Back on the old blog I had post about my favorite movies; it generated a lot of discussion. So as I march forward with blog 2.0 I thought well let’s roll with another top 10 movie list. First, let’s get the criteria out of the way. This isn’t a list about the BEST movies of all time. The AFI already does that here. BTW, there list is complete horse shit; but that’s a topic for a different day. This list is purely my top 10 favorite movies. These would be the movies that I’d save if my house was burning down. I also reserve the right to change this list at will. As a matter of fact I do change this list about once a month.

10. Rocky IV: This is such a great “popcorn” flick. Only in a movie could James Brown sing Living in a America, Stallone single handedly end the cold war, convert a stadium full of Russians in Russia to be pro Rocky, climb a mountain, not spar, take more punishment than is humanly possible, and win on Christmas day. Rocky IV isn’t a better movie than the three before it…it doesn’t have Mr. T’s famous quote of “Prediction? Pain!”…it lacks the rawness of Rocky I, it doesn’t have Mick, and of course it has the proverbial scenes where Talia Shire (Adrian) tells Rocky he can’t win. But, what it does have is two of the greatest montage scenes ever in a movie. It makes you feel so damn good about being an American, gets your blood boiling, and makes you want to say “Stallone, stop now…don’t make Rocky V.” I can catch this movie at any point and still want to watch it.

9. Shawshank Redemption: This movied used to be so much higher up on the chart, but sadly the millions of times that TBS and TNT have ran it really tainted the movie for me. It’s like if you ate your favorite meal at your favorite place every single day for the next 100 days. At some point enough is enough. So let’s break it down…we’ve got Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins playing two convicts. Improbable to say the least; but they are clearly believable in their roles. The amazing thing about this movie is that it’s actually based on a short story by Stephen King. WTF? Yes, the guy who gave you Carrie gave you this movie. The acting is brilliant, the music OUTSTANDING (one of my favorite soundtracks), and features so many great quotes. My personal favorite being, “I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone.” The writing is just fantastic.

8. Love Actually: I admit I hate Hugh Grant. Generally I run in the opposite direction when I see him in a movie. It’s not that Hugh isn’t a nice guy. I’m sure he’s as nice as he is dumb (seriously who cheats on Liz Hurley?); but the guy has NO range. He plays the same guy in every movie. He’s often a mildly rich to rich guy who has a crisis of conscious that can only be solved by through the love of a woman. He played this role in 2 Weeks Notice, Bridget Jones Diary, Music and Lyrics, Nine Month, and the list goes on. He actually even plays this same role in Love Actually, but I forgive him for it, because the movie rocks. Look at the cast: Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Elisha Cuthbert, Billy Bob Thornton, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Shannon Elizabeth…and the list goes on and on. The story telling is top knotch. Given all th stories taking place at one time, it would be very easy to have the movie become a jumbled mess, but by the end of the movie everything comes together. Just love it. Thanks to my wife for introducing me to this movie.

7. Groundhog Day: Simply put, Bill Murray at his absolute best. The movie is flawless from start to finish. You have to love all the little characters in the movie. Chris Elliott and Andie McDowell are perfect complementary pieces. What I really dig though is that you end up thinking hard core about what day you’d want to live over and over and over. If you’ve never seen this movie; you’re missing out.

6. Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back: Dude…it’s Star Wars. You knew that one of these had to make it in here. I’m generally torn when it comes to picking a favorite Star Wars. I love the ending in Episode VI; the duel between Darth and Luke is nearly flawless. Episode has probably the best acting and cinematography. It probably goes without saying, but the prequels have the best special effects. All that said, Episode V combines the best of all the movies and gives you the famous twise; Darth is Luke’s dad. That blew my mind; I mean literally, it rocked my world. You got Yoda (for the first time), Obi, the droids, Han, Lando, etc. The cast is impressive to say the least. And the one thing that makes this movie work for me is that the BAD GUY WINS. I hate when the good guy wins all the time. In reality, the bad guy wins a lot of the time. You have to love how they brought reality into a movie about battles in outer space

Numbers 5 – 1 to be featured tomorrow.