20. Kill Bill - "Wakie Wakie, Eggs and Bacie!" Okay, so really this is two movies, but that's only because it would be way too long if it were just one movie. Some detractors to this movie may say it is way too violent and over the top, what those detractors fail to note is that it is AWESOME! Granted, I'm not showing it to the kids, but it is quite the amazing roller-coaster ride of a movie. Not for the squeamish or for those with an aversion to over the top violence, but it did make my top 20.
19. Pushing Tin - This is one of the coolest movies ever. It is basically is a contest between John Cusack's character and Billy Bob Thorntons' character to see who can be cooler. The winner? You, the movie watcher. It's hilarious and I haven't even mentioned Angelina Jolie yet. Good times.
18. The Usual Suspects - This movie blew me away the first time I saw it. It's very confusing at first, but the ending is one of the best in movie history. Plus, it launched the legendary bad guy Keyzer Soze, so on the strength of it's ending and Soze, it makes the top 20.
17. Being John Malkovich - Yes, this movie is weird. The premise has more creativity than most any other movie I've ever seen, plus it has John Cusack as a down on his luck puppeteer, so that's interesting. It's hard to really sum up this movie, as it is just so out there, but here is my best try. John Malkovich is actually a being who has been created in an effort to help an alien live forever. If you haven't seen this, I assure you that it is actually quite good, despite that being the actual premise.
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Jim Carey can actually act. When he puts his mind to it, he can create fascinating characters like this guy who needs his memories purged of his ex-girlfriend who has broken his heart. This movie is also tremendously interesting, and brings up all sorts of questions about destiny, love, science, and what color hair looks best on Kate Winslet. In another weird twist, it is the second movie in a row on my countdown which was written by Charlie Kaufman. If you know anything about his screenwriting, To have a weird twist involving Charlie Kaufman is ironically appropriate.
15. Bandits - Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton star as two bank robbers in one of the greatest buddy pictures of all time. Throw in Cate Blanchette as a lonely housewife with nothing to lose, and you have a fantastic setup. I have to say, when I worked as a manager of a bank, the concept of "The Sleepover Bandits" terrified me, though.
14. Fletch - "May I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo." Of all the movie characters I have ever seen, Irwin P. Fletcher was the one I most wanted to be like when I was a kid. This guy was hilarious and told jokes as if he wasn't telling jokes, which made them even funnier. Even better in my opinion than the Vacation movies, Fletch to me is Chevy Chase's high water mark, and the fact that he has fallen so far since the 80's from where he was as Fletch really makes me sad. This movie has so many fantastic one-liners that if I EVER stumble upon it as I am flicking channels, rest assured, I am watching it to it's conclusions. After all, "It's all ball bearings these days."
13. Memento - Brilliant movie that couldn't be told in a linear fashion, so it wasn't. Just fantastic filmwriting, and wonderfully executed.
12. Tombstone - Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday redefines cool. This movie is just so tough it makes you feel tough watching it. It's remarkably rewatchable and just plain good.
11. Sideways - Paul Giamatti is a really good actor which is why he is able to get parts in movies even though he looks like Paul Giamatti. This movie was nominated for best picture, and deservedly so. Even though it really doesn't tell an epic story, it tells it's story in an epic, emotional way. Plus there is a scene with a naked man running that is so hilariously fantastic that I had to include this movie, Sideways BARELY missed the top 10. Perhaps the reason it fell short is because I like Merlot.
3 comments:
Ah, The Usual Suspects. My friend Daniel suggested we all watch that movie together in high school, and I'll be honest, for most of the movie I sat there thinking "Why did he want us to watch this? I get what's going on, and now it's just dragging on . . ." And then came the ending, and everything, including why he wanted us to watch it, make sense.
the excellence of the majority of films in this segment (Tombstone, Bandits, Fletch, Memento) and previous segments outweighs the ones that would be on my Top 50 Disappointments (Usual Suspects, Sideways).
to this day, i point out to my wife public posting boards produced by the Quartet company.
and another thing - I have the SE dvd of Memento, and there's an easter egg on it where you can watch the movie in it's linear order. still an excellent picture.
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