My 10 Desert Island Movies
I have taste & this proves it
I have been “challenged” by my fresh friend, and fellow podcaster Buddy Gott to ascertain what my “Desert Island Movies” would be.
This is a fantastic question because it invites you to assess what matters to you in entertainment when you know you won’t have any other options. I can’t order or download a fresh flick.
Let’s get the logistics out of the way first, I have on this island a top of the line solar powered battery pack with a flashlight, my charging cable, and my phone. I obviously didn’t expect this desert island scenario, let’s assume I was the sole survivor in a plane crash…no, that’s too dark. Let’s assume I was charging my phone and fell off a cruise ship, the ship doesn’t notice and I swim for a while, pass out, and then awaken on the beach of my desert island. I’m wearing a really flattering and cute sundress, and my swimsuit is underneath. It is important for my island mental health that I know I continue to be as stylish as possible, even in this situation.
Now that you can picture the how let’s decide what 10 movies I have downloaded on my phone to keep me company for the foreseeable future. These films are in no discernable order.
1. Sabrina
Sabrina, the 1954 black and white masterpiece, is a lovely film featuring my forever idol Audrey Hepburn. Audrey is well known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and I enjoy that film too, but Sabrina and Roman Holiday have top billing for me. It was a toss-up between the two, but Sabrina won out. Sabrina is a love story between a chauffeur’s daughter and his boss’s two sons. Sabrina Fairchild grows up in love with the playboy younger son, David, played by William Holden. This is a girlish crush that is not requited until Sabrina spends some time in Paris and comes back a true and elegant Lady.
The issue is that the older son Linus, played by Humphrey Bogart, is also now thoroughly enthralled with Sabrina (and who wouldn’t be, Audrey is a timeless beauty). Linus is a classic Mr. Darcy’esque character. He is well-off, well-kept, and keeps to himself. He’s the opposite of his cad of a brother and is an original moody boy romantic lead. I blame Sabrina for our decades-long obsession with a misunderstood, quiet, well-to-do lead. This film also brought us complicated love triangles within a family, and who doesn’t love that type of drama? I do think this movie has some casting issues, with Hepburn being only 25 years old and Bogart being 55, though I have to note that it’s a product of its time and move on. I love the accents, the fashion, the wholesome comedy, and the pure movie magic of Audrey, this movie would sustain me while I daydreamed of my island rescue.
2. Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park needs no explanation. This is one of the best movies. This has action. This has adventure. This has heart. This has DINOSAURS. Steven Spielberg is a master, Michael Crichton is an artist, Sam Neill is a delight, Jeff Goldblum is a legend, and Laura Dern is royalty. This cast is phenomenal, the story is incredible, and the quotable moments are limitless. I can just picture myself now, tan, mud on my face, barefoot, running through the trees pretending to be chased by a velociraptor. Once I see a lizard I will have to say “clever girl” and feign my gruesome death all before sleeping in my grass hut and trying not to psych myself out that the movie has come to life.
3. Iron Man
Iron Man launched the MCU, and the MCU has had me in a chokehold ever since. My deep love for Robert Downey Jr., and his “billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” character Tony Stark is a part of my personality’s foundation. Iron Man is my favorite MCU superhero, and every time he came onto my screen I got excited. I love the sarcastic, sardonic, intelligent banter that Tony Stark perfects. Some say he’s arrogant, I say he’s confident, and who better to inspire me to get off the island than a man that escaped an Iraqi cave abduction!
4. Avengers: Endgame
SPOILER ALERT! If you have not yet seen this movie and you still want to, DO NOT READ BELOW, because information about a very pivotal scene in the movie is revealed.
ONE MORE SPOILER WARNING!
Okay, you’ve been sufficiently warned.
THE SPOILER: Iron Man dies in this film.
I saw it at the 10:00 PM showing the Thursday before release, I didn’t watch the trailer, I didn’t read any fan theories, and I bought my ticket the moment they went on sale. The ticket service crashed from the servers not being able to handle the traffic, but I got my ticket. I was enthralled from the very beginning, and the movie didn’t let me go. I got chills when the dusted heroes reappeared in Dr. Strange’s magical circles, and I didn’t take a breath from Falcon’s “on your left”, to the demise of my favorite cinematic character. The breaths I did take were filled with tears. I sat and bawled in the theatre with an old friend to my left and my ex to my right. The friend was crying too, and my ex was holding my hand and assuring me it would be ok. He wasn’t a Marvel fan, but he knew that losing Iron Man was a big moment for fans. I cry everytime I watch the movie. I love Black Widow, I love Iron Man, I enjoyed Captain America, and I was sad for Peter Quill to never get his Gamora back. This film was the culmination of over a decade of build-up, and for me it delivered. I’ll watch this film in the sand and cry and remember that if they can figure out time-travel, I can figure out surviving this island.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Yes, I have a third MCU movie on here. No Way Home came out right before my birthday, and during the off and on lockdowns I experienced in Europe. This means that no one went with me, and I ended up seeing this movie on opening day in the theatre at… 7:30 in the morning! I thought I would be alone in the film, but was delighted by the “full” house we had (Note: we couldn’t have a full theatre due to COVID restrictions). Every laugh, cry, and surprise was met with a theatre full of fans being the most enthusiastic fans around. I would watch this movie on my deserted island and once again be inspired to survive, and hope some multiversal portal could open up and help me get home, or at the very least get me a burger.
6. Forrest Gump
It’s one of my favorite films, it’s nostalgia personified, and I know it would bring me great comfort and hope while I ate coconuts and mastered the art of spearfishing. Thank you for this film, Tom Hanks, and thanks for being my TV dad. I know that you would make me feel brave while I attempted to survive.
7. Mamma Mia
I love Mamma Mia, and I love ABBA. This movie is basically a cheat for me, because it’s stellar music as well as film. I feel it necessary to have a film with Meryl Streep in it, since she is always a flawless masterpiece of an actor. Amanda Seyfried is fantastic, and Christine Baranski is an amazing talent and beautiful woman, not to mention the absolute delights that are Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, and Pierce Brosnan. This cast is stacked!
I do worry that this musical would be annoying after a while because they are having a blast on the beach and in the water, and I may get really sick of the landscape. On the other hand maybe I can pretend the deserted island is an extension of the film and just feel like I have become a part of the movie itself. Yes, I have decided that it will make me feel like a character and not annoyed. Excellent choice, me!
8. Practical Magic
The island has fall too, you guys, and that means that I need to have a fall classic to heal my soul and make myself feel safe. In comes the classic Practical Magic. The Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman sister duo is ultimate sister goals and is set in my dream east coast life. I love all things light magic, and I love a good sister flick. You also can’t go wrong with Diane Wiest and Stockard Channing as the ethereal and mischievous aunts. I love this movie, and the level of nostalgia and warmth this would bring while I battled the elements on my island of solitude could be lifesaving.
9. Stardust
Stardust is a movie based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name. It is a magical love story of a man that falls in love with a star while trying to deliver “a piece of a star” to his current crush. Tristan doesn’t realize that the star is humanoid, and not just a hunk of rock, and on his quest he meets witches, flying pirates, and a very corrupt monarchy. Neil Gaiman’s special power of personifying inanimate objects is taken to new and glorious heights. The cast is star studded, from the stunning and wicked Michelle Pfeiffer, the drag loving Robert De Niro, the radiant Claire Danes, and the boyish hero Charlie Cox (he will go on to become Daredevil in the MCU!). You also get a glimpse of a baby Henry Cavill and baby Ben Barnes! This movie lifts my spirits and makes me believe in love, magic, and the power of good every single time I watch it. I need that energy on a deserted island.
10. The Way Way Back
This is such a hidden gem of a movie. The Way Way Back is a classic coming of age tale, Duncan, a 14 year old is on vacation with his mom, the phenomenal Toni Collette, and his mom’s boyfriend played by Steve Carell, and the boyfriend’s family. Carell’s Trent is an absolute ass. He tells Duncan he’s a 3, that he needs to be more ambitious, and basically takes a shit sandwich on this kid. Duncan leaves the vacation house one day and travels to the local water park, where he meets our encouraging and fun uncle/older brother lead Owen, who is masterfully brought to life by Sam Rockwell. Along with Rockwell we get a delightful performance from my TV mom Maya Rudolph, and a stellar ensemble cast including Allison Janey, Nat Faxon, AnnaSophia Robb, & Amanda Peet. This movie is the definition of “found family” and shows that the quality of people around you can change who you are as a person. This movie makes me laugh, tear up, feel rage, and jump for joy. I know this film would lift my desert island spirits.
Bonus: Castaway
I have not seen Castaway, but how funny/messed up would it be to have this movie be one of my limited options on the island? Do you think I would gain valuable tips and tricks or just wither away in misery as I watch Tom Hanks spiral into madness? I haven’t seen it so I am unaware if he even makes it off the island, all I really know is that he falls in love with a volleyball, or befriends it, or has an American Pie moment with it? I don’t know why this is my sense of humor, but my God did the thought make me chuckle.
What about you? What are your desert island movies? I think I’ll do books and TV shows as well, really pad out my island experience.
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