At the beginning of the week, FilmFisher writers were asked to come up with lists of great movies for adolescent boys to watch. The editor suggested: I’m thinking 12 to 14 here. Movies young boys ought to watch to get a grip on the world, to tame bland instincts for violence and leather catsuits. Movies that, if drunken deeply, might be an aid in growth toward virtue. No repeats, remember.

Here is what our writers returned.

Timothy Lawrence

1. The Empire Strikes Back

2. The Fellowship of the Ring

3. Toy Story

4. It’s A Wonderful Life

5. The Night of the Hunter

 

Brian Murnion

1. La promesse (1996)

2. The Kid with a Bike (2011)

3. Lord of the Flies (1963)

4. Pather Panchali (1995)

5. The Thin Red Line (1998)

 

James Banks

1. Patton

2. Groundhog Day

3. The Mission

4. Grizzly Man

5. Walkabout

 

Elizabeth Stinnette

1. The Count of Monte Cristo

2. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

3. Rear Window

4. October Sky

5. The Princess Bride

 

Justin Spencer

1. Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

2. A River Runs Through It

3. To Kill a Mockingbird

4. Rudy

5. The Pride of the Yankees

 

Thomas Banks

1. Secondhand Lions

2. The Jungle Book

3. The Sandlot

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark

5. The Goonies

 

Remy Wilkins

1. Sunshine

2. Unbreakable

3. Where the Wild Things Are

4. The Truman Show

5. Reign of Fire

 

Joshua Gibbs

1. 28 Days Later (probably one to watch with Dad, not Mom)

2. Paths of Glory

3. Man on Fire

4. Pride and Prejudice (2005)

5. Wendy and Lucy