Another look at another year in movies. Be sure to check out previous looks at 1993 and 1997
Best of the Best
If these are on, life stops
- High Fidelity – One of my all-time favorites, top 10 for sure. I can watch the Jack Black clips on a loop.
- Castaway – #2 in most liked, but I have seen it like 100 times, mostly because it’s on TV so much. Hanks really shows how strong he is.
- Almost Famous – Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical movie is tremendous. Any kid who was into music as a kid wishes this movie was about their life.
- The Family Man – A Christmas movie in the same vein as It’s A Wonderful Life or a A Christmas Carol. One of my favorite Christmas movie and another one I have seen like 100 times.
- U-571 – An underrated WWII movie about some guys who Trojan Horse a German submarine to try and steel a code machine. Very exciting.
Favorites
These are movies that I like and still watch if the opportunity arises.
- Boiler Room – One of the first DVDs I ever bought. Definitely a cast of guys who never really went anywhere, but an interesting movie about stock brokers.
- Erin Brockovich – Julie Roberts is excellent, and won an Oscar. A little long, but real solid.
- Finding Forrester – So good. I love Rob Brown and Connery is different. “You’re the man now, dog!”
- Frequency – Weird movie that isn’t really about time travel, but still 4th dimensional.
- Gladiator – Tough to leave this out of my top 5, but this movie isn’t as infinitely re-watchable as the others.
- Meet the Parents – Very solid comedy and IS infinitely re-watchable. I hate Ben Stiller, but I love this movie.
- The Patriot – Another movie I have seen a lot and one of the first DVDs I bought. Gory and crazy at times, but I love Revolutionary War movies
Guilty Pleasures
- The Art of War – I have a thing for Wesley Snipes movies. I am afraid to admit how many times I have seen this.
- Bring it On – I think most guys my age wouldn’t want to admit to liking this movie, but they did.
- Gone in Sixty Seconds – Nic Cage movies are hit or miss. For some reason I like this one.
- Miss Congeniality – Don’t love it, but Sandra Bullock is gorgeous and my wife loves this movie, so I have seen it a few times.
- Road Trip – Another cast of people who didn’t really go anywhere. Very funny, even as outdated as it seems.
- The Skulls – Joshua Jackson, at the peak of his fame. Paul Walker, before we realized he couldn’t act.
- The Replacements – TBS use to run this movie on a loop, and I used to watch it.
List of Shame
Movies that I have not seen
- Billy Elliot – Never saw it. I don’t know, not my thing?
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – See above.
- Mission: Impossible II – Don’t think I ever saw the first one. Not a big Cruise guy.
- O Brother, Where Are Thou? – The Coen Brothers’ first movie after The Big Lebowski. I just don’t like them that much.
- Snatch – One of my former co-workers loved this movie. I still haven’t checked it out.
Other Films of Note
Films that jumped out at me or have significance that I haven’t seen or don’t have particularly strong feelings for
- Battlefield Earth – Won the Razzie for worst film of the decade.
- Best in Show – I actually have seen bits and pieces but never the whole thing.
- Charlie’s Angels – They made more than one of these. I have no comment.
- Chocolat – Only significant to me because of all the references to it in I Love You, Man
- Coyote Ugly – Maria Bello as a bitchy bartender. Enough for me.
- Dude, Where’s My Car – The first film I ever remember wanting to walk out on in the theatre. So bad…
- Final Destination – Not my kind of movie. Never saw it.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Arguably Jim Carrey’s last widely successful movie1
- Little Nicky – The first Adam Sandler movie I had no desire to see. The Waterboy ruined me.
- Magnolia – I could watch Boogie Nights on a loop, but I never really “got” this P.T. Anderson movie.
- Memento – Interesting concept, not really re-watchable.
- The Perfect Storm – I want to like this movie because I love the cast, but for some reason the “based on a true story” never sat right with me.
- Ready to Rumble – Terrible movie, but it’s about wrestling, at the tail end of my wrestling fandom, so I had to mention it.
- Remember the Titans – Denzel is great. Like it, don’t love it.
- Requiem for a Dream – Darren Aronofsky’s crazy movie about drug use. Graphic and insane.
- Scary Movie – Saw this in the theatre. Don’t know why. I wish I had walked out.
- Thirteen Days – Another Kevin Costner, Kennedy movie. Haven’t seen it enough to call it a favorite.
- Traffic – Good movie. Won Oscars. Didn’t love it.
- Unbreakable – Didn’t really know what this movie was really about when I saw it. I didn’t like it at first, but it’s grown on me.
- What Women Want? – Helen Hunt at the tail end of her peak. Mel before he went off the deep end.
- The Whole Nine Yards – Was this the only decent movie Matthew Perry ever made?
- X-Men – The start of the movie franchise was good, but it was kind of downhill after that.
- Unless you want to give it to Bruce Almighty [↩]
