Friday, February 18, 2005
Top 10 Movies
Slow work day, so I thought I would add to the substantive political dialogue on this site by creating a new list: my pick for the top ten movies of all time.
10. The Devil's Advocate This used to be much closer to the top, but over time, Keanu "Wow, dude, you're like Satan and stuff" Reeves' complete inability to act distracts from the affair. That said, there are two reasons to love this movie: Charlize Theron nude, and Al Pacino's completely hammy and over-the-top performance, particularly in the final 20 minutes. And how can you not like a movie that contains the classic discussion of lawyers and how they are quite literally doing Satan's work. "Do you know that there are more people in law school than there are lawyers walking the earth? We're coming out! Guns blazing."
9. Dr. Strangelove Speaking of hammy, over-the-top performances, this movie is full of brilliant performances of this nature. Peter Sellers proves his sheer excellence in not one, not two, but three roles, and George C. Scott as General Turgidson is one of the great performances of all-time. And of course there is the eternal image of Slim Pickens riding the nuke all the way down as it crashes into Russian soil. "Shoot, a boy can have a pretty good time in Vegas with all that stuff." Bonus points for anyone who can name the city originally mentioned in that line.
8. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Only a true Star Wars geek would write the title out like that. And so it is. Anyway, I love all the Star Wars pics - yes, even Episode I, but really this is the only one that actually has a real substantive plot. I think what makes this the best of the lot is the dark nature of the movie. All of the rest contain much fluffery that, while endearing in its own way, detract from the mood. This has none of that. I'm praying that neither will Episode III.
7. Field of Dreams There is only one movie that can make me cry, and I trust many other guys can relate. When Ray realizes that the catcher is his father, and the two of them have a catch at the end of the movie . . . I have to pause here. Getting verklempt. Okay, better. I can even overlook Shoeless Joe Jackson batting righty in order to appreciate this movie.
6. Goodfellas From Ray Liotta as a baseball player to Ray Liotta as an out of control mobster. Actually, what makes this movie interesting is that it one of the few times that Liotta does not play the most insane character in a movie. I've thought long and hard about what not to like about this movie, and there's really nothing I can think of. Hell, even the soundtrack is brilliant. "Why am I funny?" Yeah, I've had that discussion with many a person.
5. Pulp Fiction Another movie that used to be slightly higher, but has not aged as well for some reason, though still vastly entertaining if for no other reason that it still feels completely unique. Throw out Bruce Willis' really fucking annoying wife, and this movie is perfect. But man, she's so annoying that it just drags the movie to a hault. But still, Samuel Jackson? That's one bad ass motherfucker.
4. American Beauty Okay, so this one is a tough call. I see the backlash against this movie and how it is almost conformist in its critique of conformity, but I loved it the first time I saw it, and I still appreciate every second of this wonderful picture. No, suburban life is not the hell that director Sam Mendes makes it out to be, and one should be careful about unduly praising reckless behavior. But this movie is more than some mindless Hollywood drivel about spontaneity. We all have moments in our lives when we realize that it hasn't quite turned out as expected, and we should strive to get back to the idealism of youth, though perhaps without completely abandoning the maturity that comes with age. Ah, whatever, great cast, great script, great movie.
3. The Godfather Come on, it's the Godfather. Do I really need to explain. No, then let's move on.
2. Se7en Couldn't resist the somewhat hackneyed use of the numeral in place of the letter v. So be it. I like dark movies. I like movies that do not necessarily have happy endings. I like movies that play around with theological themes in a way that is neither preachy nor mindbendingly silly. I like movies which open with Nine Inch Nails. Most importantly, I like movies in which I am entertained for every second, and this is one of the rare ones in which my fingers are not playing with the remote for even a moment in considering fast-forwarding. The fact that this movie failed to receive an Oscar nomination is the greatest crime in the history of the Academy Awards - especially considering it was passed over for such thought-provoking classics as Babe and Apollo 13 - and is a reason I rarely watch the ridiculous show, unless of course some really cool person is happening to have an Oscar party.
1. Lord of the Rings I ain't separating them, because if I did they would completely swallow the list. You see what happens Hollywood when you actually follow the text of the book? Lots of movies of this nature get caught up in the technology (see Matrix, The), but fortunately Peter Jackson remembered you also need a story in order for the viewer to appreciate the entire movie-going experience. I watched all three volumes - uncut - recently, and it just made me appreciate the sheer perfection of this movie (or movies). Action, drama, humor, great cast, and a pretty cool score to boot. But no, I did not dress like a character when I attended any of the showings, unlike the poor young chap next to me at Return of the King who claimed to be quite fluent in the "Qwindi" dialect of Elvish. It may be a great book and movie, but it's just that fellas.
Honorable mention: The Usual Suspects, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Silence of the Lambs, Animal House, Ghostbusters, E.T., The Exorcist, The Godfather Part II
Enjoy your weekend
10. The Devil's Advocate This used to be much closer to the top, but over time, Keanu "Wow, dude, you're like Satan and stuff" Reeves' complete inability to act distracts from the affair. That said, there are two reasons to love this movie: Charlize Theron nude, and Al Pacino's completely hammy and over-the-top performance, particularly in the final 20 minutes. And how can you not like a movie that contains the classic discussion of lawyers and how they are quite literally doing Satan's work. "Do you know that there are more people in law school than there are lawyers walking the earth? We're coming out! Guns blazing."
9. Dr. Strangelove Speaking of hammy, over-the-top performances, this movie is full of brilliant performances of this nature. Peter Sellers proves his sheer excellence in not one, not two, but three roles, and George C. Scott as General Turgidson is one of the great performances of all-time. And of course there is the eternal image of Slim Pickens riding the nuke all the way down as it crashes into Russian soil. "Shoot, a boy can have a pretty good time in Vegas with all that stuff." Bonus points for anyone who can name the city originally mentioned in that line.
8. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Only a true Star Wars geek would write the title out like that. And so it is. Anyway, I love all the Star Wars pics - yes, even Episode I, but really this is the only one that actually has a real substantive plot. I think what makes this the best of the lot is the dark nature of the movie. All of the rest contain much fluffery that, while endearing in its own way, detract from the mood. This has none of that. I'm praying that neither will Episode III.
7. Field of Dreams There is only one movie that can make me cry, and I trust many other guys can relate. When Ray realizes that the catcher is his father, and the two of them have a catch at the end of the movie . . . I have to pause here. Getting verklempt. Okay, better. I can even overlook Shoeless Joe Jackson batting righty in order to appreciate this movie.
6. Goodfellas From Ray Liotta as a baseball player to Ray Liotta as an out of control mobster. Actually, what makes this movie interesting is that it one of the few times that Liotta does not play the most insane character in a movie. I've thought long and hard about what not to like about this movie, and there's really nothing I can think of. Hell, even the soundtrack is brilliant. "Why am I funny?" Yeah, I've had that discussion with many a person.
5. Pulp Fiction Another movie that used to be slightly higher, but has not aged as well for some reason, though still vastly entertaining if for no other reason that it still feels completely unique. Throw out Bruce Willis' really fucking annoying wife, and this movie is perfect. But man, she's so annoying that it just drags the movie to a hault. But still, Samuel Jackson? That's one bad ass motherfucker.
4. American Beauty Okay, so this one is a tough call. I see the backlash against this movie and how it is almost conformist in its critique of conformity, but I loved it the first time I saw it, and I still appreciate every second of this wonderful picture. No, suburban life is not the hell that director Sam Mendes makes it out to be, and one should be careful about unduly praising reckless behavior. But this movie is more than some mindless Hollywood drivel about spontaneity. We all have moments in our lives when we realize that it hasn't quite turned out as expected, and we should strive to get back to the idealism of youth, though perhaps without completely abandoning the maturity that comes with age. Ah, whatever, great cast, great script, great movie.
3. The Godfather Come on, it's the Godfather. Do I really need to explain. No, then let's move on.
2. Se7en Couldn't resist the somewhat hackneyed use of the numeral in place of the letter v. So be it. I like dark movies. I like movies that do not necessarily have happy endings. I like movies that play around with theological themes in a way that is neither preachy nor mindbendingly silly. I like movies which open with Nine Inch Nails. Most importantly, I like movies in which I am entertained for every second, and this is one of the rare ones in which my fingers are not playing with the remote for even a moment in considering fast-forwarding. The fact that this movie failed to receive an Oscar nomination is the greatest crime in the history of the Academy Awards - especially considering it was passed over for such thought-provoking classics as Babe and Apollo 13 - and is a reason I rarely watch the ridiculous show, unless of course some really cool person is happening to have an Oscar party.
1. Lord of the Rings I ain't separating them, because if I did they would completely swallow the list. You see what happens Hollywood when you actually follow the text of the book? Lots of movies of this nature get caught up in the technology (see Matrix, The), but fortunately Peter Jackson remembered you also need a story in order for the viewer to appreciate the entire movie-going experience. I watched all three volumes - uncut - recently, and it just made me appreciate the sheer perfection of this movie (or movies). Action, drama, humor, great cast, and a pretty cool score to boot. But no, I did not dress like a character when I attended any of the showings, unlike the poor young chap next to me at Return of the King who claimed to be quite fluent in the "Qwindi" dialect of Elvish. It may be a great book and movie, but it's just that fellas.
Honorable mention: The Usual Suspects, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Silence of the Lambs, Animal House, Ghostbusters, E.T., The Exorcist, The Godfather Part II
Enjoy your weekend
# posted by Paul Zummo : 11:29 AM
