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The Pantheon of Movies
Or alternatively, any movie that makes me glad that I am alive to enjoy it
- New! Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2
 
Whether volume 1 or 2 is better to me feels like trying to figure out which section of an orange you like the best.
For me each has its very own texture, but they really work together and yet stand on their own, when bringing the story to completion. A quick warning, volume 1 is about as gory as a movie can get. I found it amazing to see as the movie progresses how a samurai sword moves from
the brutal weapon, due to the clean cuts, to an elegant and noble one. Its difficult to portray inanimate objects as well as the actors, and this
movie really did both well. There is not one moment that I don't like in this movie, even though I am uneasy the entire time watching it.
- Fight Club
 OK,
I know that anyone who has yet to see this movie will scratch their head and
say, "Have you lost your marbles?" I would say that too if I just went by
the advertisements. They didn't do the movie any justice. This movie is one
of the most intelligent, sarcastically humorous (my humor to a tee), "in your
face", and clever movies that I have ever seen. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt
have such chemistry together. Anyone who thinks that Pitt is just a pretty
boy, should look at this movie (or 12 Monkeys or True Romance) to see that
he has a lot of talent and does those little things that take years for actors
to learn in order to give his characters depth. You may not like the fighting
scenes, but bear in mind that if you decide not to watch this movie because
you think that it is a movie about fighting, you will miss 90% of what the
film is trying to convey. The movie is about changing your view on life, and
although the main character has some radical changes, it really is clever
in how it mocks how most people live. "We are the all singing, all dancing
crap of the world."
- Highlander
 I
saw this movie in the summer of 1985 as a second feature in a Cape Cod drive-in
theater. The Fly was the big movie and this one was the one that everybody
just hung around for after. I remember in between the movies, we were playing
Frisbee and even as the movie started, nobody had any intention of settling
back in and watching it. After about a minute of the initial sword fight,
the entire parking lot was silent and everybody jostled back for the best
position to watch the movie. It captivated everybody who was in the lot. I
will never forget that moment. I know that this movie got mixed reviews, but
it just can't be beat.
- The Crow
 What
can I say? It was a brilliant performance from Brandon Lee, and amazing story,
weighs heavily on the "moody" scale, which for me gives a movie a focus and
purpose (contrasted with Spawn which was an even moodier story in the comic,
but a kid's story in the theater). Everything in this movie is perfect, right
down to the music (many songs were written specifically for the story, which
I prefer over finding pre-written songs, though this is a double edged sword.
For instance, some of the songs on The Lost Boys soundtrack really stink because
they are too narrowly scoped for the movie, but when it is done well (Boogie
Nights, Pulp Fiction, you can really tell). Is my love of this movie only
because of the tragedy and apparent mystic qualities that people attribute
to him? If so, then I would also appreciate Showdown in Little Tokyo, but
I don't. You can see a progression in his acting talent (as well as his choice
of projects), from Showdown, through Rapid Fire and finally The Crow. Would
this movie have made him a star? Absolutely. One of my favorites.
- The Matrix
 Its
not often that a sci-fi action thriller makes you think about it for hours
after (aside from some obvious ones). I must have spent days thinking about
this one and ultimately had to go back for a second and third helping. It
also became my first DVD owned movie. Hugo Weaving's is really my favorite
character in the entire movie, though it is only because of the range that
his acting has shown (from his Priscilla character to this one, wow). Keaneu
Reeves is probably the weakest part of this movie, though I still enjoy most
of his performance, and he really took the action scenes to task. The story
is just gripping, I don't know how else to describe it. Oddly enough after
watching this movie for the 80th time, I am bothered by one special effect
only. It it the first scene when Moss' character makes the giant leap through
the window. As cool as it is, I can see the overlay on the matte, so it removes
invisibility of the special effect and that is all I see in that stunt. Not
a large enough drawback to remove this from the pantheon.
- Monty Python's Life of Brian
 No
Dis-Easter gathering would be complete without it. Just a tradition that my
friends and I have and it just gets funnier and funnier. All it takes is to
get to the, "you can forget about the myrrh next time" line and then, you
are hooked. And the line, "He's not the Messiah he's a naughty boy." is also
classic. My brother told me that one of the reasons that this material has
aged well is that over the years, you like different characters more than
others and that it switches. If you pay attention to certain troupe members,
I think it really makes their stuff entertaining in many different ways. I
don't know how many times I quote this movie, but its probably uncountable.
- Monty Python and The Holy Grail
 I
don't think that I ever get tired of this movie and I never stop quoting "I'm
not quite dead." The scene where the two sentries at the castle are arguing
with each other about the air speed velocity of a swallow, which seems extraneous
at the time, only to be pulled back out at the Bridge of Death is classic.
My only problem the first time I watched this was that I didn't see the subplot
of the investigators following the clues, so the arrest scene really got my
goat, the first time. But now I find that to be one of he funniest endings
of any movie.
- Rear Window
 I
wish I had seen this one in the theater and just missed the opportunity to
go view it. Oh, I will see it on the big screen. I will. Hitchcock, Stewart
and Kelly are craftsmen. I think the thing that really got me personally about
this movie was that Chrissi and I were living in an apartment in Brookline
that reminded me a lot of the setting of the film, right down to the heat
of the movie. When you go to bed, you can still hear sounds coming up and
down the street. It kind of makes you feel like you are eavesdropping even
when you are trying to get some peace and quiet. This movie captured the atmosphere
perfectly and is a great suspensful flick.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
 This
is the high-water mark and kind of storytelling that I have grown to expect
from Stephen Spielberg. This movie has perfection in plot, action, special
effects (for the time they were truly amazing) and great comedic timing to
keep the story light. I'll use the metaphor of skipping a stone successfully
from one shore of a lake to another. The story hits the water and then bounces
off and takes you where you need to go. I for one cannot skip stones for beans
(even though my sidearm technique looks good) so I consider this one of the
highest compliments that I can pay to a movie.
- The Empire Strikes Back
 When
I first saw this in the theater, I didn't fully appreciate how well this story
would hold up as part of the trilogy. I was actually mad, mainly because I
knew it was going to be about 6 years before they wrapped up the story. I
have since altered my opinion and believe that it is truly a masterpiece and
by far the best of the four movies out, to date. Not many films dare enough
to give you quite the cliffhanger like this one does. Its bold, and as tidy
as Star Wars turned out, this one is just as unravelled. Rumor has it that
Episode II is going to be a lot like this one. Perhaps it will find a place
in the Pantheon.
- The Princess Bride
 A
true work of art. Some unrivaled performances here. For instance, Carey Elwes
has only parodied himself since this movie. Mandy Patinkin is memorable, Andre
the Giant is perfectly cast and Chris Sarandon & Christopher Guest are wonderful.
I can't leave the house without Chrissi saying, "Bye boys, have fun storming
the castle." and it just never gets old. Perhaps my favorite part of this
movie is when Fezzini and Wesley are having the battle of wits with the Iocane
poison. Its almost like a Bugs Bunny scene in its cartoonish nature. One of
the most solid movies from start to finish.
- Aliens: Director's Cut
 OK,
ok... I know what you are thinking, but before you judge me, I will say that
the original Aliens cut is great, but doesn't belong in the Pantheon, but
the Director's cut does. The reason is simple. I hated the newt character
and thought that is was a cheap attempt to throw urgency into the picture,
but after seeing the Director's cut, my view on Newt has changed. You get
to see what happened to her and what the Colony looked like before the Aliens
attacked.
Did you also know that Ripley and Hicks had a blossoming romance? Well,
they cut it out. Why? I'll never know. Is 18 minutes really all that long?
Some of the scenes are altered significantly. For instance in the scene
where the group is looking at the blueprints, it appears that Ripley is
the brainchild behind everything, but in fact it is a nice collaboration
between she and Hicks which culminates with "Outstanding, now all we need
is a deck of cards." That line is wasted on the original but so poignant
on the Directors cut. Also lost because of this was an amazingly tense scene
where these robot guns fire at the aliens. I won't give it away because
you have to see it.
- CaddyShack
 Isn't
it obvious? I can't golf without one to twenty phrases popping up throughout
the round. not many movies permeate their subject the way our culture has
absorbed this movie. And why not? It is funny, entertaining and has a lot
of life truths in it. I can't say enough about this, so I'll stop before I
rant like a lunatic.
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