One thing that occurred to me as I read over other peoples' lists, though, was the question I'm posing here: what is it about a movie that's likely to land it on your favourites list? I'm sure everyone's criteria are different, and there's no right or wrong formula (it's personal taste, after all) but I thought I'd attempt to start a thread by offering up my own Litmus Test (of sorts).
- Is there anything in the course of watching the movie that takes me out of the immersive experience of being completely drawn into the story? This could be a scene that felt overly "written" or otherwise unbelievable, a really bad bit of dialogue, a boom mike suddenly being visible at the top of the frame, or anything that screams "look at how clever I am" or "look at how artsy I can be." Films that stay on my favourites list generally haven't had any of those problems (for me, at least).
- Does the movie get better with each successive viewing? This is one of my most important tests, and one I occasionally ignore - usually to my everlasting regret later. A story can seem amazing the first time you see it, and then quite boring every time after, simply because it turns out that the only real appeal was some dramatic twist, or shocking scene, neither of which will ever have the same impact on you again, since you know it's coming. One movie that I thought initially might fail this test was The Sixth Sense, seeing as it had such a significant twist to its story, and yet I've liked it more - for reasons having nothing to do with the big reveal - each time I've seen it.
- Am I emotionally involved with any of the characters? I know some people don't consider this important at all, and can love a film like In the Company of Men where the two protagonists are entirely unsympathetic (or, for that matter, any of a number of mob-related movies where everyone's completely reprehensible). For me, though, if I can't empathize with anyone in the story being told, chances are that I'm not going to invest myself that much in it, leaving me with a meh reaction.
- Do I find myself thinking about the movie for days after watching it? This can, of course, be a negative, in that you might be remembering the experience for all the wrong reasons, but usually a truly great movie - in my experience, anyway - is one that I continue to reflect back on days after I've watched it (or re-watched it for the nth time). It may even be troubling me, in some way, because I find some belief of mine being challenged. But certainly if it's "out of sight, out of mind" then chances are it's not going to show up on any Top Movies list of mine.
- Is there some aspect of the film that I think is exceptional? Probably because I tend to look at everything too critically, I'm often considering movies from the point-of-view of, what would I say about it in a review? (Ironically, thanks to this blog site, I get to do more and more of exactly that!) I'm not the type of viewer who'd simply say, "It's a great movie but I don't really know why I feel that way!" Generally something has caught my attention, sparked my interest or otherwise made me fall in love with what I saw on the screen.
- Does the movie express any sort of sensibilities that I admire? This is kind of an airy-fairy criterion, I'll admit, and not one I always use. But when I consider a movie like The Cider House Rules, for example, one of the aspects that I always find myself considering after watching it once again is just how closely the attitudes of many of the characters match my own. The people running that orphanage, and providing abortions to women who can't get them within the law, have a World View that I'm completely aligned with. Not only do they honour a women's right to choose, but they also provide a life-affirming alternative to anyone who'll take it: just leave the child here with us! That sort of thing earns it some brownie points with me, as a member of the audience.
What's yours look like?
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