Retro Rob: My “Top 5 Movies” (2012)

The Academy Awards are coming up on Sunday night, so it’s a good time to re-post my “Top 5 Movies,” launching my “Retro Rob” series celebrating the upcoming 20^th anniversary of my very first blog post. Surprisingly, I’m still ok with my list, posted almost 12 years ago (April 4, 2012). I’m not sure if that says more about me or Hollywood. “The Shawshank Redemption” would likely be on the list nowadays, knocking off “Arthur.” I’m guessing “A Christmas Carol,” one of my favorite films, didn’t make the cut due to the seasonal nature of the movie. There’s potentially a couple of others that I can’t think of at the moment that might knock off “My Left Foot,” although the uniqueness of seeing a character with cerebral palsy would make it a tough choice to top for me.

As far as I can tell, I did the post as part of my “Page 2 Blog,” which was where I posted my non-sports articles. I was also doing my affiliate selling website, so anything that gave me an excuse to post links to products on websites to which I could earn commissions on a sale was good stuff. Here’s most of the post:

“After way too much thought and even more procrastination, I’ve come up with a list of my Top 5 Movies. . . . I found myself wondering if I was forgetting a movie that absolutely belonged in my Top 5, or if I had been prejudiced toward a movie I had just seen. . . . Then I realized I’m just some guy writing a blog trying to have a little fun and hopefully generate a response.

Without further delay, here’s my list of Top 5 Movies:

5. My Left Foot – I had to put this one on the list. It’s the only film I’ve ever seen that explores life with cerebral palsy and gave me the chance to see the disabled part of myself in a character. Based on a true story, it’s done without the “aww” factor that is so often a part any character with a disability in film and shows the main character who has CP as a fully developed person.

4. Castaway – Easily my strangest pick on the list, it just fascinates me. For a movie with relatively little dialogue it has some great lines, including one of my all-time favorites – “keep breathing . . . who knows what the tide could bring.” The theme – or maybe more accurately said, the exploration – of the human instinct to survive is awesome.

3. Arthur – Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli are perfect together in this hysterical romantic comedy. The story may not be all that original as Moore’s character – an alcoholic who never grew up – is threatened with being cut-off from his unbelievably rich family if he doesn’t marry the classic rich girl character. But he falls in love with a waitress played by Minnelli. John Gielgud is very good as the butler.

2. You’ve Got Mail – This movie is about as cute as a movie can get without going too far. The fact that it’s a re-make would probably get me in trouble with some critics. The idea that the characters get to know each other via e-mail intrigues me for personal reasons, and once Tom Hanks’ character figures out who his e-mail pal is, I think it’s very funny watching him manipulate the situation. Besides that, watching Meg Ryan for a couple hours is never a bad thing.

1. Rocky – Forget all the sequels for this discussion. When you go back and watch the original Rocky, it’s a great, character-driven film. No doubt the Philadelphia setting plays a role in my selection of this film as my top movie.”

I was happy to see that in the original post, I was already encouraging readers to comment. Unfortunately, one reader started correcting my opinions . . . right after a post that mentioned my disability. It wasn’t condescending at all.

Anyway, don’t be that guy! But do feel free to add your Top 5 or 2 or even just your favorite movie in the comments section. It’s easy to register on Disqus to join the conversation. See the comments section below. Engaging with readers (usually) makes doing the blog more fun! You can even quibble with my selections if you must.