Five Favorite Films. We ask, they tell. It’s a formula that’s been working
out for everyone. It grants filmmakers — directors, writers, actors — a space
to dive into their own pop history, choosing the works that have greatly
influenced their output and outlook. As this year closes, we plumbed the Five
Favorites 2010 archive (the full archive is
here),
taking it all in: movies, names, celebrities, Tomatometer percentages. What
began to emerge were answers, answers to questions you had no idea were burning
inside of you. And here they are.
How many people were interviewed for Five Favorite Films this year?
55.
Which movie got favorited the most?
The Godfather,
selected six times. Not surprisingly,
The Godfather: Part
II was runner-up, chosen five times.
What else was up there?
The following movies were chosen at least three times:
Boogie Nights,
Pulp Fiction,
The Shawshank
Redemption,
Being There,
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,
Star Wars:
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,
Back to the Future,
The Shining,
Dr. Strangelove,
and The Big Lebowski.
Which director had the most movies selected?
That’s a tie between Francis Ford Coppola (the Godfather trilogy,
Apocalypse Now,
The Conversation,
Rumble Fish)
and Stanley Kubrick (Lolita,
Dr. Strangelove, The Shining,
The Killing,
A Clockwork Orange,
2001:
A Space Odyssey)
What was the oldest movie chosen?
The General,
1926, selected by Andy Garcia. Garcia had
a cool list; he was the only person this year to pick a
Jacques Tati
film, while contributing to the Being There lovefest.
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Did anybody pick their own movie?
Jane Wiedlin reached back into the 80s for
Star
Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Joan Rivers selected the documentary she was promoting (Joan
Rivers: A Piece of Work) AND an obscure movie she directed in 1978 that
has zero reviews.
Sofia Coppola worked up the ancestry, choosing Rumble Fish, which is
the kind of familial pride we’ve come to expect from the Coppolas.
And, wait, somebody picked Showgirls?
Jane Wiedlin again.
Nobody picked Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, did they?
No.
Who had the most liberal definition of Five Favorite Films?
Danny Elfman, choosing 10 separate movies, besting even people who would
make “The Godfather trilogy” as a choice. (Corey
Feldman chose that and “The Star Wars trilogy.”)
What favorited movie had the lowest Tomatometer?
Empire of
the Ants, which has 16 rotten reviews (selected by Joan Rivers).
Who picked five of their own movies?
Jeff Bridges. He took the opportunity to talk about movies he worked on that
were overlooked, sharing personal, interesting memories.
Then who put together the most sensible list?
Tim Burton. Every movie on his makes you think, “Yes. This is something that
should be on a list by Tim Burton.”
