The Big Lebowski:
The iconic Coen Brothers film. These two producer/brothers are best when they are doing comedy, and this is film is pure comedy. Raising Arizona is a very close second in this genre, but I still think this movie is the best comedy of its decade. It flips an entire film genre on its head by exploring what happens when you have a murder mystery where the hero is a lazy, jobless, pot smoker… brilliant.
Big Lebowski Trailer
The Life Aquatic:
I love Wes Anderson’s style. He is one of the most unique film makers of our time. His style is formal, yet surreal, and I think this film might be the ultimate example of it. Throw in an amazing cast ( Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum ) you have a movie that can’t possibly be less than amazing. Most would say Rushmore is his best film, and though I might be persuaded to agree, I think this film might have been the purest execution of his style.
Life Aquatic Trailer
Best In Show:
Christopher Guest is a pioneer of the mockumentary, and a large portion of the credit goes to the fact that he has assembled a rolodex of improv actors that cannot be outdone. The dominant theme in his films is exploring the lives of very ordinary people and in them, finding out some very extraordinary things. These films are unique in that they are some of the only films I know of that work despite the lack of a hero. Best in Show is his finest work, although depending on the day I might say Spinal Tap. I give it to Best In Show only because it is a pure Chris Guest production, written and directed.
Best In Show Trailer
Psycho:
Any top 10 list for movies has to have at least one Hitchcock film. It might be cliche to say that my favorite is Psycho, but it is. The mystery/horror genre is one of my favorites but is one which is rarely done well. This film has a slow-building, ominous style that takes more chances with the audience than any film before or since. No Country For Old Men is the only movie I can think of that has come close to playing with the audience as much as Psycho. But Psycho did it better.
Psycho Trailer
In the Heat of the Night:
Just as I don’t think you can do a top 10 list and not include a Hitchcock movie, I don’t think you can do one and not include a Sidney Poitier movie. He is such a powerful actor, but because of his time, he was probably the most type-cast. Oddly, I think his best films are the ones where he does play the black outsider trying to deal with racial prejudice. This movie stands out as his defining role for me. The movie sets a slow pace but is very tense, which is perfect for the unspoken character of The South.
In the Heat of the night Excerpt
There Will Be Blood:
Again, a film included primarily because of the acting. Although I an a fan of P.T. Anderson, this movie is all about Daniel Day-Lewis. Along with Sean Penn, He is probably one of the finest actors of my generation. And I think this is his finest movie. It’s pure immersion into Daniel Day-Lewis’s talent. It also helps that there is a great supporting cast with one of my favorite new actors ( Paul Dano ).
There Will Be Blood Trailer
The Incredibles:
Pixar deserves to be on the list for being the only animation company since Disney to recognize that animated films can have subtlety and still be good. The Incredibles is the perfect example of this because it takes the hero film genre, one which is notoriously over the top, but instead of focusing on the grandness of the characters, it focuses on the fact that even superheroes have to deal with the banality of everyday life.
The Incredibles Trailer
Pulp Fiction:
Again, this pick is primarily for the writer/director. Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite directors because of two things: He knows how to write great dialogue, and he embraces camp. The year that Pulp Fiction was released, it lost out in the Academy Awards to Forrest Gump ( The Shawshank Redemption was also nominated that year ) and fifteen years later I would watch Pulp Fiction a dozen times over before I would consider hitting play on Forrest Gump again. All of Tarantino’s movies are good, but this one is his masterpiece.
Pulp Fiction Trailer
Jaws:
The beginning of the end for great films can be traced directly back to this movie. Jaws was the first real summer blockbuster and paved the way for what we now know as the summer blockbuster season, the worst time of the year for fans of film. It remains, however, one of the best horror / action movies of all time. Like the best movies of the ’70s, the tension is palpable and builds with the story. Steven Spielberg belongs among the world’s greatest directors for this movie alone. And enough cannot be said about the original score by John Williams, who is a legend.
Jaws Trailer
Aliens:
Film and science-fiction usually do not go well together. In fact, the result is usually disastrous. And sequels of science-fiction movies are even worse. Not only is Aliens better than its predecessor, Alien, it is proof that science-fiction movies can be great. I cannot count myself in as a James Cameron fan, but his early work, and especially this film, is proof that he is capable of much more than special effects and bad dialogue.
Aliens Trailer
Honorable Mention:
The Matrix:
This film ends up on all top ten lists. It is one of the best science-fiction movies of all time, but the franchise is also one of the biggest disappointments of all time. Had the Wachowski brothers not done the Matrix sequels, they would probably be in the directing hall of fame. This movie may be nonetheless worthy of my top ten list because it was so influential to film. Martial arts, wire work and “bullet time” have been a staple of modern cinema, and you can trace it all back to The Matrix.
The Matrix Trailer
What happens when a bunch of California natives head up to Tahoe for a weekend? Well, not much unless there is a serious snow storm the day before they have to head back home.