Top 10 Favourite Movies

What are your top ten favorite movies?

As a movie lover, this is a hard list for me to do. There are so many great movies that I have watched and it’s hard to narrow that list down to just 10. There are great movies that I can’t even remember right now, and you may be thinking “how can you forget a good movie?”, but if you’ve watched as many movies as I have, trust me, you can forget. This list may just boil down to the really good ones that are etched in my memory, and good ones that I’ve seen more recently. Oh, and they’re not in any order.

**SPOILER ALERT** for those who have not yet seen the movies listed below.

1. The Shawshank Redemption: Among other things, the movie shows how friendships (Red and Andy) can be formed in less than ideal situations, and that whatever situation you find yourself in, it’s best to make the best of it. It also made me think about freedom and what it really means. Though Brooks was ‘free’ after spending 50 years in jail, freedom did not matter without his friendships and routine forged in prison; it did not provide meaning to his existence.

2. The Gods Must Be Crazy: This movie is pure hilarity! Just the mere thought of it and I start laughing. Xi seemed to be running forever and his kids were just as resilient—both trying to find their way back to each other and meeting up on adventure after adventure in the process.

3. Forrest Gump: When life gives you lemons… do what Forrest does. “What is that?” you ask: you run, try something new, go with the flow, see what happens, fall in love, meet new people, and inspire the world. All in all—just live and take life as it comes, no matter the circumstances.

4. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: This movie is more recent and highlights the level of exploitation faced by Black musicians at the turn of the century and how they navigated it. Ma Rainey, a talented blues singer, knew how to stand up for herself to white producers. Still, this did not prevent her being exploited as she was paid nowhere near her worth. Levee, on the other hand, when he is shortchanged by a music producer who only wants to purchase his songs (for pennies at that) but didn’t want him to voice/record them, did not react but kept silent. He however took his anger at the producer out on a fellow musician for stepping on his shoes, killing him. This shows us how sometimes we don’t stand up to the ones who cause us pain, but instead, take out our frustration on innocent people.

5. Da 5 Bloods: Secrets, guilt and refusing to take accountability for our actions can eat us up inside. That’s what this movie was about. And friendship too. Also, I binge watched Chadwick Boseman movies after he died. This was one of them.

6. X-Men: The interesting thing about the X-Men is that I admire both the main protagonist and antagonist. They represent how each of us choose to deal with oppression. Professor X’s preference for peace and reconciliation, supposedly based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s stance on non-violent resistance, or Magneto’s penchant for fighting fire with fire, supposedly based on Malcolm X. I think that there’s no hard and fast way to resist oppression. It depends on the circumstances and what it is you’re fighting against. It could be either or both.

7. Deja Vu: Can you imagine if we could get second, third, fourth—multiple chances at experiencing life, but just not remembering, except for these feelings of “I’ve been here before.” I loved this movie because I kinda believe this is possible. I have felt like I’ve met someone before, been somewhere before, and seen something before, but there’s no evidence of it happening. It’s just one of those things.

8. The Black Panther: A Black country that seems like just another ‘third world’ country, but really is technologically advanced with a rich culture, inclusive social systems, and a thriving economy. So bent on protecting their resources (human, culture and physical), they ignore the plight of others and hide in plain sight. It can feel right and safe to preserve self and avoid conflict, but none of us are okay until we’re ALL okay.

9. Law Abiding Citizen: I felt so angry at those men for destroying this man’s family, all while taking pleasure in doing so. I felt equally satisfied when he exacted revenge on those he felt wronged him, even though I didn’t necessarily agree that everyone deserved it. Vengeance can be sweet, but it can consume your entire life in an attempt to right wrongs. All actions have consequences (karma is real), but we have to know when to stop, accept that what happened indeed happened, and move forward.

10. Woman King: I love the fact that this movie was loosely based on a real army of women warriors. Women make great strategists and tacticians, except, this is not always recognised, or, many of us are not socialised that way. This movie shows how things have a way of coming full circle, and how viewing our brothers and sisters who are from different walks of life as separate from ourselves can lead to our own destruction. What affects one of us affects us all.

Written by L.M. McBean

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