I often go over my list of top 50 movies but rarely find anyone who's interested. I've always wanted to rant and rave about my top 10 so hear goes:

10) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

All of my other films are classified by trilogy or saga. However, this one only has the one out so far. I can't get enough of it. Fantasy films have been taken to a whole new level. I read the books just a year before this film came out. I fell in love then and now that I've seen it I'm an addict. This film is as faithful to the books as I've ever seen. I often don't appreciate adaptations from novels unless they are spectacular or faithful and this is both

9) The Shawshank Redemption

I had a hard time wanting to see this film. It was 8 years ago and I did catch it in the theater but I was like, "Who want's to see another dull prison movie?" I ate my words and still do. This movie is one of the few that makes me choked up every time I sit down to watch it. With Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump the same year, it still blows them away as far as I'm concerned. Not only is it touching and inspirational, it shows a human quality that is little seen in films, especially in prison films.

8) Goodfellas

By far one of the most fun movies ever. I'd even consider it a dark comedy. Much of the film is a saterical look at the life of a gangster. The inane chatter of Franky Carbone, the stereotypes throughout ("I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers") and even Moray's death, for those of you with a sick sense of humor like me, all of this make me crack up every time. Asside from thinking it's funny, it never has a dull moment and the action is always fun. Don't forget to look for Samuel L Jackson in one of his many cameo apperiences (True Romance, Coming To America).

7) The Usual Suspects

I was already a fan of Kevin Spacey before this film came out (The Ref, Glengarry Glen Ross). I wanted to see it for the whole cast. I thought, well it's another action film but it'll be fun. I was taken by storm. I saw it opening weekend and like to humor myself that I did my part to make this film popular. I told everyone to see it and have yet to spoil a thing. So you know there's a catch, that's the genius of it. It's one of the few movies I can say I've seen too many times to not catch everything and still I haven't. It's my favorite film noir and the most intriguing script I've ever seen put on screen.

6) Star Wars Saga

I am an obscene Star Wars junkie. I go to the premieres, collect the collectables and know all the characters, even the ones hidden way in the background. Star Wars has defined a generation and still inspires me when I watch them. When people anywhere mention The Force, we don't think of the police force. We think of Star Wars. When I mention the Saga, I am talking specifically about the original three. I like these new ones (yes, I even like The Phantom Menace) but I don't think that any of them are as good as any of the original ones. In order of preference, they go V, IV, VI, II, I. While we Star Wars fans bitch and moan when something is not the way we wanted it in these new ones, I just tell them it's not ours, it's Uncle George's. We go see it for his vision of historical space mayham and that's what we should expect. Still, all of these new movies are illustrating the tail of the rise and fall of Darth Vader and to me that's what it's all about. No villan can compare to the shear evil and malace that comes with Lord Vader. I still get chills when he boards the rebel ship with Princess Leia, out of the fog, breathing and making even the corpses tremble.

5) Blazing Saddles

Absolutely the best slapstick comedy ever made. Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder and Clevon Little make this comedy so funny and yet so rediculous it has to be good. If ever there is a movie that you should never take seriously, this is it. I mean, who ever heard of a black sheriff? Classic moments are brought to life in this masterpiece of film comedy. From Lilly Von Schtup and the La Pedome Throughway to the Gucci saddle and the Waco Kid, never does scene go by without leaving me in stitches.

4) Brazil

Definitely the most bizarre film I've ever seen. I bought the Criterion Edition of this film on DVD and have seen scenes that were not ment to be seen. Watching the film and the world around our main character, Sam, unravel into his own dream world is one thing. There are tons of extra scenes in this edition that make it even more difficult to comprehend. If you are squemish, don't try to comprehend it. Just watch it once and go get yourself a good stiff drink. Make it a double. This film is so complex that if you understand it the first or even second time you see it, you should be put away. That's what makes it so great. It is contravercial and it's funny. Look for it in the comedy section of your video stores. This was before everyone realized Robert DeNiro was really a funny actor but he is a riot in it. Terry Gilliam also is a master film maker. This is his greatest work and a tribute to everything he does. I think he's one of the best directors around today.

3) The Godfather Trilogy

What can I say about this? All three films are spectacular. Only Lord of the Rings can come close to being the great masterpiece of an epic saga that this is. Right now, it seems impossible to beat. When I break down my favorites with out combining sequals, Godfather parts I and II are always in my top 5, with only Brazil between them. I have come to favor part II because it shows more creative freedom on the part of Coppola. This stunning work embrases all the ideals of classic film making. I see them on TV all the time now and can barely ever turn the channel away. The life and times of the Coreleone family as depicted on screen is the most spectacular rendition of organized crime, struggling to salvage a family and just all around good entertainment.

2) Schindler's List

The only movie I can never get through without crying. It happens every time. I feel that this movie touches me so deeply and is the most powerful drama of all time. Spielberg outdid himself especially with the touch of reality at the end. I recently visited Oscar Schindler's tree on the Avenue of the Righteous in Yad Vashem, Jerusalem and almost broke down then. But it's more than a tearjerker. It reminds us that we should never forget the travisty of the holocaust so that it will never happen again. I even think that Liam Neeson should have won the Oscar in 1993 instead of Tom Hanks for Philadelphia. His performance, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes, the music, the cinematography and every little detail about this film was immaculate. While the subject matter is difficult, the film is flawless. The film is perfect in showing how Schindler was one of histories latest greatest heroes.

1) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb

What is funnier than the end of the world? Well, probably everything until you see this film. Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece shows how more than simple miscalculations have to happen for a nuclear holocaust to occur, someone has to be mad, someone trigger happy and the rest of us have to try to stop it or save what life we can. This movie is my favorite because tragedy like this can even be funny. Just watch it and see. Peter Sellers soars as a reluctant British officer trying to get the nukes back to the base, The President of the United States frantically trying to avoid any loss of life and the creator of The Doomsday Machine, Dr. Strangelove. After watching Slim Pickens ride the nuke as if it were a mechanical bull, I knew this was what it was all about. Getting away with stunts like that are risks that the great filmmakers take and the greatest get away with. Movies don't get better than this!!!


Some of my other favorites are:

The Great Escape
Being John Malkovich
Citizen Kane
A Clockwork Orange
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Fargo
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
The Blues Brothers
Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory
Young Frankenstein
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
The Fisher King
Mulholland Drive
Pulp Fiction


Thanks for reading. I enjoyed talking about my favorites. We should do this more often. There are tons more I'd love to talk about but I just don't have the time right now.

Adam