I used to be a big movie person. I loved going to movies in the theater. I loved listening to their soundtracks (if they were good). I loved buying the ones I really liked and then watching them over and over again. So, for today’s installment you get my top movies. I’ll start by listing them (in no particular order)
- The Last of the Mohicans
- The Fifth Element
- Die Hard
- The Lord of the Rings (yes, the full trilogy)
- The Usual Suspects
- Almost Famous
- Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn and Star Trek 8: First Contact
If you look closely you see that there is a clear style I like, but there are also some other genres in there as well. There should be no surprise that science fiction is on the list.
I think that “The Fifth Element” is a fantastic movie. It is funny, it has action, the plot pulls you in, and there is something to cheer for along the way. The quirky nature of the movie also makes it a lot of fun to watch and enjoy. Bruce Willis does a great job of being another reluctant hero. Similar to another movie on this list.
I had a hard time picking one Star Trek movie. I love Star Trek, and so picking just one wasn’t going to happen, but I also couldn’t make them each their own “top movie”. They are a part of the story of Star Trek, and these 3 movies hit the high points of that story telling. From classic good vs evil in 2 and 8 to political drama in 6 these movies really hit at what Star Trek was about for me in many ways.
I also couldn’t separate the “The Lord of the Ring” movies into just one of them. They again tell a sweeping story that I didn’t want to break up. I think that they really are just one long story, and therefore shouldn’t be separated. These movies are great for so many reasons. The soundtracks by Howard Shore are amazing. The visuals throughout are breathtaking. And the story, well, JRR Tolkien nailed it.
I couldn’t leave Die Hard off the list because it is my favorite Christmas movie. It is also my top pure action movie. It is over the top. It has explosions like crazy. Guns that seem to have unending bullets. A hero that can take more punishment than any human can reasonably take. And the dialogue and banter between Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman is near perfect. I try to watch it every year, always by myself since my kids are a bit young for it, and my wife isn’t a fan.
The Usual Suspects is one that I love because it makes you think throughout the entire movie. Very few movies can do that. Usually movies lay things out so there aren’t any real surprises during them that change the entire movie, but this movie does it a few times, and the final surprise is a huge one. I think the actors do an amazing job making us either like or hate their characters just like we are supposed to. The only thing about my list of movies this one doesn’t’ have is an outstanding soundtrack. It is a fine soundtrack, but not like all the other movies on this list.
“Almost Famous” is a movie that I enjoy because it is all about being a young adult (or a kid) and discovering music and what the music scene is all about. I love the era of music the movie explores of the 1970 frame of rock and roll. Yes it is fiction, but it feels real. I think the focus on a kid that wants to be a music journalist really connected with me for some reason. I never wanted to be a journalist, but to learn about the inner workings of something that was of great interest to a person I found cool. And what a great soundtrack of music from the time.
Finally I have Last of the Mohicans. I would say this one is number 1 on my list and would always be number 1. The soundtrack alone lifts it greatly. It is powerful and graceful. It pulls you into the story, and whenever I hear it I can “see” parts of the movie. For the movie itself it is wonderfully shot. The characters are believable and you want to cheer for the heroes and you want to see that bad guys fail. It is historical fiction: it is violent at times, but it also is touching at times. Daniel Day-Lewis, as usual for him, makes you believe in his character, and that he has “become” his character.
I don’t go to movies anymore. I can’t even remember the last one I saw in the theater. I must say that I miss that to some degree. It was fun seeing a movie on the big screen. I don’t even really see movies even when they reach streaming services that often. I will eventually watch them, but it isn’t that important to me anymore.