Ten Favorite Movies

These are my favorite movies, not the movies I deem to be "the greatest". That considered, the distinction is fairly trivial. They are ordered from top to bottom, first to tenth. On this list two are cliches of any favorite movie list, three more are undisputed classics and five were made since the millennium. Time will tell which of those will achieve immortality and to what degree the classics will endure, but before that happens, I will tell you why these movies are patently awesome.


There Will Be Blood- At the risk of jumping the gun, seeing how this movie came out less than a year ago, I think that this is the single greatest movie of the decade. Chugging, dark and horrifyingly vivid, this movie is a study of a man driven, like Citizen Kane before it.The film follows Daniel Plainview's ruthless rise to wealth as an oil baron in the California oil fields. It is clear that he will stop at nothing to fulfill his ambition and yet, the most terrifying moments of the movie are the glimmers of humanity, hastily concealed, that his character betrays. That we all have a little Daniel Plainview in us becomes simultaneously disturbing and perversely satisfying.

Star Wars IV, V, VI- You may quip about elements of the acting or script, but these three movies are ultimately unassailable for their wild imagination, excellent sequences, pacing, story, characters and... Harrison Ford.

Donnie Darko- If you cease trying to make sense of the logical paradoxes that structure the movie's plot, this movie is even better than the generally excellent reviews it received might suggest. Donnie Darko is a highschooler with psychological issues who is saved from a falling airplane engine by a talking bunny named Frank. The movie continues through October until the day Frank has told Donnie the world will end. The social commentary is spot on, the mood is pitch-perfect and the mind-fuck coefficient is outrageous, but more than anything this is a movie that excels at capturing moments subtle and vastly profound. Even without the backbone of a cohesive thesis, this stands comfortably between cinema classics.

Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail- Occasionally I see glimpses of insight in the collection of skits that compose King Arthur's absurd travels, but mostly what I see is pure, brilliant humor that doesn't need meaning to keep me laughing like a maniac the whole way through.

Superbad- I love high school movies and I love Rogen/Apatow, so it should be no surprise that Superbad ranks highly here. While Superbad is savagely funny and intensely profane, it is no American Pie. Its jokes carry the sting of truth and the movie packs the emotional weight that characterizes the best of high school movies. The only other that competes on these terms is Ferris Buehler.

The Seventh Seal- I first heard of this reading Ingmar Bergman's obituary last summer. It follows a knight returning from the crusades to his home in Sweden amidst the height of the Black Plague. Along the way home he plays chess against Death for his life. Like Hamlet before it, it's a meditation on mortality. It also shares with Hamlet its surreal horror and leavening humor. If you want a trippier Bergman that's on the same echelon, watch Wild Strawberries, but if you want your movie fun as well as deep, go no further.

The Bourne Identity- This is the finest action movie I have ever seen. Driven by a magnetic plot and shot with hand-held cameras, this movie is pure visceral thrill. I particularly love the scene where Bourne hunts down the sniper outside the British expat's house.

Pulp Fiction- This is Quentin Tarantino in all of his fucked up glory. It's fun. It's sick. It's a great ride. I don't know that Dick Dale or gratuitous violence were ever so cool as in this film.

The Searchers- This is a John Ford western starring John Wayne. It's a brilliant drama piece set against the wide open west, swept along by the epic travels made in search of John Wayne's abducted niece.

28 Days Later- This is an incredible apocalyptic zombie movie. For those of you apprehensive of either designation, I assure you that it has crossover appeal. You'll laugh, cry, scream and ponder deep philosophical questions. I don't know what it is with British zombie flicks this decade, but they're on fire over there.