Top 10 films of all time (you wanna argue--bring it!!)

10- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I understand it's cheesy as hell, however, it's the best example of the feel-good movie about the uniqueness of female, teenage relationships and closeness I've ever seen. It's not a great piece of cinematic art, but it offers something alot of movies don't.

9- Closer

Best straight dialogue of all time. Very intelligent. Further, it's use of a non-linear time-frame really interested me.

8- American Beauty

Amazing combination of dialogue, cinematography and plot. American Beauty had a few of the best character roles in the history of cinema (Benning, Spacey, Birch). Again, I love a director that can pull off story-telling in a non-linear manner and it was done well in this movie.

7- Sideways

Paul Giamatti is God--enough said.

6- The Silence of the Lambs

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter is the greatest single character ever produced on film...period. I defy you to argue.

5- The Green Mile

Frank Darabont is a genius. Tom Hanks is great, but thats a given. Micheal Clarke Duncan's character was unique...something I hadn't seen before. That contradiction between strenght and vulnerability really worked in this one. One of the best period pieces of all time.

4- Saw

Mind you, I'm not a horror fan as a rule. I typically consider them predictable and pointless, not going anywhere near the area of "art". However, Saw broke new ground for me. First and foremost, it was the most intelligent horror movie ever written (maybe the only smart horror movie ever written). Further, it had the best surprise ending of any movie I've ever seen. The sequels weren't bad, but nothing comes close to the original.

3- Clerks

Did I say Paul Giamatti is God? I lied. He's close, but Kevin Smith is absolutely God!! As a Jersey boy myself, the Jersey trilogy was the greatest comedy trilogy ever written. Clerks was brilliant for it's dialogue, plot, and the fact that it cost almost nothing to produce. Did I mention Kevin Smith is God?

2- The Usual Suspects

As you can see, I respect intellegent movies with great endings. The Usual Suspects certainly fits that mold. When Kevin Spacey walked out of the police station and that big "reveal" occured, I got out of my seat and cheered. On a similar note, I used to teach at the High School Bryan Singer graduated from.

1- The Shawshank Redemption

The other completely brilliant Frank Darabont piece...can't be touched, end of story. The fact that it's based on a short story by Stephen King is a bonus.