5. My Own Private Idaho
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves
I think this is Gus Van Sant's best movie. It is full of lovely, dreamlike visuals, something he seems to have gotten away from in recent years. I blame Good Will Hunting. At any rate, River Phoenix is great in this road film about male hustlers (quite the risky opening scene with River giving a blow job to some dude). River had survived the child-actor curse and survived the teen-beat pin-up of the month, but wasn't able to survive real life. Too bad, that guy was a excellent actor. Way better then his brother could ever hope to be.
4. Boyz n the Hood
Directed by John Singleton
Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube and Laurence Fishburne
I loved Boyz n the Hood. So much so that it's one of the few movies I watched in the theater by myself. Of course when I did, I was the only white boy in the theater watching the movie, but I don't think they held it against me. John Singletons one good film is a snap-shot of late 80's early 90's Los Angeles South Central and the rising gangs that flooded the streets. He captured it all before it exploded with Rodney King. It's so funny to see Ice Cube back then, straight out of N.W.A, hard as hell, and now he stars in the TBS family comedy "Are We There Yet?". Ice Cube, what happened to the "A" in N.W.A? I think maybe he had one too many "good days".
3. The Silence of the Lambs
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins and Scott Glenn
The only horror film to win best picture at the Oscars and most likely the last. Some people wouldn't think, or consider Silence a horror film - but have you watched it lately? Don't let the stellar all-star cast and big budget fool you - this is a horror film through and through. Buffalo Bill ranks up there with the likes of Freddy and Jason, and the dude is way fucking creepier. But hey, how many of us guys have performed that dance he does in the movie? Huh? Come on, you know you have tried it at least once. I mean I..... uh....wait, nevermind.
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Robert Patrick
Let's see, how many movies have I stood in a line that stretched around the block for? Indiana Jones 3, Jurassic Park, The Star Wars 1997 re-release, Batman 1989, Titanic, and this one, Terminator 2. And T2 is by far the funnest movie experience I've ever had. I saw at the haunted State Theater in Marysville CA. The line did indeed go around the block and the place was packed! You've heard the phrase, "roller coaster ride of a movie!" well this pretty much was. I strapped myself in the theater seat and the movie took off. EVERY thing that happened on the screen that was even remotely cool the whole theater would erupt in applause and yells and laughter - every person there was INTO this film. I had a smile on my face the whole time. So much fun. T2 still to this day has one of the best action sequence's ever put to film - from the time they enter Cyberdyne to destroy Miles Dyson's work to when Arnold tells the frozen T1000, "Hasta la vista baby". Perfect.
1. JFK
Directed by Oliver Stone
Starring Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman
A masterpiece. Truly this film can be called that. Even if the facts were distorted or fabricated, it doesn't take away from the shear enjoyment of watching an artist create something that blows everything else away. JFK is Oliver Stones Sistine Chapel. Every time I watch this film, and I've watched it a lot, I am amazed at the grace of it all and craftsmanship of the celluloid. Stone utilizes all forms of cameras and film stock and techniques, just like a master painter not afraid to dab his brush into the colors laid out before him. And by the end of it all, he has made you a believer. A milestone in film.
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