11 - Austin Powers : Yeah, baby, YEAH! I hate the sixties, and maybe that's what makes me love this movie. The utter silliness of the movie just makes me laugh like hell every time I see it. The jokes are great, the story absurd and the generation gap is painfully obvious. Michael Myers stars as both hero and villain, with Elizabeth Hurley and Mimi Rogers co-starring. Directed by Jay Roach.
10 - Reservoir Dogs : Starring Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, and Chris Penn. The cast takes on the roles of high paid diamond thieves double-crossed by an undercover cop, leading to a situation where the tension and the bodycount rises until its ultimate shootout. Both films are directed by Quentin Tarantino.
9 - Pulp Fiction: Oh the humanity. These two films are so similar, yet so different. They have to be spoken of together or nothing that follows shall seem wonderous. Both stories chronicle the dealings of the California Underworld. Pulp fiction, Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Erik Stoltz and Quentin Tarantino, follows the lives of two philisophical hitmen, and the paths they choose to follow.
8 - The Kevin Smith Trilogy : First there was Clerks. Then there was Mallrats. Then came Chasing Amy. What did all of these movies have in common? They (like Star Wars mentioned soon) all have many things in common from characters to storylines, gaining the status of one entry. They were all funny as hell and came from the comic genius Kevin Smith. These tales chronicle the lives of all different sorts of twentysomethings from South Jersey. From the brutal, yet hilarious, life of a shop clerk, to the desperate rantings of a nigh unto useless mallrat, to very strange and hysterical looks on how love works, the Smith Trilogy is a comedic force to be reckoned with. Directed by Kevin Smith. Starring Ben Affleck of Armageddon, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith as the dynamic duo Jay and Silent Bob, and Joey Lauren Adams.
7 - The Star Wars Trilogy/ Episode One: The Phantom Menace : Guess what guys, the new one counts too! It's all a big story, therefore earning its place as one entrance. But, I digress. When people want the best in sci-fi, you toss Trek out of a window and go for the good stuff. Star Wars, the ultimate in space drama, started off with unknown actors and turned into the highest grossing series of sci-fi films and continues to rake in the dough after twenty one years. Harrison Ford, Mark Hammil, Carrie Fisher, Sir Alec Guiness, Anthony Daniels, James Earl Jones, Frank Oz, Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Neeson, Ewan MacGreggor and a host of muppets and industrial light and magic led to the dramatic tale of a small band of rebel agents fighting against a evil tyrannical empire. Directed by George Lucas.
6 - Aliens : This is the only fine example of a sequel that was better than the original. Sigourney Weaver, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, Michael Beihn all take the war to the alien creatures on LV-426. The special effects are still great even in the ninties. The movie was made in 1984 and was directed by James Cameron of Titanic fame.
5 - Blade Runner : Gotta love Blade Runner. You just have to. There's no choice. you will watch it and LIKE IT. Blade Runner was surreal and avant-garde for it's day, but still packs a poignant, cyberpunk punch. Harrison Ford takes the role of Rick Deckard, a Blade Runner hired by the law to hunt down rogue androids in the city of Los Angeles circa 2019. Rutger Hauer also stars, along with Daryl Hannah as a pair of androids who are searching for the only thing that matters to them; the continuation of a life that was never theirs. Directed by Ridley Scott.
4 - The Game : A mind bender of the highest order. It doesn't get any more twisted than this. Michael Douglas and Sean Penn star in this battle of the psyche-outs. Douglas, a solitary business man is offered a chance to participate in an ambigous game, run by a strange company called CRS, and given to him by his brother, played by Penn. The game soon escalates into more and more dangerous undertakings, and leading Douglas to discover that nothing he knows is right anymore. Directed by Arnold Kopelson.
3 - The Blues Brothers : You gotta love this movie. It just has the best gags, the best music and the best cameos of any of the comedies of its time. John Belushi and Dan Akroyd take on the roles of two hard bitten criminals trying to scam $15,000 for the continued existence of Blessed Lady of the Sacred Shroud Orphanage, lest it be accquired by the covernment of the city of Chicago. Directed by John Landis.
2 -Seven : This movie is just flat out creepy. A big old, bad-ass bundle of chilling thrills and gruesome acts. A homicidal maniac is driven to take the lives of seven victims in accordance with the seven deadly sins. Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey star in this intense psychologicaly horrifying tale of a world gone mad. Directed by Arnold Kopelson.
1 - The Usual Suspects : The ultimate in crime stories. This one has everything I like. Gunplay, hardened criminals, honest cops and a bone chilling conspiracy about a phantom crimelord who lets nothing stand in between him and whatever his shadowy goals may be. The cast is stunning, starring Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Benicio DelTorres, Kevin Pollack and Pete Postelthwaite. Directed by Some Guys whose names escape me at the moment.
Honorable Mentions include: Flatliners, the original Night of the Living Dead, Tombstone, Back to the Future one, two and three, Dark City, Bad Boys, Dr. Strangelove, Strange Days, The Lost Boys and The Frighteners.
