Get to Know the Crew: Chris's Top 20 Favorite Films

Welcome to the newest Critic Crew feature. I hope you enjoy it. If you do not, I hope you enjoy me sending hateful thoughts your way for the rest of both our lives. Love ya.

I have the privilege of appearing semi-regularly on a podcast called The Packet Factor. A particularly enjoyable episode found The Factor boys inviting me in to discuss our top 20 favorite films. You can find the 3 part saga at thepacketfactor.com.

I felt it only fitting to share that list with the readers of the Critic Crew so you will get a better understanding of my tastes. Please note two things:

1. When the episode of the Packet Factor was recorded my list was slightly different because the Prestige had not come out yet.
2. In preparing this list I actually did a top 100 list as well as a top 50 list so if you feel I left a movie out, please email me at joepunchface@gmail.com and I will gladly discuss with you if said movie is on one of those lists or if I think you are dumb for liking said movie.
   *Please ignore the end of the previous sentence. I will not declare you dumb if you like a movie that I do not. I do, however, enjoy debate on the subject so I am always at your disposal.

Without further adieu Chris (Joe) presents his favorite 20 movies (in alphabetical order so as to not play favorites):

12 Monkeys – I’m a sucker for time travel stories. I’m also a sucker for Bruce Willis. I’m even more a sucker for Brad Pitt the character actor. Those 3 things collide here in a wonderful film by a wonderful director, Terry Gilliam (also a wonderfully funny man!). As you can see, I think it is wonderful all around.

About Schmidt – Most people that like Alexander Payne would tell you Sideways is the better of his two feature films citing his name as writer and director. I disagree. About Schmidt is a great mix of funny and sad in a “snapshot of real life” type of film. Further, Jack turns in a great performance that is quite different from his typical bad ass tough guy.

Batman Begins – Sorry Tim Burton, your original got bumped BIG TIME in the list of “Best Batman Movies.” As you read on you will quickly realize that I am a shameless adorer of Christopher Nolan. He appears on this list more than any other director and would have very little competition for the top spot in the category of Chris’s favorite film makers (point of fact, his only competition would be Richard Kelly and Wes Anderson). Batman Begins is simply the perfect Batman movie. It is dark, edgy, and engaging. The only weakness was the presence of Katie Holmes, but even SHE couldn’t bring down this monster of a homerun movie.

Brotherhood of the Wolf – My favorite foreign film, and the only foreign film that made it to the top 20 list. Basically this movie is just “cool” despite the fact that it is French. I know that is hard to believe, but give it a shot and you will see that the French did do ONE thing worth a damn in their unimpressive existence and this movie is that one thing. P.S. If you make me a jacket like either of the jackets worn by the main characters I will give you so much money.

The Constant Gardener – I have been lucky enough in my life to visit Africa for an extended period of time. This movie captured the feeling I had in Africa better than anything else I’ve seen. Two great performances here from Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. This is a tough movie emotionally, yet I still constantly want to re-watch it which is rare for me with a movie that hits me in the gut a little.

Counte of Monte Cristo – Two caviots here: Yes, I know there are a ton of versions of this story, the one I am referring to is the recent one starring Jim “Jesus” Caviezel and the great Guy Pearce. Also, Yes, I know this movie does not follow the book as much as a literati should demand…I DON’T CARE! The gods of literature are about to strike me down for writing this, but I will say it none-the-less…I think the liberties taken with the source material made this a better film. God forbid! Anywho, this is one of those movies that I can put on any given lazy weekend and I will enjoy it every single time. Something about good old fashion elaborate revenge gets my movie pants going crazy.

Donnie Darko – Ah yes, here it is. If you pinned me down and forced me at gun point to declare a favorite movie of all time this would be 1A. 1B will appear a little further down the list in this alphabetical listing so stay tuned. I love everything about this movie. Read my “Old Favorites” review of this in the archive of the Critic Crew and laugh at me struggling to put in to words my love of this movie. It just isn’t possible. Make your life better and watch this movie 8 times.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – This is the saddest movie I’ve ever seen. The concept of erasing someone from your memory is so bitterly depressing, especially because I feel that I have been erased from someone’s memory before and it hurts me a lot. I love this story, which is a surprise because I HATE the other big movie the guy that wrote this wrote. Wow, that last sentence sucked. Pressing on, Jim Carrey as a serious actor is greatness (see Truman, Man on the Moon) and Kate Winslet may be one of the only women I actually consider an actor. Am I sexist? No. I just feel that you would be hard pressed to put forth a convincing list of talented actresses that would be longer than 7 names.

Groundhog Day – Comedy classic. The Ghostbusters movies made a strong push for this spot, but when it came right down to it I put Groundhog Day on the top 20 list because I had just recently watched it again and there is a sort of sadness interlaced with the light heartedness of the story. I’m a sucker for a movie that is both sad and funny, that makes for the best emotional impact.

The Incredibles – When I saw this movie in the theaters I sat through the whole thing with my eyes wide and my jaw hanging open. I felt like a little kid watching Saturday morning cartoons again. This is my favorite animated movie by a mile. I can’t wait for the sequel.

The Lord of the Rings – OK, I know you’re yelling at your monitor right now calling this a cheat. I’m slipping 3 movies in to one spot here. I couldn’t choose between the three and what’s more, I feel that they are best when viewed together as one (which would basically blow up a whole day of your life). These movies also took me back to my childhood because I hadn’t read the books since I was about 12 and I got lost in the story all over again. On top of that, I still say that these movies visually showed me things I had never seen on film ever before. That battle of Helms Deep is probably my favorite battle sequence ever.

Lost In Translation – I have had my share of heated debates on this one. I still think I am right though. This movie captured an emotion for me that I can’t quite put in to words. Something about the way it feels to be away from your home, in unfamiliar surroundings, basically living a mini-lifetime away from your everyday existence if only for a finite period of time. This movie also made me fall in love with Scarlett Johansson, but maybe more I fell in love with the character she was playing. Lastly, I love the relationship that is explored between two kindred spirits separated by a generation and their own separate lives.

Memento – Appearance 2 of 3 for Mr. Christopher Nolan. This was the film that started my love affair with his work. Make no mistake, this movie is gimmicky, but unlike many other gimmick movies, I feel that this gimmick works and is far from shallow and underhanded. Memento also solidified Guy Pierce, in my mind, as a kick ass up and comer.

The Prestige – And just like that, here is our 3^rd Chris Nolan movie on the list. This movie has it all: great cast, great performances, great story, great visuals, and David Bowie. How could you go wrong? Answer: you can’t. This movie was superbly done and I can’t wait for the DVD. The bad part of this movie was that it just made you realize, all the more, that The Illusionist really did suck as much as you thought. Since this is his last appearance on the list let me take this moment to say that Christopher Nolan is a writing/directing powerhouse and will continue to produce exemplary films for many years to come until one day he will be recognized as one of the most prolific film makers ever. I honestly feel he is the next generation of Coppolla, Scorsese, Kubrick, etc.

Royal Tennenbaums – Obviously a Wes Anderson movie was going to make the list. Surprisingly only ONE made it. Rushmore would be my next choice as my hierarchy of his 4 movies is as follows: Tennenbaums, Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, then bringing up the rear Life Aquatic. Tennenbaums, to me, is head and shoulders above the others because it is the perfect example of funny and sad going hand in hand to make an emotionally impactful film. The suicide sequence is hands down the best exploration of that material I have ever seen. Every performance is spot on and the characters are so wonderfully quirky yet hauntingly real that the many individual moving parts come together as a masterpiece. I promised I would tell you my 1B favorite film in the scenario of having a gun put to my head and being commanded to declare an all time favorite…well here is that 1B to partner with my 1A Donnie Darko. My life wouldn’t be too bad if I was forced to watch Donnie Darko and Royal Tennenbaums in an alternating manner nonstop 24/7. Hmmm, truth be told, that isn’t too far from the state of my life currently. I need to get out more.

Seven – Brad Pitt made a decision early in his career. He COULD have continued to play good looking hunky guys and collect his sizable pay checks and live happily ever after. Instead Brad decided that he wanted to prove that he actually DOES have acting chops and the proof of that decision is embodied in two films: 12 Monkeys and Seven. Brad can act. I’m sorry to all of the haters, but it is undeniably true. Disagree? Watch the box sequence at the end of this movie. If you STILL try to argue with me then you are beyond reason. Brad shared the screen with the great Morgan Freeman AND the great Kevin Spacey and guess what…you can’t take your eyes off of Brad. And no, it is not because of his looks, it is because of his performance. That box sequence is staggering. Staggering.

Shawshank Redemption – I love Stephen King. I love him a lot. I do NOT love people taking his wonderful books and turning them in to terrible movies. One man does not do that. That man’s name is Frank Darabont. He also adapted and directed The Green Mile. That and Shawshank are the two best film adaptations of Stephen’s work. This is the better of the two. I don’t need to tell you that Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins turn in great showings do I? That goes without saying I would hope. The surprise is the excellent supporting performances that Frank gets out of all the other actors. I am also man enough to admit that I always get a little misty at the end when Red shows up on the beach. Emotional.

Snatch – This movie is fun. Plus, I feel like I somehow become some hip English guy when I watch it. I know I am not a hip English guy so I think that speaks to the success of the film. This is the kind of fun you can have with a diverse and eclectic ensemble cast. Everyone pulls their weight and you end up enjoying the characters played by people you had never heard of more than the ones you were going in to the movie excited about. Then Guy Ritchie had to go and get his dumb ass married to Madonna. You now have the definition of “marrying down.”

The Truman Show – As previously mentioned, Jim Carrey in a serious role is more often than not a score. This one sold me on that idea. Who could have played Truman better? Hypothetical, don’t really answer because we should all agree the answer is no one. This movie walks the line between serious and not taking itself too seriously quite well. Add Ed Harris to the mix and you’re set. That’s right, the same Ed Harris that you loved in The Abyss. I know, it seems too good to be true, but it is not. No, I am not being sarcastic…I really like Ed Harris and I really liked The Abyss, get off my back.

Unforgiven / The Proposition / Tombstone – Oh boy, I’m going to hear it on this one. Here is the deal; my last spot is reserved for my favorite western. The problem is that I love these three westerns equally and at any given time one can leap frog the others so I couldn’t definitively give this spot to just one. This is my list, so just let it be.

Unforgiven – I love the visuals and the minimal nature of this movie. This is the anti-western western. You don’t have a ton of shoot outs and main street showdowns. Instead you get three powerhouses of film with Morgan, Clint, and Gene. ‘Nuff said.

The Proposition – This is another new entry as it is a newer movie. Guy Pierce again, being awesomeness incarnate. This movie reminded me a lot of Unforgiven really but mixed in more blood and rough housing. Still, it is a western that revels more in its subtlety then its shoot outs and tough talk.

Tombstone – Now THIS is a western. Shoot outs, tough talk, gambling, mustaches, and anything else you need to make you feel like you are living in the glorious, if not somewhat exaggerated, wild, wild west. All I need to say is Val Kilmer has my eternal respect for his Doc Holliday. “I’m your huckleberry.” So very great.

Thanks for reading. Now go buy all of these movies and watch them as hard as you can. You will thank me for the rest of your days. As a reminder, if you disagree or take particular offense to something not being included, hit me up via magic computer letters fool and we can duke it out verbally. Remember, I love you.