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It’s the quintessential movie-lover’s question. No, not, “What’s that sticky stuff on the theater floor?” While that’s an intriguing question, I’m not sure we really want to know the answer.

No, the question I’m referring to is this: “You’re stranded on a deserted island - which 20 movies would you want to have with you?”

I did my best to put together my picks, but I must admit that I’m not fully satisfied with my list. There are many movies - both classics and more recent releases - that I simply haven’t gotten around to seeing yet. I’m sure my list suffers because of that. Let’s just call this my first pass at such a list. If anyone is really offended by any of my picks, you’re welcome to buy me a Netflix subscription for Christmas.

Coincidentally, a few friends of mine - Gedeon Maheux, Corey Marion, and David Miller - have also been stranded on their own deserted islands, and they’ve compiled their own top 20 lists. I’ve marked entries of mine that were also picked by one of them.

So without further ado, and presented in very rough (but not exact) descending order, the 20 movies I’d take to a deserted island:

The Princess Bride
Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles. What more could you ask for? (Also picked by Ged and Corey)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Hours upon hours of epic, Middle-Earth fun. The entire trilogy was very well written and directed, the acting is great, the effects are amazing, the music inspiring. (Also picked by Ged and Corey)

The original Star Wars trilogy
Luke Skywalker’s journey from whiny farm boy to whiny Jedi master. (Also picked by Ged, Corey and David)

Raiders of the Lost Ark
The adventure movie by which all adventure movies must be measured. (Also picked by Ged)

Die Hard
The action movie by which all other action movies must be measured. Also doubles as a good Christmas-movie-that-isn’t-really-a-Christmas-movie. (Also picked by Corey)

Moulin Rouge
When I saw this Baz Luhrmann film in the theater I was blown away by every aspect of it - the visual style, the adaptations of modern-day pop songs, the fact that McGregor and Kidman were doing all the singing. I generally don’t care for musicals at all, but Moulin Rouge is in a class by itself.

The Matrix
Just the first one. There are some good parts in the second one, but the third really dropped the ball, which sort of ruins the second one since they are dependent upon each other. Luckily the first can stand on its own. (Also picked by Ged and Corey)

Pirates of the Caribbean
It was just a lot of fun. What can I say. But then, my expectations were pretty low, considering that the film is based on a theme park ride. Of course, it is one of my favorite theme park rides…

Dr. Strangelove
Megatons of paranoid, Cold War goodness.

Alien
Creepy and claustrophobic.

The Shawshank Redemption
By far the best screen adaptation of a Stephen King story, and a great film in its own right. (Also picked by Ged)

Shaun of the Dead
Probably the funniest zombie movie ever made. (Also picked by Ged)

Saving Private Ryan
As close as I ever want to get to actual war. Spielberg does an amazing job of drawing you into the action, particularly in the opening scenes on Omaha Beach. (Also picked by Ged)

Ronin
Some of the best car chases ever, plus DeNiro ambushes someone with a cup of coffee.

Some Like it Hot
“Well, nobody’s perfect!” (Also picked by David)

Happenstance (Le Battement d’ailes du papillon)
A humorous and intricate look at how random accidents bring two people together. It’s great fun to see how some seemingly insignificant event at some point in the film affects things later on.

Better Off Dead
A staple of my cable-tv-fueled youth.

Trainspotting
Hilarious and disturbing at the same time.

The Fifth Element
I’ve only seen this one time, in the theater, but I remember being amazed by the visuals and the story line. I’ve put it on my “to rent” list, so we’ll see if it’s still as incredible as I remember.

A Christmas Story
Perfectly captures the joy and the anxiety of the Christmas season. (Also picked by David)

:::

There are a few glaring omissions on my list. One in particular is that there are no Pixar movies listed, despite the fact that I love their films. I chalk this up to having a 5 year old and a 3 year old who keep Pixar films in a steady rotation through our DVD player. Give me about 10 years or so and I’m sure they’ll be back on the list. In the meantime, feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments.

Update: Travis begins his list.

~ Filed in Pop Culture, Ramblings ~