Family’s Favorite Movies

With the holidays coming up, I wanted to do something a little different and turn to my family for some movies to watch. I turned to my immediate family (my parents and siblings, and my wife's parents and siblings) to see what their favorite movies were. Doing this got me to see some movies that I wouldn't normally watch and even see some that I had never heard of. It was also just really fun to share in everyone's favorite movies. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of my family's favorite movies.

10. Cocktail

Cocktail is my mother-in-law, Tina's favorite movie. She says "I like it because of the good time vacation feel and because of the idea that anyone can create their dream if they believe and work hard to get there. I also like that it is about loving yourself, bringing true happiness and being with friends and family instead of having a lot of money. Tom Cruise is also a bonus to look at." I got a decent amount of entertainment out of this film. I enjoyed the fun party tone of the first part of the film. The whole bartending aspect was a lot of fun to watch. I enjoyed the part of the movie that was focused on the characters opening their own bar. I also enjoyed the dynamic between the Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown characters. However, as evidenced by its placement, I had some issues with the movie. I found it to be a bit unfocused. It started as a bar-tending story and transitioned into a romance story with the bar-tending story being a lot more compelling than the romance story. I also felt that the story struggled to really stay focused on a singular storyline. Overall, while I was never bored and had a good time with the movie, the story and writing were just not there.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

9. The Day After Tomorrow

The Day After Tomorrow is my brother-in-law, Andrew's favorite movie. He says "I like it because you never know what is going to happen tomorrow". He is also a meteorologist and a big fan of disaster movies so naturally, a disaster movie about killer weather is a favorite for him. This movie is exactly what I expected it would be, a dumb fun disaster movie. You aren't really there for the plot and characters but are there to watch the bad weather destroy the world. Of course, the movie is a bunch of nonsense, with stupid characters and logic such as global warming causing an ice age. This is what I call a junk food movie. It isn't very good on a plot and story level but is still very entertaining to watch. Some of the characters are fun. Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid are both fun to see. There isn't too much to say about this movie. You pretty much get what you pay for. In the end, this is an entertaining yet dumb disaster movie that achieves exactly what it is going for.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

8. Level 16

Level 16 is my sister-in-law, Haley's favorite movie. She says "I like it because it has such a wide range of emotions and some shocking twists. I wish that they would've made a second movie." I found this movie to have a very intriguing premise. It builds mystery right from the start as you are trying to figure out what the purpose of this school is. The movie does a great job of keeping the audience in darkness until necessary as we are right along on the ride with these girls trying to figure out the school. The movie also moves at a very fast pace which I think added to the effectiveness of the story. I also found the story to be very compelling for the first 80 minutes or so. One of the issues I have with the story is that some of the characters can be a bit varied in their personality. You will have a character be kind one moment and then a complete jerk the next and it just makes it difficult to really establish the characters. Where the movie really lost me was with its big reveal at the end. I was just not on board with the reveal of the school at the end. It seemed rather off-putting and not really a satisfying reveal. I am not sure what I was expecting but that wasn't it. Overall, this movie started off as a very interesting thriller but ended up falling a bit flat for me.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

7. Angel Has Fallen

Angel Has Fallen is my brother, Richard's favorite movie. He says "I like it because of all the action. It is an all-around well-put-together movie that kept me on my toes and in suspense and is a movie I've watched several times and doesn't get old. It litty". I found this to be entertaining enough. Gerard Butler is always a solid lead in these types of stories. I thought the action was very good, especially in the 3rd act. I thought that the big showdown at the end of the film was very well done with a lot of solid sequences and edge-of-your-seat action. I was also never bored by the movie. It kept me engaged from beginning to end. I also thought it was fun seeing Morgan Freeman play the president. He is just always fun in whatever film he is in. Finally, I appreciated how standalone this movie was. I haven't seen any of the other Has Fallen films and this one still made sense to me. While I was entertained, this is a pretty generic on-the-run action movie. The plot is something that I have seen many times before and the movie doesn't add anything new to make it different. There also isn't too much in terms of character development. Gerard Butler is pretty much the same as when he entered the movie. In the end, this was an entertaining enough action movie that kept me engaged but is ultimately a pretty generic film.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

6. Dead Man's Chest

Dead Man's Chest is my sister-in-law, Stephanie's favorite. She says "I like this movie because I like Jack Sparrow". I think it is a great follow-up to the original film. It does a great job of building on the characters of the previous film and shows how the events of that film impact the characters' lives here. The film also showcases Jack actually being able to captain the Black Pearl and how he handles running a ship. It also has a great villain in Davy Jones, who is probably the best villain in the series. The three-way sword fight on the island is also really cool and is probably the best in the series. Finally, the movie has a standout cliffhanger ending that really gets one excited for the sequel. The issue with this one is the same as the sequel which is the storytelling is a bit too convoluted. While it isn't nearly as bad as At World's End, everyone's goals and everyone betraying each other make it really hard to keep track of what is happening. This story was so close to being great, had they just cleaned up the story a bit.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

5. Facing the Giants

Facing the Giants is my Dad's favorite movie. He says "It is a very inspiring movie and shows you that when you put your mind and heart into something and have God with you, all things are possible." I like this movie the best out of the feel-good movies he likes. It is a simple underdog story that plays the trope very well. Unlike most of the other films, this one incorporates its lesson into the plot and actually connects it to the real-world aspect of the story. This movie has the best feel-good moments out of all the films and also delivers some great payoff at the end of the story. Instead of just focusing on one character, this movie manages to focus on an entire team to convey the importance of positive attitudes and faithfulness to God. This movie is also a great pump-up movie. My dad would use this as a pump-up movie and would watch it before he would run a marathon to help get in the right head space. Overall, this is an example of a Christian movie done the best. It naturally integrates its lesson and delivers a compelling story that lets you feel good at the end.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

4. The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness is my sister-in-law, Amanda's favorite movie. She says "I like this movie because it shows how life is about creating your own path and about perseverance to pursue your dreams and giving back to others along the way. " I also liked this movie for its inspirational story. Will Smith gives a great performance of a man struggling with life that just wants to provide for his son. As always Will Smith delivers great charm and has solid chemistry with everyone he is with. I also enjoyed the father-son dynamic we see throughout the film. It is just fun seeing all the interactions between Will and his son. I also thought that this movie had a solid moral and a great message about working hard and pursuing your dreams. Finally, this is just such a good feel-good story that makes you happy after watching it. I don't have many major issues with this film but one of the main issues I have is that the pacing just seems a bit off. I thought the first half was solid but felt that story rushes a bit once it gets to the homeless section. I think it should have spent more time in that part of Chris's life. In the end, this is a very sweet story with a solid message that was so close to making the top three on this list.

Score: 8.2/10 Grade: B+

3. The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is Sarah's all-time favorite movie. She says "I like this movie because Ariel has always been my favorite princess because she has an adventurous spirit and love for learning new things. I have also always been a fan of the water as it has been my happy place since I was a kid." I enjoy this movie as well and it is towards the top of my list of Disney movies. Of course, the story itself is just so iconic. Pretty much everyone knows the story of Ariel and all of the characters that go along with it. The story itself is very simple and easy to follow and just makes for an enjoyable time. The songs are all super memorable as well with this movie having 3 songs that are some of the most famous songs Disney has made (Kiss the Girl, Part of Your World, and Under the Sea). The animation is also really well done. It is just amazing how they were able to make everything look so good just by drawing by hand. The only thing keeping this out of the top three is that there were a few plot holes that made me question the point of the movie. (ie. why didn't Ariel just write that she was the one who saved Eric so that he would kiss her instead of just fumbling without a voice). Other than that, this movie is a great animated movie and a lot of fun to watch. Sarah also said she would kick me out if I didn't put hers in the top 3 so here it is.

Score: 8.4/10 Grade: B+

2. Star Wars

The original Star Wars is my father-in-law, Mark's favorite movie. He says "I like this movie because it is a traditional good vs evil storyline told through timeless characters and the most recognizable villain to ever grace the screen." I like this movie for many of the same reasons. The movie was great breaking in its time in terms of special effects and really shows the true meaning of movie magic. It is just so refreshing to see a movie use such practical effects instead of creating everything with CGI like it is done today. This movie is such an inspiration for so many other films out there. This movie also does a fantastic job of world-building. It establishes so many new planets, introduces us to the empire and rebels, and gives us an idea of what the Jedi used to be. All of the characters are just so much fun. Our six main characters are so iconic and likable and Darth Vader is arguably the greatest and most famous villain in all movies. This movie also has a really great space battle at the end that is just so exciting and leaves me on the edge of my seat no matter how many times I see it. Finally, just like the last film, the score is absolutely fantastic. John Williams is a real master when it comes to writing music. Overall, this is a perfect movie, a fantastic Star Wars film, and a true staple of film and nerd culture.

Score: 10/10 Grade: A+

1. Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Rings is both my mom's and my favorite movie of all time. She says "I like this movie because of the complex characters and plot lines along with the fantastic scenery draw me in every time I watch it. It is also an epic saga that is timeless in its message of unity and hope in troubled times. Plus it's got a ton of great action and inspiration that only the best fantasy stories have. This has been my favorite movie ever since my mom introduced it to me as a kid. It is nothing short of epic. The story itself is expansive and well-told. It takes time to introduce you to all of the characters. With a runtime of 9+ hours, the story really allows for things to build and grow and for all characters to get their time in the spotlight. All of the characters are super fun and memorable and you really get to spend a lot of time with them throughout the three films and really see them grow and change. The action scenes and battle sequences are also so cool to watch. They all are done on such a large scale and are such amazing scenes. There are so many scenes in this movie that give me chills every time I watch them. The score in these films is always quite good. The music really nails the tone of the scenes with so much of the music adding to the overall epic-ness of the movie. Overall, my mom and I just love this movie. We can both watch it over and over again and never get tired of it.

Score: 10/10 Grade: A+