day. It's ever present, and I'm glad about that.
Also I know that trailer isn't for ESB specifically, but I saw it a few years ago on Cinemax and have remembered it ever since.

Day 9: Favorite Childhood Movie

My earliest movie memory is walking into the family room of our house and seeing my family watch Jurassic Park. I remember hiding behind my grandma because I was too scared to watch some of it, but lots of it I did see. From that moment until I was 14 I loved Jurassic Park. I was obsessed with it. Literally. Lots of people say they were obsessed with something, but I was seriously obsessed with this film. I must have watched it at least 200 times in my entire life. I had the toys (still do, stowed away), the games (still do), t-shirts (at least one is in my closet, I think), the book (so crinkled from reading too much it's almost falling apart), and photos of me at Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure (lots are on the walls of my house). I even had a Jurassic Park clock at one point.
I've mentioned before how this movie touched off my love of Spielberg and cinema, but it also drove me to creative heights that I would not have had otherwise. I said yesterday how those three films series made me into who I am. This one film may have had the greatest effect.
I remember waking up one day at 14 no longer having a strong interest in the film. I can't say it's particularly sad, but, like so many other things, it was an adventure 65 million years in the making that came to a close.

Day 8: Favorite Movie Franchise/Trilogy

Movie franchises are the backbone of my adoration for film. My favorite films often lead to sequels, after all. Movie sagas last throughout my life: I've had Star Wars since childhood, Harry Potter since I was eleven, and Lord of the Rings during my formative teenage years. Star Wars ended just before high school, Lord of the Rings ended at 13, and Harry Potter, arguably the greatest youth epic in modern history, and perhaps one of the most defining pieces of entertainment of our generation, ends in July. Those three film sagas alone have had the greatest impact on my taste, personality, and interests than any other piece of entertainment alone (I'm including the book series along with the film series for LOTR and HP).
Having to choose my favorite is almost impossible. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Star Wars has two mediocre and one bad prequel (COUGH Attack of the Clones COUGH), and, while the original series is top notch and brilliant, their potency is still tinged with the knowledge of what could have been for the prequels. In addition, I have no particularly fond memories (outside of our movie marathon) for them, making them hold a more constant affection for them than favoritism.
Harry Potter is one of the biggest franchises in my life. There was a time when I was younger that I had a fervent love for the series. The books are still among my favorites of all time. The films have an incredibly impressive streak of being very well made, a feat that is not to be looked lightly upon. I remember going to see each one of them in the theaters and being so excited before and after them. While the third film onward took some liberties with the material, I grew soon after to love them as their own entities from the books. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is now my favorite place ever, and I am constantly smiling when I ride Forbidden Journey. Yet, much of that love for the films and park is based off of my love and nostalgia for the books. The movies on their own, while great, are not among my favorite films ever (save Deathly Hallows part one and, hopefully, part two). So for that, I still have to move on without saying they are my favorite.
Which leaves Lord of the Rings. The only one I saw in the theater was Return of the King. My grandma gave me the trilogy as a Christmas present when Fellowship of the Ring was just released. I had some interest in them, sure, but there was no love for the material. I read Fellowship for the AR points in school, and damn it was a difficult read at eleven. Due to its difficulty, I put off reading Two Towers for years.
Just after my fifth grade field trip to space camp, I was sitting in my parents' hotel room, they down by the pool. I, a pale and chubby kid, was unwilling to go swimming outside of our backyard pool. So, instead, they let me watch one of the movies that hotels offer on demand. I decided to watch Fellowship of the Ring and was very surprised to really enjoy it. In fact, I loved it. I bought the toys and watched the DVD with my parents when it was released, and was pleasantly surprised to find they also really liked it.
I didn't sit down and read Lord of the Rings completely until a few years ago at Verot, but I had seen the entire trilogy on film several times over by that point. They were incredibly well-made, deserving every single award they got, including the beautiful score. Whenever they're on TV, I always watch them. They're so hopeful in a time when we need it most, and were so welcome in my life when I needed them. The stories are eternal, and that's why Lord of the Rings is my favorite film trilogy.

Day 7: Favorite Drama

So... this might not be what you expected. For one thing, in the second act the film becomes a romance, which isn't exactly my type of genre. But "Out of Africa" is about a Danish baroness starting a coffee farm in Kenya in the early 20th century, and the trials, tribulations, and joys she experiences along the way. It was based off of a true story written by the baroness herself, which I own.
It has the most gorgeous setting of any film. This movie makes me want to go to Africa. The story is enthralling in a way I can't truly give justice, and the acting is top notch, which is expected considering the principal roles are played by Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
It's another one of those movies that reminds me of the summer. I remember these past few years my mom would put it on just to have something in the background, but it was also a film I could watch just because I wanted a movie to watch, I was in the mood, or I needed something to go to sleep to. Granted, that isn't the highest praise, but it's a movie I could watch whenever I want.