huh
A wise man once said: ‘As people change, so do their top ten list of all-time greatest movies.’ Mine changes just about every week. (Btw, who the thinks about movies that much?) The only thing about me that changes more frequently is my taste in music and my ever-declining level of coolness that peaked back in the 6th grade. So here’s the updated list…
A Clockwork Orange
Oldboy
About a Boy
Gattaca
Good Will Hunting
Donnie Darko
Office Space
La Dolce Vita
The Shawshank Redemption
Dawn of the Dead
Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset
Raising Victor Vargas
American History X
Do the Right Thing
Dirty Pretty Things
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Truman Show
Chungking Express
8 ½
Eyes Wide Shut Hoop Dreams 2001:ASpace OdysseyUnbreakableRagingBullMementosnatchchristmasinaugustsinginintherainminorityreportdrstrangelove
Okay, so I internally combusted and realized that it’s fucking impossible to create a top ten list because somewhere down the road you’ll regret not including a movie and eng up hanging yourself or turning to your good friend jack daniels or raising your future children to act violently bitter towards this cruel superficial world that won’t let you just create an all-time top ten list that satisfies you and your subconscious mind. So instead let me indulge myself and post my top ten guilty pleasures of all time.
10) About a Boy - As you may have noticed, this is also on my list of favourite movies. So why is it in my guilty pleasures list too? Two words, one man: Hugh Grant.
9) Notting Hill - Okay, so you’ve got Hugh Grant (again) and Julia Roberts falling in love with one catch: Julia Roberts is super-famous and that poses much trouble for the poor bookstore owner played by Hugh Grant. I find myself secretly rooting for Hugh each time I watch this movie (alone), which is the second reason why this is a guilty pleasure. The first reason is self- evident after hearing this line from the film: “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy…asking him to love her.”
8) Serendipity - John Cusack in a romantic comedy. ‘Been there, done that’ you might say to yourself. But no. Watching this movie, I found myself worrying about whether John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale’s characters would ever meet each other again and whether I would hand write or type out my suicide note if they didn’t.
7) Speed - I admit, this movie is probably cool enough to not be included on this list. But then again, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock do make love to each while escaping death. If watching that isn’t a guilty pleasure, then I don’t know what is.
6) Coyote Ugly - The final moments of the movie play out as such: Violet asks Kevin: “What do you do when you realize all your dreams have come true?” And then they kiss as a slow Leann Rhimes ballad fades in. I think I have said enough.
5) Police Academy - I first watched this when I was 7. I used to think that the woman hiding under the police chief’s podium while he was making a speech was doing just that--hiding. Since then, I’ve come to learn that that woman was a hooker doing more than just hiding.
4) JCVD’s entire filmography - Can a movie be so incredibly stupid yet so unequivocally awesome? Look no further than any movie in JCVD’s filmography. (I would recommend starting with Bloodsport to get adjusted to JCVD’s acting style (or lack thereof))
3) The Karate Kid Trilogy -When Ralph Macchio’s ultra tight pants and lack of aging threatened to make these movies just plain weird, Mr. Miyagi’s mere presence reinserted an unreplicable coolness into the movies. Pour some chardonnay for the late and great Pat Morita, a true Japanese-American badass.
2) Junior - Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a man who gets pregnant. After watching this, I told myself that I’d seen all I needed to see and I could die a satisfied individual. I was 9 at the time.
1) The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - Why the fuck would I admit to liking this movie? Because eventually the truth finds its way out and I might as well admit it now. But in all seriousness, it’s very pleasant. And yes, I added the ‘fuck’ in the first sentence to reassert my masculinity beforehand.