My 30 Favorite Movies of All Time

Even with today's technology (which isn't always used in the way it should be), I still consider the original Jurassic Park the most realistic use of CGI and puppetry and visual effects I've ever seen without going too far like most of today's movies do. The story was deep and intelligent and dealt with a scientific debate that was years ahead of it's time and still is something just being truly brought to light in today's world in 2010. I loved the cast, loved the thrills, and the action sequences were gripping. And for sound and overall intensity, there is no better movie to be watching on a home theatre system with the speakers cranked up. My most memorable experience in a movie theatre to date in my life. I've seen it like 25 - 30 times and love it a bit more each time I watch it.

A great cast that was clearly comfortable together and in the zone for the 2nd film of my favorite movie trilogy of all time, a great part of why this is # 2 on my list is because I have and always will be a fan of anything pirate related, it's just something I grew up with since I was little and to me, this 2nd film really captured the epic feel of a buccaneer adventure that I'd been craving to see on the silver screen my whole life. The first film would also be included in my list (probably at # 3), but I made a point not to include more than one film from each franchise, so I had to go with Dead Man's Chest. Davy Jones and his crew alone give it the edge for me. A timeless movie franchise.

One of the best transitions made from a world class set of books to the big screen in movie history, the first Lord of the Rings is one of my all time favorites just because the visuals and landscapes and scale of the adventure caught my breath from the very beginning so that is why Fellowship stands out for me. The simple, but engaging tale of a group of allies trekking across distant, hostile lands to get to an end-goal on the map together is the ultimate "road-trip" movie. It might sound cheesy, but the Lord of the Rings films felt like both nightmares and dreams I've had actually fulfilled in perfect detail in the theatre. One of the best trilogy's ever created. Amazingly crafted.

"Why did it have to be snakes?" might be Indy's best line of all time (and he has many great ones), but the third Indy film tops the first two for me, simply because I was a little too young to go see the first 2 in theatres. And with an action hero as big and brazen as Indiana Jones is, the big screen goes a long way to adding to the film. All 3 movies(hell, I'm even an in the closet fan of #4) were great, but the father-son storyline added to Last Crusade between Ford and Connery is one of the best acting partnerships I'll ever recall. I've always been more into adventure films than any other genre and Indy is the biggest adventure hero that we are likely to ever see. I can't count the number of times I dressed up in the leather jacket and fedora over the years, and I"m sure that I'm not the only one who has done so growing up.

I've always enjoyed Dicaprio, I've always enjoyed Danny Boyle as a director and most importantly, I've always enjoyed the idea of living in paradise on my own private tropical island away from the annoying responsibilities of modern society. That is why The Beach resonated with me so deeply over the years and still does. A perfect summer watch before going camping or heading for the surf, The Beach has beautiful visuals and vista's to gawk at, a challenging of many morale's and choices in life sprinkled throughout the storyline and well, just some really great acting by one of my all time favorites. It also came out in the summer I graduated which was spent mostly in the sand, so that nostalgia goes a long way for me.

I don't even really have to say anything here, Star Wars speaks for itself and everyone knows why. Still considered by many as the biggest movie of all time (and let's not kid ourselves Avatar fans), if you adjust for inflation change over the years, Star Wars is still the biggest sci-fi movie ever made. Nothing will challenge it in my opinion. It was a revolutionary movie that came out at the perfect time. It was close for me between all 3 movies (original's obviously), to pick a fave, but I'll give the edge to A New Hope despite featuring the least amount of Boba Fett of the 3.

There's just something about the setting and vibe of this movie and the era in which it was made that I can't get enough of. Being a child of the 80's and growing up in a town that had an air force base for a number of years, Top Gun and the vibe around the Miromar air base reminded me a lot of my childhood and where I grew up. Throw in the mix of air to air combat, explosions, and the competitive sports-like nature of the characters in the movie and that sold me on Top Gun. It also shows Tom Cruise in his glory days before all the hoopla started up and that's a great thing too.

This one is another 80's nostalgic childhood fave come true to life for me. Transformers was always my favorite tv show as a kid and even as I got older, I always knew it would make for a kick ass action movie. Despite what some critics say, I love the 2 Transformers movies and am looking forward to the third. I find that the series is keeping true to the cartoon for the most part, and it's a thrill to see the classic Autobots and Decepticons battling each other in real world locations. The movies have also had killer soundtracks, though I would love to see some covers of some great 80's metal bands full of guitar solo's to further reinstall the subject matter of the cartoon into these remakes. Cars and robots fighting to the death.... what more could you want?

I also grew up with a lot of Disney movies as a kid and have no problem admitting that I still keep up to date with most of the Pixar/Disney movies. The Lion King is a nobrainer for me though. The story is awe-inspiring and a true coming of age tale that rivals most of Hollywood's more adult films. Great voice work for all characters and amazing detail in the animation and character design make The Lion King the greatest animated feature ever released.

I realize that a lot of people may not even know what Hot Rod is or was upon release 3 years ago, but Andy Samberg's hilarious work on SNL with costar Bill Hader as well as his unreal comedy single "I'm On a Boat" have since propelled Samberg to the top of the up and coming comedian's club. Hot Rod is the current SNL and Lonely Island stars making a movie with a ridiculous plot and loving every minute of it! Just pure comedy gold and over the top and hilarious enough to bust a gut every 30 seconds or so. I went in to this movie the first time not having a clue what to expect and certainly not knowing that I would go on to list it as my favorite comedy movie of all time. If you haven't seen it and are a fan of anything related to SNL over the years, you owe it to yourself to sit through this laughfest.

Batman has always been my favorite superhero and though I enjoyed Batman Begins for the most part, it didn't really stick out as anything too amazing for me. Certainly did nothing to take over the role of best Batman movie made which was Keaton and Nicholson's original for me. That all changed when Heath Ledger signed on to play as the Joker in the Dark Knight. I think even before Heath's death, everyone knew that this casting of the legendary batman villian was going to be something surreal and unseen from any superhero advesary to that point. The Oscar Heath won says it all, but the strong, complex, yet not overly confusing storyline is often overshadowed by Ledger's death, but this cast as a whole did an amazing job in making this not only the best Batman movie to date, but maybe one of the best movies period of the last 25 years.

A great revenge/undercover/role switch story starring many of today's (and yesterday's) best actors, The Departed just grips you from the opening scene and doesn't let go. Nicholson again as a truly sleazy but enjoyable villian. Dicaprio and Damon dueling back and forth undercover on opposite sides of the law is just purely entertaining and Matt Damon does a great job of making you hate his character the way you are supposed to. Great supporting roles from Wahlberg, Baldwinn and Sheen. Full of grit and sandpaper and a great amount of dark comedy, this one truly deserved best picture from the Academy in 2006.

This is just one of the most funny, enjoyable buddy movies of all time. Jim Carrey at his most animated and hilarious, and Jeff Daniels doing a wonderful job of keeping up with Carrey in his prime, the two make it a pleasure to watch such bizarre, yet lovable losers. Until Hot Rod surprised me 3 years ago, Dumb and Dumber was always my answer when someone asked me what I thought the funniest movie of all time was. It has withstood the test of time very well so far. Never gets old.

Gladiator just stokes my fires. Never have I wanted a lead hero to absolutely destroy the antagonist in a movie so much. Not because I hate Joaquin Phoenix, I actually love the man, but because the storyline and how Phoenix and Crowe portray that storyline draws you into their universe and the anger and hatred they feel so vividly. Not to mention the fight scenes are both unnerving and greatly rewarding all at once. This movie just kicks major ass.

The spectacular acting and terrifyingly true storyline combined with the great job on immersing the audience straight back to the early days of space exploration in the 60's and 70's, Apollo 13 does a million things well. The first being the casting of Hanks, Paxton, Bacon, Sinese, and Harris in the 5 main roles. These guys are all at the top of their game here and all have a very real convincing chemistry together. And even though everyone already knows the outcome of the real life events, the movie still tears your heart out with it's dramatic, exasperating ending. A lot of amazing actors coming together in their prime all at once to tell an amazing miracle of a true story from our past.