My Favorite Movies

The blackest of black comedies released during the height of the Cold War is sheer genius. Peter Sellers masterfully plays three roles while George C. Scott takes a hilarious turn as a gung-ho general. Scathing, sobering, and an all-time classic.

Greatest comedy ever made? Very possibly, certainly unequaled in its combination of audacity and hilarity. The gags are just as funny the 20th time you hear them; Monty Python are curiously unique in that manner. A must-try.

The modern film that best proves movie magic does not merely reside in nostalgia. A feelgood fantasy that you can see, smell, and feel, reawakening the hidden joys that lurk around the corners in everyday life if you decide to look for them. Audrey Tautou deservedly won international acclaim in a breakthrough role.

Best courtroom/jury/legal movie ever made. Brilliant debut for director Sidney Lumet and a cast of great stars and character actors, Lee J Cobb a particular standout. Watch it!

The least of the book trilogy is actually the best of the movie trilogy. Why? More drama, more peril, less Arwen (no knock on Liv Tyler though), and most decisively more great characters: Theodin, Eowyn, Wormtongue, Faramir, Treebeard, and of course Gollum! Plus everyone from the first film, including Boromir if you watch the DVD Special Extended Edition, and why would you watch it any other way?? Helm's Deep remains a stunning, breathtaking, landmark battle sequence in the history of cinema. The final war on Pellinor Fields in 'Return of the King' almost felt anticlimactic, a rehash unsuccessfully trying to top what Helm's Deep achieved first.

Gaspingly funny, ranks just behind 'A Shot In The Dark' for best of the series. Big gags, small gags, they all seem to work as peerless Peter Sellers is in top form. The Clouseau vs. Cato concept is pure comedy genius and this movie boasts their best sequence of mayhem.

I once had a similar idea for a movie structure but could never make it work, now I needn't bother because Nolan got it right. Miss literally anything that happens, even for 20 seconds to visit the fridge, and you've likely missed a vital piece of information. One of the most demanding and challenging pieces of cinema with a storyline to follow, and even if you accomplish that the ending (beginning?) remains enigmatic. Brilliant, one-of-a-kind experience.

The best of the Lemmon-Matthau pairings is brilliantly written and abundantly quotable. Matthau plays the role of slobby sportswriter Oscar Madison as if he was born for it.

"I've got some brown sandwiches and some green sandwiches."

"What's in the green sandwiches?"

"It's either very new cheese or very old meat."

I should know better by now than to pause whenever this is on TV because 2 hours of my time are whisked away. Fascinating, absorbing, incredible true story about absolute power corrupting absolutely and the bravery and integrity of a few journalists who brought a massive conspiracy to light. Best of mystery, newspaper, political, and biographical movies all wrapped in one.

Jack Nicholson's finest hour on a timeline full of them. Utterly convincing, inspiring, heartbreaking story told with conviction, humanity, and doses of humor.

Visually stunning and massively influential, 30 years later STILL remains the standard for futuristic movies in production design. When you talk about films that should be seen on the big screen, this one is near the top of the list. I had already enjoyed it 3-4 times with the awful voiceover & happy ending in the original US print but made the point of watching the 1992 Director's Cut in the theater and felt like I was seeing it for the first time.

Thought-provoking study about what it means to be human as ex-cop android assassin (known as a 'blade runner') Rick Deckard is arm-twisted into hunting down 3 escaped androids that are considered highly dangerous. Battlestar Galactica fans will recognize this moral dilemma of what happens when the creator must face up to the created. Moody, mysterious, and controversial in 1982 for pushing the boundaries of graphic violence. It's not perfect and there are some slow stretches, but the Director's Cut vastly improves the experience and justifies the wonderfully enigmatic twist ending.

First-rate horror, incredible (and incredibly gory) special effects, gripping story, terrific actors. The blood testing scene ranks high among the most suspensefully scary scenes ever put on film, no matter how many times I've watched. Easily the best 'thing' Carpenter has ever done.

If you watch only one romantic 19th century literary adaptation in your lifetime, make it Sense and Sensibility.

Let me point out that the Victorian and pre-Victorian eras have been filmed to death, PBS alone has tapped that well nearly dry with its sumptuous yet sterile productions for nearly 40 years. There is really nothing that can be further contributed in terms of costume or set decoration to set one production distinctly apart from another. Where Oscar-winning screenwriter Emma Thompson has excelled is by providing this fantastic cast the opportunity to inject real, relatable life into these characters who follow a social code very different from our own. We get so much more than the usual furtive glances and pained expressions that most period pieces rely solely upon, Sense and Sensibility tackles the real emotions beneath the veneers. I've used the word 'real' twice already, but that's what I found so remarkable about this film in a genre that normally bores me to death - the people seem so REAL! And they are people I can actually care about, people who are striving to find happiness within a social system that does not always reward the virtuous. Ms. Thompson has exquisitely captured the voice of Jane Austen here, a novelist during a time when her gender was discouraged from such undertakings, and surpasses Emma as the finest film realization of her work.

The dialogue is wonderful and matched by the performances. There's so much to savor in this movie. Sisters Elinor and Marianne heatedly debating the best way to attract a man. Elinor's cathartic outburst upon realization of a momentous misunderstanding. Marianne's sorrow following rejection. Colonel Brandon's flicker of joy at being acknowledged by the object of his affection. And unlike most cinematic depictions would have you believe, humor was not invented in the 20th century. Comedic moments abound like the ladies hustling indoors to properly position themselves to receive a gentleman caller. Hugh Laurie's disdainful expression when his wife crumples the corner of his newspaper. Mrs. Jennings' meddling in her friends' affairs. And the bellylaugher, the unexpected reaction to "Go ahead, you can tell me anything!"

I could go on, but what I'm trying to convey is that Sense and Sensibility was a rare experience. Engaging, moving, funny, informative, and filled with personality and a timelessness that frees it from the historical setting. I heavily debated whether to award 4.5 or 5 stars - shouldn't the 5 star tag signify that it's one of my very favorite movies? Maybe it is and I just haven't fully accepted that realization yet. There are certainly no faults evident. Maybe the leap between the final two scenes is a little hasty, I would've liked more connecting material, but maybe that's how the book ends. Ultimately I award the highest rating because any film that has me pulling this hard for Alan Rickman MUST be quite extraordinary!

Pound for pound, the most visceral transference of fear I've ever experienced from a fictional motion picture. And all for just a paltry $32,000! How can that be, when so little is seen onscreen? Because of the trendsetting documentary-style first-person approach and the complete immersion it brings to the viewing experience - I feel like I'm right there with Heather, Josh, and Michael lost in the woods and hunted by beings unknown. The actors were subjected to the conditions seen in the film which makes their fatigue and desperation seem so real - because those aspects ARE real. Upon its release, many people thought this WAS a documentary and had to be told otherwise! Those are the reasons why the oft-imitated The Blair Witch Project ranks as a landmark in cinematic horror history.

I recently watched this for what feels like the 8th time and *still* manages to create chills during certain scenes, and also drops a dollop of perfectly suited black comedy at just the right times. Simply put, a brilliant idea executed brilliantly. I notice now that there are a couple places that plod a bit, but this still ranks among the fastest 90-minutes spent at the movies - because YOU ARE THERE!

The best Alien knockoff I have seen, and elevated above the normal 'monsters on the loose' scenario with compelling characters and a menacing, cunning antihero in Vin Diesel. Scary and smart, with a striking color scheme by director Twohy. And I bet nobody can guess which people get out alive!

Does what more adult relationship comedies should provide: laughs & likeable, intelligent characters.

"Most people are happy if you give them just a Big Mac and a pair of Nikes."

If there is more to your world than strip malls, suburban housing developments, and Starbucks, then 'Ghost World' is for you. An ode to misfits of all ages, this movie specializes in characters who have difficulty relating to the population at large. I must admit that I have a sizable kinship with teenage Enid and middle age Seymour, wonderfully played by Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi. Even the small roles are memorable, my favorite being Doug the convenience store denizen.

Hilarious moments spring up unexpectedly throughout as we follow Enid and her friend Becky after their high school graduation as they attempt to move on with their lives. The performances all ring true, the story unpredictable and engaging, and there are no easy answers or cop-outs. I love this movie.

Simple story masterfully told, Manon is the sequel to Jean de Florette in which the reclusive daughter of the hunchback who was killed for the water on his land learns the truth and sets a course for revenge. These stories might comprise the best 2-part package in French cinema history; knowing the events of the first is required to understand the motivations in the second, and absolutely essential to experience the shocking revelation to its fullest.

As with Jean de Florette, everything about this production is superlative, from the gorgeous countryside visuals to the rich orchestral soundtrack to the artistic compositional framing to the outstanding acting. Aged Yves Montand gives a towering performance of a character who ranks among the all-time greatest screen villains and pays an ultimate price of regret. Equally memorable is Daniel Auteuil who has never been better as Montand's nephew, bringing to life a pathetic simpleton who is both loathsome and pitiable. Another shining performance comes from the incomparably beautiful Emmanuelle Béart who shot to stardom as Manon the goat shepherdess. She doesn't have many lines in her solitude, instead reflecting her curiosity and distrust through her wondrous eyes, but when she does speak her outbursts carry that much more impact. Perhaps her finest achievement is racing up and down those precarious goat trails without tumbling into the emergency room!

I watched this last night for the first time since sitting in a college theater 20 years ago and could still vividly recall the big revelation scene as it unfolded which again packed an emotional punch as momentous as Darth Vader's at the end of Empire. If I had to choose, I'm inclined to say Jean de Florette is slightly better because of Gerard Depardieu's galvanizing presence, but with Manon des Sources we get Béart and a resonating conclusion to this 2-part masterpiece.

Best. Sports. Movie. Ever.

"I...I cahn't see! I CAHN'T SEE!!!"

Talk about stargazing. Cost-prohibitive to make such a movie these days, and the only comedy I can readily think of that sustains its laughs for three hours! My favorite character has to be Phil Silvers. "You're a little boy. If you want to be a big boy, WHICH WAY TO THE ROAD?!?!?"

I love the pacing of Dark City, experiencing the same breathless bewilderment as a man with no memory on the run (Rufus Sewell) and at the same time managing to capably comprehend the course of events and assemble the outlandish puzzle piece by astonishing piece. Supporting players Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt, and especially Kiefer Sutherland as an asthmatic scientist are all great too. The only stumble comes with a rather hokey action climax. Ingenious, confounding, and a classic of modern science fiction.

"Let's not mistake popularity for infamy."

Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' and John Hughes' 1980s films get a sharp & funny 21st-century mashup within the halls of a California high school as Olive Pendergast watches her little white lie of a one-night stand explode into a reputation that only Madonna could comprehend. Emma Stone is perfect as the quick-witted Olive who perpetuates the myth more to help the outcasts at her school than to boost her own ego but finds that carries an unexpectedly heavy price. You simply don't see this level of sophistication in a teenage comedy about sex (which shouldn't be confused with any moronic teenage sex comedy.) The jokes are as consistently clever as the method of telling the story with Olive recounting her ordeal via webcast.

Despite the setting, Easy A's core demographic should come from people 19-29 and while rated PG-13 there is a significant amount of sex talk, including Amanda Bynes providing the funniest exclamation of an STD you will ever see. The supporting adult cast is great too, from Lisa Kudrow as a morally conflicted guidance counselor to Stanley Tucci & Patricia Clarkson as Olive's uniquely offbeat yet caring parents.

I've watched this 3 times and there is never a dull moment, not a second is wasted - it is funny throughout, touching at the right moments, incisive at times, and an ending that hits a home run. On first viewing I almost thought it was too smart for its own good, but imprison me on MST3K's Satellite of Love before I penalize a movie for that. For my money Easy A is the best insightfully comedic examination of high school since Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and only Phoebe Cates' red bikini is keeping that one on the ballot.