Sometimes I can participate in these homework assignments. Which I don't think is for anyone who doesn't get naked for the site, but who cares, amiright?
Anyway, the subject of my favorite movie has come up quite a bit recently. There was a time I'd answer with The Empire Strikes Back, but while that movie is a favorite, loving Star Wars is like loving air to me. I didn't discover it, it was just there as far back as I could remember. When asked recently, the first movie that came to mind was The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
Why this film? Simple. It's a simple story told almost entirely with the visuals. The characters are easy to understand while not being shallow or cartoony. It looks great. And the music is fucking epic:
I discovered it on my own, I watched it endlessly as a teenager, and it's a movie that I still hold as the standard for great storytelling.
Runners up include A Clockwork Orange, The Big Lebowski, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Dark Knight and the original Dawn Of The Dead. And, of course, The Empire Strikes Back.