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|  | | I have to lump in all of the films from the original Star Wars Trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) into one film in order to make room for other movies. Of those three, Empire is the best, as most Star Wars and film fans agree. These movies are simply amazing and have limitless rewatch value. I probably watch them once every couple of months. It is a crime that they are not yet available on DVD. As for the new prequel trilogy, I am a fan of these as well but they are obviously not in the same class as the originals.
I grew up with these movies and that certainly has something to do with it, but barring that, these are still among the best examples of what film has to offer (excluding dialogue). The idea that the villain could be the father of the hero may seem "been there, done that" today, but it was truly original and shocking at the time. And when Vader admits it, it still gives me chills. |
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|  | | This movie has stood the test of time for me. Many loved it when it came out and later decided that it was only a trendy movie to like and that it really wasn't all that good. For me, however, I find that it also has tremendous rewatchability.
I'll never forget the first time I saw it, and what a bad mood I was in, and how when I left the theater, what a great mood I was in. As soon as the opening credits start and the words "Pulp Fiction" slowly roll up the screen, you know you're in for a treat. |
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|  | | For the top 3 or 4 movies, it's tough to place them. This one has been one of my favorites since about a week after I saw it the first time, just after graduating high school. It won best picture and director at the Oscars that year, and I was up late in my dorm room the following March rooting for it. This movie is one of the all-time greats because of its subtlety. We don't need to see Eastwood as the badass throughout the entire movie, we've seen that in countless movies before; instead, we just hear people allude to it. He spends the entire movie denying it, while the "kid" wants to be him oh-so badly. At the end of the film, though, we find out that people never change - Eastwood is the horrible man he denies being, and the kid is nothing but a wannabe. |
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|  | | After having seen this entire trilogy and getting somewhat involved in the books and lore of Tolkien's world, I have to admit that these movies are among the best ever made. I'm not yet ready to place them above the Holy Trilogy, but I have a feeling that it will happen eventually, after time has passed. They are just that good. Sometimes I'm not sure if I like them more for having watched the countless documentaries that show how much work went into their creation. Regardless, there is so much to love in these films. I'm sure with repeated viewings, they will only go farther up on this list. |
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|  | | This is perhaps the only "suprise-ending" movie that doesn't get old for me (unlike the Sixth Sense). Forget the fact that the film has a great ending like that, the whole movie is great, start to finish. The performances are top-notch, the mood is just right. The music is fantastic, too. |
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|  | | This is the original modern-day action movie, if that makes any sense. Once this movie was released, the action genre was forever changed. Some say it was the combination of this one along with Lethal Weapon - which did come out first, but I prefer this movie by quite a margin.
The reason is tension. Unlike its inferior sequels, Die Hard creates a serious amount of tension by trapping the protagonist in a building where the bad guys are trying to get him, not the other way around. The beauty is that he's not Superman - he's terrified, and he gets hurt, a lot.
This film is pure genius, if you ask me (which you did). It is a little dated but it still kicks the crap out of any action film since. As with any good chase story, the key ingredient is an intelligent and comptent hero and villain. |
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|  | | I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything bad about this movie. This is a feel-good movie without making you feel dumb or guilty for feeling good about it. Another one that's thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. |
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|  | | What can you say about a movie that includes all the bad reviews on the DVD insert?
This is one of the rare movies that I actually realized how good it was while I was watching it. Usually it takes a while for it to sit and stew before I realize it.
Ed Norton is always a treat to watch, and the role of Tyler Durden seems hand-made for Brad Pitt. The tone of the movie is perfect for Fincher's directing style and it works flawlessly.
I have a really hard time with the critics who bashed this movie. I don't think that I'm so dumb that I'm not seeing what they're seeing - I just don't think they took this movie for what it is. It's not some deep treatise on the state of materialism in modern society - it's about some guys who do stupid shit when they reject that state.
Oh, my two favorite laugh-out-loud moments: 1) Tyler in the background practicing with nuncucks. He looks so stupid, and it's even funnier when you listen to Brad Pitt's commentary that thinks he almost looks like he knows what he's doing. No you don't, Brad. 2) To avoid the cops coming down the hall in the apartment complex, Tyler pulls Marla into a corner and starts dancing in front of her, so as to look inconspicuous. I cry with laughter every time. |
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|  | | Raiders is obviously a classic. It probably ranks among most critics as the finest action/adventure movie of all time. I'd say that as an "adventure" movie, this is true, though it's not action-packed enough to call an "action" movie in my mind.
This is also one of Spielberg's best films, in that he doesn't lay it on too thick for us, emotionally speaking. This is a simple popcorn movie that happens to be about the best of its kind. |
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|  | | Wow. That's all I could think while watching this movie. Though this might not be my favorite movie, I'd say that this is the closest one to perfect in my list. This is what started Russell Crowe down the path to stardom, and for good reason. Guy Pearce is also fantastic, as he is in Memento. But the real star is the story, which is so tight and well-told. This is a gem of a film. |
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|  | | I'll never forget what blasphemy it was the summer of 1993 for me to proclaim that The Fugitive was the best movie of the summer (it was the summer of Jurassic Park, after all). This is a smart action/adventure movie that brings you back to Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones days. And it put Tommy Lee Jones on the map. Both are perfectly cast. Plus it's in Chicago, which scores it extra points.
Above all that, though, I love a good chase story. This is probably the finest one I know of. |
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|  | | This might be the only movie that can almost bring me to tears. If you want proof that Billy Bob Thornton is one of the best actors in Hollywood, this is it. Hell, he's one of the best writers, too, if this movie is any indication. |
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|  | | This is one movie that took a day or two to sink in. I went to see it the first time by myself on a weekday afternoon after taking off early from work, and I found myself talking about it to people non-stop for the next few days. I said to myself at some point, "Hmm... I must've liked this movie a whole lot more than I realize."
Perhaps it's just because I'm a big fan of sci-fi, computers, and martial arts, and this film marries them so successfully. There's nothing really new here - in fact the basic premise - using humans as batteries - is downright ludicrous. But it sure is fun to watch. |
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|  | | Why didn't this win best picture at the Oscars in 2000? It was clearly the best movie of the year. This is by far my favorite subtitled film. It reminds me of old action stories... I just love the way the characters talk about their adventures, and their weapons, it's so believable. In fact, it kind of reminds me of Star Wars. I am in total awe of Li Mu Bai whenever he is onscreen. I believe that he has those abilities.
In any case, the fight scenes are very well done, and the girl, Zhang Ziyi, is phenomenal. In fact, the first major fight scene, the "night fight" is one of my all time favorites. One of these days I'll rank my favorite movie fights, and this one will probably make the top ten. |
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|  | | I like to use Unbreakable as my litmus test for people, to gauge what kind of movie fan they are. Odds are, most of the people that hate this movie (and there sure are a lot of them) have tastes that I just can't abide, and likewise, they can't understand why I like this movie so much. I remember seeing them in the theater, fidgeting the entire time, waiting for something to happen. They just didn't understand that "it" was happening and they just were too dumb to notice.
This is, to date, the finest superhero movie ever created. I absolutely love it. And yes, I'm including Spider-Man (which I also loved). The scene at the end where Bruce Willis shows the newspaper to his son is one of my all-time favorites.
I also want to state for the record that this movie whups the pants off of The Sixth Sense, which most non-discerning moviegoers easily prefer. Oh, and Signs sucked. Here is a good summary of why. Here is another. |
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|  | | This is a great movie, I don't know what else to say, really. A lot of people I've talked to seem to think that if it wasn't backwards, it wouldn't be anything special. That might be true, but it would still be a good movie. However, that's moot: it was told backwards, and it was more than a gimmick. It was a brilliant move to help communicate the situation of the main character. |
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|  | | I don't know how I forgot to add this movie for so long! This is one of my all-time favorite comedies. The Coen brothers are geniuses, and even though this is one of their earlier movies, it's probably tied for my favorite with The Big Lebowski.
I think it was with this movie that I realized how much I liked Nicolas Cage. Of course, he's gone straight downhill lately, but this was his heyday if you ask me. I find myself quoting him from this movie all the time: "I'll take these here [whatevers] and... whatever cash you got," and "That there's how it is!" There are so many priceless, understated moments in this film, as well as just flat out hilarious, such as "That Buford's a sly one. Already knows his A-B-C's (child is scrawling 'Fart' on the wall). Hit the deck, boy!" and then he throws a bunch of mints at him.
Very few comedies can make me laugh at them every time, which is why few of them make into my top list. But this one is definintely an exception. |
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|  | | One of my favorite comedies. There is so much to love about this movie.
"Donny: you're out of your element! Dude: the rug is not the issue!"
"Hey! There's a beverage here, man!"
I think this is John Goodman's best preformance, personally. And I still crack up every time The Dude crashes his junker into the trash cans. Somehow I can just keep watching this movie over and over and it never gets tiresome. |
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|  | | This one definitely took a while for me to recognize. When I saw it the first time, I was merely lukewarm about it. I don't suppose it helped that the people I saw it with seemed to dislike it. However, since my initial viewing, this has become one of my "comfort" films: a movie that I'll put on just to put myself in a good mood.
Ronin is all about style. I love Deniro's character in this one, this is one of his last good movies. He's totally believable to me. Everyone is. There's a real air of seriousness and I like watching the characters interact without much regard for the actual plot. |
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|  | | I kept forgetting to add this one to the list, but it obviously belongs here, since I watch it over and over and over and over again (get it?). This movie has sparked more philosophical debate than any other I've watched. It has even sparked controversy among my friends, as some of us decided that in Phil Connors' position, we would resort to violence, and some of us were appalled at the notion, so we kicked their asses.
Besides all that, the movie is just plain funny. |
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|  | | This is the scariest movie I've ever seen, bar none. It has a lot to do with when I saw it, when I was 8 years old. I was old enough to "get it," but not old enough to have any kind of reasoning about why I shouldn't be scared. To make matters worse, after taking my brother and I to the movie (it was a night showing, no less), my dad hid in our closet before we went to bed and when we finally turned off the lights and got under the covers, he turned the light on and thrust the door open, and made monster-ish noises. Probably never have two children screamed so loudly. He had to sleep in my bed that night.
Anyway, this one just has a soft spot for me because it can still give me the creeps even though I usually maintain that no movie can scare me even slightly. |
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|  | | Why did Brandon Lee have to die? I swear, he was destined to be the next big action star. He had it all: fighting skills, acting skills, charisma... if you watch his "big break" movie, Rapid Fire, you will see that Tobey Maguire has nothing on him, Brandon Lee was Spider-Man.
Anyway, that doesn't say much about The Crow. This movie was a big shock. I'm a big comic book fan, but The Crow was an underground comic and I'd never heard of it. But I did know of Brandon Lee so I had interest in it. I chose wisely. I saw it many, many times in the theater. When "dark heroes" were all the rage (due to Batman), this one advertised itself as "darker than the bat," which it was. But beyond that, it had a heart that that movie lacked. You really, truly root for Eric Draven in this movie and feel like his vengeance is righteous. |
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|  | | I was a big Batman fan a few years before this movie came out. This was in large part due to Frank Miller's two masterpieces, The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One (which is, as I write this, being adapted into a screenplay). These books are primarily responsible for bringing Batman back from the campy depths it had been relegated to by the 60s TV show.
This movie does have its faults. Number one, in my mind, is its lack of focus on the main character. They should have named this movie "Joker," the way it played out. Most people would argue that the Joker is a more interesting character. They are wrong. If you read "Year One," you will see that Batman, even in the absence of super villians is very interesting.
However, this movie captured the mood just right. Michael Keaton did a far better job than anyone expected as Bruce Wayne. Nicholson was good as the Joker, if a bit over-the-top for my tastes. This is also the crowning achievement of Danny Elfman's composing, as he is now nothing more than a hack. |
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|  | | Sometimes a single scene is enough to make you love the whole movie. Although this movie is pretty good the whole way through, it's somewhat unremarkable (interesting that I still like it more than Braveheart) but the end has my second favorite sword fight ever. If The Phantom Menace even had the "pretty good" story that this one had, it would have placed on this list, as its fight scene is by far my favorite.
In any case, this fight takes the realism cake. It is simply fantastic to watch the precision of Tim Roth dissect Liam Neeson only to have sheer brawn prevail in the end. Big fan. |
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