My top 16 favorite movies:

1) Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Silly but with a quick wit, this movie may feel like just another dumb comedy, but is more intelligent than it first appears. Quite possibly the most fun I've ever had watching a movie without providing my own entertainment.

2) The Shawshank Redemption - A really inspiring movie with a heart and a surprise ending that is actually a surprise. A great combination. Now if only more Steven King stories could be adapted this well...

3) The Fugitive - An interesting and suspenceful cat and mouse chase around Chicago along with some impressive action scenes make this movie fun. Great work all around makeing this movie makes it a movie I can watch any time and still love it.

4) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Simply a fun time at the movies. Action, drama, and comedy, without having to think too hard. Great escapism entertainment.

5) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - More of the above, continued. Still a good time, and what wasn't forgotten was improved over the first movie, besides it's lack of a real ending.

6) The Lion King - The only animated Disney movie that completely won me over, this movie is a great combination of drama, humor, and beautiful drawings. Although mostly a melodrama, the emotions never seem forced and the characters are surprisingly real. Plus it has a great mix of characters which make it truly entertaining to watch.

7) Terminator 2 - A good mix of action, story, and cool looking special effects, this movie manages to continue a story without retelling it and actually improve on the original. One of the few big budget effect movies worth every penny paid.

8) Moulin Rouge - I heard the director call this a simple story told a complicated way. It's also a classic story worth retelling, with good performances and a enjoyable selection of music. Another world I enjoy getting lost in.

9) UHF - Just the idea of "Weird Al" as a leading man made this an instant classic in my book. Endless amounts of silly jokes and gags, many of which I still find funny, thrown together around an interesting, though suitably silly, storyline. Not quite classic, but still makes me laugh.

10) Clue - The perfect all-out dumb comedy. A cast not afraid to look stupid, lines safe to groan at while chuckling under your breath, and a director who knows how to call it quits before a joke gets too stale. Very fun.

11) Willy Wanka and the Chocolate Factory - Gooey and sentimental at first, slapstick and fun after Gene Wilder makes his entrance, this film manages to be surprisingly entertaining for what it has to offer. Good for kids who ran out of stories to tell behind their parents back, or for anyone who want to remember what it was like.

12) My Fellow Americans / 13) Grumpy Old Men - Goofy but fun, dumb but funny. Whenever I need a good laugh, I just need to throw one of these movies into the DVD player. How can you beat that?

14) Pitch Black - An action/suspense B-movie that has enough good characters to keep it entertaining, this film proved to me that even the silliest sounding movies could be worth a watch if they're done right. Somehow, even the funny tints to the film add to the effect. A good example of how focusing on characters over special effects can make a movie better.

15) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - Just a bunch of stoner jokes mixed with a helping of self-aware cameos and in-jokes from 4 previous Kevin Smith comedies. But put all together, much more fun than it has any right to be.

16) The Muppet Movie - This look at a character making his mark on the world was one of the few movies where I even enjoyed the sappy parts. It just adds to the charm that it happens to be about a frog and a pig.

Rounding out my to 50 favorites: (in alphabetical order)
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle | Aliens | Billy Elliot | City Slickers | The Dark Crystal | Dave | Die Hard | Die Hard 2 | F/X | F/X 2 | Fallen | Father of the Bride | Father of the Bride 2 | Field of Dreams | The Firm | The Full Monty | Hot Shots Part Duex | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Keeping the Faith | L. A. Story | The Naked Gun | Office Space | The Player | The Princess Bride | Pirates of the Caribbean | Raiders of the Lost Arc | Sneakers | Spaceballs | Tarzan (1999 - Disney) | This is Spinal Tap | Top Gun | Tremors | Witness

Back to "Me"

---