I enjoy a variety of movies. Movies that make you think, like Dead Poets Society. Comedies like Idiocracy (which is actually a very smart movie) and Office Space. Superhero flicks and rom-coms and Japanese anime. Given that this list only spans about a six-year period, though, there may be a rose-tinted glasses effect going on here. I don’t deny it. That’s probably why I say that 90s grunge and 90s hip hop are the best too. But that’s also why I say these are my favorite movies and not necessarily the best movies of all-time. Let’s get started, shall we?

Forrest Gump (1994)

This list of my favorite movies is presented in no particular order, really, but if I had to pick just one film, I think it would have to be Forrest Gump. It’s perfect in so many ways. There’s comedy (meeting the President after drinking too many Dr. Peppers), cultural commentary, romance, drama, action, philosophy and even Haley Joel Osment before he saw dead people.

And that’s all I have to say about that.


 

The Lion King (1994)

It’s funny, really, because The Lion King was made by Disney’s “B-Team” while the “A-Team” worked on Pocahontas that same year. And they hadn’t even planned on using “The Circle of Life” for the movie’s opening until they realized just how amazing it was. Everything from the music to the visuals to Timon dancing the hula made for a thoroughly good time for tween-age Michael and it’s a film that continues to bring a smile to my face now that I’m in my mid-30s.


 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Call to John. I know this hurts. Call to John.

Even though it feels like they’ve dragged this franchise through the ground at this point, Terminator 2 was far and away one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Visions of the post-apocalyptic future, incredible special effects for the time (particularly anything involving T-1000), and more one-liners than you can shake a cybernetic fist at, this was a sci-fi film with heart. I order you not to go!

And as it turns out, this killer robot from the future is a great father figure too. I know now why you cry, but it’s something I can never do.


 

Jurassic Park (1993)

Speaking of franchises they ended up dragging through the ground, the first Jurassic Park was another one of these amazing spectacles with never-before-seen special effects. They spared no expense, after all. Seeing those ripples in the water cup still sends chills up and down my spine, and it probably helped that I was totally obsessed with dinosaurs at the time. Movies like this filled me up with wonder and reading the book changed my life.

Clever girl.


 

Bloodsport (1988)

Some people might look to Bloodsport as a guilty pleasure. Unlike the other films on this list, I don’t think it was met with much critical acclaim nor did it astound audiences with bedazzling special effects. It just featured Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits during the height of his martial arts movie career. But it’s no guilty pleasure, because I don’t feel at all guilty for loving this flick. And I never get tired of watching it.

You are next! OK USA! Very good, but brick not hit back!


 

What Are Your Favorite Movies?

In putting together this list of my all-time favorite movies, I could have considered any number of other possibilities. I could have made an offer with The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, asked about liking them apples with Good Will Hunting, debated the appeal of Ewoks in the original Star Wars trilogy, broke down in tears with Grave of the Fireflies or Up, bent reality with The Matrix, explored my melancholia with Her…. I could go on and on. And let’s not forget about Big Trouble in Little China either. Classic.

If you had to pick just five movies as your all-time favorites, what would you choose? No guilt in guilty pleasures here!