Top 5 movies

I love movies, but I usually don't have the opportunity to watch many. If I get recommendations, I'm more apt to view... so let me know.

This list involves mostly contemporary movies, as opposed to things I might've liked when I was 12 years old. Maybe that's another list.

In no particular order:

1. Almost Famous (2000)
Almost Famous follows the assignment of a 16-year-old about to graduate high school when Rolling Stone mistakes him for a freelance writer and hires him to tour and write the cover story of the (fictional) band Stillwater. The soundtrack to this movie is amazing. The storyline relate able. The acting fantastic. I wanted to be Penny Lane -- Kate Hudson is beautiful, articulate and captivating (Really, I like men.) And I wanted Will Miller. (Maybe I still do.) There's humor and heartbreak, with a unique storyline and great cast.


2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Where the hell does Tarantino come up with this? I love that the movie itself is out of order, and every story intertwines with one another. The characters are unique, the concept outrageous... with another exceptional cast including Samuel L., Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, and cameos from Steve Bushemi and Christopher Walken (!). Every time I watch, I see something new. The movie also has a great soundtrack.


3. Taxi Driver (1976)
Oh, Robert Di Niro.
Taxi Driver focuses on the character of Travis Bickle, an insomniac and unstable war vet that takes up a third shift job driving a taxi. Scorcese has a way with helping the viewer get into his characters' heads, and I like how the movie climaxes at the end -- as if you've held your breath the entire time, waiting for Bickle to snap. The mental deterioration keeps me watching, and I love the ending.

Fun fact: This movie was criticized for portraying Jodie Foster in her first film ever, as a 12-year-old prostitute. (She was 14.)


4. Pan's Labryinth (2006)
Don't be turned off by the subtitles. Guillermo del Toro came up with the story's concept and translated them on his own. The movie's set in fascist Spain during WWII, when a girl moves to the countryside with her widowed mother, who has married a Spanish captain. The plot itself keeps you watching, with the ideas of reality and fantasy intertwined through the eyes of the little girl. But it's not for little kids. There's not much blood and guts, but the scenes that include it are more intense, graphic and poignant. So good.


5. No Country For Old Men (2007) and Full Metal Jacket (1987)
It's a tie. I grouped these together because they're more similar than the rest. I'll explain why I picked both.

The Coen brothers are exceptional writers and directors (e.g., Fargo and The Big Lebowski), and this movie follows suit. Some people were put off by the ending, but it's on a short list of mediocre gripes compared to the excellence that is suspense and action-packed violence and blood. I love the "cat and mouse" concept; it's dirty, heartless, manly and makes the world simple and complex at the same time. Plus, there's no score. And I didn't even notice until the end of the movie. Amazing.

Seven-six-two millimeter. Full. Metal. Jacket. If blood's involved, I'm a fan of movies about war. In particular, I like FMJ because it's not just about the action, but the underlying idea that war dehumanizes people. There's a unique approach with the direction of Stanley Kubrick, and the cinematography is phenomenal. Plus, every other line is quotable. (think, "What's your damage, Private Pyle?" or "Me love you long time.")

Runners up: Donnie Darko, Trainspotting, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Sideways