25.
Good Will Hunting
I'm sure all of us at some point in our lives have felt like
Will Hunting-- a troubled, misunderstood genius. What makes me cherish Good Will Hunting
is how much we identify with him. How much we're rooting for him to break free from the
rut he's stuck in and explore his potential.
Can anyone tell me what a Furrier series is?
26.
The Goonies
This is a movie about a bunch of Northeastern kids searching for buried
treasure. It's like the kid version of Indiana Jones, and indeed there are some Indy-like
moments. I've watched The Goonies probably every year of my existence, and each time I get
a newfound appreciation for its rip roaring sense of adventure, which is severely lacking
in today's children movies.
27.
The Beastmaster
You'll notice that I'll have a lot of fantasy movies on my list, since
I've been a huge fan of the fantasy genre ever since I was a wee lad. Even if the movies
were poorly made, I still enjoyed them. Somehow I'm mesmerized by magic and lore. The
Beastmaster communicates w/ animals, and he can kick Dr. Doolittle's ass anyday.
28. Classic Horror Series - Child's Play, Friday
The 13th, Nightmare On Elm Sreet, Poltergeist
How much do you wanna bet that I just caused a twinge of fear in Rice?
Heh heh. I happen to know he as a slight fear of Chucky Heh heh. Anyways, I love horror
movies because they give me a good scare. Even though during the scary parts I cover my
eyes and curse myself for putting the video in. =)
29.
Independence Day
I had a lot of beefs with this movie, such as HOW IN THE WORLD CAN YOU
BRING DOWN AN ENTIRE FUCKING SPACESHIP BY GIVING IT A VIRUS FROM AN APPLE COMPUTER????
Besides that, this was Top Gun extraterrestrial style, complete w/ dog fights. Sweeet.
Patriotic too. Go USA!
30. Innerspace
This Wellsian/Vernesque tale of someone in a special submarine capsule
being shrunk down to a molecule and traveling inside a person is one of the most
innovative special effects movie ever. We got to see red blood cells and all tha cool
shit. It was like the Magic Bus!
31.
Jaws
To this day I refuse to go in the water when I'm at the beach. I'll go
maybe up to my knees and that's it. Because I can't shake the feeling that a great white
shark is gonna leap out of the water and swallow me whole. That's how terrifying this
Steven Spielberg movie was. What's sad is that I'm just one among the millions who are
still too traumatized to go in the water. That's how powerful Jaws was.
32. Jurassic Park
Some of the best animatronics ever. I really felt like I was walking
with dinosaurs in all their splendor, and all their wrath. I remember being scared
shitless while being stalked by those vicious velociraptors. Shudder. And when the T-rex
ate that dude on the toilet. I nearly shrieked!
33.
Kids
Aw man, the said the actors here were over 18, but I don't believe
them. It really looked like a 13 year old girl getting de-virginized and cry out about how
it hurts. Shudder. It haunts me. Kids is a movie about the decadence of youth and the
dangers of the AIDS virus. A powerful, disturbing work.
34.
Krull
This fantasy/sci-fi movie features one of the most badass projectile
weapons I've ever see. You have this metal starfish that resembles a swastika, and then
razors come out of the starfish's legs, and you can throw it and cut down your enemies and
it comes right back to you like a boomerang. How you catch it w/o severing your fingers is
something only owner knows. Badass!
35.
L.A. Confidential
Another film noir movie, although the ending was lacking in resonance.
There are plenty of plot twists, secret conspiracies, and shady characters here. Everyone
gives a great performance, including Kim Basinger who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Russell Crowe did a great job as a bullheaded mule who gets violent in an instant when he
sees a woman in distress.
36.
The Last Emperor
I saw this movie at the theater w/ my parents when I was real young. So
when my parents covered my eyes during the threesome scene, I couldn't understand why.
When I got older I watched The Last Emperor again and I understood it better. It's a great
historical biopic of the last emperor of China.
37. Legends Of The Fall
This is a movie about brotherhood set in the gorgeous backdrop of WWI
era Montana. This was the movie that put Brad Pitt on the map. He had one of the most
dramatic entrances ever, since here was this relatively unknown dude who just happens to
be a total hunk w/ long hair who rides a horse like a cowboy. Of course, I failed to see
what the big deal was.
38. Life Is Beautiful
Life Is Beautiful was one of the best movies last year, and one of the
few that have really touched my heart. It's a sweet story about a father and son who are
Jewish and sent away to a concentration camp. The Holocaust is no light subject, but
looking past Roberto Benigni's shenanigans, we see a man struggling to remain rational
during this awful period.
39.
Menace II Society
I enjoy all gangsta movies, but I didn't want to inundate this list w/
a huge list of thug life flicks. Instead, I chose to bring you the best one of the bunch,
Menace II Society, directed by the Hughes Brothers. There is a Sunset Boulevard type twist
at the end which makes this movie all the more harrowing.
40.
Men In Black
I can watch Men In Black over and over. It's so goddamn funny and
quirky, particularly Tommy Lee Jones, who can deadpan a line better than anyone in
Hollywood. There was great banter and chemistry between Jones and Will Smith, and the
concept behind Men In Black makes it easy to spinoff cartoons and sequels. Yes, I watch
the MIB cartoon on WB.
41.
To Kill A Mockingbird
Another lawyer movie, except this time it's adapted from one of my
favorite books ever, by Harper Lee. It's the story of Atticus Finch and racism. He has to
defend a black man accused of murder in the South. Tough task. Gregory Peck has a
dominating screen presence. His stoic Atticus Finch is the model lawyer that everyone sets
out to be when they pass the Bar exam.
42.
The Last Of The Mohicans
I'd never heard of Daniel Day-Lewis before this movie. Never saw My
Left Foot, never saw The Unbearable Lightness Of Being. But after Mohicans, I was a fan!
He plays Hawkeye, I think, an Native American during the French and Indian War, or the
Seven Year's War. There is a scene where the evil Mohawk cuts out someone heart that made
me almost puke.
43.
The NeverEnding Story
Another fantasy movie. Something's wrong w/ me. This movie is about a
kid who's trapped in a book, the Neverending Story, and he's rewriting as he goes along in
the fairy tale land. The dog/dragon was clearly a harbinger of the dragon in Dragonheart.
44.
Police Academy movies
Yeah baby, Police Academy! This sorry sack of cops is the bumblingest
since the Keystone Cops and Buster Keaton! But hey, at least in Police Academy they always
accomplish their mission. And they always set aside time for raunch and hijinks. Heh heh.
45.
Predator
The rastafarian predator that hunts humans as game and then skins them
is such a cool character that they stuck him into a video vs. the alien from the Aliens
movies. But guess what, the predator has no chance against Ah-nold, who survives a nuclear
blast intact this time.
46.
The Princess Bride
I like fairy tales w/ giants and pixies and stuff. That stuff rocks. So
The Princess Bride is a natural selection on my list. It's strictly a fairy tale, as we
see the narrative framework w/ Fred Savage, so when the happily ever after ending comes,
we're freakin delighted.
47.
Psycho (Original)
Norman Bates is one of the all time sick fucks in cinema history. When
his mother comes out to murder people and the famous Hermann Psycho score kicks in,
prepare to flinch in terror.
48.
Rambo Series
One man can take down a whole Afghanistan army. One man storm a whole
Southeast Asia camp by himself. One man can yank a poisonous arrow shot in him out of his
gut and then cauterize the wound w/o anesthesia. That man is John Rambo.