This top 10 is here to rectify one of the great Oscar travesties in movie history, one of many parts of Hollywood Harvey Weinstein ruined. I saw Shakespeare in Love. It’s fine. Does it have one of the greatest scenes in movie history? HAH! Not even close.
It’s not a pantheon Disney animation, but this movie rocks! The songs are catchy and propulsive, the battle sequences are awesome, and the female empowerment story, though obvious, works because of how inspiring Mulan is.
Roberto Benigni has been compared to Jerry Lewis or Jim Carrey, filled with funny faces and pratfalls. To everyone’s surprise, he crafted this tragic, lovely gem, about a father who tries to protect his son from the horrors of World War II in the most simple heartbreaking way possible.
Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon get transplanted from the 90s into a 1950s sitcom. This movie could have phoned in its lampooning of the tropes of that time period. Instead, the movie uses stunning visuals to provide a clever look into prejudice, intolerance, and evolution.
Even though The 10 Commandments plays every year around Easter Time, I maintain this is the better version of that tale. Credit to the writers who really found a clever emotional angle into the story of Moses and Ramses, and surround it by beautiful animated imagery and a great soundtrack.
Combining a sports movie with a seedy thriller, Texas Hold ‘Em had a moment thanks to the David Levien/Brian Koppelman script, turning the card games into a battle of wits by the talented cast. Matt Damon, Edward Norton and John Malkovich turn this movie from ho hum thriller into a character piece about learning from past mistakes and ending up where you were born to be.
The Farrelly Brothers clearly idolized Mel Brooks, as most of their films rise below vulgarity as Brooks once put it. This movie is the pinnacle of the 90s R Rated comedy. It’s puerile. It’s gross. It’s sleazy. It’s also funny as hell. You’ll never look at hair gel the same again…
Mystery surrounds this noir that start’s out like a detective movie from the 30s. Like Rufus Sewell, we’re off kilter for most of the story, wondering what the hell is going on as we plunge deeper and deeper. What’s great about Alex Proyas’s script is that once the reveal happens, the movie finds deeper purpose and meaning than when it set out, a testament to any great mystery thriller.
Peter Weir should be considered among the great filmmakers of his generation. He smartly partnered with Andrew Niccol , who writes extremely thought provoking science fiction scripts that usually grow in importance over time. Jim Carrey successfully transitions to dramatic filmmaking in this film, where his life is basically resembles our current modern one: lived on camera, 24 hours a day, you know, like Instagram influencers and social media consultants today, or reality TV producers.
We’re in the middle of a great movie run by Edward Norton. His performance in this movie is a tour de force, showing the arc of a young man seduced by the Neo Nazi movement who learns the error of his ways and tries to repent his sins. This no nonsense film plunges you into the cruelty and anger of this lifestyle, and asks a question that lingers long after the movie ends: has anything you’ve done made your life better?
How could anyone who watched Steven Spielberg film that D Day invasion say Shakespeare in Love is a better movie? Even after one of the few perfect scenes in cinema history, Spielberg crafts an entertaining story of the triumph of the human spirit and the inspirational bravery by all those brave men who put their lives on the line for their country.
