Lazy Sunday. Lists! Top Movies!

I finally got around to using the Maxtor external drive to back up my main computer's files; that, along with my laundry out of the way, and a TNA PPV leaves me with time to post this.

I finally got accounts with Twitter and Facebook, mostly to get both out of the way. Twitter is proving quite informative.

Anyway, onto the lists, I guess; these are not necessarily what I think is the best, sometimes good, sometimes guilty pleasures, sometimes just favorites for personal reasons; none of these in particular order:

My Top Movies:

- The Hangover - Surprisingly smart, if incredibly low brow. Yes, all the big questions are answered, sometimes in rather bizarre ways; watch Zach Galifianakis's Alan steal the show! Also, be sure to stick around for the photo montage during the credits for the biggest of answers; beware, believe it or not, as nasty as the movie was, the montage somehow manages to top it! So, see it if you can handle it!

- The Game - It can best be summarized as "what the ultra-rich do when they get bored." Still manages to be a very smart psychological thriller, with twists all over the place leading to a big, though slighty expected finale. Oh, and another great performance by Michael Douglas.

- The Usual Suspects - Speaking of twists, here is the best twist ending in movie history, even when you see it coming. Great crime chornology, worthy of Quentin Tarantino. The story flows so well you sometimes forget most of the movie is flashing back from a police interview, as being answered by a suposedly hapless henchman. The question that begs the answer: Who is Keyser Soze?

- Kill Bill vols.1 and 2 - Speaking of Quentin Tarantino, this is his homage to Asian cinema, as only he could do it. Over the top, over the line, and oh so good!

- To Live and Die in LA - See William Friedkin's return to form. See a lean, mean William Petersen be as far from Gil Grissom as possible. See Willem Defoe just be awesome. See one of the greatest car chases in movie history. Oh, and it wasn't Lethal Weapon, this is the movie that first used the infamous "I'm getting to old for this . . . " line. There are no good guys in this morally ambiguous movie, just the "not as bad" guys.

- Airplane! - The model of how a slapstick movie should be made. I recommend seeing the movie Zero Hour! for extra giggles, as this was the inspiration, and ultimately the basis for Airplane! With so much to say about this movie, including famously serious actors uttering the most ridiculous of lines, I just have three words: the cockpit visit. Between Peter Graves's Captain Oveur hitting on little Joey, and Kareem Adbul Jabar breaking character, the scene still leaves me doubled over laughing!

- Bad Day at Black Rock - Ethnic tension in the Southwest, with Spencer Tracy as an unlikely hero, and surprising amount of depth in an action movie. Watch for what may be the first use of martial arts in a western movie.

- Freaks - One of those movies guaranteed to give you nightmares, even with the "good guys" winning. Made all the more disturbing by Tod Browning's use of actual sideshow performers.

- King Kong (original) - This didn't have good special effects for it's time, this just had good special effects! The story is good, but some close-ups of Kong will leave you thinking you just saw a real giant ape, who can emote!

- The Battle of Britain - Though notable for the use of restored WWII airplanes, the special effects come up lacking in too many places. Still, the movie has a place in my heart from when I saw it, there is a lot of great dialogue, and it has a distinctly British flavor.

- The Italian Job (original, NOT the remake) - Speaking of distinctly British flavor, here's a classic caper story, featuring British gangsters, and a great execution that turns into one of the better movie car chases. The characters are characters to the fullest, including Benny Hill being a pervert, Noel Coward being aristocratic, and Michael Caine just being Michael Caine!

- The Flight of the Phoenix (original, NOT the remake) - Desperation after a plane crash turns into ingenuity, turns into almost dictatorial leadership, turns into an unlikely (even if foreshadowed by the title) ending. If anything, see it for Jimmy Sterwart as a hardened, badass pilot. Yes, that Jimmy Stewart; and yes, there are moments he comes off as dowright threatening!

- Crank - The ultimate man movie, with Jason Statham as the ultimate man. No brains, no logic, just pure testosterone. This movie isn't meant to win awards, it's meant to be fun, and I certainly enjoyed it! Over the top, in some scenes way over the top, with countless scenes defying logic, down to the outrageous ending. This is what would happen if the Grand Theft Auto games were made into a movie, and that's a good thing!

- Fight Club - Speaking of ultimate man movies, this is the ultimate man movie . . . with brains! In a way, a criticism of how men have lost their masculinity in modern times, and one man's quest to regain his. The narration, the flow, the revelation about "Tyler," and how everything somehow manages to fit together make this a very well-made, very smart movie, that still manages to cross lines and be entertaining!

- Wargames - Not only one of the original hacker movies (along with Tron), not only Matthew Broderick's major movie debut, but also a stinging criticism of the futility of nuclear war. Yes, the "0 Player/All Scenarios" scene in NORAD is still one of the most chilling sequences in movie hisotry.

- Dr. Strangelove - Speaking of nuclear war, leave it to Stanley Kubrick to depict the futility of it in the most twisted way imaginable! Along with Peter Sellers's incredible performances (yes, plural), solid satire, memorable dialogue, Slim Pickens in one of the most famous images in movie history, and an incredibly dark look at humanity that still manages to be funny.

- The Silence of the Lambs - Incredible acting; incredible directing; incredible writing; incredible cinematography; all in what is basically a slasher flick! Dr. Hannibal Lecter may be one of the most twisted characters in movie history, yet you still want to see who he "does" next!

- Royal Space Force/Wings of Honneamise - It's the story of the space program . . . in another planet. Still, a great human story, with the right touches of an alternate reality to keep things interesting. Oh, and absolutely gorgeous animation; the final launch scene is something to behold.

- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Charley Kaufman and Jim Carrey make for a twisted combination. A look at how a mind would be erased of specific memories; a look at just what dreams look like; a look at how people in the right position can abuse their power; a look at the enduring power of a relationship. It does it all and does it beautifully.

- Battleground - One of the first movies to depict WWII at its grittiest. A surprising amount of humor to balance out the angst, and a great re-enactment of General McAuliffe giving one of history's most famous retorts. Watch for Ricardo Montalban sharing a joint with George Murphy, including the not-so-subtle reaction that tells that that is not tobacco!

- Blazing Saddles - Forget Unforgiven, this is the ultimate deconstruction/demythologization of the Western, as only Mel Brooks could do it! From the high brow: not all cowboys were white; blacks, Chinese, and Mexicans among others were big part of the Old West. To the low brow: they always depict cowboys eating nothing but beans, the imfamous campfire scene showed what that would really look (or more correctly, sound) like! I doubt a current white director would even think of such gratuitous use of the n-word.

- Animal House - More low brow at its finest! This one started the college movie trend, it set the tropes in place, and it's still the best. Even more than SNL, this made John Belushi a legend, with great reason. Ultimately, like 'em or not, don't mess with the misfits, their payback will be the stuff of legend!

- Back to School - Speaking of low-brow college movies, here's one about a man who never went! Rodney Dangerfield, besides being himself, plays what is from the getgo clearly a self-made man, who shows real-life experience can be a far better lesson than a college class . . . in the most low-class way imaginable!

- Casino - Yes, I hear Goodfellas is almost identical, and better, but this is the one I saw. A quintessential Martin Scorsese crime drama, I loved the Vegas setting, the narration, and Robert DeNiro being Robert DeNiro. Oh, Joe Pesce doing his thing didn't hurt . . . unless you're on the receiving end!

- Pirates of Silicon Valley - Basically the story of the rise of Microsoft and Apple. Noah Wyle and Anthony Michael Hall are great as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates respectively.

- The Crossing - A dramatization of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton, yet so much more. Gritty, personal, and a great performance by Jeff Daniels as Washington himself.

- Thirteen Days - Day by day, a chronicle of one of the most dangerous moments in world history. Even if you know how it turns out, the tension remains, and you still cheer Adlai Stevenson's legendary UN speech.

- Slumdog Millionaire - One of the best uses of flashbacks in movie history. We also end up getting a look at modern India, and how it has become a world player. This, along with a love story, and brothers that could put Cain and Abel to shame make for a great experience. The great ending helps, be it the actual ending, or the obligatory Bollywood number during the credits.

- F/X - Most aspects of it are forgetable, but the premise of a special effects expert using his skills agianst a criminal conspiracy is enticing; and when he actually does do the F/X thing, it's great! The final showdown has escalating excitement as the bad guys are taken out one by one. The ending is a bit of a surprise, but a great set-up for a sequel.

- Borat - Sacha Baron Cohen is a twisted genius, and this was his magnum opus! The ultimate key to not be offended by this movie is not to take it too seriously. Beyond that, seeing real people unwittingly become marks to SBC's twisted character can be cringeworthy, yet still funny. Oh yeah, there's the nude fight sequence, for those who can handle it.

- Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle - There have been other stoner movies, but this is mine! There has been Cheech and Chong, but this is my multicultural stoner duo! Ultimately, its about a couple of guys who just want to get to White Castle, and their many adventures along the way. With all that happens to them, including bizarre run-ins with Neil Patrick "Doogie Howser" Harris, three words work for me: "riding the cheetah." If you see it, you know what I'm talking about!

- Fahrenheit 9/11 - Of Michael Moore's many documentaries, this is the hardest hitting, and ultimately the most important. A sobering chronicle of how a dazed, scared nation can be led into an unnecessary war.

- Lord of War - Speaking of war, this one provides a view of how wars are fueled. Basically the biography of fictional-but-based-on-a-real-person arms dealer Yuri Orlev beautifully played by Nicholas Cage), it shows the benefits and perils of arms dealing, and who gets it in the end. The three scenes that really got me: "Life of a Bullet" at the very beginning, where an AK-47 cartridge goes from brass sheet, through production, to various inspections and ports of call, to final "delivery" through the skull of an African child soldier; Yuri's monologue on the AK-47, how it's "Russia's greatest export, next to vodka and suicidal authors," and how it's the perfect weapon for guerrilla warfare; and his cool explanation to Agent Jack Valentine while under arrest as to why he's gonna walk, and why governments need people like him, followed by all happening as he said.

- Iron Man - A superhero movie that gets it right on so many levels; yes, I've seen Spider-man 2, and it still stands; no, I haven't seen The Dark Knight, so this has to stand so far. Faith to the original story, action, humor, and a superb performance by Robert Downey Jr. When even little things like the testing process are done right, it's a good sign.

- The Iron Giant - An underrated Brad Bird gem. Pay attention and you'll hear Vin Diesel in one of his first roles! Beautiful animation, great characters, and a great story of a boy and his giant robot. The incredibly exciting and emotional ending is also something to behold.

- Watership Down - Sure, cute little bunny rabbits . . . then they start getting slaughtered in ever more horrible ways! Seen in another way, the plight of a persecuted tribe in search of a new homeland; we empathize with the rabbits, down to their origins mythology. I'll admit I haven't read the book, but the movie is an intense, satisfying experience.

- Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Getting the obvious out of the way: yes, just about every cartoon character imaginable interacting with humans in the greatest crossover event ever; this alone would be enough to make a movie legendary, but there is so much more. At the core, it's an homage to Chinatown, with the bigoted P.I., the oppressed minority, and the corporate conspiracy. Overall, a great experience.

- Koyaanisqatsi - Music. Images. Man. Nature. Experimental movie-making at its . . . most experimental. Still, the blend of images and music, and the message being sent somehow manage to work.

Watch for Top TV Series, Top Comic Strips, and "The List" from my iTunes collection in the future!

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'Til next time . . .