Cross Section of Personal Favorites
A short list of movies that have stood the test of time with me. In no particular order.
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23 titles
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.You won't catch everything until you watch this several times. Some of the best "disposable lines" of any movie.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsWilliam H. MacyFrances McDormandSteve BuscemiMinnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.I live in MN, and almost 20 yrs later this still nails it; for better and worst. Is this a movie that I've seen maybe more times than any other? You betcha.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.Classic. Am I the only one that thinks this dwarfs Godfather II?
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.Way before my time and I still love it - over & over again.
- DirectorPete DocterBob PetersonStarsEdward AsnerJordan NagaiJohn Ratzenberger78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.Both hysterical laughs and sentimental tears. Great to share with the kids.
- StarsDavid McCulloughSam WaterstonJulie HarrisA comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.I am NOT a civil war buff, but this was awesome if you have some patience. Drove me to read Shelby Foote's almost 3,000 page civil war history - and it was also awesome.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsNatalya BondarchukDonatas BanionisJüri JärvetA psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.I don't recommend this to many people because it's paced soooo slowly. But if you can deal with that (and subtitles), it's maybe my favorite foreign film. I've also read the original book and seen the George Clooney remake. I liked them all, and they all make a different point, but this is the best of the three.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.As you see from this list, I like films with "atmosphere". No other war movie can touch this one on that count.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsKlaus KinskiIsabelle AdjaniBruno GanzCount Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.This is my favorite vampire flick - again ALL atmosphere. For adults, not the Twilight set.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.The Final Cut Version - without the voice over or the hokey Hollywood ending.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.You can always find this playing on some channel or another; for good reason.
- DirectorJohn LasseterStarsTom HanksTim AllenDon RicklesA cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom."To infinity and beyond!" Never gets old.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneMaureen O'HaraBarry FitzgeraldA retired American boxer returns to the village of his birth in 1920s Ireland, where he falls for a spirited redhead whose brother is contemptuous of their union.Admittedly a family affair - been watching this in my family since before I was born. But we all love it; even my kids.
- DirectorPhil Alden RobinsonStarsKevin CostnerJames Earl JonesRay LiottaIowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.Not only the best sports movie ever, but one of the best family movies of any kind - ever.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsSteve GuttenbergMickey RourkeKevin BaconA group of college-age buddies struggle with their imminent passage into adulthood in 1959 Baltimore.This was our college theme movie - kinda scary. Best performances by a host of future talents. Also has great one-liners.
- DirectorBrian Desmond HurstStarsAlastair SimJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonEbenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.Must be this version with Alistair Sim.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.Better than Aliens if you like atmosphere more than action (though I almost put Aliens on this list too).
- DirectorPete DocterDavid SilvermanLee UnkrichStarsBilly CrystalJohn GoodmanMary GibbsIn order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.Watch it with your kids over and over - just like Toy Story.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsSimon PeggNick FrostKate AshfieldThe uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.Whoo Hoo! Tons of fun.
- DirectorDana BrownStarsChad McQueenMario AndrettiSal FishA documentary on the Baja 1000, an annual off-road race held in Baja, Mexico that attracts hundreds of racers, their souped-up machines, and thousands of fans.Adrenaline rush for all you guys out there. Great movie; have recommended this to soooo many people because it's fun for all of them.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.One of the few "late additions" to this list. Just a great movie. Also on the "best of" list of my teenage daughter. You know you're on to something when a movie can cut through the generations.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.No explanation needed. Hopkins & Foster are both exceptional. Lector is a truly iconic cinematic character.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsBilly CrystalMeg RyanCarrie FisherHarry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.Still funny almost 30 years later. "Mr. Zero knew".