Movies are an important part of my life. Good movies doubly so. There are lots of good movies, but precious few great ones. Great in this situation doesn't mean “most critically acclaimed” or “most artistic” or even “best made”. Great means that there is just something about these movies that demands, every few months or so, that you watch them again. These are the movies I can mostly quote start to finish, and something this good doesn’t come out every year. Or even every five. There are, however, more than just five movies I consider truly great, and there's a few that absolutely deserve to be recognized. So, starting with number 10, these are my 10 favorite movies, part 1.
#10 – Final Fantasy: The Advent Children
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This is the greatest thing to ever come from the Anime genre. And I say that from the perspective of a person who has roomed with someone knowledgeable in Anime. So I've seen like... This... and uh... Cowboy Bebop... and... clips of Sailor Moon? Anyways, I don't have a lot of respect for or knowledge concerning Anime, and honestly, the whole Final Fantasy series is just too long winded for me to take seriously.
Other than this movie. This is the best fantasy action movie on earth, and if you can get past the cheesy dialogue and the slightly campy feel, I think you'll be able to see where I'm coming from. This movie doesn't demand attention by virtue of its storyline or its characters, but the animation and the fight sequences are the best around. Give it half a chance and I guarantee you'll see something that will make you go “Holy crap. That was friggin' awesome.”
#9 – Silverado
I'm also not a big fan of most westerns. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll sit and watch a western and mostly enjoy it. I like the old west, I just don't love it. So the fact that a western ended up on this list is remarkable. There are actually a few westerns that I really enjoy, 310 to Yuma, the new True Grit, Cowboys and Aliens, the Cowboys... But Silverado is the best of them.
There's action in this movie, sure, and there's lots of classy one-liners and cows and boys and whatnot. What I absolutely love about this movie, however, is the characters. They are each of them just exactly the kind of person I would watch a movie about any day. Also, the music in this movie is fantastic. Straight up the best music of any western I've heard, and that includes The Cowboys, even though John Williams is my favorite composer.
There's something amazingly charismatic about this movie, and it's just fun to watch. Some people would say this movie is actually pretty slow. If you ever say that to me, I will point at you and exclaim loudly that you have the worst case of ADHD I've ever seen. So maybe don't bring it up in public.
#8 – Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country
When you've got a cast that was involved in something as iconic as Star Trek, you don't just leave them with adventures left to have. The Undiscovered Country was important, then, because it was the original crew of the Enterprise's last adventure. There's another movie on this list that fits this style as well, and a solid wrap-up, if handled properly, will cause fan worship.
Not that I'm saying I worship this movie, but it is really great. It's got the best of everything that ever made Trek great, and William Shatner gives his first performance (full stop).
Or at least his first performance that doesn't make you dismiss him as an arrogant prick. The story is engaging, the villain is admirable, and the Enterprise gets a send-off worthy of her greatness. The main message of this movie, assuming a Star Trek movie can have meaning beyond entertainment of the highest caliber, is that the future of Trek isn't over even though all the original actors are old. There will be another crew, and more adventures to come.
#7 – Jurassic Park
Because this guy spits poison...
These guys can open doors...
And this is a T-Rex.
I mean, why should I want to watch this for any other reason than DINOSAURS!!! WOOT!!!
I guess the movie itself is also beautiful to look at, engaging in both plot and acting, intensely frightening and satisfying, and has great music.
But seriously guys, why are you even asking?
#6 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Spielberg gets another spot on the list here. In fact, there's one of his movies on my top five list as well, so I guess three out of ten makes him my favorite director. I'll roll with that.
Anywho, this movie. What can I say about this movie? It's hilarious. It's action-packed. It's high stakes. It's touching. It's heartwarming. It wraps up the Indiana Jones series with a nice little bow.
I don't know a single person who doesn't get misty-eyed at the mention of this movie. Okay, among the ranks of those of us who have seen it. It's got some of the greatest lines of all time, probably only beaten by The Princess Bride. It's got some of the best casting of all time, and by that I mean Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in the same movie. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you're wasting your life. Your entire life. Everything you think you have accomplished is worth nothing unless you have seen this movie. How do you even get up in the morning?
#10 – Final Fantasy: The Advent Children
_enl.jpg)
This is the greatest thing to ever come from the Anime genre. And I say that from the perspective of a person who has roomed with someone knowledgeable in Anime. So I've seen like... This... and uh... Cowboy Bebop... and... clips of Sailor Moon? Anyways, I don't have a lot of respect for or knowledge concerning Anime, and honestly, the whole Final Fantasy series is just too long winded for me to take seriously.
Other than this movie. This is the best fantasy action movie on earth, and if you can get past the cheesy dialogue and the slightly campy feel, I think you'll be able to see where I'm coming from. This movie doesn't demand attention by virtue of its storyline or its characters, but the animation and the fight sequences are the best around. Give it half a chance and I guarantee you'll see something that will make you go “Holy crap. That was friggin' awesome.”
 |
| Protip: when facing off with Bahamut, be Cloud. If you are not Cloud, don't face off with Bahamut. |
#9 – Silverado
I'm also not a big fan of most westerns. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll sit and watch a western and mostly enjoy it. I like the old west, I just don't love it. So the fact that a western ended up on this list is remarkable. There are actually a few westerns that I really enjoy, 310 to Yuma, the new True Grit, Cowboys and Aliens, the Cowboys... But Silverado is the best of them.
There's action in this movie, sure, and there's lots of classy one-liners and cows and boys and whatnot. What I absolutely love about this movie, however, is the characters. They are each of them just exactly the kind of person I would watch a movie about any day. Also, the music in this movie is fantastic. Straight up the best music of any western I've heard, and that includes The Cowboys, even though John Williams is my favorite composer.
There's something amazingly charismatic about this movie, and it's just fun to watch. Some people would say this movie is actually pretty slow. If you ever say that to me, I will point at you and exclaim loudly that you have the worst case of ADHD I've ever seen. So maybe don't bring it up in public.
#8 – Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country
When you've got a cast that was involved in something as iconic as Star Trek, you don't just leave them with adventures left to have. The Undiscovered Country was important, then, because it was the original crew of the Enterprise's last adventure. There's another movie on this list that fits this style as well, and a solid wrap-up, if handled properly, will cause fan worship.
Not that I'm saying I worship this movie, but it is really great. It's got the best of everything that ever made Trek great, and William Shatner gives his first performance (full stop).
 | ||
| Gene: "Do you think Bill will ever start acting like Captain Kirk?" Leonard: "He he, it'd probably be easier to just rewrite Kirk so he acts like Bill." |
Or at least his first performance that doesn't make you dismiss him as an arrogant prick. The story is engaging, the villain is admirable, and the Enterprise gets a send-off worthy of her greatness. The main message of this movie, assuming a Star Trek movie can have meaning beyond entertainment of the highest caliber, is that the future of Trek isn't over even though all the original actors are old. There will be another crew, and more adventures to come.
#7 – Jurassic Park
Because this guy spits poison...
These guys can open doors...
And this is a T-Rex.
 |
| HEY! HEYYYY! WHATS UP!!!!!!??!! |
I mean, why should I want to watch this for any other reason than DINOSAURS!!! WOOT!!!
I guess the movie itself is also beautiful to look at, engaging in both plot and acting, intensely frightening and satisfying, and has great music.
 | |
| Yes, intensely satisfying indeed. |
But seriously guys, why are you even asking?
#6 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
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| This cover always kinda bugged me, because Sean Connery was clearly the star of this movie. |
Spielberg gets another spot on the list here. In fact, there's one of his movies on my top five list as well, so I guess three out of ten makes him my favorite director. I'll roll with that.
Anywho, this movie. What can I say about this movie? It's hilarious. It's action-packed. It's high stakes. It's touching. It's heartwarming. It wraps up the Indiana Jones series with a nice little bow.
 |
| Wrapped it up completely. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you check, you'll find that nothing else related to Indiana Jones comes afterwards. Nope, no colossal, career destroying mistakes here. On an unrelated note, I say we ban George Lucas from touching anything ever again. |
I don't know a single person who doesn't get misty-eyed at the mention of this movie. Okay, among the ranks of those of us who have seen it. It's got some of the greatest lines of all time, probably only beaten by The Princess Bride. It's got some of the best casting of all time, and by that I mean Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in the same movie. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you're wasting your life. Your entire life. Everything you think you have accomplished is worth nothing unless you have seen this movie. How do you even get up in the morning?
 |
| What was that? I forgot to listen to you over the sound of how incredibly awesome I am. |
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