Saturday, July 10, 2004
Top 25 Movies of All Time - #13
Just added #13!
I decided that I'm just going to re-post this list every time, in order to maintain "reverse order integrity". Sorry about making you scroll.
25. L.A. Confidential
To me, the first thing that stands out about this movie is its incredible cast: Kevin Spacey (my favorite), Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe (before he got sucky), David Straithairn, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, and Kim Basinger. Basinger won the Oscar, but I don't think she was the best aspect of the movie at all. The movie takes the tone of a Film Noir in Hollywood in the '50s, and completely immerses you in its world. The heart of the story is a mystery, but to be honest, the characters themselves are so compelling that you never get a chance to stop and think about what is going on, which makes it work even better when the truth is revealed. Almost all of the characters are nuanced and deep, revealing more about themselves as the story unfolds, and therefore appearing more human as time goes on, not less so, as is too often the case in movies. It might be a little low on the originality scale, but it's an entertaining, compelling story, flawlessly acted and sharply executed. It will definitely stand the test of time as a great period piece and an excellent crime thriller.
24. Memento
Hey, Guy Pearce again! I promise that the next movie on this list is not "Ravenous". (The Guy Pearce movie about cannibals.) Clearly, this movie gets bonus points for originality and cleverness. But there are plenty of movies that are clever or have nice twists at the end - this one makes the list because of how brilliantly conceived it is, and how it is amazingly well-executed. A movie shown in reverse chronological order could have just been a gimmick, but instead it's a critical component of the movie that gets you to empathize with the main character. A strong supporting case (Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano) help take what could have just been another silly "surprise ending" movie and turn it into a legitimate character study. There are a few logical holes, but Memento still falls into the rare category of movies that have a twist at the end that will justifiably cause you to think about the movie for days afterwards. It's a shame that so many movies have now resorted to the twist ending as a way to compensate for their other deficiencies, because it takes away from those few that do it the right way.
23. Hamlet
Let me be very explicit about this - this is the Kenneth Branaugh version. The Lawrence Olivier version is positively horrible, and the Mel Gibson one is decent, but forgettable. What about the Ethan Hawke version, you say? Don't make me sock you in the face, buddy! So, any version of Hamlet clearly has a leg up on other movies, given that it's, in my opinion, the best play in history. But its superior qualities as a play don't necessarily translate into a great movie. That said, Branaugh's version is a superior, nuanced, interesting film. You might think that the combination of a story that really revolves around a hero whose problem is thinking too much and acting too little, and a running time of four hours, would make for a dreary, dull movie. You would, however, be wrong. Unlike so many before him (Olivier to note, but also the Gibson version), Elsinore is not a gray, lifeless place. Rather, it's full of color and pomp and circumstance - and Hamlet himself is sometimes a frenzy of activity and a jumble of thoughts, unable to focus on the task at hand due to his conflicting emotions and philosophies. The expert cast (Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Jack Lemmon, but not Robin Williams, who is, in fact, the worst part of the movie) keeps you focused on the characters, and the magnificent cinematography serves as a lush and interesting background. This is the best take on Shakespeare that I have ever seen.
22. Clerks
From high to low, eh? If Hamlet was the peak of Shakespeare's writing, then Clerks is Kevin Smith's Hamlet. It's surprising that it was the first movie he ever made, but because it was such a small movie (rumor is he basically got a lot of credit cards in order to finance the equipment he needed to make the movie), it has a very bare-bones feel. This turns out to be a good thing for Smith, because as his success has grown, and therefore the accompanying production value has increased, his movies have become bloated and distracting. This is a black-and-white movie that essentially has two different sets, and must therefore excel in its characters and dialogue to keep you enthralled. And, that it does. It is consistently funny, completely irreverent, and sometimes, a bit forced or flawed, as you might expect from a first-time writer/director. For me, it's very tough to find a better comic duo than Dante and Randall.
21. Notting Hill
This is the only true romantic comedy (a couple others might be romantic and funny, but aren't really only romantic comedies) you will find on this list, and that's no accident. Romcoms are frequently predictable and cloying, and feed some idealized notion of love that is completely unrealistic. Furthermore, the reasons of how and why characters fall in love are never explored - they just have "chemistry". Well, Notting Hill doesn't really explore this explicitly, but as you watch the movie, you can feel Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts being drawn to each other. You understand why they would be attracted to one another, but neither one is an idealized shell of a person. Both are flawed, and both do illogical things at times, but it makes them much more human. I normally not a Julia Roberts fan, but she fits perfectly here, as does Hugh Grant in the role he's played a thousand times by now. But the writing is note-perfect, and the supporting cast (playing Grant's family and roommate) form a complete picture of Grant's character and life. You feel sorrow when things tear the characters apart (and one of my favorite scenes of all-time is when Grant is walking down the street as the seasons change over the course of a year), and elation when they're brought back together. It's hilarious at times, and sweet at others, but never trite.
20. Hard Boiled
I've been good so far, but now I'm going to cheat a bit. Hard Boiled is my favorite movie by John Woo, one of my favorite directors. (Hmmm...maybe that's good for another list - top directors.) However, since I'm only putting one Woo movie on the list, this movie actually represents all of Woo's fantastic work, most of which was made in Hong Kong. He's definitely lost a bit after coming to Hollywood. At his best, his work is visual poetry - sometimes described as a "ballet of violence". His recent work, I feel, has been subverted a bit by the Hollywood machine - Hard Target, starring Van Damme, is his first American movie, and it's just abysmal. I enjoyed Face/Off a lot, and I'm one of the few people who liked Mission:Impossible 2, mostly because I went into it planning to watch a John Woo movie, and that's exactly what I got. But, as much as I like these two movies, they pale in comparison to his best Hong Kong work - namely, A Better Tomorrow (his first film), The Killer, and, my favorite, Hard Boiled. All of his HK movies star Chow Yun-Fat, who has an incredible amount of charisma and screen presence. They all have recurring themes - revenge, martyrdom, the juxtaposition of innocence and violence, loyalty - almost like modern-day samurai or cowboy movies. He has also defined a kind of visual grammar that is constantly ripped off - slow-motion gunfire, birds flying away right before extreme violence, two-fisted gunmen, etc. Hard Boiled is actually pretty simplistic in plot - a tough cop is trying avenge his murdered partner. But the simple plot allows Woo to focus on important thematic elements and his brilliant style. Yeah, some of it is cliche and melodramatic, but that's the point - John Woo gives you raw emotion and raw violence at its best.
19. Rushmore
Technically a comedy, Rushmore defies easy categorization. It's part romance, part drama, and large part comedy, but really, something great than all of those genres. It is drop-dead funny, but the humor is ALL character-based. No cheap laughs, and honestly, few gigantic guffaws. It's the type of movie that makes you chuckle and smirk the whole way through. One of its strengths is the acting of Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. Schwartzman plays a kid who takes himself way too seriously, and doesn't miss a note. Bill Murray is essentially a kid in an adult's body, and gives a performance that convinced the world to take him seriously as an actor. One criticism of this movie might be that it doesn't really have a climax - it's basically more of a character study, but it really didn't leave me disappointed. Every time I watch it, I finish with a smile on my face, and that's worth a lot. It's original, sweet, funny, and touching - but never sappy. Just go watch it.
18. Big Lebowski
This one's a tough call. My second instance of "cheating" on this list, since really I'm putting this here to express my affinity for the work of the Coen Brothers. After much deliberation, I've decided that the Big Lebowski is my favorite Coen Brothers movie, but there were quite a few legitimate contenders, include O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Fargo, and Raising Arizona. Basically, when you see a Coen Brothers movie, you know you're going to see something interesting and clever. It's almost always off-kilter, and sometimes they're a bit too strange for their own good, but very frequently you'll see something you've never seen before, which goes a long way for me. Even their misses (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers) contain characters that stick in your mind as memorable and endearing, even if they're completely evil or absurd or stupid. As for the Big Lebowski itself, it stars Jeff Bridges, which is usually a big minus for me, but he's perfect for this role. I hesitate to describe the plot, since that's not really the point - mostly, they take some great actors, give them ridiculous roles (John Goodman as a Jewish Vietnam veteran with anger management problems, Steve Buscemi as a moronic third wheel, John Turturro as an registered sex offender who bowls through intimidation, etc.) and throw them into a situation and see what happens. In the case of the Big Lebowski, it's pretty much nonstop humor, with tons of fantastic lines and scenes - and it all centers on bowling! (Don't think Kingpin.) With the Coens, you may not always like what you see, but you will almost always be entertained and satisfied with their effort.
17. There's Something About Mary
In subsequent years, this movie has been often imitation, but never duplicated. It basically re-invented the gross-out comedy, but in a manner that was always charming and never insulting. Even American Pie, a movie I'd consider to be the runner-up for this "genre" (if you can call it that), doesn't even come close to the level of humor and execution that this film does. It's easy to dismiss this movie, but it works because it has endearing characters at its heart - Ben Stiller's not-quite-awkward-enough to be inhuman, and due to his, um, bathroom issues told in flashback at the beginning of the movie, you simulataneously develop great sympathy for him while laughing hysterically at him, which is a great testament to his comic abilities. Cameron Diaz, who can usually be very hit or miss, seems like a genuine All-American girl that any normal guy would definitely develop a serious crush on. Even Matt Dillon, playing a private eye with no morals, is just goofy enough that you can't wholeheartedly hate them. The Farrellys take these characters and put them in absurd situations, abusing them, but with a clear affection for them. They hit all of the right notes, and the result of one of the winningest, most hilarous, irreverent comedies I've seen in a long time.
16. A Fish Called Wanda
Wow. This is the fourth comedy in a row. Don't worry - I get more serious later. Did I say that There's Something About Mary was one of the most hilarious comedies I've seen in a long time? Well, it is, but I had to use "one of", but A Fish Called Wanda is just as funny, but in a very different way. Most of the characters aren't likeable at all, and so we have freedom to laugh at them with impunity. What's telling about this movie is that Kevin Kline won an Oscar for it...in a comedy! You just don't see that very often. And it's completely well-deserved. There are tons of memorable lines in this movie, but I won't degrade them by repeating them here. Just go see it and laugh your butt off. It's pretty clear, though, that they captured lightning in a bottle - the follow-up, using the same cast (Fierce Creatures) was dreadful.
15. Being John Malkovich
More comedy! Trust me, I get more serious later. This comedy is different than all the others, though. It's a completely unique and original movie. I'd like to compare it to some other movie, but I can't. It does an excellent job of creating it's own reality in which, you can go into John Malkovich's head for about 15 minutes, and then get dropped out onto the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. C'mon, doesn't just reading about that make you laugh? Now imagine seeing it happen on screen. One critical component of moviemaking is creating a believable world. Sometimes this involves accepting certain premises when going into the movie. What's nice about this movie is that, despite the absurd premise, what follows seems completely reasonable, given the way the characters are drawn - basically, all completely self-absorbed. It allows us to laugh at them, and how they deal with these ridiculous situations. It helps that the casting and acting is perfect - John Cusack is pathetic, Cameron Diaz looks and acts like no Cameron Diaz you've ever seen before, and John Malkovich basically destroys his public image in the name of humor. See this movie - at the very least, it'll be unlike anything you've ever seen before, and at the best, you'll laugh your butt off.
14. Fight Club
Fight Club usually evokes strong reactions from people - they either love it or hate it. Clearly, I'm in the former group, but I think any movie that can cause such visceral reactions usually has something worthwhile to offer. Many people try to label Fight Club as a movie of ideas - and I think it does have some, but what's fantastic about it is that its consistent style is always reinforcing those ideas. It's truly a movie that can (and should) be appreciated on multiple levels. The simplistic analysis is that it's an action movie, trying to be cool, with two guys leading this revolution, and an interesting twist thrown in. While I think it's enjoyable at that level, that's way too simplistic a reading. It's a nuanced movie, about frustration, dissatisfaction, rebellion, self-loating, consumerism, and many more topics. I think people often read it way too literally, even after witnessing the "twist" ending that clearly implies the entire movie should be viewed in a different light. This movie is funny, it's bitter, it's shocking, and somewhat disturbing. David Fincher's direction is fantastic, and his style always makes you feel a bit unclean, both physically (in the dirt sense) and emotionally (in the prurient sense) - which is precisely what he wants. Additionally, Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are amazing in this movie. I think a lot of people don't like this movie because of what it's saying and how it makes them feel, but if they look deeper, and put aside their own biases, they'd see it for the masterpiece it truly is.
13. Bull Durham
People think this is a baseball movie, but it's really not. Now, an appreciation of baseball helps a little, but really, this is a movie about relationships. Oh yeah - it's funny as hell. Tim Robbins is amazingly goofy, and Kevin Costner (wait, keep reading!) is perfect as a jaded, smug, aging catcher in the minor leagues. Even Susan Sarandon is tolerable. The supporting cast is excellent as well. I think this movie works on a couple of levels. As a comedy, it's full of amazingly memorable scenes - the coach's "Lollygaggers" speech, when Crash tells the batter what pitch is coming, when Nuke beans the mascot, or the meeting at the mound where they can't decide what to get one of the players for his upcoming wedding - and that's just to name a few. On a deeper level, it's a pretty impressive romance, as the relationship between Crash and Annie develops and then, well, let's just say that "Sixty Minute Man" is one of my favorite romantic scenes in any movie - funny, sexy, sweet, baseball - it's all there.
I decided that I'm just going to re-post this list every time, in order to maintain "reverse order integrity". Sorry about making you scroll.
25. L.A. Confidential
To me, the first thing that stands out about this movie is its incredible cast: Kevin Spacey (my favorite), Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe (before he got sucky), David Straithairn, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, and Kim Basinger. Basinger won the Oscar, but I don't think she was the best aspect of the movie at all. The movie takes the tone of a Film Noir in Hollywood in the '50s, and completely immerses you in its world. The heart of the story is a mystery, but to be honest, the characters themselves are so compelling that you never get a chance to stop and think about what is going on, which makes it work even better when the truth is revealed. Almost all of the characters are nuanced and deep, revealing more about themselves as the story unfolds, and therefore appearing more human as time goes on, not less so, as is too often the case in movies. It might be a little low on the originality scale, but it's an entertaining, compelling story, flawlessly acted and sharply executed. It will definitely stand the test of time as a great period piece and an excellent crime thriller.
24. Memento
Hey, Guy Pearce again! I promise that the next movie on this list is not "Ravenous". (The Guy Pearce movie about cannibals.) Clearly, this movie gets bonus points for originality and cleverness. But there are plenty of movies that are clever or have nice twists at the end - this one makes the list because of how brilliantly conceived it is, and how it is amazingly well-executed. A movie shown in reverse chronological order could have just been a gimmick, but instead it's a critical component of the movie that gets you to empathize with the main character. A strong supporting case (Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano) help take what could have just been another silly "surprise ending" movie and turn it into a legitimate character study. There are a few logical holes, but Memento still falls into the rare category of movies that have a twist at the end that will justifiably cause you to think about the movie for days afterwards. It's a shame that so many movies have now resorted to the twist ending as a way to compensate for their other deficiencies, because it takes away from those few that do it the right way.
23. Hamlet
Let me be very explicit about this - this is the Kenneth Branaugh version. The Lawrence Olivier version is positively horrible, and the Mel Gibson one is decent, but forgettable. What about the Ethan Hawke version, you say? Don't make me sock you in the face, buddy! So, any version of Hamlet clearly has a leg up on other movies, given that it's, in my opinion, the best play in history. But its superior qualities as a play don't necessarily translate into a great movie. That said, Branaugh's version is a superior, nuanced, interesting film. You might think that the combination of a story that really revolves around a hero whose problem is thinking too much and acting too little, and a running time of four hours, would make for a dreary, dull movie. You would, however, be wrong. Unlike so many before him (Olivier to note, but also the Gibson version), Elsinore is not a gray, lifeless place. Rather, it's full of color and pomp and circumstance - and Hamlet himself is sometimes a frenzy of activity and a jumble of thoughts, unable to focus on the task at hand due to his conflicting emotions and philosophies. The expert cast (Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Jack Lemmon, but not Robin Williams, who is, in fact, the worst part of the movie) keeps you focused on the characters, and the magnificent cinematography serves as a lush and interesting background. This is the best take on Shakespeare that I have ever seen.
22. Clerks
From high to low, eh? If Hamlet was the peak of Shakespeare's writing, then Clerks is Kevin Smith's Hamlet. It's surprising that it was the first movie he ever made, but because it was such a small movie (rumor is he basically got a lot of credit cards in order to finance the equipment he needed to make the movie), it has a very bare-bones feel. This turns out to be a good thing for Smith, because as his success has grown, and therefore the accompanying production value has increased, his movies have become bloated and distracting. This is a black-and-white movie that essentially has two different sets, and must therefore excel in its characters and dialogue to keep you enthralled. And, that it does. It is consistently funny, completely irreverent, and sometimes, a bit forced or flawed, as you might expect from a first-time writer/director. For me, it's very tough to find a better comic duo than Dante and Randall.
21. Notting Hill
This is the only true romantic comedy (a couple others might be romantic and funny, but aren't really only romantic comedies) you will find on this list, and that's no accident. Romcoms are frequently predictable and cloying, and feed some idealized notion of love that is completely unrealistic. Furthermore, the reasons of how and why characters fall in love are never explored - they just have "chemistry". Well, Notting Hill doesn't really explore this explicitly, but as you watch the movie, you can feel Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts being drawn to each other. You understand why they would be attracted to one another, but neither one is an idealized shell of a person. Both are flawed, and both do illogical things at times, but it makes them much more human. I normally not a Julia Roberts fan, but she fits perfectly here, as does Hugh Grant in the role he's played a thousand times by now. But the writing is note-perfect, and the supporting cast (playing Grant's family and roommate) form a complete picture of Grant's character and life. You feel sorrow when things tear the characters apart (and one of my favorite scenes of all-time is when Grant is walking down the street as the seasons change over the course of a year), and elation when they're brought back together. It's hilarious at times, and sweet at others, but never trite.
20. Hard Boiled
I've been good so far, but now I'm going to cheat a bit. Hard Boiled is my favorite movie by John Woo, one of my favorite directors. (Hmmm...maybe that's good for another list - top directors.) However, since I'm only putting one Woo movie on the list, this movie actually represents all of Woo's fantastic work, most of which was made in Hong Kong. He's definitely lost a bit after coming to Hollywood. At his best, his work is visual poetry - sometimes described as a "ballet of violence". His recent work, I feel, has been subverted a bit by the Hollywood machine - Hard Target, starring Van Damme, is his first American movie, and it's just abysmal. I enjoyed Face/Off a lot, and I'm one of the few people who liked Mission:Impossible 2, mostly because I went into it planning to watch a John Woo movie, and that's exactly what I got. But, as much as I like these two movies, they pale in comparison to his best Hong Kong work - namely, A Better Tomorrow (his first film), The Killer, and, my favorite, Hard Boiled. All of his HK movies star Chow Yun-Fat, who has an incredible amount of charisma and screen presence. They all have recurring themes - revenge, martyrdom, the juxtaposition of innocence and violence, loyalty - almost like modern-day samurai or cowboy movies. He has also defined a kind of visual grammar that is constantly ripped off - slow-motion gunfire, birds flying away right before extreme violence, two-fisted gunmen, etc. Hard Boiled is actually pretty simplistic in plot - a tough cop is trying avenge his murdered partner. But the simple plot allows Woo to focus on important thematic elements and his brilliant style. Yeah, some of it is cliche and melodramatic, but that's the point - John Woo gives you raw emotion and raw violence at its best.
19. Rushmore
Technically a comedy, Rushmore defies easy categorization. It's part romance, part drama, and large part comedy, but really, something great than all of those genres. It is drop-dead funny, but the humor is ALL character-based. No cheap laughs, and honestly, few gigantic guffaws. It's the type of movie that makes you chuckle and smirk the whole way through. One of its strengths is the acting of Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. Schwartzman plays a kid who takes himself way too seriously, and doesn't miss a note. Bill Murray is essentially a kid in an adult's body, and gives a performance that convinced the world to take him seriously as an actor. One criticism of this movie might be that it doesn't really have a climax - it's basically more of a character study, but it really didn't leave me disappointed. Every time I watch it, I finish with a smile on my face, and that's worth a lot. It's original, sweet, funny, and touching - but never sappy. Just go watch it.
18. Big Lebowski
This one's a tough call. My second instance of "cheating" on this list, since really I'm putting this here to express my affinity for the work of the Coen Brothers. After much deliberation, I've decided that the Big Lebowski is my favorite Coen Brothers movie, but there were quite a few legitimate contenders, include O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Fargo, and Raising Arizona. Basically, when you see a Coen Brothers movie, you know you're going to see something interesting and clever. It's almost always off-kilter, and sometimes they're a bit too strange for their own good, but very frequently you'll see something you've never seen before, which goes a long way for me. Even their misses (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers) contain characters that stick in your mind as memorable and endearing, even if they're completely evil or absurd or stupid. As for the Big Lebowski itself, it stars Jeff Bridges, which is usually a big minus for me, but he's perfect for this role. I hesitate to describe the plot, since that's not really the point - mostly, they take some great actors, give them ridiculous roles (John Goodman as a Jewish Vietnam veteran with anger management problems, Steve Buscemi as a moronic third wheel, John Turturro as an registered sex offender who bowls through intimidation, etc.) and throw them into a situation and see what happens. In the case of the Big Lebowski, it's pretty much nonstop humor, with tons of fantastic lines and scenes - and it all centers on bowling! (Don't think Kingpin.) With the Coens, you may not always like what you see, but you will almost always be entertained and satisfied with their effort.
17. There's Something About Mary
In subsequent years, this movie has been often imitation, but never duplicated. It basically re-invented the gross-out comedy, but in a manner that was always charming and never insulting. Even American Pie, a movie I'd consider to be the runner-up for this "genre" (if you can call it that), doesn't even come close to the level of humor and execution that this film does. It's easy to dismiss this movie, but it works because it has endearing characters at its heart - Ben Stiller's not-quite-awkward-enough to be inhuman, and due to his, um, bathroom issues told in flashback at the beginning of the movie, you simulataneously develop great sympathy for him while laughing hysterically at him, which is a great testament to his comic abilities. Cameron Diaz, who can usually be very hit or miss, seems like a genuine All-American girl that any normal guy would definitely develop a serious crush on. Even Matt Dillon, playing a private eye with no morals, is just goofy enough that you can't wholeheartedly hate them. The Farrellys take these characters and put them in absurd situations, abusing them, but with a clear affection for them. They hit all of the right notes, and the result of one of the winningest, most hilarous, irreverent comedies I've seen in a long time.
16. A Fish Called Wanda
Wow. This is the fourth comedy in a row. Don't worry - I get more serious later. Did I say that There's Something About Mary was one of the most hilarious comedies I've seen in a long time? Well, it is, but I had to use "one of", but A Fish Called Wanda is just as funny, but in a very different way. Most of the characters aren't likeable at all, and so we have freedom to laugh at them with impunity. What's telling about this movie is that Kevin Kline won an Oscar for it...in a comedy! You just don't see that very often. And it's completely well-deserved. There are tons of memorable lines in this movie, but I won't degrade them by repeating them here. Just go see it and laugh your butt off. It's pretty clear, though, that they captured lightning in a bottle - the follow-up, using the same cast (Fierce Creatures) was dreadful.
15. Being John Malkovich
More comedy! Trust me, I get more serious later. This comedy is different than all the others, though. It's a completely unique and original movie. I'd like to compare it to some other movie, but I can't. It does an excellent job of creating it's own reality in which, you can go into John Malkovich's head for about 15 minutes, and then get dropped out onto the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. C'mon, doesn't just reading about that make you laugh? Now imagine seeing it happen on screen. One critical component of moviemaking is creating a believable world. Sometimes this involves accepting certain premises when going into the movie. What's nice about this movie is that, despite the absurd premise, what follows seems completely reasonable, given the way the characters are drawn - basically, all completely self-absorbed. It allows us to laugh at them, and how they deal with these ridiculous situations. It helps that the casting and acting is perfect - John Cusack is pathetic, Cameron Diaz looks and acts like no Cameron Diaz you've ever seen before, and John Malkovich basically destroys his public image in the name of humor. See this movie - at the very least, it'll be unlike anything you've ever seen before, and at the best, you'll laugh your butt off.
14. Fight Club
Fight Club usually evokes strong reactions from people - they either love it or hate it. Clearly, I'm in the former group, but I think any movie that can cause such visceral reactions usually has something worthwhile to offer. Many people try to label Fight Club as a movie of ideas - and I think it does have some, but what's fantastic about it is that its consistent style is always reinforcing those ideas. It's truly a movie that can (and should) be appreciated on multiple levels. The simplistic analysis is that it's an action movie, trying to be cool, with two guys leading this revolution, and an interesting twist thrown in. While I think it's enjoyable at that level, that's way too simplistic a reading. It's a nuanced movie, about frustration, dissatisfaction, rebellion, self-loating, consumerism, and many more topics. I think people often read it way too literally, even after witnessing the "twist" ending that clearly implies the entire movie should be viewed in a different light. This movie is funny, it's bitter, it's shocking, and somewhat disturbing. David Fincher's direction is fantastic, and his style always makes you feel a bit unclean, both physically (in the dirt sense) and emotionally (in the prurient sense) - which is precisely what he wants. Additionally, Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are amazing in this movie. I think a lot of people don't like this movie because of what it's saying and how it makes them feel, but if they look deeper, and put aside their own biases, they'd see it for the masterpiece it truly is.
13. Bull Durham
People think this is a baseball movie, but it's really not. Now, an appreciation of baseball helps a little, but really, this is a movie about relationships. Oh yeah - it's funny as hell. Tim Robbins is amazingly goofy, and Kevin Costner (wait, keep reading!) is perfect as a jaded, smug, aging catcher in the minor leagues. Even Susan Sarandon is tolerable. The supporting cast is excellent as well. I think this movie works on a couple of levels. As a comedy, it's full of amazingly memorable scenes - the coach's "Lollygaggers" speech, when Crash tells the batter what pitch is coming, when Nuke beans the mascot, or the meeting at the mound where they can't decide what to get one of the players for his upcoming wedding - and that's just to name a few. On a deeper level, it's a pretty impressive romance, as the relationship between Crash and Annie develops and then, well, let's just say that "Sixty Minute Man" is one of my favorite romantic scenes in any movie - funny, sexy, sweet, baseball - it's all there.
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