So I figured out something that would be fun to do to keep me contributing to my blog when I don’t have other interesting things to add: top ten lists! This definitely isn’t an original idea, so hopefully people aren’t sick of this sort of thing. I always find them interesting, though. I find it gives you a broader impression of a person and will sometimes alert you to something interesting that you should check out. And I’ve been searching for new creative outlets and figured this would be a good one. So here goes…
My first top ten list is my favorite films, which is a fairly common theme for top ten lists, and it’s actually going to be a baker’s dozen, cause there were a few that I just couldn’t leave out. A list like this is likely to undergo revisions constantly as I become acquainted with new and different films, but the films included here have withstood the test of time or proven themselves worthy of this list in other ways. Ok, the list:
1. Tombstone (1993)
Based on true people and events from the old west, this film combines a variety of memorable characters, a simple, yet clever script that gets stuck in your head and just enough action and emotion to make possibly my favorite film ever. Val Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holiday is definitely one of his best and certainly the best in the movie. As far as films go, Tombstone is not necessarily the best made and not all of its lead characters give stellar performances. But what won me over about this film is that it’s so fun to watch and to relive. After seeing this movie for the first time when I was about 12, I put a lot of effort into memorizing Doc Holiday’s catchy lines. At one point, I could quote most of the movie. I even went online to figure out what Johnny Ringo and Doc Holiday’s latin conversation was all about and memorized that too. To this day it is still fun to watch and after every viewing I catch myself repeating lines like “I’m your huckleberry” for days afterward.
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
This film made me want to stand up and cheer when I first saw it. This is a very well-made story of everyone getting their just desserts. To avoid spoiling the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it, I won’t go into detail. But this was a movie that really played to my emotions. With Morgan Freeman’s soothing narration guiding you along, you really begin to identify with Andy Dufresne and feel genuine empathy for him by the end. It’s just an amazing movie that will leave you feeling victorious.
3. Braveheart (1995)
This movie made kilts cool. Who didn’t want to be William Wallace after seeing this movie? Heck, I still want to be William Wallace! This is another film based on true events. Maybe it’s because I can imagine it really happening that I get so involved in it. Amazing story, awesome battles, great characters, amazing soundtrack. I even started to dislike the English a little bit after watching it. And just like with Tombstone, there are some good quotable lines in this movie that I couldn’t help but memorize as a teenager. And to prove I was a real Braveheart fan I even bought both soundtrack cds. Great movie. To this day I still well up when Wallace yells “FREEDOM!”
4. Crash (2004)
If you read my post about people not being as different as they think they are, you can probably understand why I like this movie so much. This film takes a look at some of the perceived differences among human beings that so many people feel are irreconcilable and exposes those differences as arbitrary and silly. For me, it’s all about not treating people as categories, but as fellow humans. And that is very important to me. The film is a real emotional trip for me. And I cry every time that little girl jumps on her daddy to protect him from the gunshot. One of the most unforgettable movies you’ll ever see.
5. Big Fish (2003)
This is one of those movies where I have a smile on my face through the whole thing. It’s charming and humorous and fantastic. It really lets your imagination run free. But it’s not all fun and fancy. For me, the film reflects a lot of personal feelings. There is the son, trying so desperately to get to know a father that he feels he knows nothing about. And the father who, seemingly effortlessly, leads a meaningful and eventful life, reflects my own desires to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life. The conclusion to the film leaves me crying not so much tears of sadness, but tears of joy – the same kind of tears that I hope attend me when I’m done on this earth.
6. The Usual Suspects (1995)
A great crime movie. Every character is brilliantly acted and it makes for an engaging and enjoyable story. It sucks you right in. And the ending is probably one of the best in the history of film. Definitely one of my absolute favorites. After seeing this film, Keyser Soze instantly became my favorite anti-hero and was sort of regarded in the same way as Chuck Norris – invincible and capable of anything. And who can forget the line “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.”
7. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The only horror movie ever to win an Academy Award for “Best Picture”, The Silence of the Lambs is a unique type of masterpiece. What made me love this movie was Anthony Hopkins’ performance as the infamous cannibal, Hannibal Lecter. When I first saw this film, I was a budding, teenage psychologist and when I saw Hannibal Lecter I saw a beautifully complex monster. I have since learned that someone with Lecter’s profile would never exist outside of the movies, but as a fictional character Lecter stands out from the rest. And the screen chemistry between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins is superb.
8. Saving Private Ryan (1998 )
I love war films. There are some great ones out there. This one is one of the best. As cliche as this might sound, films like this help me gain some perspective and appreciation for what happened during some of the bloodiest times of our planet’s history. Saving Private Ryan tells the story in one way, other films tell the story in different ways and in different times. What they all tell me is that I should never forget the price that our forebears paid to have what we have today, good or bad. And I would say the same thing whether I was Canadian, American, English, French or German. A tremendous price was paid on all sides and it would be foolish to forget that. That’s more an explanation for why I like war movies in general. But you get the idea. Saving Private Ryan is definitely one of the best made movies of its kind. Moves me to tears.
9. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
It might be the psychologist in me that made me like this film so much. But it’s a great movie no matter how you look at it. Well made and well acted. And it even gives a pretty accurate depiction of paranoid schizophrenia. I did an assignment on it in university. The only big stretch the movie makers made was the nature of Nash’s hallucinations. The hallucinations that may accompany schizophrenia are usually only auditory hallucinations, although they may be very sophisticated. Visual hallucinations are rare and usually occur as random flashes of light, never as people or groups of people. Regardless, I liked this movie so much that I had to watch the entire thing with the director’s commentary. This is the only movie that I’ve ever done that for.
10. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
This is another one of those movies that wakes a person up to what goes on in the world outside of our comfortable, middle-class bubble. I’ve known people who have lived in Rwanda and Uganda and have told me stories of their families being killed and how they immigrated to Canada to avoid the same fate. It’s another one of those things that we cannot afford to be ignorant of. It’s sad that we often stay ignorant until a high-budget Hollywood film tells us about it. But at the same time, we respond well to that medium and a film as well-made as Hotel Rwanda does a good job of telling an important story and sending an important message. You’ll notice that a lot of my favorite films are ones that make me cry and this one is no exception. Really tugs at my heart strings.
11. Se7en (1995)
Another great crime/psychopath movie. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are on their game. I first saw this movie around the same time that I saw The Silence of the Lambs for the first time. I think I went through a psychopath phase back in the day. This film is shocking and a little bit brutal with a twisted morality behind it all. Makes you think. And one of the best movie endings ever. Great film.
12. Shooter (2007)
This is probably the only film on this list that doesn’t make me engage in deep thought and self-reflection after viewing it. It’s just a pure, simple good action flick. With a sniper. What more can you ask for? Marky Mark with a sniper rifle! Killing people and being all bad-a$$. When I need to unwind a little, this is the movie to help me do it. This pick makes it on my list as a little personal indulgence.
13. Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)
This one’s another indulgence. This was not a critically acclaimed cinematic masterpiece by any stretch. But I could not stop smiling or contain my excitement the whole time I was watching it. I think it comes down to a couple of things: One, I love soccer! If I could do anything for the rest of my life, even without getting paid, I would play soccer. I dream of playing soccer and standing on a well-manicured pitch with thousands of passionate fans screaming and chanting around me. And in the film, as Santiago slowly comes to realize his dream, my dream is realized through him. And it feels incredible. Second, Santiago Munez is a poor Mexican immigrant in East Los Angeles who goes from rags to riches as he follows his dream. I was a missionary for two years in East LA and I became very familiar with the plight of so many impoverished immigrants and I came to respect their values and work ethic and the kind of people they are. And the story of one of them who manages to break the cycle of poverty makes me feel triumphant. I loved this film.
“I’m your huckleberry.” -Doc Holliday
“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!” -William Wallace
“Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!” -President Merkin Muffley
“The price is wrong, bitch!” -Happy Gilmore (to Bob Barker)
I disagree with the idea of torture. Call me a hippie if you want, but I just feel very uncomfortable with it. I think we can come up with better ways to get information that don’t dehumanize our fellow human beings and undermine any goodwill we’re trying to establish with the foreign world. My feelings on torture aside, I thought I would take a walk on the light side of this issue and create a torture playlist of my own. That is, a list of songs that would drive me crazy; songs that I would consider torture if I were forced to listen to them over and over. 
