Desert Island Movies

My wife and I got into the “Five Movies on a Desert Island” discussion today.  Off the top of my head, I came up with:

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Mary Poppins
3. Master and Commander
4. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
5. When Harry Met Sally

Although this is the kind of thing where first inclinations are probably the best, I’m still inclined to spend a little more time confirming my selections.  What else would be on my short list?

1. Aliens
2. Terminator 2
3. Crimson Tide
4. Hero
5. Amadeus
6. Godfather
7. The Martian
8. Clueless
9. Ocean’s 11

These are definitely not what I would call the best movies.  These are the ones that I can almost always rewatch at any given time.  The ones I could be stuck with for the rest of my life. Do any of these supplant my original entries?

Amadeus is an easy cut.  Its rewatchability is largely due to only two phenomenal scenes.

Terminator 2, while awesome, isn’t as good as Empire or Aliens.  Hero is my most rewatchable martial arts movie, but the story’s too thin.  (So beautiful, though.)

Clueless is timeless, but Ferris get the 80s nostalgia bump for me as comedies go.  Right now, I’m left with:

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Mary Poppins
3. Master and Commander
4. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
5. When Harry Met Sally
6. Aliens
7. Crimson Tide
8. Godfather
9. The Martian
10. Ocean’s 11

I can’t possibly take two ship movies, and the friendship in Master is more appealing than the antagonism (as electric as it is) in Crimson Tide.  It’s got better action and more heart, as well.

Godfather is a classic, but it’s more of a “what scene am I in the mood for right now” than a “can watch all the way through” kind of film.  The Martian and Ocean’s 11 just aren’t as good as my original five.  

That leaves Aliens.  This is the one I’m finding hardest to cut.  But really, what would it replace? When Harry Met Sally is my romance.  Ferris is the comedy.  Mary Poppins is flat out not getting cut.  Master or Empire?  I don’t think I can justify two sci-fi films, so Master stays.  So Star Wars or Aliens?  I just can’t cut out such a key part of my childhood.  Or adulthood.

Wow.  So this list I came up with in about two minutes survives a forty-five minute deep dive intact.