The Mighty Celestial's Top 100 Movies

Nice list, love the photo layouts

Really enjoying your list MC. Looking forward to the next set.

70. JFK
While I don't believe in any of the conspiracies of this event, Oliver Stone unravels the various "secrets" & clues that drive the "purpose" of this story in almost an ordered manner that makes this an excellently thrilling & very enthralling film (despite how confusing alot of the actual "facts" themselves tend to get at certain points).
As a "fictional" political-drama that seems to build & build up to an accumulative effect, JFK is movie that works exceptionally well on that level, & features more actors than theories on what really happened, with Kevin Costner providing a stable & reliable lead role to carry such a large ensemble cast.






69. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
"Teh nehhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehhhhhhhh
teh nehhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehhhhhhhh...."

The theme song that not only changed the way sci-fi movies would be approached for the future, but also changed the lives of many a hardcore nerd (not to mention, their ability to get laid), including myself.
Upon initial viewing, even the most ardent non-fan can sense that the Force is strong in this one.






68. Dolores Claiborne


I pretty much ignored this film when it was first released. I watched on it's first airing on TV, & I literally couldn't believe at how good it was. So I went out & rented it, & yep, I was right. It's that good.
The story is just perfect from beginning to end. And Kathy Bates, IMO, turns in an even better performance than she did in Misery. The plot may tend to come off as a bit complicated, but the movie does a great job of walking the viewer thru the intermingling flashbacks & various plot points that show the main character's redemptive journey. A journey which includes a mother's fight against against a man's world to save her daughter from the father's "parental indulgences" & how that struggle can lead one to find strength in the most unlikely of places.






67. Punch-Drunk Love
A P.T. Anderson effort that delves into how an unforseeable strength & driving force can result when two souls take the jump into the unfamiliar territory that is the map of the human heart. A map whose directions seem only to reveal themselves on a need to know basis. But wait...!
It stars Adam Sandler? Who puts the effort of actually acting in it?
And in the end, does a good job?
To the point, that it becomes the very first movie starring the waterboy that I not only ended up actually enjoying, but also, now come to regard as one of my favorite romance films ever?
Okay,
verily, the seventh seal hath been broken.






66. Ocean's 11


How hard is it to put George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Bernie Mac into a movie & not have it be cool?
How hard is it to put Brad Pitt in an ensemble line-up that includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Bernie Mac, & not have the movie turn out to be cool?
(Actually, now that I come to think of it, it's not all that hard, really. Just make it 2 sequels later, add Al Pacino into the mix, dump Julia Roberts & scrap together a story that barely makes any sense & wha la....
the death of a forced franchise. One that should've been left alone in the 1st. place. Anyways....)
A great heist movie that really feels like a true update of the genre, The casually cool Clooney is supported by an incredible cast, including veterans Elliott Gould & Carl Reiner, not to mention what I consider to be an under-rated performance by Don Cheadle.
Ocean's 11 is truly a top quality remake & provides just the right amount of escapist-fare that one might expect when it comes to plots centered around get rich quick schemes with complex plans.



"It'll be nice working with proper villains again."

__________________
Right now, all I'm wearing is a mustard-stained wife-beater T-shirt, no pants & a massive sombrero.

I'd have + repped you just for the inclusion of JFK, but adding Dolores Clairborne too? Fantastic. Oh yeah, Star Wars is good too.

Thanx, kid.
Yeah, Dolores is one of those films that I watch every couple of years,
& every time I watch it, I love it just as much as the first time I saw it.
Definitely one of my favorite cinematic adaptations of Stephen King's works.

65. The Thing
The scary thing about this movie is that it's a movie about a scary thing.



As a kid, I thought that the Thing was one of the freakiest aliens I'd ever seen on the screen.
Which really effed me up to the point that it will probably explain why I chose the films that you see on this list.
In other words, yet another movie with a quality level that is based more on it's "sentimental value" that it is on it any kind of artistic integrity.



64. Swing Time
Before special effects, CGI graphics & matrix-style action sequences in film, there was human physical talent as the primary focus for wowing the movie-viewing senses.
And in the mid 1930's, the height of this human talent was introduced to movie going audiences through the amazing dance steps of Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire.



I remember when I made the decision to watch the early dance classics of Swing Time & Top Hat just to see if the all the dancing lived up to all the hype that I had heard about for years.
And while it did, along with Fred Astaire's ability, not only as a dancer, but also as a lead, not to mention the way that all the sets & costumes seemed to shimmer with the black & white quality of the film,
what was a complete surprise for me was Ginger Rogers.
Sure, her dance moves kept up with Fred's every step,
but wow. I didn't realize how the combination of her beauty, personality & charisma would just light up the whole picture. When Swing Time was over, I was left literally stunned by this woman.



63. Six Degrees Of Separation


There are 3 scenes in this movie that make it such a standout for me: confidence man, Paul "Poitier's" (Will's Smith) observations on Catcher In The Rye & the nature of creativity; the phone call dialogue between he & Ouisa Kittredge (Stockard Channing): & finally, Oiusa's heartfelt speech about people's tendency to turn meaningful experiences into throwaway anecdotes.
I wouldn't of thought that a film with this much philosophy could be this entertaining.
This a performance by Will Smith that first revealed his ability to be in the presence against other other big screeners. And, for me, this movie is also one of Stockard Channing's finest efforts. At this point in her career, it seems like she's honed her craft to the point where, particularly here in Six Degress , it really allows her to shine. I don't used the word under-rated when it comes to subjects that are based so much on relativity/subjectivity, such as the catergory of films, but if I could, this movie would be one of the main ones that would inspire me to do so. I really, really like this movie alot. Great performances by Will Smith & Stockard Channing along with Mr. Donald Sotherland coming in to provide the final piece of high mark acting to a film that I found myself much more absorbed into than I initially expected.



62. Ordinary People
A family portrayal that depicts how even the most ordinary people are not very ordinary.
And that trying to live a life of normalcy can often be much more of an emotional household hindrance than it is as a sign of achievement of the American dream.



Before I ever saw this movie,
I thought that Mary Tyler Moore was one of the most beautiful, heart-warming human beings onscreen.
After I watched Ordinary People,
I couldn't stand to even look at her.
Now that's acting.



61. The Sting


I always felt that producing a movie that focuses on a successful elaborate con-job really requires an exercizing of creativity from the scriptwriters. Bringing in all the elements of the characters & acts to pull off a scheme that is both credible in it's enactment & at the same time fascinating in it's grand unfolding is a balancing act on a extremely narrow margin.
This was one of the 1st. ones I watched as a kid. The chemistry between Newman & Robert Redford was evident even to me, as young as I was. They acted cool, they looked cool & particpated in a scheme that, in my young mind, was just pretty dang cool. The Sting was the movie that began my affection for quality heist/confidence movies.

Rep point for realizing at a young age that Redford and Newman were cool.

The Sting is the only movie I've ever seen where the crowd gave the film a standing ovation. I've seen many other films get applause, but this was electric -- it was literally like being in the theatre. People yelled "bravo," and everyone stood. (I was like 16 at the time...)

And yea, I love JFK, too.

Glad to see the The Sting. Keep it coming

__________________

So far, big props for Akira, The Straight Story and Fargo. Not a single film so far that I hate. Maybe those will come later?

__________________
the angel stayed until something died, one more murder suicide

Maybe it's just the time that I grew up in, but another thing that I like about The Sting is the comfortable dynamic that is felt with watching the Newman/Redford team along side the combined presence of Robert Shaw, Charles Durning & Harold Gould, all character actors that were all very visible on movie screens at the time.


I swear to you Cayce, that I will make sure that one comes along eventually. Or die trying.

Quite a few of my favourites nice

__________________
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

60. The Matrix Reloaded
After this movie came out, could you feel it?
Could you feel the idea & use of special effects in the entire sci-fi genre take a major step forward?
I know I did.




59. Dracula
Before there was Lestat, Blade, Eli or that whimpy, waspy whitey Edward Cullen,
there was Dracula.
And yeah, in the film world, even though Nosferatu came first,
it's well known that it was the tale of the original Count Dracula that Count Orlok was modeled after.
Therefore, when it comes to the big screen, this is 1931 movie is the one that finally brought the one true Master Of The Dead to life.



So, as far as I'm concerned, no matter how many times the current limited brain trust of Hollywood tries to update the concept of the vampire, Dracky is and always will be the O.G. of bloodsucking bloodsuckers, suckas.
Sure, maybe his accent & royal sash have been spoofed, satirized & caricaturized to the point that some of today's viewers may have become desensitized to his presence on the screen. But there can be no denying that his contributions to the iconography of horror and to pop culture in general, is and will always be "countless".
For instance, we should never forget that if it weren't for him, instead of Count Chocula, that brand of cereal would just be called something like Chocolate Flavored Cereal Wit' Chocolate Flavored Marshmellows In It.
So y'know....
pay 'em his due propers.
Suckas.


58. Frankenstein
What Dracula did for Count Chocula cereal, the Frankenstein monster did for Frankenberries.
With the added extra that it will probably make you poop out pink-colored poopoo.
Suckas.



Actually, the main reason these two early Universal monster flicks (both Franky & Dracula) are on my favorite movies list is because they've been a regular staple on the television sets of The Mighty Celestial household every Halloween night now for generations. Heck, probably even before television sets were invented.



57. The Shawshank Redemption
"I think it is the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."
When asked what crime you are guilty of, in prison yards like that of Shawshank State Penitentiary, the proper response is always a mock "I didn't do it". But in banker turned wrongly accused convict Andy Dufresne's case, it really is true. And the only way he knows how to dig himself out of the hole that the late 1940's legal system has dumped him into is through the resources of a man who knows how to get things, two decades worth of patience and a resounding belief that hope is a good thing.



Not since Brian's Song has there been a flick that truly encapsulated the feeling of amorous friendship between two straight men of different color.
The Shawshank Redemption is interracial hetero man-love at it's finest.


56. Superman 2
Superman isn't the only Kryptonian to have escaped the destruction of his home planet.
Three equally super-powered criminals of ruthless intent have escaped their prison of the Phantom Zone & have made their way towards the star, Sol, & her third orbiting satellite body (us).
And unless the Man Of Steel can stop them,
the entire planet may find itself kneeling before Zod.



Okay, after his intro in the first movie, Supes finally gets to take the kid gloves off, kick some real @ss & take names. The three rogue Kryptonians have landed, to reveal to the Last Son of Krypton that he's not exactly the last son of Krypton.
And even though Supe-2 isn't as good as the first one, it's still pretty solid for a sequel, especially back when good sequels were rarer than last sons of Krypton. And even more especially for a comicbook nerd such as myself (this fact, along with that I'm also a sci-fi geek when it comes to movies, will explain the rankings of certain titles as I get closer to #1).
Even the infamous out-of-left-field "wtf" moment when Supes pulls off a big plastic-wrap S insignia off his chest during the climatic battle is negated by the dynamic quality & the strength of the Lois Lane/Clark Kent romance subplot.
A subplot whereupon the mighty Kal-El must learn that with great power comes not only great responsibility, but also, great sacrifice too.

55. The Contender
Back in the year 2000, the new millennium in cinema got off to a politically incorrect start with The Contender, a film about the appointment of the first VeePee with a vagee within the White House.



A story involving simplistically drawn party lines but with a tightly written political script & featuring great performances all around from each of it's lead actors. Particularly by Joan Allen, who just completely pwns this movie.



Now feel free to exercise your freedom of speech and insert a snide comment about Sarah Palin or Hilary Clinton (depending on your own particular partisan tastes) here.



54. The Usual Suspects
"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."



A really cool mystery crime drama featuring a really cool cast of crime characters, including not only one of the coolest names for a villian, Keyser Söze, but also, one of my favorite unique sub-characters in recent cinema in the form of Fred Fenster. IMO, Benecio Del Toro's handling of the role is one of those instances where an actor portrays a character in manner so distinctive, that he makes it completely his own. Del Toro plays this criminal con-man in a such a way that even tho the majority of the time you don't what he's saying, you still know where he's coming from.




53. Taxi Driver
In my opinion, this was the first film to establish Robert Deniro's onscreen persona & his distinctive method of acting that he's known for, even up until to this day.
And that's probably more due to the film's director, Martin Scorcese, and his particular brand of directing. Scorcese really seemed to know when to allow Deniro's mannerisms to freight this portrayal of a cab diver whose loneliness in the vast sea of grime that was '70's era New York City was consuming him to the point of razor-edged madness.
It was an acting freedom that Scorcese used to maximum effect and which also allowed the supporting roles of Jodie Foster, Cybil Sheperd, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks & Danny Boyle to bring the depth of character that they each able to contribute to the film (particularly, IMO, Foster & Keitel).
While Martin Scorcese is more famous for his movies that delve into the mafia lifestyle, I feel that his talent for depicting the grit of the streets, particularly of this time-period, cannot be understated & is what really carries the feel & weight of this story.
Taxi Driver is a true staple in the decade of 70's films, and a piece of high quality & expressive cinema that I really enjoy watching over & over again.



And yeah.....
I'm talking to you.




52. Dog Day Afternoon


I love LOVE this movie. The tension & diasterous desperation of Dog Day begins & ends with Al Pacino's depiction of Sonny Wortzik. Watching him trying to salvage the failed robbery attempt, you can just feel the downhill fatal end result oozing out of Pacino's character before it ever occurs. For me, this is the real start of Al's explosive charisma that's he's become famous for, but before it evolved into the caricature of himself that it is now.






51. The Shining


First of all, I'm always partial to Stanley Kubrick. IMO, he tends to make movies that are an inch away from being abstract beyond understanding, but keeps the flow of the film reeled in just enough to make it seem like it makes sense on some kind of creative level. Add in the grounding of a Stephen King story & a role taylor made for Jack Nicholson, & what you have is one of my top favorite horror movies of all time. And with very little slashing, gore, or shock that most films of this genre (especially today) tend to rely on in order to frighten their audiences. The horror stems more from Jack's delivery & facial expressions as his character, writer Jack Torrance, gradually slips into the madness of a haunted hotel's dark intentions.
The phrase "Here's Johnny!" wouldn't be a very scary line at all if it weren't for Jack's maniacal mug peering thru the door's craggled "peephole", freshly smashed thru by the axe-wielding author who suffers from writer's block & a possesed spirit,
not to mention from a severe case of "redrum" on his mind.

Still going strong MC. Shame you ended on a low note though.

Loving it Mighty just watched Dog Day afternoon the other night with a friend who hadn't seen it she loved it

So it's been over two weeks...

__________________
"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Yeah, sorry about the delay.
The San Diego Convention is just around the corner, & I always attend it for my job.
For this reason, this is always the busiest time of year for me.

I've got the list about 98% done already.
Unfortunately, part of the remaining 2% includes my next entry.
I'll try to finish it a'fore I leave,
but in case I don't,
when I get back, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to "maintain" this thread at a more constant pace.

Your patience is appreciated.

Okay,
I'm back,
but since I'm preparing for yet another set of convention trips,
lemme try & get as many entries in now, while I have the time.....

50. Glengarry Glen Ross
"That watch costs more than your car. I made $970,000 last year. How much you make? You see pal, that's who I am, and you're nothing. Nice guy, I don't give a sh#t. Good father, f#ck you! Go home and play with your kids! You wanna work here, close! You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you cocks#cker? You can't take this, how can you take the abuse you get on a sit?"
"A-B-C. A Always, B Be, C Closing. Always be closing, always be closing."



A great ensemble cast of actors that seem to all have their acting knobs turned on high.
Kevin Spacey as a sharky character that is his strong suit, the ever reliable Ed Harris & Alan Arkin, the honorable Mr. Jack Lemmon, & in the midst of a cache of strong thespian contributions, is Al Pacino, who seems to really shine as a ruthless real estate salesman that spews pitches with an almost Shakespearian venom.
And only a really good performance can cause a simpleton like me to spew forth a sentence like that.




49. The Wolf Man
Just a plain ol' classic, this one is right here. I am a huge fan of the first black & white Universal Monster series of way back in the day, with the original Wolf Man coming in as my number 1 favorite of the "big 3" (Wolfie, Dracky & Franky). From my point of view, any datedness that may have resulted over time from these original gangstas of horror quickly fade once the integrity of the energy that was captured in the filming becomes apparent.



I'm really curious to see what they're gonna do with the Benicio Del Toro remake of this movie. One of the main reasons is because of how pleased I was that they didn't get him to look like the "more wolf than man" make-up that has become the standard for today & have gone more for an update of the classic look established in this film. I still think that the modern look is cool an' all, but it doesn't need to be limited to one style. Despite the push that Hollywood usually gives fantasy-based movies like these as just empty escapist fare, the reality is, on a basic & integral level, they're still an artform of sorts & thus should never be limited by any specific type of boxed labels.



48. An American Werewolf in London
And speaking of the modern look of the werewolf, An American Werewolf In London is probably the film that solidified the long snout look that has become popular today when depicting this particular type of man-beast hybrid.



Before the lead character in this movie was a werewolf, he was a Pepper. And for some subliminal reason, that always made me want to be a Pepper too.
(Sorry kids. I know that the majority of you most likely won't understand that comment, b'cuz it's before your time. Look it up on youtube if you don't wanna be left in the dark.
Which you don't. Because the dark is where werewolves like dwell.)



47. The Deer Hunter


An amazing ensemble cast of Robert Deniro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken & a very beauteous Meryl Streep join all their high-powered acting forces together to form a story that conveys what can happen when the effects of war comes to a small working class town,
leaving wounds, scars, broken relationships & lost friends.
Notice the sparseness of the dialogue & yet the effectiveness with which each actor brings to this film to effectively (not to mention, in a refreshingly unpreachy manner) portray a group of ordinary people trying to deal with the unordinary consequences that were the Vietnam War.





46. The Verdict
One of my favorite court dramas of all time.
With almost a seasoned ease, Paul Newman portrays a disheveled, aging, never-has-been, malpractice lawyer who finds within himself the humanity which never really had a chance to surface due to the layered weight of his chronic alcoholism.



This movie with Newman's performance do an excellent job of setting up the desolation & loneliness that the main character moves his life thru as he goes up against the legal system that giganticly favors the "big guys" over the "little guys". One can really get the sense that Newman knows that he stands no chance of winning the case, but continues moving on forward because he is, for the 1st. time in his barely neglible career, fueled by the honesty & goodness of what is right. A feeling that is so new to this character, that, combined with the realizaton that a human life is totally dependent him for justice, it becomes emotion exhilirating enough to keep an almost broken old man to keep fighting on, no matter how high the price.
One of those rare times when the performance comes thru real enough to make us (oh, what am I'm talkin' about this "us" bullsh#t? What I really mean is "me") almost believe that even under the most insurmountable odds, there is always some kind of hope.





45. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
At the outset of the first western movies, the cowboy characters had been categorized between two basic types: Those who wore the white hats, & those who wore the black ones.
As time passed though, the hat colors began to blur between who was good, who was bad, & then to eventually who was just plain ugly.
Inspired by the samurai of the east & fueled with the advent of the spaghetti westerns (& despite the simplicity of their dialogue), the icon of the gunslinging cowboy had begun to evolve into a more complex figure, of the quiet lone wolf who's only personality traits were marked not by the color of his hat, but by the mystery of his identity & by the grit of his character.



The final film in the "Man With No Name" trilogy & IMO, the best & most definitive one of the three.
It's almost impossible to think of the genre of the spaghetti western, let alone this particular series & not think of the iconic trio of Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef & Eli Wallach.


44. Wall-E

It seems like these days, every season, an animated movie comes out displaying the next level of computer-generated visuals. For the year of 2008, it was this film & Kung Fu Panda. While not so surprising in that I (we?) expected the details in the graphics to be as detail & realistic as they were, it's still quite stunning to behold.
And even though Wall-E contains the basic formula elements one would expect from such a family film, it's still quite surprising how often & consistantly filmmakers are able to intergrate the amazing graphics into the quality of the storytelling in a manner that seems fresh & keeps the messages from feeling too cliche. At the rate that these types of highly sophisticated computer animated flicks are being released, it's remarkble that the ratio has been so much more good than bad.
A futuristic story that despite it's epic themes of environmentalism, technological over-dependence & the effects of idleness on the soul of humanity when it is stripped away from the natural strife of life,
at it's heart, Wall-E is also an effective story of loneliness & longing between two computer-animated robots that despite their mechanical make-up, offer up enough heartfelt human emotion that is depicted with just a simple vocabulary that consists of nothing more than their names & a directive.





43. Modern Times











42. Raging Bull
Okay, seriously...



... do I really need to explain this one?


41. Alien


Ridley Scott directs a tale of "in-your-face" first contact, followed by a fatal game of hide and seek between a interstellar search party crew and a xenomorph, just one of what will turn out in following sequels to be a hive-race of double-mouthed acid-blooded slick black visitors who take the role of their hosts quite literally.
Never have the film genres of horror & science fiction been so perfectly blended as in this stylish, dark and damp first entry into the franchise which first introduced what is, IMO, one of the most unique & simply bad-@ss alien life-forms ever produced for film.

40. Rocky


While I definitely agree with the general consensus that this movie shouldn't have beat out other more qualified films like All The President's Men or Taxi Driver for the Best Picture Oscar, I still consider Rocky my favorite of the year that this came out.
One of the reasons is just the nostalgic connection I have to this film (as some may be able to tell by now, there are a number of films on this list that have stayed with me over the years....). I remember watching this first installment of the Italian Stallion series as a kid, & even at an age when I believed that all persons of the female gender to be rife with cooties, I found myself just adoring the love story between two "loser" types of Adrian & the original Rock. And this was probably the first movie I ever watched that literally hand me jumping up & down at the end.
Because of this, Rocky's plot just seemed to be able to pull the right heart-strings for me, that even to this day I still feel a slight jitter in my chest whenever I watch this flick.
Either that, or maybe I've developed a life-long heart murmur.





39. Ran
Before other asian movies like Crouching Tiger/ Hidden Dragon & Hero came along & added the artistically flair fantasy elements to these types of epic movies, there was Ran. Some of the most beautiful & grand visuals ever in an Akira Kurosawa film. The fact that his name was associated with this project guaranteed this film's sweeping quality. And, the added high budget seemed to compromise his vision not in the slightest. Instead, it seemed to open up the potentiality that Mr. Kurosawa had holding in his already abundant visionary dreams.
Definitely my favorite of his works.





38. Apocalypse Now
The "2001: A Space Odyssey" of the war genre in that it's a story of a long journey that culminates into a meeting with a strange godlike figure. And even though you might not know what it all meant, what you do know is that whatever it was, it was pretty damn epic & pretty damn cool.
The imagery & the surrealness of the film all lead up into a piece of work that could've easily been a number one film fave on any other director's filmography. And yet, for Francis Ford Coppola, the fact that there are still two more movies that IMO, are even better than this grand "arty" war epic (The Godfather Parts I & II) , is a great example that the 70's was a period of time that showcased a great director during his prime.



BTW, there's a great documentary called Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse that follows the true story of how Apocalypse Now was made, & is not only a great companion piece to this film, but a also a great work of cinema on it's own (definitely worth it's own viewing).



37. Duck Soup
A comedy classic, with the Bros. Marx carrying on with their timeless mayhem antics & spouting out lines like "I could dance with you till the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows till you came home."
For any of you who haven't yet seen this, IMO, the best of the Marx movies, I recommend that you give it a looksee. And if any of you do decide to give it a view for the first time, then I envy you. It will truly be a gala day for you. And if you're anything like Groucho, the Marx's head hermano, a gal a day is more than enough for you. You probably couldn't handle any more.





36. A Clockwork Orange


For me, this movie exemplifies everything that I like about all things Kubrick. As I stated in an earlier entry, IMO, he tends to make movies that are an inch away from being abstract beyond understanding, but yet keeps the flow of the film reeled in just enough to make it seem like it makes sense on some kind of creative level. And while I don't mind discussing what the underlying meaning(s) of ACO might be, I find that too much discussion on it tends to get in the way of the enjoyment that I get from noticing things like how colorfully crafted the art-direction is for a movie that doesn't bat a single lashed eye towards subjects like ultra-violence & the old in-&-out.
Visually, a beautifully crafted film with such a bite in it's theme that it acts as a well-balanced counterweight against the brightly set designs. Seldom do we see the contrast of light & darkness stitched on film in a manner that is instinctual, crazy & perfect all at the same time.





35. Dances With Wolves
If you were to take all the things wrong with Waterworld & the Postman, irradiate them with the energies that bind, compose & allow the Bizarro world to exist (i.e. "the opposite"),
then you would get this movie.
No, seriously....
you would.
I tried it once.





34. Sling Blade
For my money, Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal of the mentally handicapped Karl Childers is one of the most unique characters to come onto the silver screen in a long time.



And BTW, after watching this movie the first time, I went out and bought a can of potted meat, just to see of it's true what they say in this movie.
And gosh darn it if it isn't right there on label....it actually say's so right on the list o' ingredients..... "pork shoulders, lips, peckers & intestines....".
Hunh.
Go reckon.


33. The Abyss


"Close Encounters Of The Under-Water Kind".
Or Maybe even "The Day The Ocean Stood Still".
We humans are a species capable of our own destruction. Or of our own salvation.
And though sometimes, it's can seem like we're going down the road of total annihilation, there's still enough within us to choose otherwise.
At least, that's the kind of hope the water-breathing life-forms from outer space in this film seem to hold about us.
Personally, I think this is James Cameron's masterpiece. And it's actually two stories in one. The alien storyline that provides the twist for the film, crossed over with the tension building plot involving the conflict between the scientific crew & the naval SEAL team. And both plots, while differently paced, are still very excellently executed. Now, while the edited version that was originally released into theatres is a fine film, for my money, the uncut version is what truly reveals the kind of glorious light that can emit from The Abyss.





32. Malcolm X
In my opinion, this is the role that should've won Mr. Washington the Oscar, even more so than Training Day. In this movie, Denzel is Malcolm X. This is one of those rare instances where an actor actually becomes the person whom he is portraying. Denzel Washington tranforms himself into the man who went from being a small-time crook named "Little", to become the larger than life civil rights leader with the name of "X".
A great biopic that intrinsically depicts the various transitions involved in one man's spiritual journey that led a singular letter in the alphabet to become a definitive part of American history books.
Definitely my favorite Spike Lee Joint.





31. The 40 Year Old Virgin


By far, my fave of the Apatow comedies. Like Knocked Up, his best films seem to be the ones in which he does triple duty as director, writer, & producer.
In this case, this triple-combo results in a movie whose strength lies not just with the high level of comedy (which probably would've been enough), but also for the fact that at it's core, this is a story of a "late bloomer" that is handled not just intelligently, but even more importantly, with a genuine heart.
Ofttimes, many of the characters seem to deliver their punchlines with a tempered sense of sympathy towards the plight of the lead character, even when the results lead to a an exasperated situation of disintegrated success (a tried & true formula of the genre).
This movie can be touching & even socially in-depth at times, but without any cost to the number of out-loud laughs.