Brenda's Favorite Movies

Challenged to put together a list of my favorite movies, I knew it would be a struggle. I rarely watch a movie twice because there are so many other movies available that I have not seen. However, when I put my mind to it or rather when I put pen to paper, I discovered that there are a few movies that I would call a favorite movie. That does not mean that I have watched them over and over but rather that I really enjoyed them and that I have fond memories of them.

My movie tastes have been influenced, naturally, by my life. I have two teenage boys which means that for the last eighteen years or so, my movies choices have often been based on the fact that we were watching movies as a family. Because of that fact, you will find a couple of family movies and a number of action and adventure movies on my list. You will also find a couple of old classics and a couple of romantic comedies, which reflect the fact that I am a woman who loves those movies, too. My list of favourite movies turned out to be an eclectic list which will have you travelling the world, from New York to France to Scotland and back again.

Most of the movies on this page just happen to be available on blu-ray. That is a reflection on the fact that my interest in movies has only come about lately and, therefore, many of my favorites have been released on blu-ray. All of them are, however, also available on DVD if that is your preference.

I hope that you enjoy reading the recommendations on this page which include brief reviews, movie trailers and links to more reading about most of the movies. At the end of the page you will be able to give me YOUR recommendations and add YOUR favorite movies. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

A Batman movie review in 100 words or less PLUS a link to our family review of The Dark Knight.

Yes, I loved Batman: The Dark Knight. I did not love it at the movie theatre but I loved it at home. It was beautiful (I know a unique choice of words for Batman) on our new HDTV television and blu-ray player. I am sure that I took more away from this movie when I watched it the second time in the comfort of our home theatre. This is a dark movie, suitable perhaps for mature high schoolers and not for young children.

Chocolat is one of my favorite movies of all time. It was nominated for five Academy Awards which included Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. It featured great talent, chocolat and romance with the likes of my favorite actor, JOHNNY DEPP plus Judi Dench, Juliette Binoche, Alfred Molina and Lena Olin.

Definitely a romantic picture, it features a young woman travelling with her daughter and struggling for acceptance of her unusual ways. She opens a lovely chocolat shop in a small rural town in France and is eventually embraced by many of the townspeople. She befriends a group of drifters with one very interesting young man amongst them, Johnny Depp.

French Kiss Movie Review in 100 Words or Less.

When this movie came out, my husband and I had two children under five and we struggled to go to the movie theatre to see it, but we failed. When it came out on DVD, we waited to see it together but once again our young children and his work travel schedule, conspired against us and we failed again. Finally, when he was out of town, I watched it on my own. I did not realize that he had really wanted to watch it with ME and that made the fact that it was a phenomenal romantic comedy, one of my favorite movies, even worse.

A young woman (Meg Ryan) is ditched by her fianc in favor of a beautiful French lady. In an effort to win her boyfriend back, she heads to Paris. She winds up working with a French thief (Kevn Kline) who tries to help her get her boyfriend back. Of course, nothing works out as planned and they find themselves changed in the most unexpected ways.

Who would ever have thought a movie about a rat in the kitchen would be so wonderful? Not me. Nor would I have thought I would have an animated movie on my list of favorite movies but, Remy sure was persuasive. This movie was delightful with good food, good music and a fun story and so, it makes my list.

The story line, in case you are not familiar with this movie, is that of a rat (Remy) who wants to be a famous chef but of course, rats are not welcome in the kitchen. He joins forces with a young man in the kitchen and together they cook their way to success.

Anyone of my generation grew up with The Wizard of Oz and, if you were like our family, you watched it every year, once a year when it appeared on your local television network. The story is a classic musical that was on my list before there was a list.

While I haven't had the opportunity to view The Wizard of Oz yet on blu-ray, I was excited when it was announced that it would be released on that format and thrilled to hear the positive reviews of the blu-ray release when it did become available. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to view it in blu-ray before too long.

Here are four more of my favourite movies that I have yet to write up for this page but that are definitely amongst my favorites. I have chosen to feature the blu-ray versions here where available but of course, with the exception of the last film, they are all available on DVD, too.

Do Alice in Wonderland and Avatar make my favorite movie list?

I had the opportunity recently to see two 3D movies ~~ Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Avatar and I would like to say that I am adding them to my favorite movie list. However, I am not.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland was beautifully done and entertaining and I do recommend watching it if you are a Tim Burton, Johnny Depp or Alice in Wonderland fan. However, I do not think the story was good enough to make my list even though I do know that Alice in Wonderland is not a plot-driven story.

Avatar

Avatar was also beautifully done. I believe that it managed to surpass Alice in Wonderland because the story was very engaging and, very importantly, because I managed to FORGET that it was a 3D movie and simply enjoy the story. So why am I NOT adding it to my list of favorite movies? I can honestly say that I am not sure...and that is enough to keep me from adding it. Maybe one day when I watch it in 2D I will reassess that decision.

I am curious and my list of movies to watch is growing. What types of movies do you like? What would you recommend to me based on what you have learned about me here on this page?