Top 5... Films Aisha Loves That I Don't Hate

 I've been lacking inspiration for a Top 5 this week, with the best I could come up with being Hugh Jackman films, as its his birthday, but I've missed too many of his films for it to be a very conclusive list. So, in my desperation, I turned to my girlfriend, something I only ever do in the direst of situations film-wise. I've discussed her frankly laughable taste of films in passing before, but I believe I may have been unnecessarily harsh on some of the films she likes, so here's my Top 5 list of the films she loves that I don't necessarily hate. Apologies for any extravagant soppiness, it won't happen again. And yes, Aisha got to choose the pictures.

5. Marley and Me
Now, I wouldn't like this film if I were to watch it on my own, but at present it's Aisha's favourite film, and it makes me happy to see her happy, so technically I must like it. But it can't be any higher than number 5 on this list because a) it's a terrible film, and b) she cannot watch it without almost drowning in the flood of dears she seeps towards the end. For you see, Aisha is a dog-person (I'm a no-animals-person, at best a fish-person), so any film featuring dogs, especially [spoiler] the dying of a pet dog, something she has lived through, result in an unquantifiable amount of sadness. But guess who's around with a shoulder to cry on? That'd be me. Which is another reason I don't hate the film, it's made us closer as a couple.



4. How To Train Your Dragon
Beyond this point we're strictly stuck on children's films, because at heart Aisha is essentially a child, and I rather like kid's films myself.HTTYD is probably the most child-oriented film on the list, or perhaps the least adult-friendly, but it's still a great animated adventure, telling the story of Hiccup, the awkward, clumsy son of a Viking King whose village is constantly under attack from dragons. Whilst it's not a film I;d necessarily pick to watch, whenever Aisha picks it I find myself distracted from what I'm doing by the beautiful scenery, stunning shots and great characters. Plus, dragons. They're almost dinosaurs, so I love dragons.

3. Shrek 2
 It cannot be underestimated just how much Aisha loves the Shrek franchise. Shrek 2 is her highlight of the series, mainly because not only does it feature Donkey, her favourite Eddie Murphy role, but it also introduces Antonio Banderas' Puss In Boots, whose appearance onscreen always causes a wishful "Awwwwwwwww" from Aisha. Why do I like it? Well, I'm a sucker for singalong pop music (Ever Fallen In Love, Holding Out For A Hero) and John Cleese is something of a hero of mine, and his voicing of Princess Fiona's father, The King, is just wonderful.

2. Up
Just like it had to appear in my Top 5 Cinematic Experiences (#4), Up has to appear as one of my favourite films that Aisha likes (and owns) because it's the first film we watched together, and has since become one of 'Our' films. She loves it because of Dug, the talking dog, who I admit is genius, and I love it because its a Pixar film that seems believable even though it features talking dogs and a flying house. Also, the opening 10 minutes is nothing short of beautiful, though I seem to be the only person who didn't cry at it, I saved that for the end of Toy Story 3.

1. Finding Nemo
For a long time this was my favourite Pixar film (then Wall-E came out), because I went through a period of loving tropical fish, though never owning any (my childhood was pet-free). Nemo still remains in my top 5 Pixar films, and probably in my top 25 films, because the story is pretty much perfect. There's nothing superfluous, all the characters are so lovingly created, and everyone involved is so perfectly cast. Aisha's reason for loving it? Dory, plain and simple. Watching Finding Nemo with her is like going to a group singalong; she knows all the words and enjoys nothing more than sitting in on a rainy afternoon quoting every line of the forgetful fish's dialogue. It's so cute that it's not even a little bit annoying.

Honourable Mentions
Little Miss Sunshine
Crazy Stupid Love
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Megamind
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
Jurassic Park
A Bug's Life
Dreamgirls
The Boat That Rocked 
Armageddon
Independence Day

Worst: The Notebook/Burlesque
You'll notice that this list is fairly light on chick-flicks, as I'm fairly lucky that Aisha doesn't really love too many of those, though she'll happily watch the likes of Bride Wars if it's on (she tells me it's for the pretty dresses). However, she does have a few female films she place amongst her favourites, and these two are, I believe, the worst. Sex and the City 2 would be up there, but I've taught her that it's really a terrible, overlong, racist film she should be ashamed for liking, so it's no longer on her list, even if I'm the one who took it off. I mentioned in my Top 5 Rainy Scenes just how much I hate The Notebook, so I won't go into it again here. Burlesque, on the other hand, is new to the blog, but alas not to me. Not only did I pay to see this film in the cinema with Aisha, I also bought it for her on DVD, so she can officially never say that I've never sacrificed anything for her, as my sanity is now in tatters. Burlesque is a film I could probably bitch on for days without repetition, which I'll probably address in more detail some day. Mainly, the plot is ludicrous, centring on air rights to save a dying burlesque club when halving their sequin budget would have left them with dizzying profits, the performances are terrible (the stars are Cher and Christina Aguilera, so they were never going to be great) and unforgivably Alan Cummings is buried in the cast with nothing to do other than dance with a banana. On the plus side, Stanley Tucci is as always brilliant, and some of the songs are a bit catchy.