Tag: Favorite Films

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #83

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, Twister1 Comment

#83: Twister (1996)

Twister
Director: Jan de Bont
Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Academy Awards: Nominated twice. Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.
Plot: “Bill and Jo Harding, advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.”
Stock: Up
Previous Ranking: #97

“You’ve never seen it miss this house, and miss that house, and come after you!”

Epic movies in the 1920s look different from epic movies in the 2000s. Technology plays an important role in how those titanic-like films are made. But make no mistake, epic movies – no matter what generation – are still just that … epic.

Twister was an epic 1990s movie. It had drama, suspense, and earth-shattering images that at the time were unprecedented. It made you feel as if you were right there with the tremendous tornadoes bearing down on towns, destroying everything in their way.

I thoroughly enjoyed putting this list together for various reasons. A small reason why was because I liked thinking back to when I first saw a particular film and who I watched it with. Sometimes who you are watching it with creates a shared experience that makes a film more memorable than if you were just watching it by yourself.

I first watched Twister during a sleepover with my two best friends. Not gonna lie, I was a little frightened when I first saw those massive tornadoes. But it made for a memorable experience, one that certainly help it crack this list.

UPDATE

What people tend to forget in Twister is how good the supporting cast was. Besides Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, this film had a strong ensemble. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Cary Elwes, Jami Gertz, Alan Ruck and Jeremy Davies help round out a terrific group of actors.

Twister is definitely a film on the rise in this list. It was a last second add back in 2011 and since then is steadily moving up. Wouldn’t be surprised at all to see it in the top-sixty four years from now.

Fun Fact: A recording of a camel’s moan was slowed down and used as the sound of the tornado.

Hint for #82: Scott Hall saw this film, probably at least twice.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #84

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Field of Dreams, Lists, Movies1 Comment

#84: Field of Dreams (1989)

Field of Dreams
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Starring: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta
Academy Awards: Nominated three times. Best Picture, Best Writing and Best Music.
Plot: “An Iowa corn farmer, hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the Chicago White Sox come.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #29

“If you build it, he will come.”

When my brother and I were growing up I would often hide and try to whisper that line to him in an attempt to scare him and entertain myself. My success rate mirrored the Cleveland Browns winning percentage of the last decade.

Field of Dreams is full of memorable scenes and memorable moments. Between Kevin Costner playing catch with his dad, to Ray Liotta standing out in the middle of the dark baseball field, to the line of cars making their way to Costner’s farm. The imagery, the music, and the acting all combine to make this an all-time great movie.

Field of Dreams is one of those special films that evolves with age. It can mean different things to the viewer depending on when they are watching it. For a young boy it’s a story about baseball. For others it’s a story about remembering their father. And for some it’s a story about life after death. And the best part is that they are all right. It completely encapsulates all of those ideas.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Field of Dreams and that’s a shame. It should be one of those movies I watch every year during Spring Training. Or at the very least whenever I am lacking inspiration. The tag-line to this movie is dead on. “If you believe the impossible, the incredible can come true.”

Words to live by.

UPDATE

Preferences and tastes change all the time. Field of Dreams is a great example of this. Back in 2011 I had it ranked inside the top thirty. Now, just four years later it is outside the top eighty. And you know what, four years from now it could be back in the top thirty.

It speaks to not only the constant flux in preferences but to also how dynamic this film is.

Fun Fact: Tom Hanks was originally offered the role of Ray Kinsella but turned it down.

Hint for #83: Sharknado would have been a love-child between Jaws and this film.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #85

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, Pursuit of Happyness1 Comment

#85: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Pursuit of Happyness
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith
Academy Awards: Nominated one time. Will Smith for Best Actor.
Plot: “A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he’s poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #70

“You got a dream … You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”

Isn’t this what we are all on the pursuit of … happiness?? It’s why the founders of our country added it after “life” and “liberty” in the Declaration of Independence. Pursuit of Happyness is a great title and if you’ve seen it, you know it’s a great movie.

Will Smith typically stars in action-packed, gun-toting, alien-killing blockbusters. However, he shows off tremendous range and depth playing Christopher Gardner, a down-on-his-luck father. This is a film about family, about the American dream, and about never giving up. If Jimmy V were still with us he would applaud this movie.

What really resonates with me, and why it’s so high on this list is because it’s based on a true story. Knowing that this actually happened helps hammer it home. It’s an inspirational flick and one everyone should see.

UPDATE

Despite dropping fifteen spots in four years, this movie has nothing to worry about. It’s not going anywhere. It’s too strong, too powerful, and too meaningful to drop completely out of the top-100. It’s one of Will Smith’s finest acting jobs, one that led to a well-deserving Academy Award nomination.

Fun Fact: Speedcubing champions Tyson Mao, Toby Mao and Lars Petrus were hired to coach Will Smith to solve a Rubik’s Cube in under two minutes.

Hint for #84: Before he was making draft picks for the Cleveland Browns, he worked on a farm.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #86

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, Superbad1 Comment

#86: Superbad (2007)

Superbad
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Plot: “Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.”
Stock: Down
Previous Ranking: #68

“You know how many foods are shaped like dicks? The best kinds.”

Might be the simplest premise of any movie on my list. Two best-friends looking for girls and beer. That’s really all there is to it. Sure they have issues with college looming and moving away, but at the end of the day this is about girls and beer.

As simple as that sounds, I walked away hurting from laughing. It’s unbelievably funny, crude-yet-accurate, and absolutely chock-full of great one-liners. It’s a film that you can watch over-and-over again and pick up a different favorite quote or phrase.

A great aspect of this film is that it’s one Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the two writers) were drawing up for nearly a life-time. It’s something I could see my friend Kevin and I doing.

UPDATE

Superbad is one of the most difficult films to rank. Mainly because it was a ground-breaking film, one of the first of it’s kind to have so much hilarious vulgarity. As more and more movies come out that include the same kind of humor, I find myself liking Superbad just a little bit less mainly because those newer films are better done.

But that shouldn’t take away from how much Superbad made me laugh and for setting the table for those newer/better comedies.

Fun Fact: Because Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) was only 17 at the time of filming, his mother was required to be on set during the filming of his sex scene.

Hint for #85: It’s written in the Declaration of Independence.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #87

On By Luke FlorenceIn Cinderella Man, Favorite Films, Lists, Movies1 Comment

#87: Cinderella Man (2005)

Cinderella Man
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger and Paul Giamatti
Academy Awards: Nominated three times. Paul Giamatti for Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing and Best Makeup.
Plot: The story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s.
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #32

“I have to believe that when things are bad I can change them.”

Cinderella Man is a story of hope, redemption and of under-dogs overcoming obstacles. Every time I watch it I get goosebumps, which count for something because most of the time they are beyond my control. The “chill effect” tells you that whatever you are experiencing is making an impact deeper than just on a superficial level.

Russell Crowe is phenomenal as James J. Braddock, an aging heavyweight boxer who has always been a mediocre fighter at best. A hand injury practically derails his career and he is forced to go to work on the docks in order to feed his family, which is proving to be quite difficult as this film takes place during The Great Depression. But when an unexpected opportunity comes along, Braddock takes advantage of it and the rest as they say is history.

Paul Giamatti plays Braddock’s trainer and after you watch it you will understand why he was nominated for an Academy Award. There’s no way you can say he didn’t deserve it.

Ron Howard is also outstanding as the director of Cinderella Man. He is able to capture the human condition during those hard-times magnificently. Howard also never loses focus of the story and what all it stands for.

The film is centered around Braddock’s rise as a boxer, but the story stands for so much more. It’s about the human spirit, about never giving up, and about seeing the best in everything possible condition.

UPDATE

Thirty-two was a tad high for this movie, but #87 seems to be a better fit. Truth be told, I was probably sucked in by the “true story” effect the first time around. Cinderella Man is in the top-100, and will more than likely stay there as the years rack up.

Fun Fact: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton and Mark Wahlberg were all considered for the role of Jimmy Braddock.

Hint for #86: Fake IDs were never viewed the same again.

Peace Be The Journey.