In early January, I started taking a screenwriting class. It’s very different from the writing I’m used to (mainly short fiction and novels). It requires more focus on dialogues and visuals than the normal tools of prose writing. It’s made me think a lot about movies and the differences, but I think it’s still storytelling at the core. It got me thinking about some of my favorite movies, a surprising amount of them are based on books. So, here’s an attempt at listing some of my favorite movies that don’t have book or tv show equivalents (which turned out to be harder than I thought).
- Mad Max: Fury Road- Admittedly, I haven’t seen any of the other movies in the Mad Max franchise, but I thought this movie was fun and had really good worldbuilding in a very short amount of time. For a two-hour car chase, it has a lot of material worth dissecting for the minor details that make it interesting.
- The Rock- Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage in a reverse heist? What’s not to love? It’s a simple prospect, but the adventure is still a lot of fun and it’s a movie that has a lot of rewatch value.
- Alien- This is a classic of science fiction movies. Frankly, I think it’s one that everyone should watch. It’s one of the few cross-genre movies that really works out. It’s a haunted house thriller with a science fiction twist. And the dinner scene is a classic of film making.
- The Incredibles- For what it’s worth, this is probably my favorite Pixar movies. I’m a sucker for a good superhero flick, but the idea of a retired superhero coping was great. It was quick-witted without being overly comedic and had a lot of heart without being too sappy.
- Young Frankenstein- This one is just pure humor. It’s so abundantly fun and occasionally absurd, but the dialogue is so well done and has one-liners that I used to run through with coworkers when I worked at the library. It’s also, to be honest, the best sick day movie that a person can have in their collection.
What are some of your favorite movies? Were they a book or a movie first?
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