My Favorite Movies

I loved Alien, but I think this might be one of those rare cases where the sequel is actually better than the original. Probably not, but it comes damn close. I just love the whole premise of Marines in space kicking alien butt. Well, trying to anyway. The whole cast kicks ass, but Weaver, Paxton & Biehn are outstanding, and Jenette Goldstein. as Pvt. Vasquez, is one of the toughest babes to ever grace the screen. To top it all off, Jim Cameron just directs the hell out of every scene. Hard to believe the English crew didn't think he knew what he was doing. The proof is in the pudding. And in this case the pudding is a sci-fi/horror masterpiece!

Just purchased the Special 'Oilcan' Edition and watched this for only the second time, the first time since 1992 when it was released. It's even better than I remembered it! The movie and the entire cast just exudes cool, and Tarantino's script and directing job are BLOODY astonishing, when you consider it was just his second film. A modern-day crime classic.

So much has been written about this movie on Flixster and elsewhere, that there's really not a lot more to be said. And it is almost 10 years old, after all. But the beauty of The Big Lebowski is that the more you watch it, the more you appreciate its brilliance. That's probably why people are still talking about it after all these years. It never seems to get old. The plot itself is really not all that original, but it's what the Coens do with it that makes it so special. They may have written the funniest screenplay ever, and the casting is perfect. It's impossible to picture anyone else playing The Dude, Walter, Maude, Donny or Jesus, and they all deliver their outrageous lines as if they were born to speak them. And how about all those dream sequences and acid flashbacks? Who can forget the scene where The Dude is flying through the air with a goofy stoner grin on his face, when suddenly a bowling ball appears in his hand, causing him to drop like a stone. Or the scene where he's levitating down the bowling lane between the legs of the Viking women, or whatever the hell they're supposed to be. Brilliant! There are so many fantastic scenes and quotable lines, and all the characters have their own little idosyncrasies, especially The Dude. The Dude is a walking idiosyncrasy! Anyway, there's a hell of a lot to wrap your head around, and I haven't even mentioned the music, which is great, and perfectly suited to the movie. The Big Lebowski is truly one of a kind. Fargo may be a better film, but this one is really in a class by itself. Aren't you glad there wasn't a lot more to be said?

I think this one might have flown in under a lot of peoples' radar, so I'm going to attempt to rectify that situation RIGHT NOW. You know those blurbs that say, "finally, a thriller that really thrills"? Well, you can apply that comment to this film and then some. The set-up is that Jeffrey Taylor (Kurt Russell) and his wife Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) are driving cross-country to take up residence on the West Coast. The breakdown in the title occurs, and that's when the action kicks in. Director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) cranks it up in fine style, and you'll be hanging on for dear life as Russell tries to track down his missing wife. He is so good as the regular guy caught in a life-and-death situation, that you'll be cheering him on and feeling his helplessness and controlled rage from start to finish. He just nails it! And the scene where he's hanging from the undercarriage of the 18-wheeler as it cruises down the interstate will leave you gasping for breath, as your heart takes up space in your throat. If he does his own stuntwork in that scene, and I think he's crazy enough to do just that, he deserves the title of Stuntman Mike, in spades. The supporting cast is all top-notch, especially J.T. Walsh, as the downright slimy leader of a gang of kidnappers preying on travellers out in the middle of nowhere. The final sequence is another showstopper, as Kurt attempts to get his wife out of a wrecked pick-up before it goes over a bridge, while at the same time fighting for his own life against the murderous kidnapper. Fantastic! Absolute first-rate entertainment. Outstanding story, screenplay and direction, all by Mostow, but it's the brilliant acting, especially by Russell, that hits you where you live, and makes you care.

This movie blew my mind when I first saw it back in '81, and it's just as mind-blowing today as it was then. Arguably the most original post-apocalyptic vision ever brought to the screen, this is a huge step forward from the original Mad Max film. In the role of Max, Mel Gibson creates one of the coolest anti-heroes of all time going up against one of the coolest villains of all time, Lord Humungus. Everything about this movie is just fantastic, especially the final sequence, which includes the wildest, most hair-raising chase scene in film history. For action fans, you just can't get much better than this.

I just love this movie. I've seen it numerous times and I never get tired of it. I'm not exactly sure why, but I suppose the chemistry between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson has a lot to do with it. It's also a really intelligent script, beautifully directed and shot, and it has a great soundtrack. It makes me sad, but it's a good kind of sad, if that makes any sense. I suppose I identify with Bill Murray's character, too. A film to cherish, and watch over and over again.

I've seen this at least six times, and I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that it's at or very near the top of my list of 'coolest movies ever made'. To begin with, one of the main characters is a guy named Gal, which gives you an indication that anything is about to go. And it does. Ray Winstone plays Gary 'Gal' Dove, a retired British gangster now living the good life in sunny Spain, and the opening scene where he's poolside baking in the sun as The Stranglers' song Peaches blasts from the soundtrack gives a good indication of the fun that's in store. His voice-over, in full Cockney accent, will bring a dumb smile to your face that will remain plastered there for the rest of the movie, if you're anything like me. Shortly thereafter, Gal comes heart-stoppingly close to being obliterated by a falling boulder the size of a small planet, which lands splashingly at the bottom of the pool. A foreshadowing of things to come? I won't spill the beans here. You'll just have to see for yourself. Not long after that life-threatening event, the sweet life of Gal and his wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) is interrupted by a visit from Gal's old associate Don Logan (Ben Kingsley, in mad dog mode (should've gotten the Oscar, but the Academy blew it by giving it to Jim Broadbent for Iris)). Kingsley should've sent Don Logan to piss on their bathroom carpets. But, never mind. Logan is on a mission from head gangster Teddy Bass (a never more terrifying Ian McShane) to recruit Gal for a bank job back in England, and he's not the kind of guy who takes no for an answer. But that's exactly the answer Gal tries to give him, leading to some hilarious interplay between the two men, with Gal in serious fear for his life, but refusing to give an inch, and Logan using every threat he has at his disposal, spoken and unspoken, to try to convince him otherwise. [Example - Gal: I'm going to have to turn this opportunity down.
Don: No, you're going to have to turn this opportunity YES!] You can probably guess that Gal does end up doing the job, but in the meantime Don Logan has mysteriously disappeared, much to the consternation of Teddy Bass, who suspects Gal of some unnamed foul play. The scenes between Winstone and McShane are nail-bitingly tense, as Bass tries to use the sheer force of his personality to break down Gal's defences, while Gal tries to project innocence and calm, while sweating bullets and trying to keep from cracking under the pressure. McShane has one of the best lines in the movie in a conversation with Harry (James Fox), the inside man on the bank job. [Teddy: What are you staring at? Harry: The back of your head. Teddy: Well, don't. Stare at the back of your own fucking head.] McShane's dry delivery kills me every single time. And another classic, when Bass is asked by his right-hand man if he thinks the bank job is 'do-able', he replies, "Where there's a will - and there is a fucking will - there's a way - and there is a fucking way." Kudos to first-time screenwriters Louis Mellis and David Scinto, who never set a foot wrong. Just check out Don Logan's extended monologue in the scene where he's being thrown off the plane for refusing to put out his cigarette, during which he accuses one of the stewards of inappropriately touching his 'front bottom'. Absolutely brilliant, and brilliantly delivered by Kingsley, with a feigned innocence that has to be seen to be believed. We know what Logan is like, and to see him play the sexual victim of an airline steward that he could no doubt eat for lunch on a bad day is just too delicious to be described. I almost neglected to mention the demonic machine-gun toting rabbit-like creature that keeps appearing in Gal's dreams. I know what you're thinking, that it's shades of Donnie Darko, but Beast was released in 2000 and Darko in 2001, so no more needs to be said about that. I think the movie could've done without that particular invention, but it does add a certain amount of fun to the proceedings, and when the writing is this good, we can forgive an indulgence or two. Last but not least, a huge amount of credit has to go to director Jonathan Glazer, who achieved brilliance here, in his feature film debut, and followed it up with the intriguing Birth in 2004. He may never come close to topping Sexy Beast, but I for one will be watching closely to see if he has the balls to try.

Bill Paxton makes a stunning debut as the director of this twisted tale about a father and his 2 sons, that includes murder (at least one), possible madness, and definite child abuse (with possible extenuating circumstances). I guess you'd call it a psychological thriller, but there are elements of horror, and the serial killer genre is turned upside down, leaving you wondering just what the hell is going on. Everything hinges on whether you believe the father (Paxton) has been visited by an angel from God, as he claims, or whether he's just gone off the deep end. There are definitely several scenes where what appear to be humans are dispatched by Dad using a double-bladed ax. But, if you're squeamish about that sort of thing, don't worry, as it's (mostly) left to the imagination. However, you'll have to be very strong to get through the section where the disbelieving son is locked in the cellar of the shed by his father until he sees the light. Paxton is superb as the father, and you definitely believe that he believes the divine nature of his new life's work. Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter are also excellent as the two young sons, and Matthew McConaughey is along for the ride as one of the boys, now a man, who tells the story to FBI agent Powers Boothe. After seeing the film, it may occur to you to ask a question about why McConaughey's character does a certain thing. But the answer is that if he didn't do that certain thing, the film could not exist in its current form. If you can accept that answer, as I did, this movie will haunt you.

I have to disagree with Jeff Shannon's review for Flixster, calling this a B movie. I think it's grade A all the way. From the ratings I've seen, most people either love this or they hate it, and I fall into the first category. In my opinion this is the best thing Shyamalan has done, better than The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, and certainly better than Lady in the Water, which is just ludicrous. I haven't seen The Village, so I can't comment on that one. But Signs is just so expertly put together, beautifully written and directed, and wonderfully acted, that I can watch it again and again. I especially love Abigail Breslin's portrayal of Mel Gibson's young daughter, who has a strange aversion to tap water. I guess this took place before the bottled water craze, which turns out to be quite lucky in the end. I also love Joaquin Phoenix as Mel's younger brother. Swing away, Merrill!

A lean and mean little thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Terence Stamp as a British ex-con who travels to California to find out what happened to his daughter. Stamp gives a knockout performance, which is arguably his best work since 1984's The Hit. It's a shame he hasn't been given more quality roles over the years, because he is explosive in this one. Peter Fonda has fun with his role as an aging record producer who may have been involved, but is trying desperately to skate away from trouble. Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzman and Barry Newman are all perfect, but Nicky Katt almost steals the show as Stacy the Hitman. Not quite, though. It's Terence Stamp's movie, and it's a damn good one.

When I first saw this, I was so blown away that it was the only movie I wanted to watch for weeks. It's a rock musical that tells the story of Hansel/Hedwig, a young 'person' from East Berlin who marries an American soldier and moves to the United States. There, Hedwig meets and forms a songwriting partnership with a young man, who eventually leaves and uses their songs to rise to superstardom as Tommy Gnosis, while Hedwig is relegated to touring really small venues (mostly a restaurant chain called Bilgewater's) with his/her band The Angry Inch. Writer/director/star John Cameron Mitchell is simply sensational as Hedwig, and when you consider the fact that this was his directorial debut, it's even more amazing. It's funny, it's heartbreaking, the songs are fantastic, and the animation is really cool, too! Dismissing this as merely a 'gay' film would be like dismissing Lawrence of Arabia because it's about sand.

Even after seeing this, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's visually stunning, but also contains a lot of ugliness and violence. The fantasy sections are very well done and the creature effects are quite good. The entire cast is excellent, especially Ivana Baquero as the young girl, and Sergi Lopez as the cruel Capitan Vidal. I think repeated viewings may be required to get a complete understanding of everything that's going on. But I have to admit It's some kind of weird masterpiece.

Not likely the Coen Brothers will ever top this one. MacDormand and Buscemi are so good it's scary. And Macy is not far behind. A real gem.

May not be the best western ever made, but definitely the coolest. All the young guns are in top form, but McQueen steals the show in what may be his best performance ever. Only Bullitt comes close.

Foster and Hopkins light up the screen in this note-perfect adaption of the novel by Thomas Harris. Good creepy fun.

After seeing this stunning film, I feel compelled to state that Guillermo Arriaga(writer) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu(director) are absolute masters of the cinematic art form. If you've seen 21 Grams, you're familiar with their work, but Babel is their crowning achievement to date. This is film-making of the highest caliber, and we can only hope that they will continue to make films as amazingly powerful as this one for many years to come. I don't see how it's possible that they could make a better one. Mere words are inadequate to describe the emotional impact it delivers. You need to experience it for yourself to understand. Absolutely devastating and brilliant.

The coolest cop flick ever made. All others pale in comparison.

Quite possibly the best western ever made. Duvall and Jones give the performances of their lives to bring the novel to life in all it's glory. Powerful and unforgettable!

The 'man with no name' trilogy reaches epic status in this Sergio Leone classic. Clint has never been better, and Leone's widescreen vision is something to behold. This brought the western genre back from the dead and set a new standard for the future.

Idiosyncratic, innovative, and WAY COOL!

If you're a Jack Black freak like me, I'm sure you've already seen this. But, If you're not and you haven't, listen up. The screenplay was written by Mike White, the twisted genius who also brought us School of Rock, The Good Girl and Nacho Libre (nobody's perfect). And, believe it or not, Orange County actually out-performs SOR on the guffaw meter. Colin Hanks (son of Tom) is perfect as Shaun Brumder, the poor schlub who gets screwed out of attending Stanford, when the school Guidance Counselor (Lily Tomlin) accidentally sends in the wrong transcript. He spends the rest of the movie trying to correct the mistake, so he can study under his favourite writer Marcus Skinner (Kevin Kline). Of course, the more he tries, the worse things get, since he has his stoner brother Lance (the aforementioned Mr. Black) ostensibly 'helping' him. Also along for the screamingly funny ride is Schuyler Fisk (daughter of Sissy Spacek), as Shaun's girlfriend Ashley, Catherine O'Hara as his loopy alcoholic mother, and John Lithgow as his work-obsessed father. Chevy Chase is hilarious in a brief cameo as the school principal, as is Mike White himself, as the English teacher with Shakespeare issues. The direction by Jake Kasdan (son of Lawrence) is smashingly good, and the soundtrack is used to perfectly enhance the craziness. Check out the scene where the cheerleaders are practicing to 'Butterfly' by Crazy Town, and you'll see what I mean. Beautiful, man. I almost forgot to give props to Kyle Howard and R.J. Knoll as Shaun's surfer dude buddies, who are absolutely priceless. And pay very close attention to the wonderful performance of the dog (uncredited) who plays the poor, homeless 'puppy' that Ashley rescues from certain death on the PCH. Pure, comedic genius. Actually that statement can be applied to the whole film. An unqualified triumph for White, Black and everyone in between. I'm not kidding, "this is the real story, dude".

This is that rare species of action movie that actually takes you inside the lives of its characters. And that's what makes it so special. Don't get me wrong, the action scenes are great, but what makes them even more exciting is the fact that you know and care about the characters involved. The film is worth seeing just for the shootout after the bank job. But, then you have Pacino and De Niro burning up the screen to boot. Too bad they only have one scene together, but it's a great one, as each lays it on the line how things will go if they meet under adversarial conditions. Definitely the best work Mr. Mann has ever done.

Great performances all around. Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill get all the ink, but this actually tops those Tarantino classics. And it's based on an Elmore Leonard novel. Nuff' said.

In spite of my well-documented opinion that Tilda Swinton should not have won the Oscar for Michael Clayton, she is undoubtedly a great actress, and she gives one of the best performances of her career in The Deep End. She plays Margaret Hall, a mother of three who discovers her teenage son Beau (Jonathan Tucker) has been frequenting a gay nightclub, and may be having a relationship with a man named Darby Reese (Josh Lucas, slime personified). As the movie opens, Margaret is paying a visit to the club to tell Mr. Reese to stay away from her son. Not long after the visit, a drunken Reese shows up at their property and meets Beau in the boathouse, where things take a violent turn. The next morning Margaret discovers Reese's body, and makes an impulsive decision to dump it in the lake to keep her son from being implicated in a murder investigation. This decision sends her spiralling into an increasingly desperate frenzy of activity, but every move she makes to try to protect her son seems to lead her deeper and deeper into trouble. Adding fuel to the fire is the arrival of a man named Alek Spera (E.R's Goran Visnjic) who plays Margaret a videotape of her son and Darby Reese in a compromising situation, and threatens to make the tape public unless she pays him $50,000. Margaret frantically but unsuccessfully tries to raise the money, of which she informs Spera, who in turn informs his partner in crime Carlie Nagel, a wonderfully nasty Raymond J. Barry (Pa Cox in The Dewey Cox Story). Nagel pressures Spera to do whatever has to be done to get the money, but after spending time with Margaret and getting to know her situation, Spera begins to see himself through her eyes and becomes reluctant to carry out Nagel's orders. This prompts Nagel to take matters into his own hands, eventually leading to a confrontation between the two blackmailers. What I find especially great about the film is that every single character seems three-dimensional and real, even Nagel, though he's a right bastard. Even Margaret's two younger children and her father-in-law are given a chance to develop, and they add some nice comic relief to the film. The performances are all top-notch, especially Swinton of course, but Visnjic brings a wonderful bruised vulnerability to the conflicted Alek, and Jonathan Tucker is a tightly-wound ball of teenage angst as the young son trying to come to terms with his own sexuality. In addition, the beautiful Lake Tahoe locations give the film a very original look and feel. I found the The Deep End to be uncommonly engrossing, even after repeated viewings, and I highly recommend it, certainly for fans of Tilda Swinton, but also for lovers of a thriller that breaks the mold and dares to be different.

The Mafia film that all others will forever be measured against. And one of the rare instances when the movie actually does the book justice. Mario Puzo's wonderful novel was brought to the screen in high style by Puzo and F.F. Coppola, and was deserving of every one of its 11 Oscar nominations, including wins for Best Picture and Best Actor (Marlon Brando). A film that ages like fine wine, and is certain to be enjoyed for generations to come.

I love movies that have lots of horses and lots of dust (Lonesome Dove and Lawrence of Arabia come to mind). Well, Lawrence of Arabia had lots of camels, but you know what I mean. Anyway, The Proposition definitely meets those criteria. You can practically feel the grit between your teeth as you watch it. The film tells the story of the Burns brothers, Arthur (Danny Huston), Charlie (Guy Pearce) and Mike (Richard Wilson), who are outlaws in late 19th century Australia. When Charlie and Mike are captured by Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) following the murder of a family, Stanley offers Charlie a pardon if he can track down and kill his brother Arthur in 9 days. This will also save his young brother Mike from the gallows. The screenplay was written by singer Nick Cave, who also wrote the music with composer Warren Ellis. If you're familiar with Mr. Cave's music, especially the CD 'Murder Ballads', you won't be surprised by what you see on the screen. It's a violent story, populated by violent men, against a landscape that looks like someone's vision of hell. It's a fantastic job by Cave on his first screenplay, and it's brought to the screen beautifully by director John Hillcoat and cinematographer Benoît Delhomme. After seeing Ray Winstone in 'Sexy Beast', his performance here comes as no surprise. The same can be said for Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential, Memento). But Danny Huston's performance is a revelation. He's never had a meatier role than that of the mad patriarch Arthur Burns, and he digs in with relish. He was good in 'Birth', but he takes it to a new level here. Emily Watson is excellent as Stanley's wife Martha, who tries to bring a touch of English gentility to the savage land, and John Hurt steals every scene he appears in, as the bounty hunter Jellon Lamb. Kudos to everyone involved in what is basically an Australian version of the classic American western. But The Proposition is no mere imitation. It actually breathes new life into a genre that has woefully fallen on hard times.

Penn and Sarandon knock it out of the park! Packs an emotional punch, so have your hanky ready.

Maybe Brosnan's best performance ever. You'll laugh 'til you cry. Then you'll cry some more.

I'm aging myself, but I saw this in the theatre back in '65 and it had a profound effect on me. It still has that effect on me when I watch it today. I suppose I had never seen such a sweeping historical epic in my young life, and I found the story to be deeply moving. The performances, especially by Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, are spectacularly good, and David Lean directs as only he can, to create a truly magnificent spectacle. I actually prefer this to Lean's other acknowledged masterpiece, Lawrence of Arabia.

Wonderful teaming of Sam Shepard, Jessica Lange and director Wim Wenders of 'Paris, Texas' fame. Howard Spence (Shepard) is on the run from a movie he's starring in, when he finds out from his mother about a son he supposedly fathered over 20 years ago. He decides to return to the scene of the crime, and possibly find some meaning in his car-wreck of a life. Super performances from the 2 leads and Gabriel Mann as the angry young man. Sarah Polley does a nice job as a girl who thinks Howard may be her father as well. This guy was busy! Beautiful cinematography by Franz Lustig, and a really cool score by T-Bone Burnett. Well worth a rental.