Here's Looking At You, Kid

As far back as I can remember I've loved film, there truly is something magical about being transported to another time and place. The experience of movie watching improves my life vastly and allows me to live vicariously through the characters and plots on screen. My childhood was defined by watching countless hours of Disney movies, new and old alike.
Movies like The Lion King, Beauty And The Beast, The Fox And The Hound, The Little Mermaid and Toy Story all were so powerful to me, they introduced me to concepts such as love, loss, betrayal, fearing the unknown and overcoming adversity. 

When I was a little older I discovered my love for movies such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, the Indiana Jones films and Independence Day.

"May the force be with you"

The Star Wars series really has a special place it my heart, I watched and re-watched the original trilogy so many times as a kid the tapes practically wore out. Luke Skywalker's journey to destroy the empire captured my imagination and fascinated me endlessly, the Force, Vader, Yoda, Chewbacca, Han, Leia and Tatooine are all a part of who I am. 

My love for movies has grown over the years, I now have an appreciation for the subtle nuances of film making and I pay attention to things like cinematography, editing, sound design, music and director trademarks. My favorite directors would be; Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino. The IMDb(internet movie data base) app on my phone gets some heavy use, I am constantly looking up actors that recognized from other movies, directors full collections of work and obscure facts about the movies I love. 

My brother Danny, who is a fellow cinephile and I have a goal to watch all of IMDb's list of the top 250 best movies. 

"Here's looking at you, kid"

My family and I got on a kick for a while of watching old classics like Casablanca, Roman Holiday, Rear Window, Ben-Hur, The Maltese Falcon and 12 Angry Men to name a few, from that time on I've liked actors such as Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart, Paul Newman and Katharine Hepburn. Being asked to pick my favorite movie is nearly impossible, its like picking a favorite child, it just feels wrong! A few movies that I will always watch from any point are; Avatar, Forest Gump, Inception, Blade Runner, The Princess Bride, Young Frankenstein and The Matrix. 

I am also a huge fan of all the Pixar movies, I enjoyed them when I was younger and enjoy them just as much now, those films are just solid story telling and have stunning animation, despite being thought of "kids" movies they certainly have a lot of depth. Some of my favorite actors and actresses include; Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Emma Stone, Marion Cotillard and Russell Crow, again its hard to names favorites and I feel like I'm missing some. Some other great films that deserve a mention are; Pulp Fiction, Saving Private Ryan, The Kings Speech, Goodfellas, Gran Torino, The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Into The Wild, Skyfall and Dark Knight Rises, although the list is nearly endless for me! I feel that film is such an integral part of our society and is a priceless expression of the human condition.