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I guess I just like liking things

winonaryder

Let’s be realistic, this post is just another reason to post this picture of Winona staring into your soul.

It’s interesting to look back on Winona’s career. Those of us who experienced Winona’s career as it was happening were captivated by some pretty big movies. Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands put her permanently on our movie maps, and if you didn’t have a crush on her when you were in high school you were lying. But here, now, looking back, her track record is… hmm. Let’s just put it this way: avoid Lost Souls, and if the the 3.3 rating on IMDb of The Letter is any indication, maybe skip that one, too. But, hey, even Meryl Streep has duds in her filmography (I mean, I’m assuming she does, I don’t really know).

Of the 51.25% of her movies that I’ve seen, these are my favorites (and, yes, that percentage seems low to me, too – I’ll remedy that as I’m able):

10. Alien: Resurrection (1997) – I know I’m supposed to hate this movie, but I just don’t. It’s not as good as Alien or Aliens, but how many of Sigourney Weaver’s other movies are, either?

9. Dracula (1992) – Complain about Keanu all you want, there’s a lot of creepy fantasticness about this movie.

8. A Scanner Darkly (2006) – Robert Downey, Jr. is the real star of this one, even though Keanu is supposed to be.

7. Mr. Deeds (2002) – My second-favorite Adam Sandler movie after The Wedding Singer.

6. Little Women (1994) – This is one of the few movies of this type I can stand to watch.

5. Reality Bites (1994) – I used to really, really like this movie, but I kind of feel like if I rewatched it it would be too 90s for me now.

4. Girl, Interrupted (1999) – This was a labor of love for Winona, and it really comes across. Sure, it’s more Angelina Jolie’s movie, but without Winona you don’t have it.

3. Heathers (1988) – I go through stages with this one. The first time I saw it, I loved it. The next few times I didn’t. I think it’s about time to rewatch it, but I know that it’s an iconic role, for sure.

2. Beetlejuice (1988) – This one is probably the most Winona-iest role. You really can’t imagine anyone else playing her part.

1. Edward Scissorhands (1990) – This one wins for me because this is one of my all-time favorite movies ever. I want Winona to do more movies with Tim Burton. Make it happen, Internet!

Special mentions go to Star Trek and Black Swan – Star Trek because it was so strange and awesome to have her be Spock’s mom and Black Swan because she really was fantastic in that – but neither of those movies are “Winona” movies, and yes, I recognize that Alien Resurrection could be similarly categorized, but it’s my list and that’s how my brain is currently working.

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