A Few Good Movies
I don’t see many movies, but over the years, quite a few good ones have come my way. I make no claim that all of these are cinematic masterpieces: I simply enjoy them. Here, then, in alphabetical order, are my thoughts on a few good movies:
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Alien (1979)
When I think incredible sci-fi horror, how can anything but Alien spring to mind? Not to mention you have young versions of Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, John Hurt, and Ian Holm all together… in space… where no one can hear you scream. The sequel, Aliens (1986), is also worthy of inclusion on the list, so I shall incorporate it by reference here. -
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Charlize Theron kicking ass in a Cold War spy triller? Yes, please! -
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
This movie is still hilarious. Don’t judge me. -
Batman (1989)
Tim Burton managed to keep this just serious enough while still capturing a fun comic book feel. It’s a great Batman film and while the franchise went downhill from here until The Dark Knight triology arrived, this installment established the definitive style for Batman on screen for quite some time. -
Black Swan (2010)
When I saw this movie the first time in the theater, I left thinking, “wow—is that what it feels like to slowly lose your mind and descend into madness?” It’s effectively made in that regard, and as an added bonus we get Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music from Swan Lake throughout. -
Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner easily rises to the level of sci-fi classic. This movie is worth it for Roy Batty’s “tears in rain” scene alone, but of course everything else in the movie is amazing too. -
Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
With a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, you know you won’t be disappointed by the dialogue. And you’d be correct. The real reason this movie makes the list, though, is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance as Gust Avrakotos—which isn’t to say all the other performances aren’t wonderful as well. Everything in this movie just works. -
Crimson Tide (1995)
My second-favorite submarine movie, after The Hunt for Red October. Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in fine form, great supporting cast, and an incredible score from Hans Zimmer. And submarine ops are cool. -
The Dark Knight (2008)
This isn’t the Batman we grew up with. And that’s a good thing. -
Demolition Man (1993)
A cautionary tale that holds up surprisingly well. Also, does anyone know how to use the three seashells? -
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Universally regarded as the best of the Star Wars movies, and as the best movie of all time by many. While I wouldn’t go quite that far, this is indeed great sci-fi and must appear on any top movies list. As with all the films he scores, John Williams hits it out of the park here, and gives us the iconic “Imperial March.” -
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
World War 2, snipers, great cast—we have the recipe for a great film, and Enemy at the Gates doesn’t disappoint. -
A Few Good Men (1992)
Aaron Sorkin’s first screenplay, adapted from his stage play. So many great lines and scenes, culminating, of course, with Nicholson’s “you can’t handle the truth!” scene. -
The Fifth Element (1997)
This is one of those movies when, after I haven’t seen it for a while, I wonder if it will still hold up. Then I watch it, and am reminded that it absolutely holds up, and is an incredible film. It’s an incredibly well-made, quirky version of the future, with great performances all around. Such a fun movie. -
Goldeneye (1995)
James Bond fans will probably balk at Goldeneye, not a Connery installment, being the only entry from the franchise on my list. Nevertheless, I stand by my choice: for me, when I was introduced to the various movies, this one just happened to hit at the right time, and in addition to being the one good Brosnan installment, it’s just a fun overall movie. -
The Good Shepherd (2006)
This movie fits in the genre I affectionately call “long boring spy movies.” I love long boring spy movies. Perhaps this isn’t the best long boring spy movie, and it’s certainly not the worst, but it is one of the long boring spy movies that makes my list. Wonderful cast and a well-done look at an imagined origin story of the CIA (or, should I say just “of CIA”?). -
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
While I’d have a hard time pinning down just one favorite movie—this might be it. I love this movie. What’s more impressive is that I love this movie even in context of the amazing book it’s based on: the movie, of course, had to drop some plotlines and simplify things relative to the book, but it somehow still captures the story wonderfully. Tons of great characters, with performances delivered by great actors. This is the movie I’ve seen so many times I’ve essentially memorized the dialogue from start to finish. -
In Bruges (2008)
I hadn’t heard of In Bruges until 2020 when a friend mentioned it’s in her top-three list, so I watched it and immediately fell in love with it. I see it as a modern Shakespearean tragedy: filled with humor and wit, but it’ll hit you in the end. -
Interstellar (2014)
A movie targeted toward a general audience with seems to correctly deal with time dilation?! Einstein would be pleased, I hope! This is a beautiful film that, among other things, accurately uses science as a plot device. While the ultimate conclusion is less plausible, it doesn’t detract from the story, for me, at all. Massive bonus points for another wonderful score by Hans Zimmer and masterful sound editing: when I watch this movie, I turn it up loud, and there are times I don’t know if I’m hearing things rattle on-screen or if it’s the bass rattling things in my room. -
Jaws (1975)
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” -
Jurassic Park (1993)
Do I need to say anything more than dinosaurs? Jurassic Park is one of my favorites. When I was a kid and this movie came out, I managed to see it about seven times in the theater. Everything about this movie is perfect–and just look at the production design: how iconic have those Jeeps and the Jurassic Park logo become? But let’s not get too caught up in all of that… because, really, all I need to say is: dinosaurs. Also: the John Williams score. Simply perfect. -
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
I really want my personal style to entirely mirror this movie. And aside from the absolutely immaculate styling, Kingsman is over-the-top in just the right ways, and is a truly fun example of the spy thriller genre while also poking fun at the genre and itself.
Please send me money to let me have all of my clothes custom-made based on this movie.
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The Lion King (1994)
I am lucky to have been the right age during the Disney Renaissance to land right in the target demographic of movies like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King during their original theatrical runs. The Lion King in particular hit me at just the right time, and like Jurassic Park the year before, I somehow managed to convince my parents, grandparents, friends’ parents, and probably others to keep taking me to the theater to see this movie. What’s not to love about The Lion King? -
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
It’s humor. But with a ‘u’. Humour. -
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Like Quentin Tarantino films, even-numbered films from the Star Trek motion picture franchise, or Bordeaux wines, it’s hard to choose a Wes Anderson film to put on the list as a representative for all of his films. In the end, though, Moonrise Kingdom floats to the top. It’s wonderfully charming, the young Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward deliver delightful performances, and the choice to score the whole thing with Benjamin Britten compositions adds to the magic of the entire work. -
Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
Joss Whedon called up some of his friends one day and asked, “want to do Much Ado About Nothing at my house for a couple weeks?” and this is the result. Magical. -
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction was my introduction to Quentin Tarantino, and perhaps that is why it’s his movie that makes this list. I feel like every time I watch this movie I appreciate it even more. -
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
—“The Ark is a source of unspeakable power and it has to be researched!”
—“And it will be, I assure you, Doctor Brody, Doctor Jones. We have top men working on it right now.”
—“Who?”
—“Top… men…” -
Red Sparrow (2018)
I put this in my beloved “long boring spy movie” category, but it’s hard to ever apply the adjective “boring” when Jennifer Lawrence in on screen. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful example of the genre and I was pleasantly surprised the first time I saw this film. -
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Tim Burton’s re-imagining of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, with Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Walken. Not convinced yet? We also get Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones, Ian McDiarmid, and Christopher Lee. Brilliant. -
Sneakers (1992)
A different kind of hacker movie. If you haven’t seen it, see it when you are having a bit of a throw-back night. Seatec Astronomy. My voice is my passport: verify me. -
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
A fun and fanciful imagining of William Shakespeare’s life during the writing of Romeo and Juliette. -
Stargate (1994)
I know this ended up spawning a whole franchise, but I’ve never seen any of the TV shows. Just this movie. And what a movie it is. The crazy thing re-watching this movie now, though, is seeing James Spader as Dr. Jackson instead of as Alan Shore on Boston Legal. -
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
This is the Star Trek: The Next Generation movie we all wanted: a feature-length, feature-budget film that otherwise feels like one of the best episodes of the TV show. The high point of the TNG movie franchise. -
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek’s end-of-the-Cold-War tale. I don’t quite know why The Undiscovered Country ended up being my favorite of the original Trek movies, but here it is. I watched the VHS copy of this often enough that I’m surprised the tape didn’t wear out. I love the whale movie, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn is widely—and rightly—regarded as a true classic. But in my book, The Undiscovered Country is original Trek perfection. -
Team America: World Police (2004)
This is one of those movies that’s hard to do justice to through words alone: you just have to see it. The whole thing is done with marionette puppets and practical effects. It’s an incredible achievement, plus it’s a stupidly hilarious movie. As one of my friends said, “it transcends the genre.” I’m not sure what that genre would be, but yes, it’s definitely transcendant! -
Thirteen Days (2000)
A fascinating look at the Cuban Missile Crisis. Based on the book One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs, this film captures all of the interest and intrigue of the book without the repeated annoying “revealed here for the first time!” self-congratulatory tone of the book. -
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Perhaps I’m a product of my generation, but I find this 1999 re-make of The Thomas Crown Affair a more compelling take on the original. I love the casting of Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, and Denis Leary. They really work together in these roles. -
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
My favorite of the “long boring spy movie” genre. I saw this movie when it came out, and immediately wanted to read the book. I saw, though, that this wasn’t the first installment of John le Carré’s George Smiley novels. I decided to start with The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, and the feel of that book perfectly matched the atmosphere that I loved from this film. Oddly, when I then went on to read the book Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, it didn’t really have the feel and atmosphere that I so loved from the film. In any case, none of that changes the fact that this is my top long boring spy movie. -
Top Gun (1986)
“I feel the need—the need for speed!” I think at least three generations seriously considered becoming fighter pilots thanks to this movie. Great music, revolutionary aerial photography, and even a bit of a plot to go along with the action. So many great lines that entered popular culture (“Classified?” – “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.").
Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full.
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Wag the Dog (1997)
Funny political satire with a great score by Mark Knopfler (yes, of Dire Straits). I’m not sure how well-known this movie is, but while it was a bit of a laugh when it came out in 1997, you think about it today…and you think it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what politicians of both parties are doing to distract us from whatever’s really going on.