My Favorite Movies

"I'm alive! Maggie the cat is alive!"

It just doesn't get any better than this. Two of the finest actors of their generation at the tops of their games... and the material isn't bad, either.

My all-time favorite movie.

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world if what we share with someone else when we're uncool."

Such a nakedly personal and honest film by my favorite filmmaker. I love this movie so much. Check out the "Untitled" Director's cut version - it's longer and superior to the theatrical version.

"From the moment I met you your aroggance and conceit and your selfish disdain for the feelings of other made me realize that you are the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry. "

This movie is perfect. It is, may I dare to say, superior to the BBC version. Not hating on Colin Firth, but I prefer this one. I'm sorry, but Matthew MacFayden walking across the meadow in that coat at dawn is the sexiest costume moment ever!

"I've been listening to my gut since I was 14 years old, and frankly speaking, I've come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains"

Simply fantastic. A romantic comedy that centers around a man that is NOT Woody Allen? Surely you jest. This is some of John Cusack's best work, and it is all hilarious. And the addition of "Top Five" lists into the lexicon is priceless.

"I like your sweater. Does it come in a V-neck? "

It's been a long time since I laughed this hard at a movie. A romantic comedy that's genuinely romantic and genuinely hilarious. Steve Carell is earnest and deadpan, and his goofy buddies are ridiculously funny in their attempts to make the title not true. I can watch this again and again and it's always funny.

"Virgil, turn on your side."

This is such a creative endeavor for a science fiction movie. It has so much realism in it, that it is believable that the science fiction elements exist. What it is really about is the perception of the unknown: do you treat it with suspicion, caution, or adoring wonder?

Check out the director's cut.

"All you need is love."

Julie Taymor is a ridiculous genius. She took what could have been just another jukebox musical and turned it into something psychodelically extraordinary. However, I do think that it would have been a more courageous choice to have the movie take place right now, instead of in the 60s; the 60s are expected, modern would have illustrated the Beatles' timelessness.

"Get away from her, you BITCH!"

Scary as shit and totally awesome.

"Forgive me, Majesty. I am a vulgar man! But I assure you, my music is not."

This is about the power and curses of envy. It is one of the most beautiful movies ever made, brilliantly acted, costumes are perfection, and you won't find any music any better.

"How do you have patience for people who claim they love America, but clearly can't stand Americans? "

This is a fun little movie. Most noteworthy, is that Aaron Sorkin wrote the film, and much of the cast reappears in different roles on the West Wing. It's crazy seeing Martin Sheen play the chief of staff, and not the president!!

"TOGA! TOGA!"

Without this movie, there would be no Judd Apatow, no Will Ferrell, no Vince Vaughn. A classic and totally hilarious!

"La dee da, la dee da, indeed."

So New York, so Woody Allen, so Diane Keaton. This is a prototype for the neurotic romantic comedy, and it is wonderful. Note the exact moment that Diane Keaton became a fashion icon.

"Houston, we have a problem."

This is such a great movie, detailing a very specific moment in American history. It is so masterfully done, whenever I see documentary footage, I'm looking for Tom Hanks!

"Some have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just no one in this car."

This is, what I feel, to be the beginning of cringetastic humor. Filled with brilliant performances, and wonderful writing. And the cute dog is a plus!

"I can't have a baby because I have a 12:30 lunch meeting."

This is such a great time capsule for what being a corporate woman in the 80s was about. Today, we can look at this film and see how much the world has changed in how it views mothers that work. And it's hilarious and touching.

"Well... You're safe and sound now, back in good old 1955. "

So quotable, so great. It injected so many things into the colloquial, that we just assume were always there. Doc Brown, Marty McFly, 88 miles per hour, are code words for time travel. But it's really about perception and bravery; you parents are really people and were kids once, and doing things that seem scary can really turn things for the better.

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I *do* that defines me."

This is the first real Batman movie. All of the others before were all about the villains; this one is about Bruce Wayne, how he becomes Batman, and what Batman is really about - darkness, revenge, and redemption.

"So why the sad face?"
"Job requirement. Happy piano players work the circus.'

This is a wonderful movie with a great cast. If you've been away from home for a long time, and gone back, looked up the old buddies, you know exactly where Ted Demme is coming from. The dialogue is wonderful, the acting is excellent; Timothy Hutton proves that he truly deserved his Oscar, and a twelve-year-old Natalie Portman proves that she is a star on the rise. And don't hate on Rosie -- she has the best speech of the whole flick!

"Master, I could be wrong, but that might not be the best way to win the girl's affections."

Such a lovely animated movie! For the first time, we have a Disney heroine that uses her brain! She's not just beautiful, but she's really smart. The vunerability of the Beast is palpable, the comedy of the servants is sparkling, and Gaston is a wonderful comic villain. It is really a sophisticated story about the power of fear and the unknown, and having the courage to look past what scares you.

"Well... I attended Juilliard... I'm a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT... NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY... NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I'm qualified? "

This is deliciously classic Tim Burton! It's so strange and so wonderful... not to mention quotable. I loved it when I was 9, and I still do!

"Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more? "

I saw this movie right when it came out on video in '95, and I loved it immediately. The story of two young people who meet on a train on the way to Vienna, they decide to get off the train and hang out all night. The movie is one long conversation, a sexy dream conversation about love, religion, gender, and life. They part at the end of the movie leaving the door open for Before Sunset -- but us long-term fans didn't know that was going to happen.

"Memory's a wonderful thing if you don't have to deal with the past."

It was such a long nine years!! We meet up again with Jesse and Celine in Paris, at Jesse's book signing - a book written about his night in Vienna with Celine. They have another remarkable conversation, only this time, things are different. When they met in Vienna, their conversation was about their dreams and aspirations about the kind of people they wanted to be; not jobs, but they way they wanted to exist in the world. This conversation is a comparison of how those aspirations panned out a decade later, and it's remarkable.

"Bratwurst and shillelaghs... paging Dr. Freud. "

My favorite of the Chris Guest movies! If you know dog people, this movie's hilarity grows exponentially. I just can't even express how funny this is.

" I wish I were big."

The movie that proved that Tom Hanks was a really good actor. This is such a lovely story about retaining youth - it's hilarious and touching.

"Just relax, darlin'. This is the Big Easy. Folks have a certain way o' doin' things down here. "

One of the sexiest movies ever, taking place in one of the greatest cities in the world, and my personal favorite city. It's all guns and gams, accents and asses, crawfish and corruption. I love New Orleans, and I love the Big Sleazy... and The Big Easy. Good Dennis Quaid butt shot in it, too!

"I am not the boss of my house. I don't know how I lost it. I don't know where I lost it. I don't think I ever had it. But I've seen the boss's job... and I don't want it. "

This comedy show was obviously the seed from which the Cosby Show grew. It is charming and wonderful; the best kind of observational comedy. Jerry Seinfeld owes the world to Bill Cosby.

"Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES! "

When I saw this in the theatre, I was nine years old and though it was the funniest movie ever. I saw it again a few months ago at the Drafthouse for a quote-along, and it still ranks up there with the greatest comedies ever. Why can't Keanu Reeves just be Ted forever? Oh yeah...

"I don't want a childhood. I want to be a ballet dancer."

This is a wonderful movie about finding something beautiful in yourself in a world of ugly. Billy Elliot's father and brother are striking coal miners, and when he gets wanders into a ballet class after his boxing class, his entire life changes. A natural talent, Billy struggles with his ambition and his connection to his desperate home life. All of the supporting characters are well-rounded and very interesting as well... a gorgeous movie!

"Oh I see, so you're going to a cemetery with your toothbrush. How Egyptian. "

I nearly wet my pants laughing every time I watch this movie. One of the most stellar casts ever assembled, and the surprising hilarity keeps topping itself. Who knew that Gene Hackman was funny?!

"I am a star. I'm a star, I'm a star, I'm a star. I am a big, bright, shining star. That's right. "

A movie about the porn industry in the 70s... yeah, it's got a lot of nudity, sex, drugs, violence, and language, but what it has the most of is phenomenal acting. Boogie Nights is a grand rise and fall, and we see the porn industry evolve from the inside. PT Anderson makes a dramatic statement with his stellar ensemble cast, storytelling, and directing. Every time I watch it, I seem to viscerally forget what happens next, and when climactic moments do, I am always shocked. Brilliant.

"Thank you for not shooting me. "

Michael Moore, in this film, takes on widespread violence in America. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a film that attacks the idea of firearms, but rather the acceptance of violence in America.

"That can't be William Wallace. I'm *prettier* than this man! "

A masterpiece of epic filmmaking. It's a personal story, a political story, it's violent and poignant, and there are bare asses and a funny Irishman. What's not to love?

Oh, and the Scottish people were so inspired by the film, that they appealed to the British government and now have their own Parlaiment.

"Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?"

Classic John Hughes. You know it. You love it... remember when people thought that sushi was gross?

"Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!"

Chanel invented the little black dress, but Holly Golightly made it necessary. A prototype for Carrie Bradshaw and all fabulous single gals we have come to love, Hepburn's Holly is lovely, vunerable, independent (in her own way), and completely magnetic. Makes me want to go out and steal a kitty mask!

"This is an occasion for genuinely tiny knickers."

Pride and Prejudice updated 200 years! It's funny, Mark Darcy's character was inspired by Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the BBC production of Pride and Prej. It's classicly funny, with Hugh Grant being deliciously nasty, and Renee being wonderfully dotteringly English!

"When a man is wrestling a leopard in the middle of a pond, he's in no position to run. "

A classic 1930s screwball comedy, Bringing Up Baby is a gem. Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant are sparkling; it's so wonderful to see her as a kooky gal, getting Grant into so much trouble! The story doesn't matter, it's watching plans crumble and hilarity ensue.

"If you knew Cindy Lou, then you'd know why I feel blue..."

A wonderful tribute to Buddy Holly, Gary Busey portrays the Lubbock native with respect and love. Not a mimicry performance like so many others we've seen recently, Busey's Buddy is a well-rounded character chomping at the bit of life, living as if he knew there wouldn't be much life to live.

"So! Bein' a ladybug automatically makes me a girl. Is that it, fly boy? Eh? "

A wonderful Pixar flick - with the characteristic sassy dialogue, and phenomenal vocal talents of A-listers. It's typical Pixar - flawless and hilarious, with a message.

"Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic. "

Worship at the church of baseball. This is a razor sharp movie about desire, ambition, and the universe... of course it's a baseball movie! Kevin Costner is at the top of his game, Tim Robbins is wonderfully goofy, and Susan Sarandon is silly and sexy. Always a good time watching this flick.

"Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch? "

The most endlessly quotable movie of all time! I can almost recite the entire thing right now. The buddy film to end all buddy films, the western to end all westerns, and a fantastic comedy -- Butch & Sundance is priceless. The dialogue pops like none other, and those two guys are so gorgeous, I can hardly stand it.

"This crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere. Former greenskeeper and now about to become the masters champion."

The most classless of class-based classic comedies! The plot is immaterial, but it's the great moments of Chase, Murray, Dangerfield, and Knight that make this movie hilarious and endlessly quotable. Just remember, Be the ball.

"Aha. Look what I've created. I have made FIRE."

This movie is such genius. There are very few actors that can carry a movie like this; Tom Hanks is onscreen alone for almost two hours. Such an acting triumph. Great movie.

"I don't want to go to college. I want to dance."

Such a fun little movie about student ballet dancers. This movie is about doing exactly what it is that you want to do. It's about passion and drive. The dancing is wonderful, the acting not terrible, and the story is pretty good, too.

"I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love."

Oh, the pathos of Charlie Brown. Our favorite little depressive takes on Christmas, and figuring out the meaning of it all. The Peanuts gang is all there, expressing their commercialism and their love for the external nature of Christmas, while Charlie is, as always, searching for a deeper meaning. A perfect Christmas movie, that only gets better as the years go on.

" I think it's more like Banky's having a real problem with all things not hetero right about now."

The most personal of all of the Jersey Trilogy movies, Chasing Amy is about letting your brain get in the way of your heart. But... it is still Kevin Smith, so it's nasty, smart, and unexpected. Brilliantly written, well-performed, watch a good selection of actors on the cusp of stardom.

"Goddammit, now can't ANYBODY up there hear me! Just let your hair down! Can't you talk? All of you, just talk, to me, to each other!... Jesus Christ! "

I love this show, and grew up loving the movie, and was lucky enough to costume design the show in 2007. This show is about vulnerability and the desire for approval. The director is auditioning people, and not dancers; and the dancers tell and show him the kind of people they are. A great story, great songs, great dancing.

"And then he ran into my knife... he ran into my knife ten times. "

This movie proved that movie musicals were still valid, as long as they brought something new to the table. It's slick, stylish, and makes a statement about the relationship between violence and celebrity. It changed the movie landscape the way that Cabaret did in the 70s. Just excellent.

"Goodnight, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England. "

This is such a remarkable story about a young man who longs to be free. This movie is more like a bird migration than a story about a person. Homer leaves the only place he has ever known to work in an orchard. He meets other fruit pickers, and through a course of very dramatic events, he returns to the orphanage, in the role that was chosen for him when he was a child. This movie is about seeing the world, and realizing where home really is.

"But, you see, I have the other slipper."

This is such a classic! I, personally, love the mice. Cinderella could use a little more spunk, and be a little more motivated, but a wonderful movie nonetheless, albeit not necessarily a role-model kind of Disney flick for little gals.

"My friend here is trying to convince me that any independent contractors working on the uncompleted Death Star were innocent victims when it was destroyed by the Rebels."

Classic. Classic. Classic. Smart, funny, guerilla filmmaking, and the movie that introduced the world to Kevin Smith. It's really remarkable, Smith was working at the store, thinking it was a dead end, dying to get out, so he made a movie about losers who work in a store that are dying to get out; Smith got out, but as Clerks II shows, Randal and Dante don't. It's so twisted, and so awesome, that it just keeps getting funnier each time I see it. And each time I see it, I incorporate another snappy bit of hilarity into my catalog of sarcasm.

"All right, look, there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi."

I went into this movie with great trepidation; Clerks was so great, that I was afraid that my dear Kevin Smith would mess up the legacy of the original. I really loved this movie. It's different from the first one, but the characters have grown since the last movie, and that snappy Clerks dialogue is still there, which is what I love.

"You've been awful busy, Reggie, obstruction of justice, tampering with federal evidence, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, you've been REAL busy."
"Oh Roy, I am so FLATTERED that you noticed!"

I do enjoy this movie; it has wonderful performances by Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon (nominated for an Oscar for this role), and the late Brad Renfro. It's a typical Grisham plot, but it's the lovely performances that make this movie worth watching. It's the kind of movie that I like to watch while I'm doing something else.

"Yes, I did it. I killed Yvette. I hated her so... much... it... it... the... it... the... fee... flames... flames... on the side of my face... heaving... breathless... heaving breaths... "

Ok, I know that I shouldn't love this movie as much that I do, but I just die laughing every time I watch it. It's a kooky story based on the popular board game, which is kooky itself. This movie is filled with masterful comedians, doing some great physical comedy and verbal gymnastics.

"Do you prefer 'fashion victim' or 'ensembly challenged?' "

Based on Jane Austen's "Emma," this movie changed the idea of what a teen comedy could be. 10 years earlier, Cher would be a villain, but in 1005, the really beautiful, really rich, really not so bright girl is really nice, and totally the heroine. She takes care of everyone around her, and only wants the people in her life to be happy. Along the way, she finds herself in love, and of course everyone lives happily ever after. It's the dialogue, the fashion, the silliness, and the 90s-tastic-ness of it all that makes this such a keeper!

" If you are fighting, stop fighting. If you are marching, stop marching. Come back to me. Come back to me is my request. "

This is a beautiful movie -- horribly sad, but lovely. The performance are very good, the production design is gritty, and the portrayal of what life was really like for women left behind during the Civil War is quite realistic - no "as God as my witness" stuff here.

Oh, and Jack White's in it!

"I'm poor, black, I might even be ugly, but dear God, I'm here. I'm here."

The movie version of one of my all-time favorite books is just as haunting and affirming as the novel. Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah WInfrey are transcendently wonderful, and Spielberg is remarkable in his first real, grown-up movie.

This is a story about resiliency, hope, and love. It's about race in the South during the first half of the 20th century, it's about gender power, it's about imperialism. It's wonderful...

"If your prick is as limp as your verse, no price can buy time enough."

This is a smart, sexy story about a branch of feminism of which most people are not aware. Catherine McCormack (Braveheart's doomed wife) plays a courtesan in Renaissance Venice. What this movie beautifully illustrates is the opportunities that courtesans had: education and exploration. While men paid them for sex, they were also paid for companionship and intellectual stimulation. It is this power that led them to be persecuted as witches. Wonderful!

"Oh! I'm sorry, ever since I had the stroke I've not been hearing things right... it's like... WHOOO!"

This movie has nothing but charm to offer. Kevin Kline is effervescent, and Sigourney Weaver is wonderfully ascerbic. It's a great statement on what a fresh set of eyes can bring to politics.

The brilliance of this movie is the LACK of a traditional story, which is what Linklater does best. It's not about anything but awesomeness! I can't tell you how many times I saw this movie in high school with my friends, but I loved every viewing. This is my generation's American Graffiti; "nobody" actors who eventually became huge stars, an aimless high school story, and a rad soundtrack!

"Darling, believe me, I try not skip a day in writing you. Whether or not I get a letter determines if it's a good day or not."

I remember watching this movie on HBO when I was a little girl, and it has stuck with me for twenty years. This movie is the truth of Vietnam. Wonderful actors read letters written home to from Vietnam, while vintage footage is shown. It's structured as a single year tour of duty, showing daily life, daily fears, daily longings. It's funny, touching, and heartbreaking. A truly remarkable film.

"You want some coke? There it is. Don't move till you're numb."

A perfect storm of talent, and finally finally Marty gets his Oscar. It's brilliant. Watch it. Any words I say about it could never be enough.

"It's easier to pull the trigger than play guitar. Easier to destroy than create. "

The follow-up to Rodriguez's revolutionary El Mariachi, this movie is more conscious of humor, and Rodriguez's friends are more noted. Tarantino is hilarious, Buscemi is priceless, and Salma Hayek is remarkable. And Antonio, Antonio, Antonio... so sexy, so dangerous, so damaged. This movie is a blast and really well-made.

"Now, Chanel. You're in desperate need of Chanel."

This is not an "ugly girl gets pretty" movie, although there is that scene in it. This is about "paying your dues" in order to get to where you want to be in your career. The nightmare scenario for a girl who doesn't care about clothes, is to work at Vogue, or excuse me, "Runway" magazine. This is a movie about office politics, about pleasing an unpleasable boss, about the tension with you and your cubicle-mate, and all of your coworkers not liking you. Sounds like a new job to me! Now, how can I get Patricia Field to costume design my life?

"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs...”

The most perfect non-sci-fi action movie ever. Period. John McClane is the perfect good guy, and Hans Gruber is the perfect 80s bad guy. There's lots of machine guns, dead terrorists, dead yuppies, and a hero with no shoes. Awesome!

"I carried a watermelon."

It's Dirty Dancing! You gotta love it! What with all of the chiffon and the dancing, and the Patrick Swayze dancing in the dance pants... loved it when I was 8, and it's still pretty damn good.

"You can blink now."

Michael J. Fox is what keeps this movie from being complete crap. And Michael J. Fox is what makes this really really fun! It's a story about the benefits of slowing down a little bit and seeing what life really has to offer. It's charming and warm, like a soft, favorite blanket. This is definitely in my "I'm sick and can't get out of bed" rotation.

"I'm taking her to my place which she still thinks is your place by saying the guy she thinks I am who acts like you has a meeting there with you and the guy who she still doesn't know I really am."

This movie is so much fun! A throwback tribute to the fun fun fun Doris Day/ Rock Hudson movies of the early sixties, Ewan and Renee are sparkling with double, triple, and quadruple entendres. David Hyde Pierce, basically still playing Niles Crane, is a wonder! The sassy split-screen phone conversation is worth seeing the movie, not to mention the big musical number at the end.

"I want something great. I want something that's never been done before! "

So, the best thing about this movie is the music, which it is the reason it was relatively successful when it was released. The soundtrack was a huge smash, mostly because Springsteen hadn't released an album in years, due to legal troubles (he released Born in the USA the next year). It's a great little movie about a band and the mystery surrounding the lead singer's disappearance. But the music, oh, the music!

"I'm impossible to forget, but I'm hard to remember."

This movie is on my list, only as a courtesy to Cameron Crowe, who is my favorite. It's a wonderful idea of a film, almost as if Jerry Maguire fell in love with Penny Lane, and they could only talk on the phone. The bones of the film are good, but the problem I have with it is the structure: the first two thirds should be half as long, and the last third should be twice as long. I've only watched it once, I need to see it again, but I just wish that the timing were a little different. Oh, yeah, and Paula Deen is in it, and she's hilarious.

"Look at it out here, it's all falling apart. I'm erasing you and I'm happy! "

This is my favorite of all of the Charlie Kaufman films; I don't know if it's because it's his most accessible, but it's my favorite. It's about the extremes that love takes us to, and about how when times are bad, we need to remember the good times, and why we fell in love to begin with. It's lovely and quirky and both Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey give remarkable performances.

"You could be happy here, I could take care of you. I wouldn't let anybody hurt you. We could grow up together, E.T."

We all know what this movie is. Remarkable, touching, magical, personal. I love this movie, and it is seriously, my ringtone.

"Don't dilly-dally there, pretty lady. We're all gonna be down here talking about you. "

This is one of my favorite Christmas movies! I love the big, loud, messy family filled with love and neuroses. The cast is wonderful, the writing is fantastic, and the direction is lovely. It's cringe-tastic, and cuddly wonderful.

"Ah, hon, ya got Arby's all over me."

I love this movie. It has a classic anti-hero, with Jerry, and I applaud the Coen brothers for having a hugely pregnant main character that doesn't give birth during the movie. It's a tragedy of errors by people we've never met before, that takes place somewhere we've never seen before. Just phenomenal.

"I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now, watch this drive."

A brave and marvelous indictment of the Bush administration, F 9/11 tried to expose the criminality of the administration, and their misleading of the Congress and the American public into the war in Iraq. It actively tried to unseat Bush in '04; it was unsuccessful, but it serves as a record that we were not all in the dark on Election Day '04.

What can I say about Fantasia?! It's charming, surreal, and beautiful. It's such a wonderful way to introduce children to classical music, and a great way to revisit it as an adult. Fantasia changed everything. The thought of a hippo in a tutu still makes me smile.

"That was my skull! I'm so wasted! "

The first film that Cameron Crowe ever wrote, it was based on his nonfiction book, where he went back to high school and wrote about the kids. This is the first really accurate high school film, and it's fantastic! It's about kids dealing with their little adult lives, and the very adult issues that ensue. Sean Penn is hilarious, and the rest of the cast is equally wonderful. Look out for a fetal Anthony Edwards and equally young young young Nicholas Cage!

"Do the baby 'vorkout'! Make those babies gleefull! Oh, that's good. Little tin soldiers. Happy tin soldiers. Richt. And now with an attitude. Hello! Who you? Get 'avay'! I don't like 'vat' you say!"

Not nearly as good as the first one, and I truly do not care for the "midlife crisis" storyline. The whole house thing was a mistake in writing, but otherwise, it's a fun movie. I love Father's Little Dividend (the sequel to the original FOTB), and this is a great updating of it, especially making mom preggo! It is still, of course, idealistic, but that's what you expect from this series of movies!

"This was the moment I'd been dreading for the past six months. Well, actually for the past 22 years."

Aaah, the joys of planning a wedding! I love the 1950 Spencer Tracy/ Liz Taylor version, but this one, I think, is equal to the challenge. It's definitely idealistic and Norman Rockwell-esque, but a charming little dream of a movie. None of us feel like Annie, and no dad is that doting, and no mom is that stable! But one of my favorites, even after I got married.

"Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

John Hughes perfection. Endlessly quotable and entirely enviable. I love this movie!
Poor Matthew Broderick; he will forever be known as one of two things, Mr. Sarah Jessica Parker, or Ferris Bueller. Not a bad choice.

" Where do the Sox rank in terms of importance in your life?"
"I say the Red Sox... sex... and breathing."

Cute little romantic comedy about where to put your single self when you're in a relationship. And as a Red Sox fan, I think it's fantastic. Completely on accident, it takes place during the miraculous 2004 season, during which the Farrely bros. got full access to the team. I remember watching the Series, thinking, "I didn't know that Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon were a couple!" Fun movie.

"My client's a moron that's not against the law."

Proto-Aaron Sorkin, and I love it! Nicholson was at his best, Cruise looks his best in a Naval uniform, and it's just really great acting all around. A film version of a play that doesn't feel stagnant -- remarkable!

"If you build it, he will come."

This is about what can happen when you believe in yourself. It's one of those great second chance, father-son movies, with a little baseball thrown in. It's about shared passion, history, literature, and faith. It's a beautiful film, Kevin Costner is wonderful, Amy Madigan is sparky, and the supporting cast is second to none. Love it, and it's hard to beat!

"This is the Ocean, silly, we're not the only two in here."

Pixar is just brilliant. The visuals are remarkable, the characters are charming, the dialogue is snappy, and like any great second-chance movie, this one is about fathers and sons. Every time I watch this movie, I find something else to love love love.

"Wake up Limey fish!"

Surprise, surprise, I love the dialogue! Quick, machine gun, English wit, with Kevin Kline as an enormous ignoramus with an equally enormous vocabulary. This movie is hugely funny, and John Cleese has a surprisingly lovely ass!

"Hey, hey! What's this I see? I thought this was a party. LET'S DANCE! "

So 80s-tastic! And with SJP, to boot! Great 80s fashion, great 80s dancing, great 80s music! Love it! I just gotta cut loose...

"And cause I was a gozillionaire, and I liked doin it so much, I cut that grass for free."

This is a classic story about a very sweet man that just kind of gets carried away throughout history in the 2nd half of the 20th century. He does things that most of us only dream of, and it happens by happenstance. It's a thoroughly American movie, and it's wonderful to watch. And it was being filmed in the town where I lived at the time!

"I don't know what they taught you in France, but rude and interesting are not the same things."

This movie is such a charmer! Meg Ryan is at her Meg Ryan-iest best, Kevin Kline is wonderful as a French sleazeball with a heart of gold, and I love Timothy Hutton in everything! This is another in my "I'm sick and don't want to get out of bed" rotation.

"I love you too dad. I missed you so much."

This is a movie about second chances, and to me, the best second chance movies center on father-son relationships. Sort of a time travel movie, sort of a serial killer movie, sort of a firefighter movie, sort of a cop movie, this movie is just wonderful, especially for those of us that just wish we could have one last conversation.

"At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can."

This is just excellent - the surreal life of the truly surreal artist Frida Kahlo, told from the eyes of the surreal Julie Taymor (see Across the Universe). This is really an interesting film; it holds no punches, and is brutally honest.

"Scarlotta! Fabulous dress. The ecclesiastical purple and the pagan orange symbolizing the mystical symbiosis in marriage between the heathen and Christian traditions?"

This is a nearly perfect romantic comedy. I love the world created by a wonderful group of friends. Come to think of it, it's actually the one of the first movies that created the idea of a group of friends being your family. It's about trying to catch up with your friends, while they're all embarking on adulthood, while you're left behind. Okay, and Hugh Grant is adorable. The only reason that I didn't give it a full-on five star rating, is because Andie McDowell can't act her way out of a paper bag.

"The world's my oyster, except for the fact that I just rammed a wooden stake in my brother's heart because he turned into a vampire, even though I don't believe in vampires. Aside from that unfortunate business, everything's hunky-dory. "

This is one of those great two-movies-in-one movies. It starts out as a Tarantino crime flick, with the suits and everything, and it turns into this crazy Mexican vampire Rodriguez thing. It has the whip-smart dialogue of Tarantino, and the frenetic pacing and camera work of Rodriguez. And it has George Clooney. All excellent reasons to watch.

"Well, think me up a cup of coffee and a chocolate doughnut with some of those little sprinkles on top, just as long as you're thinking."

This is the classic chase movie, and that's all it is. Sometimes the simplest premises are the most effective, especially when they are played out by Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. And the bus/train crash is completely awesome and one of the greatest stunts ever.

"Safe... when I'm with you I feel so safe... like I'm home."

This movie is strangely like the week that my husband and I met, and it is strangely also how we have become.

The movie is so specific, yet so universal, and has enough surrealism in it to make it true entertainment.

The plot is immaterial: it's about death, love, home, fear, and friendship. Enjoy.

"Generals can do anything. There's nothing so much like a god on earth as a General on a battlefield."

I saw this movie in the theatre, and absolutely loved it, and here it is fifteen years later, I still love it. I know Civil War history rather well, and although this movie isn't exactly accurate, what is important is that it takes static photographs and stories and turns them into real people with personalities and piccadillos.

Based on the brilliant novel, The Killer Angels, Gettysburg takes the most pivotal three days in American history, and lights them up gloriously.

The great performances of Jeff Daniels and Tom Berenger are worth the rather long running time.

"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! "

C'mon! It's freakin' GHOSTBUSTERS! You know you love it! I don't have to explain it!

"You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little fucked up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to fuckin' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny? "

Godfather people look out: this is the greatest gangster movie ever made. This is about a footsoldier, about how a neighborhood kid rises to the heights of the mob life, and then becomes new mafia, in an old school family. Goodfellas takes Henry Hill up to the highest of the highs (note the Copa tracking shot) to the lowest of the lows (cue cocaine). I believe this is Scorsese's finest work; Goodfellas is absolute perfection.

"Goooooooood morning, Vietnam! Hey, this is not a test! This is rock and roll! Time to rock it from the Delta to the D.M.Z.! "

The first thing I always realize whenever I watch this movie, is that my uncle listened to Cronauer when he was in Vietnam, and that he loved listening to him. I always think about Uncle Bobby sitting in some godforsaken shithole, listening to this funny guy, making his day a little better. Seeing this movie, and realizing what happened behind the microphone is always a revelation, as is Robin Williams' acting; remember, this is 1988, before anyone knew that Williams could do more than just be funny.

"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. "

This is a story of the dawn of conscious journalism. Edward R. Murrow saw that injustice was being perpetrated by the government, and called McCarthy out, presenting the truth and demanding an end to the blacklist. If only the press today were so brave as to challenge government's tyranny today. This film is a triumph.

"Fuck you, you don't owe it to yourself man, you owe it to me, 'cause tomorrow I'm gonna wake up and I'll be 50, and I'll still be doin' this shit. And that's all right. That's fine. I mean, you're sittin' on a winnin' lottery ticket. You're too much of a pussy to cash it in, and that's bullshit. 'Cause I'd do fuckin' anything to have what you got. So would any of these fuckin' guys. It'd be an insult to us if you're still here in 20 years. Hangin' around here is a fuckin' waste of your time."

If you divorce yourself from the whole Ben and Matt thing, and just watch this movie, you will realize how remarkable it is. This is a wonderful story about potential, about intelligence, about love, and about friendship. It has glorious dialogue, wonderful acting, and a lovely story. I has a point of view that could only be told from people raised in Boston; nowhere else can you find the juxtaposition of the MIT intellectual world, and the working class world of Southie. I recently re-watched it, and it still holds up after (gasp!) eleven years.

"Goonies never say die!"

It's the perfect fantasy when you're eight: you find a treasure map in your attic, and go after buried treasure to save your neighborhood, because adults are silly. This was before Sean Astin was a hobbit, Josh Brolin was running with a briefcase filled with drug money, before Corey Feldman was an addict. It's an adventure, and I always feel like I'm eight again when I see this movie!

"If there's one thing I don't look for in a maid, it's discretion. Except with my own secrets, of course. "

A truly British film made by the most American of directors. Altman gives his treatment to the Upstairs, Downstairs world, and it's just a sparkling whodunnit. Everyone is brilliant, and Helen Mirren's scene near the end, when she is alone in her room is absolutely sublime. Recommended double-feature with PBS's Manor House series.

"Those rocks are laughing at me right now, me and my worries... Yeah, its real humorous, that Grand Canyon. Its laughing at me right now. You know what I felt like? I felt like a gnat that lands on the ass of a cow chewing his cud on the side of the road that you drive by doing 70 mph."

This is such a remarkable film, by the master of ensemble dramas, Lawrence Kasdan. It's about lives intertwining, about the domino affect, and the way that we affect other peoples' lives. It's about the big picture, told in small moments. ... and keep your eye out for a fetal Jeremy Sisto!

"Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's GROUNDHOG DAY!"

The brilliance of this movie cannot be overstated. The title has become a synonym for deja vu, the sentiment has become a symbol for a monotonous existence. In fact, this is probably the most existential mainstream film ever made. It's hilarious and never gets old, but that damn Andie MacDowell is there again! Why won't she just go away, and let Bill Murray be brilliant?!

Yay for Harry Potter!

"I like all of God's creatures, I just like some of them better stuffed. And he's one of them."

This is a lovely little film that captures the small town of Smithville beautifully. It captures the relationship between a mother and a daughter beautifully. It's not about overcoming anything; this movie is about taking strength from love. And Harry Connick, Jr. is gorgeously wonderful as well!

" What we take for granted might not be here for our children."

The wake-up call for a nation of sleeping environmentalists. This is a remarkable work. It is structured so beautifully; the moment that you think that things are hopeless, Gore comes in with something that gives you hope. It's emotional, but not preachy; scientific, but not dry. I own this movie, but it is, honestly, not one that I watch often because it easily upsets me. But it's a movie that I'm glad I have...

"Supermodels. Heh! Nothing super about them... spoiled, stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves. Feh! I used to design for *gods*! "

This movie is such a little charmer! I love the design of it, I love the "Edith Head" character, and I love the idea of a family of superheroes. I honestly don't remember the story that well, but like with every Pixar movie (which are all great), the characters are the most important thing, and the characters are wonderful in this one!

Tarantino Perfection

I almost pissed myself a thousand times at this movie...

A movie that actually makes this heart of ice melt.

This is a sublime production. Even if you HATE Oklahoma, just give this production a chance. It will completely change your opinion of the show. And Hugh Jackman is delicious as Curley.

Love!!

Keepin' Austin weird... Thanks, Rich.

Loved it! As a fan of the show, it was exactly what I wanted from the movie. If you hate the show, you'll hate the movie, but if you love the show, you will adore the movie!!

Don't judge me-- I'm a costume designer and the dresses are pretty

"If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. "

Quiet and sublime. A beautiful exploration of childhood curiosity, fatherhood, (in)justice, race, and honor.

"Follow the money."

A fascinating story about the power of the press -- well acted and riveting.

Changed my life.

"I race cars, play tennis, and fondle women, BUT! I have weekends off, and I am my own boss. "

It's hard to find a movie that I loved when I was four that still holds up. This one remains one of the all-time funniest movies ever.

This movie is so brave. It changed the idea of the movie musical, and it has Liza at the top of her game. The songs are great, the dancing is wonderful, the costumes are iconic, and the acting is sublime.

"1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule! "

If it were not for Pulp Fiction, this would be the best film made in the 90s. It is one of the most visually literary films I have ever seen. Kevin Spacey is transcendent, and Annette Bening is gratingly brilliant. Alan Ball and Sam Mendes - first time filmmakers, both of them - crafted a beautiful piece of American film. And for film geeks, note the symbolic use of the color red in the movie - stunning.

"Amazing tradition. They throw a great party for you on the one day they know you can't come. "

This was the first movie I remember seeing in the movie theatre. It is the epitome of an ensemble character study. The way that Kasdan wrote this film is a master class in dialogue-driven storytelling; the acting is phenomenal, and it has one of the top five movie soundtracks ever.

"Normally, both your asses would be dead as fucking fried chicken, but you happen to pull this shit while I'm in a transitional period so I don't wanna kill you, I wanna help you. But I can't give you this case, it don't belong to me. Besides, I've already been through too much shit this morning over this case to hand it over to your dumb ass."

Absolute perfection, and the coolest movie ever made. The most sparkling dialogue ever written, and it redefined the role and nature of violence in film. If you have less than a five-star rating for it, you hate film, and you can go ahead and take me off of your friend list.

Nora: " How many drinks have you had?"
Nick: "This will make six Martinis."
Nora: [to the waiter] "All right. Will you bring me five more Martinis, Leo? Line them right up here."

So flawless, we named our cats after the main characters. This is what cocktail hour should be!

"An' stoppa that growlin'. You sound like a big ol' bar."

In my opinion, the greatest biopic ever made. Sissy Spacek is perfection, and the story is so honest. It's impossible not to fall in love with Loretty after seeing this movie.

I know, you've never heard of this movie. Run out and get it now. Right now. Robert Duvall is so beautiful in his subtle portrayal of a washed up country singer who falls in love with a widowed mother living in west Texas. It's a quiet film about love, devotion, and personal demons. It will get into your bones and change something about you, may it only be your day for the better.

It's about class. It's about high school. It's about fashion. It has Duckie. And a sublimely sleazy-sexy James Spader. it's all things yummy -- except for the craptastic prom dress. SERIOUSLY?! THAT's what you made with those two dresses!?!?!