Tuesday, September 21, 2010

My top thirty movies and what they mean to me.


30. Wall-E- I loved this little robot.  Not only was the animation some of the best I had ever seen but I was shocked that they really made me care so much for that little guy.
29. The Exorcist- A frightening movie where you can see a mother losing her mind trying to find out what is wrong with her daughter who is possessed by the devil.  There are some incredible performances and visuals.
28. Ed Wood- Not my favorite Tim Burton but it’s one that tells an amazing true life story of the “worst” director ever who just wants to live his dream and make movies.
27. Psycho- One of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies and possibly one of the earliest slasher movies.  It was very controversial.  Not only for the nudity in the shower scene; but killing off a main character halfway through the movie which untold of at that time.
26. Raising Arizona- For me this is one of the best Cohen brother’s movies out there. The Big Lebowski is wonderful but this one wins.
25. Rocky- The story of a good hearted loser that has a chance at the big time and takes on the champ.  It’s really a good movie and between this and “First Blood” showed that Stallone actually could act.
24. Dr. Strangelove or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb- A hilarious and frightening look at the cold war. Peter Seller’s at some of his best.
23. Clerks- A wonderfully well written movie for anyone who has ever worked in the service industry.
22. Harold and Maude- The best romance movie I have ever seen. It shows love can’t be restricted by age.
21. The Seven Samurai- A story that has been remade countless times.  Still the kinetics and action work with the drama to make the samurai characters incredibly fleshed out.
20. Texas Chainsaw Massacre- Terror is brought to screen so well by Marilyn Burns. The deep south has never painted in such a positive way since “Deliverance” a few years earlier.
19. UP- A cartoon that is just as much for adults as for children.
18. Office Space- Really this was made for anyone that worked in an office.   
17. The Blair Witch Project- This was the movie that did so much with so little.  It made me scared out of the woods for a good long time after seeing it.
16. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- Best of the Indiana Jones movies.  It featured all the great characters of the series and it worked well and played to the serial style clichés.
15. Highlander- A beautiful movie full of magic action, and romance.
14. Brazil- I love the main character in this movie.  I feel so much connection to him. A man who has an average life so he fantasizes about something exciting. One of Terry Gilliam’s best. 
13. Disney’s Alice in Wonderland- My favorite Disney animated movie.  I also like that it doesn’t involve a romantic subplot.
12. Paranormal Activity- This is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen. I think often with scary movies it’s what you don’t see that can be the most scary. Like “Blair Witch Project” this movie did so well with so little.
11. District 9- A really well put together movie.  It was an oddly believable style of filmmaking. I loved the how the aliens looked more like they were actually there.
10. Dark Knight- The best comic movie I’ve sever seen.
9. The Original Star Wars Trilogy- I couldn’t pick one so but all of them cover an overall story arc.  I love the puppets and effects of the original so much more than the prequel. It makes it more real when you realize everything was there in the studio in some way.
8. Let the Right One In- An eerily beautiful love story of a vampire and a young boy.
7. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy- The acting works so well with the amazing New Zealand backdrop.  They remake middle earth to a T and you feel their friendship towards one another during the some of the worst battles.
6. Ghostbusters-A hilarious movie with amazing effects for the time. It’s probably one of the most quotable movies out there.
5. Pan’s Labyrinth-A Spanish movie that is lovely and terrifying at the same time.
4. The Thing- A movie that was repulsive and creepy. All about an alien in an Antarctica research station and the paranoia and terror it causes.
3. Fight Club- A fun movie and gritty movie. Very nihilistic in mood, this movie pushes things to the edge.
2. Pulp Fiction- Some of the greatest dialogue in cinema is in this movie.
1. Back to the Future- An amazing trilogy but the best is still the first. Every time I watch it I feel good and see something new.     

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