Since I’m celebrating my 40th birthday on the day
this is being posted (October 11th), I wanted to post something
special. I’m not particularly
intimidated about turning forty, it turns out it feels pretty much the same as
thirty-nine felt. I feel pretty happy and grateful about my current existence,
and while there are things here and there I would change, overall, things are
pretty great. My brother had the
brilliant idea to list (everyone loves lists) my favorite movie from each of my
40 years on the earth; and that idea, while brilliant, didn’t really allow me
to give credit to the movies I really love.
Honestly, I’ve got 15 favorites between 1985 – 1988 and none in some
other years (looking at you 1982, and 2006 through 2010). I decided to list just
my top 40 favorite movies; certainly not speaking to actual quality here, just
my favorite movies.
It’s very easy to get a good idea of the types of movies
that I enjoy by looking at this list, but it does bring up the sticky issue of
how to characterize movie genres; yes, a movie can be an action movie – but it
can also have elements of comedy, or fantasy, or something else! In my list in particular, there are
representations from multiple genres, but really only 6 main genres (science
fiction, action, comedy, horror, rom-com, and fantasy). However, since you could definitely break
those down into more detailed sub-genres (Star Wars is Science Fiction Fantasy;
but Star Trek is Science Fiction Action; and you could call Blade an Martial
Arts Action movie, a Horror movie, a comic book action movie – etc.), in my
list I have used more detailed genre descriptions. For the record – there are 14 action films, 11
Science Fiction, 8 comedy, 7 Fantasy, 6 Comic Book Action, 2 westerns, and
unbelievably, 2 rom-coms. They do both involve Bonnie Hunt, so they’re more com
than rom. No prison movies or war
movies, or what I would call independent-art-house-movies. Navy Seals was close, but I will still call
that ‘action’ over ‘war’. I’ll list the
more detailed genres below. And yes, I
cheated, there are actually 47 movies on this list. There are some ties – it was surprisingly
hard to narrow the list down to 40!
Anyone who knows me is not surprised that my math works like that. The
words in italics are the IMDB summaries, because it’s always interesting to see
how they describe movies.
Hopefully you’ll find this interesting, and it will give you
a couple of ideas to watch with some high quality popcorn this weekend (that’s
white-kernel popcorn popped in coconut oil with real melted butter drizzled over
it). I included the "Honest Trailers" from Screen Junkies and the "Everything Wrong With" from Cinema Sins here and there, do yourself a favor, and fall into a hole of their videos (later, not now - now read this post!)!
40. Return to Me (Rom-Com) 2000, Directed by Bonnie
Hunt. A man who falls in love with the woman
who received his wife's heart must decide which woman it is who holds his
heart.
Starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver, with a really
strong supporting cast that included David Alan Grier, James Belushi, Robert
Loggia, Carol O’Connor and director Bonnie Hunt, it’s so much more than it
could have been. Duchovny plays a man
who loses his wife in a car accident, her organs get donated, and Minnie Driver
gets her heart. They then randomly encounter one another, and begin to fall in
love. The movie is sweet, strong,
touching, and really hilarious. If you’ve never seen it, you definitely need
to. If you did – watch it again for Hunt’s reminder to never shave your legs
before a first date…that way you won’t let it go too far.
39. Silverado (Action- Western) 1985; directed by Lawrence
Kasdan: A
misfit bunch of friends come together to right the injustices which exist in a
small town.
Lawrence Kasdan came out of the Lucas-Spielberg-Howard camp,
having written on several Star Wars movies. He then directed this random fantastic
western. It has great action sequences, some strong comedy, and a great cast
including the youngest Kevin Costner ever, a young Kevin Kline, a young Scott
Glenn, Danny Glover (he’s still too old for this shit), Brian Dennehy, and
Linda Hunt. Watch it again for Jeff
Goldblum, stealing a whole bunch of scenes when he rides into town looking to
find a card game in the largest old west fur coat you’ve ever seen. Then watch Earth Girls Are Easy again, which
didn’t make the list – but was very close, so much Goldblum!
38. Young Guns (Action –western) 1988; directed by
Chistopher Cain: A group of young gunmen,
led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who
became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they
become the hunted.
Two westerns on the list, and they are right next to one
another. Starring key members of the ‘brat pack’, Charlie Sheen, Keifer
Sutherland, Emilio Estevez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Casey Semizeko, and Dermot
Mulroney. This movie is fun and loosely
(and I mean loosely) based on the true story of Billy the Kid. Watch it again for LDP’s knife twirling
skills, for Terrance Stamp in a western, and for that ridiculous peyote scene. “Regulators! Mount up.”
37. Batman Begins (Comic Book Action) 2005, directed by
Christopher Nolan: After
training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham
City from the corruption that Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast
upon it.
There are a couple of Nolan movies I love, including Memento
and the Prestige – but I’m putting this one on the list. It really made Batman
feel more real than he had up to this point, and seemed the closest to the 90s Animated
Series yet – which of course, is the definitive version of Batman. There are some issues with it, Katie Holmes
being one, and the pronunciation and depiction of Ras’Al Ghul being two, but
hey – it’s still pretty fantastic.
36. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (Action) 1998;
directed by Guy Ritchie: A botched card game in London triggers
four friends, thugs, weed-growers, hard gangsters, loan sharks and debt
collectors to collide with each other in a series of unexpected events, all for
the sake of weed, cash and two antique shotguns.
There are a lot of movies that try to be cool (looking at
you, Wanted) – but this one literally was cool. Plus, the first time Vinnie
Jones became a movie thing and not just a ‘quickest ejection of any footballer
from a game’ thing. So fast paced – awesome soundtrack – plus, introduced the
world to Jason Statham, “too late, too late will be the cry, when the man with
the bargains has passed you by!” In a
roundabout way - responsible for the Transporter, which should also be on this
list and the reason that Paul Feig’s 2015 Spy is almost on this list. Melissa
McCarthy is obviously hilarious, but Statham steals every scene he’s in, with
multiple rants about how skilled he is, and his demands to use the ‘face off
machine’.
35. Tie – Bad Boys and Independence Day
Bad Boys (action) 1995, directed by Michael Bay; Two hip detectives protect a murder witness
while investigating a case of stolen heroin.
I unashamedly love most Michael Bay movies (while being
extremely unfond of Michael bay as a person – he’s terrible), and this is the
movie that started it. He makes
absolutely the best-looking action movies, including Armageddon and
Transformers, but this one – a simple cop action flick starring a stand-up
comedian and a rapper/TV comedian, started everything off. The stars are likeable, the action is
fantastic, the villain threatening, and John Salley is a computer hacker? Watch it again for that scene of Will Smith
running down the street in slow motion – cementing him as an action hero, and
leading directly to …
Independence Day (science fiction action) 1996, directed by
Roland Emmerich; The aliens are coming,
and their goal is to invade and destroy earth.
Fighting superior technology, mankind’s best weapon is the will to
survive.
I loved Universal Soldier (which should probably be on this
list) and I loved Stargate, but this is the movie that pretty much defined the Emmerich/Devlin
combo. A fantastic marketing campaign that
began in January of that year with the short Superbowl commercial that only
showed the White House exploding – this is a movie that did almost everything
right. A perfect ensemble cast, a
literal three act format, scary aliens with a believable motive, and a
relatable set of heroes. Bill Pullman
was perfect as the everyman president, Jeff Goldblum is outstanding as a guy
proving that math and science can save the world, and Ladies and Gentlemen:
action hero Will Smith, who steals every single scene he is in – which then
leads to Men In Black, another fantastic movie.
34. The Fifth Element (science fiction) 1997; directed by
Luc Besson; In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.
Completely original and mind-bending, with the most unique Chris Tucker performance of all time (that was going to be Prince, but his touring schedule would not allow it). This movie is really fun, visually stimulating, and allowed Tiny Lister to be president - of everything. Luc Besson let Jean-Paul Gauthier design the costumes how he saw fit, and the action is just off the charts bananas. Plus, that opera singer! Luke Perry! The Multipass! Gary Oldman's hair! It's fantastic escapism.
33. American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (martial arts
action) 1987, directed by Sam Firstenberg; On a remote Caribbean island, Army
Ranger Joe Armstrong investigates the disappearance of several marines, which
leads him to The Lion, a super-criminal who has kidnapped a local scientist and
mass-produced an army of mutant Ninja warriors.
Listen, this movie is terrible, really and truly terrible,
but I love it so much. Michael Dudikoff
is the American Ninja, and Steve James is his best bud and they battle ninjas
through this whole movie. Yes, there are
three other movies in the series, but this one is the most fun. It has the best beach ninja fight of any
movie ever, and a pretty good bar fight too.
Be sure to watch for the scene where Dudikoff’s double walks out of the
room for him, and they left it in, presumably because he was either taking a
nap or getting a snack or doing ninja-studying.
32. Tie between the Matrix and the Mummy – yes, an odd
combination, but they came out the same summer, and I saw them back to back in
the theater together multiple times, so they are always a bit linked for
me.
The Mummy (fantasy action) 1999, directed by Stephen
Sommers; An
American serving in the French Foreign Legion on an archaeological dig at the
ancient city of Hamunaptra accidentally awakens a mummy.
Not knowing what to expect when I saw this – it completely
surprised me. I was familiar with Sommers from Deep Rising, a really fun
tentacles-on-a-cruise-ship movie (watch that if you haven’t seen it), but this
was so epic and so beautiful – plus, ILM gave the Mummy an updated look that
made him a legitimate threat, instead of a guy wrapped in bandages slowly limping
after his victims. Arnold Vosloo was the perfect choice, plus the introduction
to American audiences of the beautiful Oded Fehr. This movie was so much fun, so entertaining,
and really fantastic. Watch it again for
the mummy’s reaction to Brendan Fraser threatening him with a cat. Always have a cat – they protect you from
mummies, the science is sound.
The Matrix (science fiction) 1999, directed by the
Wachowskis; A
computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his
reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
Talk about blowing your mind – remember the first time you
saw this movie? There was nothing like it, and even its misguided sequels
couldn’t come near touching how astounding it was. Keanu Reeves in a kung-fu style action
science fiction master piece? Sure –
absolutely. Also – we’re just batteries.
Watch it again for Lawrence Fishburne being all around awesome.
31. Ghostbusters (sci-fi comedy) 1984, directed by Ivan
Reitman; Three
former parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
Insanely quotable, insanely funny, and just completely
irreverent – all-around entertaining. In the same vein, I feel like Fletch
could have fit in here as well, but that was more of a single showcase. I still
find myself laughing out loud whenever I catch Ghostbusters on TV, and I
believe it’s a true testament to the advantage of making a movie with all your
friends in it. Similar to Reitman’s
Evolution, which just missed out on being on the list, it’s slightly anti-establishment,
and just a bit crass – but man, it’s funny.
Also – it has some genuine scares in it – something I felt was missing
from the reboot that came out this summer.
I did enjoy the reboot, I thought it was very funny, but not as funny as
the original.
30. Fast 5 (action) 2011, directed by Justin Lin; Dominic
Toretto and his crew of street racers plan a massive heist to buy their freedom
while in the sights of a powerful Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal
agent.
Of the soon to be eight movies in this series, why pick this
one? Of the three that Justin Lin
directed, it’s the best, and the one that added the Rock. The crew heads to Brazil and steals money
from a drug lord. Featuring incredible
action, great stunts, passable acting, and the most diverse cast of any summer
blockbuster franchise ever – it’s endlessly watchable. And sure, those two cars
can drag that safe around Rio during the climax, the science is sound.
29. Only You (rom-com) 1994, directed by Norman Jewison; Faith
(Marisa Tomei) believes that two soul-mates can be united if they find each
other. Suddenly postponing her wedding, she and her sister-in-law Kate both
board the next plane for Italy.
Like I said – two rom-coms, this one co-starring
Bonnie Hunt instead of directed by Hunt.
Charming and funny, Marisa Tomei is at her best and Robert Downey Jr.
basically being very RDJish, the movie is sweet and funny, as Faith learns to
stop looking for fantasy crystal-ball love when real love is right in front of
her. Fisher Stevens is fantastic as her brother, plus – Billy Zane!
28. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (comedy) 2005, directed by
Shane Black; A murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling
actress, and a thief masquerading as an actor.
Robert Downey Jr., just a bit before he became Tony
Stark, in the movie that is really the beginning of his resurgence, and is
absolutely hilarious. Featuring a great performance by Val Kilmer, the movie
keeps you on your toes as it buzzes around L.A. during Christmas – because it’s
a Shane Black movie, so it must take place during Christmas…I can’t wait to see
how Christmas plays into his new Predator reboot.
27. Drop Zone (action) 1994, directed by John
Badham; A tough cop teams up with a professional skydiver to capture a
renegade computer hacker on the run from the law.
There are a lot of Wesley Snipes action movies to
choose from, but this one is the top for me – playing a cop who has to go after
a gang of skydiving baddies and featuring Gary Busey and Yancey Butler (Hard
Target should probably be on this list as well), this movie is simultaneously
ridiculous and awesome.
26. The Terminator (sci-fi action) 1984, directed
by James Cameron; A human-looking indestructible cyborg is sent from 2029 to
1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war
against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at
all costs.
Well, a barely human-looking cyborg. Originally Cameron wanted Lance Henrikson to
pay the Terminator, as he believed he was more of an ‘everyman’, but
Schwarzeneggar talked himself into the role. Slick, streamlined, and with
time-travel done better than most other time travel stories, the movie was
groundbreaking. I do love the sequel,
but this one is so much more intimate and intense – with the slow transition in
Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor from helpless victim to determined survivor,
plus, Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese, the man who crossed time for her, come on –
you don’t get more romantic than that.
Just don’t start thinking about how John Connor had to spend time
waiting around to meet Kyle Reese, then make sure he stayed safe, then
subliminally get him to fall in love with a photo of his mother, then get him
to volunteer to go back….it’s a complicated plan.
25. Trading Places (comedy) 1983, directed by John
Landis; A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their
positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
Easily one of the best comedies created, in my
opinion. Featuring Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy at their very best – switched by
crotchety old white dudes who make a bet on their ‘nature vs. nurture’
situations. Then, once they realize the
scam – they team up to get revenge. Featuring fun support from Jamie Lee Curtis
and Denholm Elliott – watch this again this holiday season, smart and funny.
24. The Avengers (comic book action) 2012, directed by Joss
Whedon; Earth's
mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are to
stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
When we would go camping when I was younger, my brothers and
I would sit around a campfire and discuss our dream casting for a Marvel
Avengers movie. We were close on some,
but didn’t come anywhere near as good as the real thing turned out to be. After careful crafting of each of the characters
in their individual movies, plus an incredibly charismatic villain capable of being bad enough to handle piles of good guys, the movie
is the perfect coming together of individual heroes to make a formidable team.
Whedon was the perfect director, and the movie is almost flawless, with heart,
humor, and great action. Plus - the culmination of Clark Gregg's awesome Coulson work over the previous three flicks.
23. Showdown in Little Tokyo (martial arts action) 1991,
directed by Mark Lester; Two cops have to work together to bring
down the yakuza, while trying to protect a beautiful woman.
Another terrible movie that taught me everything I know
about the Yakuza, and makes me miss Brandon Lee every single day. It runs through every single action buddy-cop
movie stereotype: mismatched partners, a villain with a personal connection to
one of the heroes; a damsel in distress, a barfight, a rescue scene, the
partners helping each other grow, and an epic showdown with the villain. Plus,
Tia Carrera before anyone knew who she was.
The interaction between Lee and Dolph Lundren when they first meet and
fight each other before realizing they are each other’s new partner pretty much
sums it up. Lee: “You know all that
upper body strength really slows you down.”
Lundgren: “I’m not slow.” Lee:
“You didn’t hit me.” Lundgren: “If I did, you wouldn’t be here.” Lee: “Hey, I’m
not arguing…but you didn’t.”
22. Desperado (action) 1995, directed by Robert Rodriguez; A
gunslinger is embroiled in a war with a local drug runner.
Rodriguez’s more widespread follow up to El Mariachi.
There’s not much to this movie but outstanding visuals, stunning action, and an
amazing soundtrack. Ladies and Gentlemen
of the world (that is not Spain), the introduction of Antonio Banderas. Plus
the introduction of Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi being hilarious, Danny Trejo as
Rodriguez’s muse, and Cheech Marin gleefully expecting that the bartender never
gets killed! Watch it again for that
opening musical number - outstanding.
21. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (comedy) 1989,
directed by Stephen Herek; Two seemingly dumb teens struggle to
prepare a historical presentation with the help of a time machine.
Here is a perfect example of something that I will still sit
and watch when it comes on TV. Yes, Alex
Winter and Keanu Reeves are dumb and charming, but the true genius of this movie
is the cast of historical characters they pick up along the way – Napolean,
Billy the Kid (who takes to time travel right away), Genghis Khan, Socrates
(still want to say so-crates), Joan of Arc (Noah’s wife?), Sigmund Freud, and
of course, Abraham Lincoln. Watch it
again for the scene where they get turned loose in the mall – it’s fantastic.
20. Aliens (science fiction action) 1986, directed by James
Cameron; The moon
from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time,
the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough?
Where the first Alien by Ridley Scott was more of an
intensely intimate science fiction horror movie, this one shifts into an
intense science fiction action movie with a wider scope. Featuring Cameron
regular players Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Jeannette Goldstein, and
Cameron muse Bill Paxton (he’s also in Terminator – go back and check out those
punks), Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley reluctantly heads back into space, and once
again has to deal with the xenomorph alien, just way more of them this time
around, a super-shady Paul Reiser, an artificial Henriksen, and a larger than life
alien queen. “Get Away From Her You
BITCH!” still resounds.
19. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (comedy) 1986, directed by John
Hughes; A
high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite what
the principal thinks of that.
John Hughes really was a genius in terms of high-school
coming of age movies in the 80s, and I love the Breakfast Club, but this one is
easily my favorite. Ferris is the coolest kid in school, and really shows
everyone how to best enjoy a day off, a baseball game, the art museum, fine
dining, a parade, and just generally enjoying Chicago in the spring. Another
endlessly quotable movie – I have an Abe Frohman, Sausage King of Chicago,
T-Shirt that I love. Watch it again to
sing along with the parade, and look for Bueller…..Bueller….Bueller – then have
Kristy Swanson explain where he is.
18. Top Secret (comedy) 1984, directed by Jerry Zucker, Jim
Abrams, and David Zucker; Parody of WWII spy movies in which an
American rock and roll singer becomes involved in a Resistance plot to rescue a
scientist imprisoned in East Germany.
The Milwaukee in me had to have a ZAZ movie on the list –
and while Airplane, the Naked Gun, and Hot Shots are all hilarious, Top Secret
is my favorite – featuring a very, very, young Val Kilmer with just the
silliest situations, it’s non-stop comedy.
Favorite bits? While looking at a German menu - “I know a little
German…he’s sitting right over there!”
While the horse pulling their cart is coughing, “Is he okay?” “Yes, he’s just a little hoarse.” After introducing the character Déjà vu, a
fighter for the French resistance, he says, “Haven’t we met somewhere
before?” Genius.
17. Predator (science fiction action) 1987, Directed by John
McTeirnan; A
team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves
hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
A classic action flick. The ultra-masculine commando team
meets up with a foe they cannot defeat and he takes them out one at a time as
they try to get out of the jungle. I
like just about all the movies in the Predator franchise, and again, can’t wait
for Shane Black’s reboot – don’t forget he plays one of the commandos in this
one. The Predator is such a clean,
smart, technological character, and really elevated the idea of what an extra-terrestrial
in sci-fi movies could be. Watch it again to see Arnold and Carl Weathers have
the most testosterone-fueled handshake ever.
16. Serenity (science fiction action) 2005, Directed by Joss
Whedon; The
crew of the ship Serenity try to evade an assassin sent to recapture one of
their numbers who is telepathic.
A bit of a gimmie here, the show Firefly was brilliant, but
short-lived (I loved Dollhouse even a little bit more than Firefly). This was the opportunity for Whedon to bring
it to the big screen, and for me, was my introduction to Chiwetel Ejiofor as he
hunted Mal and team. Again, bringing
Whedon’s signature random-misfits-thrown-into-a-family-situation concept into
an adventure across the ‘verse as they discover the shocking truth behind an
evil we never saw on the show. Fantastic
– epic – heartbreaking, for multiple reasons!
Wash is still a leaf on the wind. Watch it again for that stunning opening single-shot sequence that tours the Serenity.
15. Mortal Kombat (science fiction martial-arts action
fantasy) 1995, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson; Three unknowing martial artists are
summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will
decide the fate of the world.
Before Anderson brought us the Resident Evil franchise, he
started with Mortal Kombat. Having
played every version of the game, from 1 through the new PS4 X version, I
couldn’t wait to see the movie, and was not disappointed. It’s basically just
different fights in awesome settings. That’s all you need. Plus, Robin Shou
from my favorite Cynthia Rothrock movie – Honor and Glory. It’s also the reason Kano suddenly became
Australian in subsequent MK games, thanks to Trevor Goddard’s scene-stealing
performance. Watching Cary Tagawa face
off against Christopher Lambert was awesome, and everyone loves a practical
Goro. Flawless Victory!
14. Raiders of the Lost Ark (science fiction action fantasy)
1981, Steven Spielberg; Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana
Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before
the Nazis.
I mean, easily one of the best movies of all time. Indiana
Jones is a fantastic hero, and this is my favorite of the Indy movies. There
are so many sequences that are just brilliant – the Himalayan bar fight and
ensuing fire, the snake pit, anything Sallah does, the hanger bit (classic!),
the airplane fistfight bit, the sword-wielding villain bit, and of course, the
melty-faced Nazi bit. And let's be honest, it's the reason you want every travel sequence in every movie to have a moving red line on a map. Just
outstanding. Harrison Ford at his
absolute best. Also – the reason I will
not eat dates to this day, that monkey may have been a jerk, but he didn’t
deserve that.
13. Tie between Captain America Winter Soldier and Captain
America Civil War.
Winter Soldier (comic book action) 2014, directed by the
Russo Brothers; As
Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up
with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new
threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
Shot like a 70s political thriller, this movie saw the
downfall of SHIELD, plus the emergence of Cap as a modern independent hero.
Incredible practical effects and stunts with the right amount of comic-book-ness,
this movie is just fantastic. It
clarified Black Widow’s abilities, and introduces Falcon in the coolest way
possible, instantly making him a wonderful friend for Cap and a capable
sidekick. Plus – Robert Redford!
Civil War (comic book action) 2016, directed by the Russo
Brothers; Political
interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies
Captain America and Iron Man.
Honestly, this one is almost too new to have on the list,
but I really loved it. The division between the sides of the Avengers is
demonstrated just right, and the Russos are careful to not let either side seem
too correct, or too easy to choose. A
movie that starts with a huge epic storyline, featuring the airport fight
sequence in the middle of the movie – which is easily the best comic book
action sequence on film. The movie then boils down into a very intense, very
intimate fight between two former friends.
It’s tough to pull off, but the Russos did an amazing job, and I cannot
wait to see what they do next. Plus –
Black Panther, finally!
12. The Fugitive (Action) 1993, directed by Andrew Davis; Dr.
Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real
killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt.
Another example of Harrison Ford at his absolute best and
Tommy Lee Jones at his very best as Jones chases Ford around Chicago, while
Ford tries to solve his wife’s murder.
Smart, interesting, and well-made; a great movie. Watch it again to “not let them give you any
shit about your ponytail” and to contradict Joey Pants when he says Milwaukee
has an ‘L’. We do not.
11. Blade 2 (comic book action) 2002, directed by Guillermo
del Toro; Blade
forms an uneasy alliance with the vampire council in order to combat the
Reapers, who are feeding on vampires.
Why the second one? Because this is the del Toro one. Why this and not Hellboy, or Hellboy 2? Tough call there, I prefer Hellboy 2, but I
have a soft spot for Blade, and watching him take off after Luke Goss’s amped
up del Toro-style vampire is pure action fun. If you’ve been watching the
Strain (you should be), go back and watch this again to see the strigoi-style
vamps early on. I love the relationship
between Blade and Kris Kristofferson’s Whistler. And for me, who never saw Boondock
Saints, this was my introduction to Norman Reedus, and is probably why I still
can’t stand him. Also – Matt Schultze, who had a bit part in Blade 1, shows up
in this completely transformed into a new dude. Impressive. Watch it again for Ron Perlman’s introduction
shot, where he rises slowly into frame - at his most creepy.
And now for the top ten…
10. Ladyhawke (fantasy) 1985, directed by Richard Donner; Philipe
Gastone, a thief, escapes from the dungeon at Aquila, sparking a manhunt. He is
nearly captured when Captain Navarre befriends him. Navarre has been hunted by
the Bishop's men for two years, ever since he escaped with the Lady Isabeau who
the Bishop has lusted after. Navarre and Isabeau have a curse that the Bishop
has placed on them that causes Navarre to be a wolf during the night and
Isabeau to be a hawk during the day. Navarre insists that Philipe help him
re-enter the city to help him kill the heavily guarded Bishop.
Featuring Matthew Broderick two years before Ferris
Bueller, this is a medieval set fantasy movie with early Rutger Hauer and early
Michelle Pfeifer. It’s charming, action
packed, a little scary from time to time, but it’s overall a beautiful story
about how love can eventually conquer all.
Also – be on the lookout for Alfred Molina as the hunter.
9. Jurassic Park (Science Fiction action) 1993, directed by
Steven Spielberg; During
a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its
cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.
Another movie that just blew my mind the first time I saw
it. I had read the book before the movie came out, and this is one of the few
times I would say the movie is better.
The book is early Crichton, before he started writing his books like
they would inevitably become movies, so it’s more science than fiction – filled
with charts, graphs, chaos theory and details about velociraptor-building. The movie was astounding with a great cast,
and Spielberg outdid himself in building the sense of tension, as well as
treading the careful line between portraying the dinosaurs as villains and
victims of corporate greed. And the
combination of practical and computer effects – with the first time computer
generated dinosaurs look real enough to terrify you. Watch it again for Jeff Goldblum, and to
remember the feeling you had the first time you realized the T-Rex hand her
tiny hand on the fence, which mean it was no longer electrified! Plus – her hero shot at the end, absolutely
amazing!
8. Tie between Star Trek IV and VI – my two favorites of
this series.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Science Fiction) 1986;
directed by Leonard Nimoy; To save Earth from an alien probe,
Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in
1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.
Surprising light and fun for the third film in a
fairly depressing trilogy sandwiched in the center of this franchise. Nimoy was
able to give his castmates a little more free reign but tell a really good
story too. Having just gotten Spock
back, heading to 1986 San Francisco gave everyone the ability to find some
really humorous situations including trying to find transparent aluminum,
getting ‘money’, and Spock swimming with whales. I particularly like the end, where the crew
has to stand trial for the hijinks they pulled in Star Trek 3 while trying to
save Spock.
Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country (Science Fiction) 1991;
directed by Nicholas Meyer; On the eve of retirement, Kirk and
McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and
imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy
aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace.
Maybe not as popular a choice, but I’ve always been partial
to this one, not just because of Iman as a weird shape-shifting alien. It’s the
perfect final film in the original series movie franchise as Kirk and co. save
the galaxy from a huge conspiracy, as well as begin to build a peaceful
relationship with the Klingon Empire. Kirk
has to learn that his long-developed hatred of the Klingon race cannot continue
to be applied to every member of the species. Watch it again for the lines,
“Once again we’ve saved the universe as we know it.” “And the good news is this time they’re not
going to press charges.” It’s the
perfect send off for this crew and a smooth hand off to the new crew.
7. Willow (fantasy) 1988, directed by Ron Howard; A
reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an
evil queen.
Coming out of the Lucas/Spielberg camp, Ron Howard the
director emerged from Ron Howard the actor in the mid-1980s. This movie is a wonderful example of great
storytelling, great action, great effects, good comedy, and again, some genuinely
scary moments. Another example of Val Kilmer at his most charming as
Madmartigan, the greatest swordsman to ever live.
6. Guardians of the
Galaxy (comic book action) 2014, directed by James Gunn; A group
of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical
warrior from taking control of the universe.
This is one that snuck up on me. Honestly, by fall of 2014,
Marvel had proven they were doing things right, so I was excited about this
movie, despite only knowing the characters from that one appearance in the
animated Avengers show. The absolute genius of the movie was not something I
was ready for – amazing action, fantastic casting, and some really touching
moments layered over a team-building origin story made for a near-perfect
movie. Who knew a scene between a CGI raccoon and a CGI tree could make me cry?
5. Highlander (science fiction action fantasy) 1986,
directed by Russel Mulcahy; An immortal Scottish swordsman must
confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who
lusts for the fabled "Prize".
One of my all-time favorites, a simple action story told
over multiple centuries. And honestly, I
did like the TV show even more, but this really is the one that kicked
everything off. Christopher Lambert stars as Connor McLeod of the clan McLeod –
born in the highlands of Scotland in 1518, and killed in battle with the Kurgan
in 1536 – Connor learns he can’t die, and drifts through history, battling
other immortals for the ‘prize’. No – I
still don’t exactly know what the ‘prize’ is.
But hey – the very Scottish Sean Connery playing an ancient Egyptian
pretending to be the Spanish Juan Sanchez Villalobos Ramirez is always going to
be entertaining. Watch it again to
realize this is the movie that started your Clancy Brown appreciation, and honestly - cemented my love of Queen, thanks to their mastery of the soundtrack.
4. Die Hard (action) 1988, directed by John McTiernan; John
McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save his wife Holly Gennaro and several
others that were taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas
party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
The perfect action movie, no question, and a Christmas
regular in our house – we watch it every year.
Bruce Willis stars as John McClane, a very every-man hero who just
happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to oppose one of the very
best villains ever to grace the screen in Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber. The movie is fantastic characters layered
over a fairly simple story in a very strong setting. Watch that final embrace between Willis and Reginald
VelJohnson again, and see if you don’t get a little misty.
3. Princess Bride (fantasy) 1987, directed by rob Reiner; While
home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him a story called The
Princess Bride.
This really ought to be on everyone’s list. Once of the most beautifully epic stories
told, and told through the device of Peter Falk telling a story to Fred Savage,
who starts out opposed to the story, but then really gets involved of the story
of Princess Buttercup, and her love Wesley, and their adventures. Again – endlessly quotable, with fantastic
sequences, and really amazing casting. Watch it again for Mandy Patinkin’s
justice versus Christopher Guest’s villainous six-fingered man. “Hello…My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed
my father, prepare to die.”
2. Labyrinth (fantasy) 1986, directed by Jim Henson; A 16-year
old girl is given 13 hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother
when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King.
One of my all-time favorites. Jennifer Connolly plays Sarah, struggling to
solve David Bowie’s maze in time to rescue her baby brother while various
Muppet inhabitants of the labyrinth either help or hinder her as she goes
through the process. In the end – was it
real? Was it a dream? Either way, it was an amazing adventure!
1.
Star Wars – original trilogy as one big movie. However, if I have to place them in order of
my love:
1c. Star Wars Episode 3: The Return of the Jedi, 1983,
directed by Richard Marquand; After rescuing Han Solo from the palace
of Jabba the Hutt, the rebels attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while
Luke struggles to make Vader return from the dark side of the Force.
1b. Star Wars Episode 1: A New Hope, 1977, directed by
George Lucas; Luke
Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a wookiee and two
droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle-station,
while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader.
1a. Star Wars Episode 2: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980,
directed by Irvin Kershner; After the rebels have been brutally
overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes
advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth
Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.
Simply put, my favorite movie – because of George Lucas’s
incredible story, and Mark Hamill’s dedication in portraying that story. Because really, only Luke has any kind of
character shift throughout the course of the three movies, going from weak and
wimpy farm boy to self-confident Jedi Master who is determined to face down the
greatest evil in the galaxy despite the personal pain and connection to him –
in an attempt to bring peace and balance to the force. It’s epic, it’s glorious, and it’s incredibly
fun. It also spawned a huge expanded
universe featuring multiple books, toys, TV shows, comics, and now finally more
movies. I loved the Force Awakens, and as the perfect thought for my 40th birthday, I
still get emotional thinking about what my 10 year old self would have said if I
had told her, “You know that thing you love that everyone makes fun of you for
liking now? In a few years, it’s going to be the biggest thing on the planet,
you’re going to get more movies, and the leads of those new movies are going to
be a black guy and a girl! Hang in there - it's going to be amazing!" (incidentally, the only thing better for me would be a biracial female lead - yes, I'm still bitter that Sydney Tamiia Poitier was not cast as Wonder Woman).
There are those who would say that the film industry is not
what it used to be, that nothing is original anymore, that film companies are
more concerned with churning out profits than making quality movies, but the
truth is – it’s not about the quality of a film, it’s how much you personally
enjoy the movie. Did you have a good
time while eating your popcorn? You
did? Awesome – mission
accomplished.
Here’s to looking forward to another 40 years of
entertaining movies!
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