I have chosen my fifteen favorite movies. I’ll be posting something about each of them, starting with these, the ones that didn’t make the list.
Punch Drunk Love is not a typical Adam Sandler Movie; it’s smart. Characters have reasons for acting the way they do beyond "I think it would be funny." That, in and of itself is reason to watch. It’s also very, very funny in an off-kilter sort of way. Watch this, if for no other reason than to take what you’ve learned about his character to other Adam Sandler movies and realize that maybe it’s not lazy writing that makes him act that way, it’s too many pushy sisters.
A masterpiece of a western. I am not a John Wayne western fan, but this film transcends the formula and is riveting in its unromantic portrayal of violence and revenge. You can feel Eastwood shaking off the ghosts of his past and showing us what he really feels about the violence in his older movies. Brilliant all around.
This movie just isn’t accomplished enough as a film to make the top 15. That being said, it’s still a funny bit of fluff that requires no real emotional investment to enjoy. James Gandolfini is great as the gay hitman, Julia Roberts is cute and charming and you can’t help but root for Brad Pitt’s bumbling character; it really isn’t his fault! Full of sharp pacing and writing the movie moves briskly to the finish line. Simply hearing the words "El Camino" makes me smile.
This should be required viewing for any person about to undertake jury duty. This is a sparse movie carried exclusively by the writing and performances. It takes place entirely (well, nearly so) in a jury deliberation room but manages to be extremely watchable despite it. Watch a couple of episodes of 48 Hours Mystery and then watch this. It scares the crap out of me that there are plenty of juries without Henry Fonda on them. More to come…