My Top Ten Favorite Movies

I've been wanting to make a top ten list like this for a while now, but its a difficult process. Being a big movie buff I want to squeeze in all of the established classics that everyone loves and still have room for my personal favs might not have the same reputation elsewhere. For a time I wondered if I should make a separate list for dramas and for comedies, but then I get into films were its hard to make the split  and end up with one list too long and another thats too short.

There are plenty of movies that I think fondly of, but I think my list should only consist of movies that I currently own so that I can truly say that they stand the test of time for me. So here they are:

10. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

A thrilling animated feature that goes above and beyond the capabilities of contemporary counterparts. It pushed the edges of the envelope for superhero action movies and even after all the advances in the sub genre since then it still resonates with its bleak story of lost love and times gone by.

9. Aliens

I'm no stranger to monster movies and could have picked any number of flicks with a misunderstood monster as the hero, but in my mind this is the ultimate example of the film that shows fear being conquered.

8. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

If ever I needed a visual to match the phrase "an unstoppable force meets the immovable object", this is movie is it. Two men are locked in conflict with no escape from one another with life and death on the line.

7. Jurassic Park

The opening teaser with that ominous score still gives me shivers. The terror of the T-Rex  continues to stand the test of time. I saw this movie at just the right age at the twilight between childhood and the teen years so that they'll always be apart of me who will feel daring watching it on a summer night with the lights off, and afterward sleep with one eye open.

6. Batman: The Movie

Easily my favorite comedy film of all time. The escalation of absurdity continues to astound me. Its baffling how this Batman operates. He makes outrageous conclusions based on only scant evidence and always comes out ahead. Between the Shark Repellent Bat Spray and the Bomb you just can't get rid of somedays...words cannot do justice to this wonderful cornucopia of camp.

5. The Star Wars Trilogy

I'll never forget the first time I saw the original Star Wars playing on a TV screen at a video store and just being mesmerized by it. Even though I was being injected into an entirely new world, I felt as if I knew all about it. The elements were so simple that they spoke volumes. Darth Vader's haunting prescene, Luke's distant aspirations, Obi-Wan's sage guidance, and the dread of great evil spreading the galaxy that needed to be challenged.

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark

The first ten minutes is an absolutely perfect movie. Not to say that the rest of film is lacking as the thrill of the quest for the Ark is simply irresistible.

3. A Patch of Blue

This one an underrated classic that deserves to be on more "Best of" lists. There is a gentleness to this film that isn't in any of the other movies on this list. There is a subtly to its drama in the same vein as To Kill a Mockingbird or any of the Myaizaki films. The late Jerry Goldsmith provides a remarkable score for this film. Primary known for his big rousing action movie music, here he is able to create a soft symphony that feels like a lofting summer wind using your heartstrings as his instrument.

2. Casablanca

Abundant in characters ranging from warm to worn, I'm always charmed by the snappy dialogue and sense of humor to grant such levity in the midst of a dark situation. Its a story of redemption, and overcoming ones own demons to take a stand against evil.

1. Rear Window

As soon at the blinds lift and that jazzy music starts playing, I'm hooked. I can show this movie to anyone and they will find something or someone that they can identify. Loaded to the brim with spitfire dialogue and a unique set of circumstances that invite us into the life of our protagonist and the characters that surround him. The editing is the real hero of this film, as observations and reactions juxtaposed together are able to weave together emotions in an ingenious manner that cannot be topped. 

The Runners Up:  Back to the Future, The Shawshank Redemption, Terminator 2, Dr. Strangelove, Kiki's Delivery Service.