My Favorite Movies

The ultimate thriller and Spielberg's crowning achievement. John Williams' score sets the tone and everything else just follows. The triumvirate as I love to call Brody, Quint, and Hooper, are all brilliant acted by Roy Schreider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss respectively. Schreider is the solid center or rather the most normal, Shaw is the Captain Ahab, and Dreyfuss the lit fuse with no fear. It is the ultimate fish film, thriller film, horror film, or any kind of film.

From the opening music chords to the dashing swashbuckling finale, this film is the ultimate of that genre as well as Errol Flynn's crowning achievement. He makes Robin Hood a fun and jolly hero with honor and ever quality imaginable that a leader should possess. He may not be British, but he is close enough and has the right accent. Michael Curtiz, the man behind the other Errol Flynn films that made my list those being The Sea Hawk, and Captain Blood, directs this with a fun, but serious air although he can't take all the credit as William Keighley directed first off, but was replaced by Curtiz early in production. Erich Wolfgang Korngold composed a masterful score for this. I could go on, but I will suffice to say that this is a dashing film that stands as one of the best of the Action/Adventure genre.

The middle film to the trilogy is the best and most entertaining to me. The love scenes aren?t mushy as the two characters seem to grind against each other, Luke digs deeper and meets the illustrious Jedi Master that taught Obi-Wan, and some much more works for this. It utilizes the fact that we can travel to many different planets as we jump from icy Hoth, to the cold of space, to the humidity of Dagoba, and even to the beautiful yet deceiving Cloud City. Each is given a unique score by John Williams and we get some of the best music from the Star Wars series including Lando?s Palace, Yoda?s Theme, and the Imperial March better known as Vader?s Theme by some. It is everything you could ask of middle film as it develops characters, moves the story along, and introduces extremely key components. And I will admit to being a chronic Star Wars fans at times.

Steven Spielberg is one of my favorite directors of all-time and this beginning to the Indiana Jones trilogy is a great ride of fun. Harrison Ford was perfect for the role with his ruggedness and great presence. This film is iconic with the beginning based off the Paramount logo and the falling rock as well as the laughter in the jungle. Plus it gives a sneak preview of Doc Ock with Alfred Molina covered in tarantulas. John Williams score is brilliant with the march and love theme. A film that can be enjoyed multiple times and lose none of its grandeur and fun.

John Huston?s first and best film. Humphrey Bogart is in top form and this film-noir classic has a phenomenal cast to boot. Peter Lorre is back and as skittish as ever and Sydney Greenstreet gives a memorable introductory performance as the Fatman also known as Kasper Gutman. I love this film for the cool character that Sam Spade, Humphrey Bogart?s character, is. He is confident, talks fast, and appears to be always in control to a point of being reckless. The film twists and turns as much as The Usual Suspects' ending does and offers a very intriguing story. All around the best film-noir I have seen and down right great to re-watch.

Capra's best work and very riveting as well, centers around naïve Smith, played to perfection by James Stewart. It is filled with Capra?s wonderful group of character and supporting actors including the great Jean Arthur, the wonderful Thomas Mitchell, Harry Carey, and the supreme supporting actor Claude Rains. Together these actors head the colorful cast that fill the Senate chamber. The film always arouses my patriotism as Capra gives us his wonderful version of America that I so wish was true. Capra was a genius and each of his films exemplifies his love for his art. Few speeches can match the fervor that Smith?s final speech arouses with that final gasp. If only, Gone With the Wind hadn?t have been released, but then the competition would have stilled included The Wizard of Oz, as well as Stagecoach. Amazing.

I keep forgetting that Frank Capra directed this screwball comedy. It is such a different film for him other than You Can?t Take It With You. I believe this is the only film which Frank Capra directed that featured Cary Grant, and boy did Capra utilize him. Grant is mugging like every shot in this dark comedy which makes fun of well just about everything. We have Teddy facing off with Johnathan Brewster, Grant's brother in the film, who looks like Boris Karloff. Now if that doesn?t confuse you then enjoy this comedy which is primarily physical and provided by Grant. Of course, I can?t forget to mention the marvelously creepy Peter Lorre as he plays the squeamish Doctor Einstein. Much of the cast is taken from the Broadway hit, and that works perfect as it introduced to the screen Josephine Hull who would later go on to win an Oscar for Harvey. Great fun to enjoy on a Halloween night.

he Seven Samurai is one of the best films ever made, but this remake did everything right and added a far more memorable score to boot. The cast is amazing as each was trying to make their way up the food chain by attempting to steal every scene possible from each other and even the star Yul Brynner. I think this rivalry makes the film even more enjoyable to watch as each of the seven put their own stamp on each scene and character. I have due to multiple watching come to love each character in their own right just like the Seven Samurai because each is given such human qualities. Charles Bronson is a great example as he is in the beginning shown chopping wood, but we learn that he used to be an expensive gun to hire, but now he through some means or other has fallen to chopping wood to pay his rent. We can relate and grow to love him for the love and care he shows to the three little boys that look to him as a hero. It most of all never loses sight of the greatness of the farmers just like the Seven Samurai. I feel it lost next to nothing in the transfer save the great Japanese culture which Kurosawa fleshes out in the original. A rare remake that can stand up to its foreign original.

I believe this is Hitchcock?s most commercially fun film. Cary Grant just got to cut loose play the character he had developed so much before which is really just Cary Grant personified. Eva Marie Saint is dashing beautiful which is basically all she has to do, and James Mason with his wonderful voice gets to play that illustrious bad guy pulling the strings. Even though he is not featured in a big role Martin Landau, who would later go on to win an Oscar for his fantastic portrayal of an aged Bela Legasi in Ed Wood, manages to give an impressive performance as the henchman. I blame it on those eyes of his. Bernard Herrmann?s score is perfect as always. Thus this Hitchcock film is the complete package, not as psychological as many of his other films, but a masterpiece nonetheless.

Why? Why couldn?t Stanley Kubrick have done more satire and funny films like this? This was such a masterful satire of the red scare and it offered such a cascade of laughs. Peter Sellers was never better and George C. Scott who I always see as a billowing wall of steel and seriousness as he was in Patton offers an incredible comedic turn here. The film is peppered with familiar faces including a young James Earl Jones, and a straight laced Sterling Hayden. The set designs also add their own flavor as we are shown Kubrick?s version of the war room which in actuality doesn?t exist. Pure genius I think.

?Is this heaven??
?No, it's Iowa.?
This was such a brilliant idea film for a film. It was at one time America?s sport, although the recent steroid fiasco and stuff have hurt its rep, but this film harkens back to a day when baseball players played for love of the sport not for million dollar houses. It is a sports fantasy film, but it may very well be heaven for some. I think the whole spirit of the film is summed up in James Earl Jones? moving speech, ?Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.? My favorite sports film hands down.

The Marvel in me came out when I saw this excellent sequel to the great adaptation that Bryan Singer and company did with X-Men. The opening sequence was almost exctasy as they brought one of my favorite characters to the screen with such magic. It was like they took it from the comic page and morphed it onto the screen. Bryan Singer continued to elaborate on his characters without letting the story become too big and losing sight of characterization. Wolverine played as ever brilliantly by Hugh Jackman got more in touch with his feral side here, a classic villain became an ally as he often did in the comics, and Brian Cox brought an incredible presence to his character as the string moving William Stryker. Action and story to spare I wish after each viewing that Singer had stuck around or the studio had waited.

It used to be that I loved The Sting far more than this western buddy film, but after buying and watching the film more times I have come around to appreciating this film. Paul Newman is the brains of the outfit as the charismatic Butch while Robert Redford is the brawn as the quick draw Sundance. Together they make an amazing team and their friendship runs deep. The film gets us to root for these big time bandits and doesn?t really give a face to their dogged trackers either. It is a nice balance and one that doesn?t make me uneasy as I watch. Watching this I can only shake my head and be glad these two were able to pair up for these two fantastic films and with the same director to boot.

This poetic fairytale, which at times ventures into the realm of being self-reflexive in the comic sense, captures the imagination with its wondrous mix of fantasy and humor. Cary Elwes, who would later spoof another dashing hero, plays the masked Man in Black to the hilt. The wonderfully fun swordfight between him and Indigo Montoya, played equally as well by Mandy Patinkin, is peppered with witty dialog and effortless looking fencing. Rob Reiner did a fantastic job with this fantasy utilizing William Goldman?s quite original script to the most it could offer. While it may be a bit much for some at times I know it is greatly beloved by many of my friends as well as my family. Inconceivable!

Every time I watch this film or here the music I believe that John Williams must have had a ball with this film for its musical atmosphere. The musical conversation between the humans and the aliens near the end is quite fun to listen to and see in the array of lights. The film is so different from much of Spielberg?s other work, but it still retains much of the innocence and fun of that work. It is just a different type of fun. Richard Dreyfuss captures the obsessed Roy Neary extremely well and his moment of carving the vision in the mash potatoes is not only a bit funny, but a simple way of showing his growing obsession. François Truffaut, the famed French director, lends an interesting tone as one of the coordinators. All around this is a joy to watch for me.

Was there ever a better pair than Paul Newman and Robert Redford? I think not. This second pairing of the two earned a Best Picture Oscar. I have always loved this film for its incredible usage of the wonderful Scott Joplin music which I learned to play on the piano because I thought this movies is so awesome and cool. I still do. This film exudes coolness and fun and Paul Newman and Robert Redford aren't the only two that exemplified this in the film. The whole band of cons that they assemble for the ultimate sting on the big boss man played with incredible presence by Robert Shaw. I still flick my nose to be cool.

Pixar managed to lead the pack of 3D animated films early and each of their films I found to be quite original and fun, but this infusion of superheroes with their incredible talent for tweaking stories ever so well has remained my far and away favorite. This is how in my mind the great Fantastic Four comic franchise should have been transferred to the screen instead of the shallow film we got awhile back. The Incredibles deals with family issues and quarreling in a way that gets through to both adults and children it is wonderful. Being a student of animation myself I found this film to be an incredible achievement with its ability to use human like forms and animate them so well. Brad Bird who not only directed this, but provided the incredibly hilarious voice for Edna Mode created a wonderful family of supers that we can love and feel for their rather different problems. It was also wonderful to here that jazzy smooth score by Michael Giacchino.

I thought after Batman & Robin, a franchise with truly great potential was buried, but then came the rumors and then the reality that an actual good director was undertaking a revitalization of the franchise. And boy what, a revitalization it was. Christopher Nolan gave the dark knight a perfect building block that none of the other films had been able to give. Nolan actually gave a serious look and personal feel to the hero and his origins. Most all of the Batman films have been obsessed with his origins each trying to give it their own take and I believe Nolan hit it on the nail. Bale dons the mask and fits the role of Bruce Wayne as well. Nolan also surrounded Bale with a A-list of actors including the great Michael Caine, the gentle giant Liam Neeson, and even underrated Gary Oldman. I never thought Oldman would make such a brilliant Commissioner Gordon. The film has grown on me after each viewing. I don?t even miss Danny Elfman?s brilliant score from the original with James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer?s brooding score.

John Wayne in a Western directed by John Ford, there are few things better in cinema. This time the pair gave us a brilliant tale of hatred and love. John Wayne gives a brilliant performance which I still can?t believe was overlooked by the academy. He plays this hatred filled character that is equally as riveting as Bogart?s crazed performance in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but it is a very subtle performance and well defined. The film includes many great supporting actors such as Ward Bond, a much beloved actor of both Ford and Capra it seems, Natalie Wood, and Harry Carey Jr. As many of Ford?s Western?s did this film also utilized some of the great folk tunes which are now identified with westerns. Wayne constant remark still rings in my ears, ?That?ll be the day.?

ery few names are well known from this seventies musical, but I have found it to be one of my favorites. William Daniels portrayal of zealous John Adams is quite fun to see especially when everyone else is exclaiming for him to sit down when he gets too uppity. Each song furthers the story so well and each performer does it so well it is a joy to watch. The song with Blythe Danner who is portraying Martha Jefferson is quite touching and fun, ?She Plays the Violin.? This playful film about our founding fathers is one those underrated films that I like to give some credit to.

The first Terminator was thrilling and a great original idea. This sequel packs a punch as it delves deeper into this time paradox ridden story which has sets its own precedent. Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, but not as inhumane as he was in the first film and Linda Hamilton returns as the mother of the future hard bitten leader of the resistance. Each of these two returning characters gets to delve deeper in the psyche of their characters while Edward Furlong debuts as the rebellious son of Sarah Connor (Hamilton). The film is a visual spectacle as the newest prototype terminator from the future, played to a very cool tinge by Robert Patrick, shows off its ability to shape shift as well as perform other incredible and gruesome acts. Perhaps a bit much for some, my first viewing was skeptical as well, but I never saw it from start to finish and watching as such it is a thrilling ride.

This original adaptation of the great Jane Austen novel is less musically and visually driven and more dialog and story driven. Greer Garson seems a bit old to being playing Elizabeth Bennett, but she is a tour-de-force. The real greatness in this film lies in its amazing adaptation of the story. The screenwriters/director, I am not sure exactly who, but they gave the film their own twists and feel. The ending is quite different than the novel, but it is such a great rendition of the story that I love it. Other key actors that made the film that much better include, the great Laurence Olivier who plays the illustrious Mr. Darcy, Edmund Gwenn who plays the long suffering Mr. Bennett, and Melville Cooper (best remembered for playing the cowardly Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood) who plays the quirky Mr. Collins. One of if not the best novel adaptation.

Visually and story wise one of the harshest war films as characters we come to love are torn from us at multiple points in the film. The opening sequence has to be seen to appreciate its power and intensity. Tom Hanks turns in his best performance, that I have seen, here as the Captain of the squad ordered to find and bring back Private James Francis Ryan, whose brothers have all been killed in action in some curtain of the warfare. It is an ensemble film about a platoon set on a near impossible and ludicrous mission. Each man has different feelings about warfare, their mission, and Spielberg brings each to light. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski captures the feel of the film brilliantly with his amazing work on this film. Someone gets shot and the blood splatters on the camera. We are in the action. A powerful film that stays with you much like Schindler?s List, but not quite the sickening tinge that makes it hard for repeat viewing.

Peter Weir who really impressed me with his utilization of Jim Carrey in The Truman Show, crafted an amazing high seas war film with heart, and even a bit of naturalism. Headed by the amazing Russel Crowe, the cast of this ship based film is amazing including Billy Boyd, and Paul Bettany. They all seem at ease together, they mesh like a crew and even show that superstition that was prevalent at those times. It is the relationship between Bettany as the ship?s learned surgeon, and Crowe as the veteran captain that lends a lot of stability and meat to the film. I love the concerts they have every now and then it fits in with the excellent mix of classical and classical sounding music that underlies the film. This probably would have had a shot at Best Picture had it not come out the same year as Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It is an excellently crafted masterpiece that is visually beautiful, wonderfully acted, and exudes a strong sense of sea know how. Weir's best film just ahead of Gallipoli.

This is quite fun as well as being a complicated war thriller that not only impresses with its lead stars of Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton, but its jam packed script and incredible finale. From start to finish this is fast paced as soldiers start dying from the get go as a group of special Allied agents are sent into the middle of a Nazi stronghold to rescue an America General who is being held there. But all is not what it seems as Lieutenant Schaffer (Eastwood), the only American among the special task force, soon discovers. As I said before it is a top-notch war thriller.

The Marx Brothers were comedic geniuses. Each film was so zany that they could make anything funny. This is the pinnacle of their films for its great pacing which few of their other works have. There never seems to be a dull moment provided you can get past the decent singing of Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle. The many highlights of this comedy include the bedroom sequence and in which the brothers manage to squeeze a larger group of people into a small cruise ship room that Groucho?s character gets stuck in. There is one other Marx Brother film or two that could crack my list in the near future, but I will have to see them at least one more time to be sure. Horse Feathers and Monkey Business are the two that could in the near future.

I had heard a lot of praise about this film before hand and was expecting a kind of typical tearjerker, but not quite the experience I got. It was a sad moving film, but the way it was crafted blew me away. The cinematographer, the man behind the work on Saving Private Ryan, takes you behind the eyelid of this man trapped in his own body with little way of expressing his desires. It may seem slow and bit strange at first, but the beauty of the film is that it does not keep you strapped there, but lets you flow through both his memories and his dreams which are all quite beautiful. The performances by the people around him are also fascinating and in some cases heartbreaking as is the case with Max Von Sydow in one of his best roles since The Seven Seal as the heart broken father. This is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, not quite sure who it will hold on the small screen, but on the big screen it was mesmerizing.

John Ford?s amazing picture of Ireland and its wonderful ways is a joy to see. My favorite Ford, or for that matter John Wayne film, this romantic film is complete with a cast including the spitfire Maureen O?Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen, and Ward Bond among many other faces that graced Ford?s pictures. The cinematography is wonderful as it takes in the natural beauty of Ireland and the quaint town of Innisfree. The climatic fight at the end should not be missed. Victor Young?s score does a perfect build up to the fight.

My favorite Billy Wilder film includes one of the most underrated actors ever, Fred MacMurray. He plays fast talking insurance salesman Walter Neff who becomes involved in a murder most foul that is played out in the best of film-noir fashion. Billy Wilder knows how to makes this subject extremely fascinating and almost fun in a deluded sort of way, but it has a strong feeling of drama and seriousness to it. Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson are at the top of their game as well in this fast moving crime film. Robinson is especially memorable and lovable in this for his smart and ?caring? way he deals with his customers, he is the claims manager. His retort to his bosses? assessment of a certain murder is great to listen to almost as much as it was a relief for Walter Neff. One of the best film-noir and that is after all my favorite genre.

Howard Hawks? films are really quite amazing. They usually have fast paced dialogue and incredibly fun situations and characters. I would consider this his pinnacle achievement. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell are astounding as they match it each with incredibly fast dialogue and constant overlapping of this where the key words are distinguishable easily. The setting is a newsroom as Russell is returning to her former husband, Cary Grant as the newspaper manager, to get the finishing touches put on her divorce with him and going offer to marry the dashing Ralph Bellamy. Of course, Grant still loves her and thus he uses his amazing newspaper know how in an attempt to win her back. It is great fun all around even at the near expense of being arrested.

A fantastic conclusion to the trilogy, Return of the King hits all the right notes for me. The battle of Pelennor Fields is huge as it should be and the competition of Gimli and Legolas is continued. Shelob’s lair is every bit as spine tingling and tense as I had hoped. The only qualm I have is the extended version did not add much of any good scenes for me, which leaves the theatrical version as the definitive version for me. Another great aspect this film had was the opening scene and good background on Gollum / Sméagol’s character. It was a surprisingly great way to start the film. One of the best endings ever to as it offered a near full conclusion to the trilogy. Beautiful.

Andrew Davis crafted an amazing thriller. Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones are great opposite each other as Jones hunts for the convicted Ford with amazing passion. The character that Jones created is extremely enjoyable and well-defined as is his supporting group of U.S. Marshalls. My only complaint is the bad light it sheds on the police department, but hey someone has to be the semi-bad guy. And the evidence seems convicting enough. James Newton Howard composed a thrilling score for this as well.

Kurosawa is one of three foreign directors, the other two being Ingmar Bergman and Fritz Lang, who I have yet to see a film from which I didn?t like, but that doesn?t mean they don?t have one of two, it just means I haven?t seen them. This ensemble film is much more personal than RAN and speaks to Kurosawa?s incredible ability to convey the suffering of the real heroes, the peasants. We see them transformed into warriors with a willingness to fight in this film and we also get seven amazing Samurai who each have their own unique abilities, styles, and each full of heart. Toshiro Mifune gives his ultimate performance as the seemingly crazed Kikuchiyo. The film is much more brutal than its American remake, and therefore comes off as the better film to me, but not my favorite of the two. This is one of my most highly recommended films and the only Criterion film I own.

I have liked this film a lot since my first viewing when I was young and the amazing qualities of this epic David Lean film have stuck with me. Alec Guinness is larger than anything as he stands against the inhumane treatment of his soldiers and officers and more so for the upholding of order even the desertedness of the jungle. William Holden as well does an excellent job even if it is the weakest part of the strong overall story. The music maybe a bit conventional as well, but it is so gosh darned memorable I can?t help but love it. And of course, the amazing cinematography for which Lean pictures are known for makes this a visual masterpiece to behold as well.

The only animated film to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this film is quite beautiful, and one of the best animated films of all-time. Angela Lansbury?s voice as Mrs. Potts is very memorable and the song numbers in here are memorable as well as beautiful to behold. The beginning with the shot of the forest is always stunningly detailed to me. The beginning narration as well is right on with that voice sounding so perfect for that part. With the right amount of comedy and drama this film has amazed me since my childhood and still stands as one of my favorites. Simply great animation.

The second motion picture Star Trek film utilizes a great idea, bring back a villain with whom the fans are familiar from the television series. It works great because the character is already there and it can just build from there. That is exactly what first time Star Trek director Nicholas Meyer did and he did it adding a naval style atmosphere to these space crafts. Ricardo Montalban recreates his superior villain of Khan and the usual crew of the Enterprise headed by the triumvirate of James T. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy exuded their great chemistry. James Horner adds the right twist on the Star Trek theme and thus we have the ultimate Star Trek film.

Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough head this amazing all-star cast in this prisoner of war film. It has wonderful score by Elmer Bernstein to start us out and wonderful set pieces for the camp. It has a great balance of fun, drama, and action. It is also quite long, but you don?t notice because it has captured you with its great cast of not only actors, but characters and their great interaction. Even the German officers are given a human face. Nothing beats McQueen on a motorcycle, well practically nothing.