Anyways, hopefully that all makes sense and starting off my list is:
Dark City (1998)
Roger Ebert claims this is one of his all time favorite movies. It's also relatively unknown. It came out in 1998 and stars Rufus Sewell (you know, that mean guy who jousts against Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale). Anyways, the movie is a Sci Fi-Mystery-Noir with one of my favorite twist endings. If you like sci fi, you'll probably love this. If you don't, then you might not like this film at all. But check it out if you have any interest.
"Just give me my lance."
Tremors (1990)
Kevin Bacon, Giant Worms, and Reba? Why not? I'm surprised a studio looked at this plot idea and allowed it's creation. I'm glad they did though because it turned out to be the most light hearted and fun sci fi horror movie that exists ("Way to go, dudes!"). It includes the best response to an unwelcome home invasion ever filmed! It also has probably my favorite hero duo of all time.
Typical Nevadans
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
This movie is an oddball in my list. Honestly, it's an oddball no matter how you look at it. The whole movie is a strange conglomeration of various genres that create a kung fu, action/adventure, fantasy, romance comedy that's main character is a truck driver and setting is mostly underneath San Francisco China Town. If that hasn't already blown your mind then let me mention the 80's techno music and the presence of Kim Catrall (wait a minute, that old chick form Sex and the City???), yep. It's completely opposite of normal but it's probably one of John Carpenter and Kurt Russel's best films.
This happens, too.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
This enjoyable comedy was actually Tom Hank's first film as a director. It stars a relatively low profile cast with the exception of Tom Hanks himself and Liv Tyler, but is a great movie with a pretty well known and appreciated soundtrack. The movie is about a 60's era band that starts as a garage band and then rises to the top of the charts. The music is all original and the title song was actually written by the bassist of Fountains of Wayne (Stacy's Mom anyone?). I recently received the extended directors cut as a gift from my best friend and it brings a lot more to the movie so I would recommend it if anyone feels like watching it.
Also in the extended version, Tom Hanks is gay!
The Professional (1994)
The story behind this movie is pretty interesting. Director Luc Besson was planning to film The Fifth Element but had to wait for Bruce Willis to finish another project. While waiting, he quickly wrote the script for this movie as a side project and filmed it really quickly. I'm not sure if he expected it to even be good but what resulted was one of the best crime films ever made. The basic synopsis is that a quiet and gentle assassin takes in a 12 year old girl whose drug influenced family is killed by crooked cops. The 12 year old girl is played by Natalie Portman and the movie is her acting debut. If you don't like Natalie Portman, there's something wrong with you. The same amazing talent she exhibits today existed back when she acted in this film.
Ruthless enough to be Darth Vader's girlfriend. (Get it?)
Kill Bill (2003-2004)
Technically, split into two films because of a 4 hour runtime but intended to be one long epic, Kill Bill is my favorite Tarantino movie. It's violent like all Tarantino movies, it's got some bad words like all Tarantino movies, it's got a strong cast like all Tarantino movies, and it is unlike anything you've ever seen breaking unspoken rules of cinematography just like all Tarantino movies. Where Kill Bill stands out though is that this movie is a modern day kung fu samurai western revenge story featuring a strong female lead. I dare you to find another film that fits that genre.
Not pictured: Uma Thurman's massive feet.
Even just the female action hero is a rare find but it leads me to my next favorite film:
Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)
Yeah, it's two movies again but I like them pretty equally and you can easily consider them part of one long epic tale (a tale that has no connection to AVP). To be honest, I like all 4 Alien films very fondly but the first two are the awe inspiring ones while the latter two are just decent story extensions. Alien introduced the world to Ellen Ripley, the most respected female action hero of all time, and to the Alien, the scariest of all monsters put on a viewable screen. The sequel, Aliens, then showed the full potential of both Ripley and the Alien.
You know you're hard core when your weapon of
choice is a pulse rifle duct taped to a flamethrower
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Growing up, I really enjoyed the Wallace and Gromit shorts and making my own stop-animation movies. Fantastic Mr. Fox for those of you who don't know is a feature length stop-animation film made with dolls. It's based on the book by Roald Dahl that I'll admit, I haven't read. Regardless, I really love this film. Besides the accomplishment of filming such a long stop animation movie, this movie excels by having probably the best dialogue of any animated feature, most of which comes from the mouth of George Clooney. If you haven't seen this film, it's basically a movie that you can watch with anyone because it is enjoyable to any demographic. Even your generic cranky old relatives that constantly remind you that they lived in the "good ole days" will appreciate the stop animation that was made without the use of "those damn computers".
Cuss yes
WALL•E (2008)
My all time favorite movie. The day I saw this in theaters on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk (a common vacation spot for my family), I knew this had just become my favorite movie. I know it's an animated movie that gets placed under the category family/children, but if you've ever seen a Pixar film, you know they aren't just made for the kids. Pixar likes to create movies that bring out your emotions and make you connect with the characters. They employ art, music, and exceptional animation to really tell a story that you'll remember. Personally, I think WALL•E was the best they've ever done.
"whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoooa whoooooa"
WHERES MY PIZZA ROLLS?!
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