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In lieu of the American Film Institute choosing their favorite 100 films,
I've decided to list my favorite 30 films--because 100 would be simply too long
of a list. These movies are picked based on my enjoyment of these films, they may not
be the most artistic movies of all-time, but are movies I enjoy watching
again and again. Here they are:
1.The Shawshank Redemption (1995)-is a wondrously told prison drama based on a short story by Stephen King. It tells the story of an innocent (they all are) man (Tim Robbins) accused of killing his wife. Over the ten or so years he's there, he forms a strong bond with another inmate (Morgan Freeman). Over the years, he gets in good with the warden and plots his own escape whereby he would competely screw the warden over in the process. The amazing part is how he does it. I don't know what it is about this film, but once I get to watching it, I cannot stop. I beleive this was director Frank Darabont's first film and I am now a fan. I cna't wait for his next film, also based on a Stephen King prison drama The Green Mile, to come out because I think his masteful direction hooks the audience and takes them on a two-hour ride. I'm also a big fan of Morgan Freeman and he is excellent in this film, along with the rest of the cast. A lot of people I talk to haven't seen or heard of this film--which is a damn shame.
2.The Usual Suspects (1996)-is a stunning crime film spun by Bryan Singer. Kevin Spacey
steals the show in his Oscar winning role as Verbal Klint, the only man who survived a massacre in which millions of dollars of drugs were stolen. The thing I liked about this film as that it showed what a movie has the capability of doing. Movies are not reality. Movies can be made to trick the viewer--which this film does to perfection. Once the credits start to roll st the end of the film, the viewer has no recourse but to watch the film again to fully appreciate its complexity. If you haven't seen the film yet, check it out and see why it won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. This is not your "usual" movie.
3.Seven (1996)-Here's a film by one of my favorite directors David Fincher. It's a gritty thriller about two police officers (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt) on the trail of a killer who punishes those who commit one of the seven deadly sins. I don't know how he does it, but Fincher has a way with creating that gritty kind of atmosphere (he did it in Alien 3 also) and it really goes well with this film. The murders are very gruesomely shone, but I think necessary to show the cruelty of the person behind all of this. It gets very exciting when they come upon their man as a hunch and then he ends up turning himself in. Spacey, once again, steals the show as John Doe, the maniacal prophet who wishes the two offiecers could "appreciate" what he was doing. The climax is unpredictable and quite unsettling the first time around, but could a viewer possibly expect a happy ending after watching the film up to that point? Seven succeeds as a provacative thriller and goes where most films never dare to go.
4.Harold and Maude (1972)-One of the best (and most unusual) love stories ever told has suicidal Harold finding his reason to live in a 79 year old woman named Maude. The movie is stylishly quirky with inventive suicide gags by Harold that drive his mother (played hilariously by Vivian Pickles) crazy. The movie is carried along by a wonderful soundtrack by Cat Stevens that sets a great mood for you with the opening track "Don't Be Shy". From there until the end, you are in Harold's world. Bud Cort (harold) says so few words in thew opening of the movie and his voice is so unusual at first, that I was just waiting for him to say something else so I could hear his voice again. Really a quite hypnotizing movie.
5.Star Wars (1977)-The epitome of "big movie" still has place on my top 30 list just because it really is a good movie. I don't know what it is about it though. The dialogue is rather lame, but I guess it's just the way the movie takes you to a different place from the opening crawl. You are enulfed in the galaxy far, far away until the end of the movie. And with a memorable score by the great John Williams, what more can one ask for?
6.LA Confidential (1997)-This was the best film of 1997 and was adapted from a James Ellroy novel. The film is so complex and it reveals itself much like a good book would, which is part of the charm of the film. It involves three cops who are opposite sides of the force who's cases all seem to fit together at the end of the film. The film is basically a crime drama that is very, very complex. And it's unlike any movie made in hte last couple of years. The characters are intuguing and complex and help us get through the parts of the film that may seem confusing at times. The viewer really needs to watch this film, because if they get up to go to the bathroom for a minute, they would probably miss a lot. It should have gotten the Best Picture Oscar last year, but who's gonna screw over "Titanic"?
7.Clockwork Orange, A (1971)-Are you ready for a little of the old ultraviolence? Well, you better be because this movie is a shocking social commentary of what our society could end up like. It is still as potent today as it was back in1971. The soundtrack is amazing, while being laced throughout with some memorable classical tunes. Malcom McDowell is amazing as Alex, a hoodlum who gets put in jail and then reformed. This film must have caused a stir back in the 70's because it's still very provocative today. That of course only enhances its entertainment value.
8. Silence of the Lambs (1991)-Excellent thriller from Jonathan Demme has Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) struggling to catch a serial killer with the help of incarcerated Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lechter. Very twisted and very tense, especially the climax with Clarice walking around in the basement of the killer without the lights on. What makes this movie work so good is the way it is played out...letting the viewer know who the killer is while Clarice does not know. Anthony Hopkins is terrific as Hannibal Lechter. Thomas Harris just wrote the sequel but it is rumored that Demme will not direct again, deeming the sequel too violent.
9. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)-
10. Pulp Fiction (1994)--
11. Saving Private Ryan (1998)--
12. Boogie Nights (1997)--
13. Aliens (1986)--
14.Scream (1996)-Do you like scary movies? This horror movie that works off our knowledge of other horror movies is one of the smartest horror movies ever made. Kevin Williamson wrote this film and the sequel, which I think is just as good. The story is about a small suburban town who is stalked by a masked man who likes to call his victims before he strikes. Williamson lets us know that everybody can be a suspect and we have no idea who it may be. That's part of the fun of the film-it could be anybody. Horror film lovers must see this film. The sequel's pretty good as well.
15. Schindler's List (1993)--
16.Fargo (1996)-The Coen Brothers took their talent for making quirky, off-beat films and created a gem of a film. The film involves a car dealer (William H. Macy) who plans to have his wife kidnapped so his rich father-in-law will pay the ransom and Macy can pay off his debts. Well, everything gets screwed up and a pregnant cop (Frances McDormand) takes up the investigation. It's beautifully acted and beautifully photographed and it basically unpredicatable because you never know what they will do next. I am also fond of the musical score. You like "Fargo", eh? Yah, yah.
17. Jaws (1975)--
20.Jurassic Park (1995)-instigated the Hollywood blockbuster as we know it today (i.e. big budget and of computer generated effects), just as Jaws invented the Hollywood Blockbuster 20 years earlier. When a group of scientists are invited to a South American island by a billionare entrepreneur, they are given a sneak preview to Jurassic Park, a tourist attraction featuring real dinosaurs harnessed from dinosaur DNA. Man of course, was never meant to live with the dinosaur and we now see why. Spielberg does Michael Crichton's novel justice by bringing it to the screen with a red-hot intensity. The scene in the kitchen with the raptors seems normal to our standards, but when this film was released in 1995, a scene like that was one moviegoers had yet to see--and it was amazing. The film gets off to a slow start, as most Spielberg films do after the initial teaser, but once the T-Rex breaks out of its confines, Spielberg never lets up.
22.Game, The (1997)-Maybe its because I love all that is David Fincher or maybe this was just a damn good movie. Well, probably a little of both. This movie stars Michael Douglas as a yuppie businessman who gets involved in a "game" where somebody is out to kill him, or are they. That's what we are supposed to find out as we are led to the riveting climax where that very questioned is answered. This film succeeds as a mystery and has many plot twists that throw the audience off from the assumptions they may have had up to that moment. Highly enjoyable.
28.Airplane! (1980)-I just got the chance to see this movie again that spawned all the Naked Gun and Hot Shots movies we all know. This movie is one of my all-time favorites because it is just one non-stop laugh-a-second spoof. Anyone who loves movies needs to see this movie. It pokes major fun at John Travolta's '70s movies and mainly disaster movies. I love it. It's the one that started it all.
29.Truman Show, The (1998)-I love Jim Carrey films and this was his best so far--quality
wise that is--not funny-wise. Carrey is perfect as Truman,
trapped in a reality created for him. I came out of the film
thinking for a moment if my life was fabricated as his was. It
was a different kind of summer movie. The movie was very engaging and made the audience feel Truman's sense of being trapped. I came out thinking "Gee, is MY life real". A silly thought, but who knows?
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