"My favourite film"

njpickles asked recently what's my favourite movie and this is not an easy question to answer.  If you go to AOL Hometown you will find this journal under that category, but only because there was no more appropriate category for film reviews in general.  And if anything, I am a generalist; I love so many films in so many different genres -- the exception is war movies.  Too many of them are about a loveable bunch of guys being picked off one by one. Come to think of it, you could also describe modern horror movies which I do like in the same way; maybe the difference is that the characters are not necessarily likeable -- and I can bring a sense of distance to horror films which I can't to war films.

However if you were to ask me today to name my top five or ten films you probably would not receive the same answer if you were to ask tomorrow or next week.  In general I prefer movies that stir something in me, which is why I am a sucker for the films of John Ford -- he can make strong men cry.  In pictures like "The Man who Shot Liberty Valance" and "How Green was my Valley", I am usually in tears before the first reel has finished.  Then there are those films that I can watch over and over again, seeing something new each time; Robert Altman's "Nashville" is the prime example here.  And finally there are those movies that just make me happy to be alive, like "It's a Wonderful Life" (but everyone loves this film I think).  Next time someone asks there is bound to be a different selection, but that's what makes my pasttime so satisfying.