Tuesday Top 10 - Must See Before You Die

Another weekly topic will be some sort of Top 10 List. Like Top 10 Sci-Fi, Comedies, or maybe even Chick Flicks (though not likely). I'm gonna start with the Top 10 Movies You Need To See Before You Can Die. I left out stuff like Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, A Christmas Story, and Indiana Jones because almost everyone has seen them including the younger generation. I've kinda tested these out by questioning people at work who are 25 & younger and they've never seen many of these (even the recent ones). Of course these are MY list and yours may be totally different, but I DO insist you try them all. I'm gonna try and keep it short. Comment on what you would add to the list.

 The Princess Bride (1987) - Probably the closest to a "chick flick" you'll see on here, but it has everything: adventure, fantasy, comedy, and romance. It strikes such a perfect balance of all of them that it has always been one of my favorite movies of all time. It is also incredibly quotable. I own several t-shirts relating to this movie...

Amelie (2001) - My favorite foreign film ("Brotherhood Of The Wolf" and "Pan's Labyrinth" are REALLY close behind). I guess this one would also kinda be a "chick flick" too, but not really. The wonder of the movie is the use of color and how Amelie subtly and expertly influences people to do things to improve and enrich their lives.

His Girl Friday (1940) - This movie is just an awesome use of dialogue. It has been said that this has the fastest dialogue ever in a movie (there are more words per minute than any other in history). I have always loved Rosalind Russell and Carey Grant. Here they're at their absolute best. It's funny and full of so much intrigue. I almost put "The Thin Man" in it's place for many of the same reasons. They're working on a remake of "The Thin Man" with Johnny Depp and another young actress to be named...not sure they will be able to capture the chemistry.

Dial M For Murder (1954) - Keeping with the old classics, this one is my favorite Hitchcock film. "Vertigo" recently became the #1 movie of all time over "Citizen Kane", but this is still my top film he did. Another that uses mostly dialogue to drive the movie. In fact, other than probably 3 minutes of total film time, it all takes place in one room. They remade it as "A Perfect Murder" in the late '90s, but this one is so much better. He has the murder of his wife meticulously planned to the point where you're not sure why he's doing certain things until they come into play very naturally. You realize he had to have made a mistake somewhere, but it isn't until the end that you realize what.

Tombstone (1993) - Greatest Western ever made. Period. Next.

Goodfellas (1990) - Greatest Mob movie ever. Period. LOL. This should have been Scorsese's Oscar instead of "The Departed". What makes it so great is that it is a true story (that I'm sure is somewhat embellished by the central character). "The Godfather" is loosely based on a Pope named Borgia (like the show) and tends to overly romanticize the mob instead of showing all the bad with the good in a realistic way.

Blade Runner (1982) - A true cult classic that absolutely changed the Sci-Fi genre forever. It did awful at the box office when it came out, but then grew a following and eventually influenced all sorts of movies concerning AI and even it's film noir style (placed in the future no less) became a staple of Sci-Fi as well. Try and watch "Fifth Element" or "Dark City" and not think of this movie. Not possible. Thank GOD Ridley Scott is returning to this world. He did great things in the "Alien" world with "Prometheus" so I'm excited to see where he goes with it.

The Exorcist (1973) - The Devil is in the celluloid with this one. The only scary movie that continues to give me the willies every time I see it. Jason and Freddy never freaked me out that much because I always would know that it wasn't real and couldn't happen. Say what you want, but I believe in possession whole-heartedly. "Insidious" is a close second to me now. Not as real to me, but still creepy as hell.

Blazing Saddles (1974) - Funniest comedy ever made. I don't want to hear arguments to the contrary either. If you've never seen it, you have no opinion. Watch it, then watch any comedy in the last 10 years and you'll realize they just aren't what they used to be. Written by Richard Pryor, this is the most politically incorrect movie in the world. You think "Clerks" or "The Hangover" are bad, this one is worse (as far as racism). The thing is, it's all really cleverly done and has the wonderful Madeline Khan in it doing a great Marlene Dietrich. "It's twue! It's TWUE!"

Pulp Fiction (1994) - The definitive most important movie of the '90s. It changed filmmaking from a studio run, blockbuster driven Hollywood to something that independent movies could break into. It did phenomenally well at the box office and was up for several Academy Awards and after it, studios took notice of the Independent Filmmaker and that they really didn't have to change them for them to be successful. Suddenly film festivals popped up everywhere and became a focus of Hollywood to find their diamonds in the rough. Besides that, it really is a great movie. Shot well, written insanely good, and catapulted many of it's stars into stardom (or back into stardom).

There are tons more movies I love that could be on here, but those will end up on other Top 10s depending on their genre.