My Top 10 Movies

Well, I got my top 10 TV shows up, and my long-promised review of Deadliest Warrior: Season 2. Now it’s time for my top 10 movies, and I think you’ll be quite surprised. Enjoy!

10) Hellraiser (Sample Clip: “***”)

Funny fact about me: I’m not much of a horror fan.

You might pick on me, but I’ve never really been able to get into the genre. I have a really overactive imagination, enough to the point where I can sometimes feel the pain when people get hurt or killed (I can’t watch Alien without getting chest pains). Even horror anime I can’t get into, but as with horror in anime, there are a few scary films I actually like, and Hellraiser is one of them. Clive Barker knows how to make a scary film, mixing the physical with surreal sights & sensations, not to mention having a interesting story, and characters that are both likable & unlikable. Coupled with an iconic horror monster played by a damn good actor (Doug Bradley), some great one-liners, and some surprising intellectual value, you have an entertaining movie.

9) A Christmas Story (Sample Clip: “***”)

The sad thing is...Scrooged is a movie I enjoy more than this, but only just. The premise behind it is familiar, but somehow new at the same time. It also helps that Bill Murray headlines the movie (Hell, his face is plastered on the front of the DVD case), and his performance is just awesome. So you’re asking yourself “If you liked Scrooged more, why are you putting A Christmas Story on this list instead?” Well.....

I’m putting A Christmas Story on this list because I can relate to it more. I can remember being as young as the main character during the holidays. I can remember how strange things could get during that time, and I can remember the wonder (And occasional horror) when I came down the stairs to gaze upon the sparkling tree with the presents underneath. It’s those kind of memories that ring in my mind, and I would put this in a film ark in a minute because of that!

8) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (Sample Clip: “***”)

If you grew up during the 90s, chances are you’ve heard of the Power Rangers. If you were one of said kids of that liked the Power Rangers, chances are you’ve watched the Power Rangers movie. Despite problems during production, and mixed reactions from movie critics, the film has gained a considerable cult following, and actually managed to be a financial success overall. While I despise the modern interpretations of the rangers, my childhood nostalgia still has fond memories of the older crew, and this movie is a part of that nostalgia. It’s cheesiness has aged considerably since it’s release (Whether it’s cheesiness is good or bad is a matter of the individual in question), but I still smile once in a while when I watch clips on youtube.

7) Rocky Horror Picture Show (Sample Clip: “***”)

Like the genre of horror, I’m not a fan of musicals. Unlike horror, I have a greater distaste for musicals. Most of them take themselves too seriously, and those that try to do something even a tiny bit original seem to go back to being too serious. However, there are two musicals that come to my mind when I think of musicals that actually do something original: Repo the Genetic Opera, and my number 7 choice, Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Rocky Horror Picture Show does a bunch of things that separate it from the pack. For starters, it’s a rock n’ roll musical. Most musicals go for a big band kind of sound or operatic sounds, so basing a musical around rock n’ roll is a bit of a risk taker. Secondly, there are plenty of comedic & wacky moments that propel the story along. A cheesy wedding, meeting Tim Curry in drag for the first time, and seeing a undead Meatloaf ride around on a Harley are just some of the mindwarping moments you’ll watch over the course of this movie. Third & finally, and most importantly, this movie in general is balls to the wall insane, and doesn’t care what other people think about it. It’s that kind of attitude that can make a musical, movie, video game, music album, or anime pretty damn successful, even if critics don’t necessarily like. Rocky Horror Picture Show easily falls into that category, and if you’re a fan of unconventional movies, you’ll enjoy this immediately.

6) UHF (Sample Clip: “***”)

It’s really such a shame that this movie was slammed back in the day, because I thought that the film was Weird Al at his best. He was consistently funny throughout the entire film, and the supporting cast (Which included the guy that played Kramer, as well Fran Drescher from The Nanny) added a lot of personality to it. What also makes this film fun, at least for me, was the wackiness of the scenes (More like skits, but I’ll save that for the eventual review), and trust me when I say that some of these scenes/skits are some of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen.

You have Weird Al’s daydream sequences (The first one is a spoof on the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a later sequence he’s imagining himself as Rambo rescuing Kramer from Seinfeld), karate students getting thrown through walls and out of windows, the Wheel of Fish, and a host of other scenes/skits that I can’t really explain. This is an example where watching the movie will make far more sense than me trying to explain it.

5) Die Hard I (Sample Clip: “***”)

Considering how much I love guns, explosions, and one-liners, I found it to be a disservice to my action movie cred for never watching Die Hard in it’s entirety. I’ve always managed to catch pieces of it on TV, but it was usually censored, and there may have been something taken out. About mid-October last year, I finally managed to catch it right at the beginning, and holy hell was it fun!

There’s not that many movies out there where I smile the entire time, but this was one where that, once the shit hit the fan, I found myself smiling immediately, and my grin couldn’t fade away. Dare I say it, but I find that Die Hard is considerably more cheesy then the Power Rangers movie, and has considerably more staying power in pop culture. The only way for the cheese factor to reach diabetes level, would be to have Die Hard crossed with Power Rangers. Power Rangers Die Hard?

4) The Thing: 1982 Edition (Sample Clip: “***”)

Like I was talking about during my number 10 spot, I don’t like horror films much. Most of them are far too creepy for me, and I sometimes feel the pain the victims are experiencing a little too much. Hellraiser was one of the first, and while I liked that movie, I enjoyed The Thing. From what I’ve heard about the prequel movie from 2011, it’s slaps the original movie’s face, so I’ve been avoiding it like the plague.

With that out of the way, The Thing still holds up today. The practical effects still look fantastic, the atmosphere is just perfect, the acting, while a little campy nowadays, is well done, and overall is a perfectly constructed horror movie. It knows when to be scary & suspenseful, it knows when to have character development, and it even knows when & how to be funny. Not a lot of horror movies do this nowadays, so go watch this one instead!

3) Blazing Saddles (Sample Clip: “***”)

Easily the most politically incorrect movie I’ve ever watched, Blazing Saddles also has the distinction of being one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. If there’s anything wrong with the film, it’s that another film like it will never be made again, simply because the politically correct environment we live in right now won’t let it be made. It’s really sad that so many people get upset by what’s in the film, cause it’s a really great satirical comedy.

If you remember my review from July last year about the film (Click “***” to read it), I said that some of the most racial & sexual humor I’ve ever witnessed. Words like “Nigger” & “Chink” are thrown around (But not constantly, and at the right time), and jokes about breasts and other body parts appear sometimes at random. Despite the subject matter of the humor, the underlying message of Blazing Saddles is just how ridiculous racism & sexism is, and that we should get along regardless of race or gender. It’s a great message that needs to be spread all over the world, and perhaps there won’t be as much bloodshed.

2) The Mummy (1999 Edition) (Sample Clip: “***”) & Mystery Men (Sample Clip: “***”)

Right around 1999 to 2000, I was beginning to get more into movies, the first two films I got addicted to was The Mummy & Mystery Men. I really can’t separate these two films, simply because I enjoy them that much.

Now, I’ve never seen the original 1932 edition of The Mummy (At least not completely), so I really can’t compare it to this one (Unlike The Thing). When I saw this movie for the first time, I was awed by what I saw. Before The Mummy, the movies I saw were relatively tame, mostly because my mother was cautious about what I saw. I had turned 13 around 1999/2000, and this was the first movie I saw when she loosened up a bit.

What I can say is that this version of the Mummy is very different than it’s predecessor. Whereas the original movie was focused mainly on horror & suspense, the 1999 edition was a mix of action, horror, suspense, and it also managed to sneak in a couple comedic moments. The cast was also a plus for the movie, with Brendan Fraser as the lead good guy, and Arnold Vosloo as the main bad guy. There were plenty of other good actors that graced the movie, such as Rachel Weisz, John David Hannah, and Kevin J. O'Connor. The setting of a mid 20s Egypt brings a mystical & early modern wonder to the movie, making for a great flick to watch when the lights are dim.

Like The Mummy, I watched Mystery Men in that 1999-2000 period of my life, when I was getting a better grasp & understanding of movies. Also like the previous movie, I watched the hell out of the VHS copy I have, probably to the point of making the tape fragile. What makes Mystery Men a fun film for me, is that it takes a standard film trope (In this case the Superhero genre) and turns it on it’s head. In the movie, the bay guy is fairly obvious, the obvious good guy turns out to be a douchebag, and the real good guys are the underdogs that save the day in the end.

Even if the movie wasn’t a goofy superhero/sci-fi comedy, it’s the cast of characters that endears me to the movie. For the good guys, there’s William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Janeane Garofalo, and Wes Studi as various lesser-known superheroes. With the bad guys, Geoffrey Rush is the lead villain, and Eddie Izzard as one of his second-in-command. This cast is quite an ensemble of A-list and B-list actors & comedians, and somehow, through some mysterious way, all of these people meld together, and create a truly memorable experience.

1) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Sample Clip: “***”)

Now, I love all of the movies in the Indiana Jones series (Including Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), but the first movie I saw in this series was Last Crusade. There’s been plenty of older action movies I’ve seen that still hold up today, but this old-schooler is right at the top in terms of being well-aged (If it’s not at the top, it’s on the step before). Great story, great characters, great effects, great action sequences, It’s got it all. Even the acting, while a little hammy at times, is still great! I’ve met young people that love Last Crusade, and I’ve met older people that love Last Crusade. It’s that kind of power that makes it a movie that last for all time, allowing for individuals of all ages to enjoy.
                               
See you all next week, when we’ll look at one last revision. Until then, stay Otaku!