Welcome to the first installment of my Nebulous Top Ten list. I call it nebulous because it is not set in stone, by any means. These just happen to be the movies that came into my head when I was making the list. I'm sure that if I did it on a different day, I'd come up with some different results. Anyway, this week I chose to share my top ten favorite movies of all time. Enjoy!
1. Star Wars
I actually lump all six of the Star Wars films into this slot. But, it's the first one, which is really the fourth one, that has the most sentimental value, for me. I was seven years old when it came out, and it was the coolest thing ever.
2. Batman Begins
This is the newest movie in the list. I was a big fan of Tim Burton's Batman movie with Michael Keaton. When I heard that Batman Begins was greenlighted, I was just hoping that it would be as good as Burton's. I was actually shocked by how good it was. The first time I saw it, I felt like I had just witnessed a historic event.
3. Can't Buy Me Love
I don't know why I like this one, so much. Maybe I relate too closely with Ronnie Miller. I never paid anyone to hang out with me, but I sure tried being someone I'm not, a few times. I can watch this one over and over. I still get angry at Ronnie when he disses Cindy Mancini in front of the lockers. She's the hottest girl in school!! Is he an idiot!!?
4. Jaws
This one creeped into my top ten in recent years. It's acknowledged as the original summer blockbuster, and it's Steven Spielberg's second movie. It's still one of his best. The scene where Quint describes the sinking of the USS Indiannapolis is one of the best scenes in any movie, ever.
5. The Manchurian Candidate
I'm talking about the original one. Directed by John Frankenheimer in 1962. Frank Sinatra won an oscar for this movie. And even though the 2004 remake with Denzel was really good, they couldn't touch what Frankenheimer did with the brainwashing scenes. Watch the first 20 minutes of this movie, and you'll see what I mean.
6. Contact
I am a big fan of Carl Sagan. I became a big fan after seeing this movie based on his book. It's ironic that Sagan was very much a proponent of a Godless universe, but this movie is so filled with themes of faith in the unseen. . . It's almost a religious testimony.
7. Vertigo
This is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie. And it's my favorite James Stewart movie. My jaw actually fell open when I got to the end. I don't think there's been another thriller quite this good. Very dark and very heavy. And Kim Novak is so hot. . .
8. Fail Safe
This is another great Cold War era movie. It's all about the evil technology that could get away from us and start a nuclear war. There was a remake on CBS, a few years ago, but this original with Henry Fonda is still the best. It made me worry like crazy, after I saw it for the first time.
9. To Kill a Mockingbird
This is one of the best movies ever, based on one of the great American novels. The AFI voted Atticus Finch the greatest movie hero of all time. It's hard to argue that point. I think this movie set the standard for every courtroom drama that came after. And it's Robert Duvall's first big role, too.
10. Rocky IV
No. . . This isn't the one with Mr. T. This is the one where Rocky fights the Russian. I think this one is so great because it is just such a product of it's time. It's a total propaganda film. The US versus the Soviet Union during the tail end of the Cold War. It so perfectly captures the time in which it was made, tht I think it should be considered a classic film. And of course, there are plenty of musical montages, too.
And there you have it, folks. Please share your thoughts. I'll look forward to it.
