15 Films

Harumph. I was sick on Sunday, and still feel a little run down. To kill sometime before starting to actually do work, I'll do this:

1) Annie Hall -- It's my favorite movie of all time. Love the story, the dialogue, and the characters.

2) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- It's a classic now. The whole thing is so well done, and even Jim Carrey, who I can't stand usually, melts into the picture perfectly. Loves it.

3) Paradise Now -- It makes me cry like a huge baby every time I watch it. If you haven't seen/heard of it, it's about two Palestinian suicide bombers grappling with the decision whether or not to complete their mission.

4) It's A Wonderful Life -- Such a great movie! It just makes me smile everytime I watch it.

5) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein -- As a kid, I was pretty morbid, and watched a lot of old monster movies. I also enjoyed Abbott and Costello movies. To this day, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a Halloween must-watch.

6) The Great Mouse Detective -- One of my favorite Disney movies, and an unsung gem from the Disney collection. I was also a very dorky kid who loved (and still loves) Sherlock Holmes, so this rodent re-telling was right up my alley!

7) Che -- When I saw it in theatres, I was lucky enough to see the Roadshow Edition. At about 4 hours long, it was a serious time commitment, and was totally worth it. It's inspirational, touching, and heartbreaking.

8) Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? -- Morgan Spurlock is probably one of my favorite filmmakers. Loved Supersize Me and his short lived TV show 30 Days. But his one man search for Osama made for a movie that was both funny and enlightening, and a fantastic look at the real heart and soul of the Middle East.

9) Nightmare Before Christmas -- No one can top classic Tim Burton (as in pre-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). I know every word to every song in Nightmare, and still get as giddy every time I watch it as I did when I first saw it.

10) Breakfast at Tiffany's -- What girl doesn't want to be Holly Golightly? For being so iconic, the movie itself still feels underrated. Behind the image of Holly in the black dress is so much more than people give credit for.

11) Moulin Rouge -- It's dazzling, has a great soundtrack, and you notice something new everytime you watch it. Plus, Ewan McGregor is pretty good lookin'.

12) Factory Girl -- It's not the best movie ever made, but the recent Hollywood telling of Edie Sedgwick's meteoric rise to fame was enjoyable, and inspired me to start wearing dark, thick eyeliner and little tiny dresses.

13) What's New, Pussycat? -- Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen. It's hilarious, goofy, and well acted. It was the first Allen movie I saw, and still one of the best.

14) Schindler's List -- I once drunkenly declared my love for this movie while at a bar with friends. But it is a really great film, and Liam Neeson ... Well, my love for him is no big secret.

15) Love's Labours Lost -- Don't judge me. Don't even think about it. When I was in about 8th grade I discovered this Kenneth Brannagh masterpiece, based on the Shakespeare play. Set in Europe between the wars, and featuring all kinds of random Cole Porter and the like songs, it's dorky, campy, and endlessly entertaining. I know every word of the dialogue and soundtrack. It's no longer in print, but I was able to score a copy of the DVD on Amazon for pretty cheap a few years back; before that I had to rent it at the local video store, where I was the only one who ever did so.