10. The Big Lebowski (1998) One of the greatest comedies ever made without flat out appearing to be one. Jeff Bridges stars as “the dude” and has a little dilemma. He is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name and goes on a crazy adventure after someone looking for Lebowski pisses on “the dudes” rug. John Goodman steals the movie though with his lines and Steve Buscemi plays his part perfectly. “Shut the fuck up Donnie!”
9. From Paris With Love (2010) - John Travolta as a badass CIA operative who doesn’t give a fuck who or what he destroys in his path to accomplish his mission. When I first saw the cover I was like “this looks like another stupid shoo em up movie”. Well it is a shoot em up movie but the acting, script and even music are great throughout the entire movie. It was the first movie I ever saw Meyers in but he plays the boys scout very well and has great on set chemistry with Travolta.
8. The Jacket (2005) This movie is far from perfect but virtually everything about The Jacket keeps you intrigued. Adrian Brody plays Gulf War Veteran who is wrongly sent to a mental institution and falls victim a new type of experiment. I won’t ruin anything but if you love the Butterfly Effect you need to see this movie.
7. Enemy At The Gates (2001) I have NEVER liked Jude Law in anything. He always seemed so wooden and bland. But a couple years ago I finally got around to seeing EATG and this is by far of the greatest war movies ever made. The movie is loosely based around the true story of WWII Russian hero Vassili Zaitsev who oddly enough you play as in Call of Duty although the name is slightly altered. Vassili was a sniper who had over 250 kills in the battle of Stalingrad alone. Ed Harris plays his nemesis in this incredible movie about nation’s pride and struggle.
6. Contact (1997) Jodie Foster stars in this sci-fi/drama that is both emotionally and psychologically moving. She has an all star cast around her with big names such as James Woods, William Fichtner, David Morse & Mathew McConaughey who surprisingly has his shirt on for almost all of the movie. Basically without ruining anything Foster plays an astronomer who after years of searching the skies hears what seems to be a transmission from intelligent life outside of our galaxy. This movie is not one you should miss.
5. Stripes (1981) Bill Murray, Harold Ramis & John Candy. Does anything else really need to be said? When Bill & Harold’s character can no longer support themselves from being unable to keep jobs or girlfriends they decide to join the army. This is one of the greatest comedies ever made. But because of how old it is most of people my age won’t want to see it. “There she was just a walking down the street singing…”
4. Eastern Promises (2007) Viggo Morteson, Naomi Watts & Vincent Cassel all shine it was is in my opinion one of the greatest movies about the mob ever made. This follows Viggo who is a driver for a Russian mob bosses son. It also follows Naomi who is a nurse at a London hospital who comes into possession of a diary who belonged to the late mother of a prostitute. This diary holds secrets she never would have imagined. Despite it’s relatively new release most have not seen this gem.
3. Dogma (1999) Trying to explain this movie is almost impossible. But being a Kevin Smith movie it’s nothing new. This movie is packed with talent and entertainment with names such as Alan Rickman, George Carlin, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek and Linda Fiorentino who stars as “the last Scion” the last descendant of Jesus Christ. Now it’s up to her and “Jay & Silent Bob” to save the world from the two fallen angels Loki (Damon) & Bartleby (Affleck) trying to make their way back into heaven. One of the most hilarious dramas ever made.
2. Fierce Creatures (1997) By no means at all is this an Oscar winning movie or even an IMDB Top 250 movie. This is a movie with excellent script, talent and story. As a “sequel” to A Fish Called Wanda it lands John Cleese in charge of zoo in England who starts instituting new rules in order to keep the zoo open. This movie also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin & Kevin Kline who plays duel roles and steals the movie with his performance as both the bottom feeding conniving son and the power hungry billionaire CEO. This movie is hilarious but has heart and is one of my favorite movies of all time.
1. The Ninth Gate (1999) Johnny Depp stars in Roman Polanski’s masterpiece. This is not only one of the most underrated movies ever made but also is the most thought provoking. Depp plays Dean Corso an unscrupulous rare book dealer who is tasked by satanist millionaire Boris Balkin (Frank Langella) to investigate if his book The Nine Gates In The Kingdom of Shadows is truly authentic. This movie is mostly a mystery but turns into a supernatural thriller when Depps character begins to uncover the books secrets. One of my favorite movies of all time and will keep you thinking long after the credits roll.
