Thursday 13

My Thirteen Favorite Movies (in no particular order) 1. Die Hard This movie was an original that has yet to be equaled. It was good enough to convert me from Bruce Willis hater (Moonlighting? gag me) to Bruce Willis fan. Humor, explosions, gorgeous bad guys, a head villain we could respect, Alexander Godunov stalking across a rooftop, and the Ode to Joy. What more could we want? Great quote: "...we'll be sitting on a beach, earning twenty percent." Exception: Some of the abysmal lines they gave Deputy Chief of Police Dwayne T. Robinson. There was no need to make him such a caricature. 2. Raiders of the Lost Ark There hadn't been an action movie like that in decades. Maybe there had never been an action movie like that. Indiana Jones might have been battered and cynical, but we loved him from the first scene. Great quotes: "It's not the years; it's the miles." "Indyyyyyyyyyy, the torch is going out!" Exception: They took too long to make the fourth one! 3. Blast from the Past I think I've seen this one about a hundred times. The dialog is crisp and fun, Adam is admirable and sweet, and the supporting actors are to die for. Sissy Spacek and Christopher Walken stole every scene they were in. Great quote: "There used to be something called a liquor store... Write that down." Exception: Some of the romantic scenes between Adam and Eve bog down a bit. 4. Clueless Pure fun, with one of the most romantic movie kisses ever. I think Jane Austen would have loved this one. Great quote: "I totally paused." Exception: She was probably supposed to be, but Brittany Murphy is overly annoying from time to time. 5. The 13th Warrior An intelligent, fascinating, expertly crafted action movie that I can watch over and over. Great quotes: "The thirteenth warrior is you." "Hurry to meet death before your place is taken." "The dog can jump." "No, boy, this is no day to be close to land." (We can relate.) "I cannot lift this." "Grow stronger!" "It's cavalry!" "I rather prefer a dragon." Exception: Harper, our weapons expert, says many of the props are anachronistic. I never noticed personally. 6. Gross Pointe Blank Take one neurotic hitman, the attractive DJ he can't forget, and a host of entertaining side characters, throw them together at a high school reunion, and watch the fun ensue. Great quotes: "This is me breathing." "Workers of the world, unite!" Exception: The awkward scene where Joan Cusack turns tough on the telephone. 7. Shakespeare in Love If I were stranded somewhere with only one movie to watch, this is the one I would want it to be. It's a delight and includes the best (partial) performance of "Romeo and Juliet" I've ever seen. Great quote: "It will be all right." "How will it?" "I don't know. It's a mystery." Exception: None. 8. The Usual Suspects Who is Keyser Soze? I'll never tell. Great quote: "Well, I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze." Exception: The changes between time and place are confusing to the first-time viewer. 9. Gladiator Russell Crowe seemed shocked when his name was called for the Oscar for Best Actor of 2000. We certainly weren't. His Maximus is deep and strong and I'd follow him anywhere. Great quote: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." Exception: Dodgy editing in places, with costumes revealing that the scenes were not in the designed order. 10. A Fish Called Wanda Clever, intelligent, sexy, and side-splittingly funny. Great quotes: "It's K-k-k-ken, c-c-coming to k-k-kill me." "Wake up, limey fish!" "Avoid the green ones. They're not ripe yet." "I have dresses with higher IQs." 11. The Sixth Sense The big test: I knew the big secrets when I saw this movie the first time and loved it anyway. Great quote: "Grandma says hi." Exception: The deleted scenes should have been left in. 12. Snatch Guy Ritchie's masterpiece of overlapping stories, wacky characters, Desert Eagles .50, and assorted English accents. The milk-carton sequence alone makes this movie worth watching. Great quote: "Yeah, I like dags." Exception: Just a few very minor imperfections, nothing worth mentioning really. 13. L.A. Confidential A cast of exceptional actors turns this police drama into one of the greatest movies I've ever seen. Shotgun Ed. Great quotes: "Something has to be done, but nothing too original, because hey, this is Hollywood." "Some men get the world. Others get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona." Exception: Ed and Bud don't call for backup at the Victory Motel. Honorable Mentions Love Actually The wedding. The comeback. The crush. Colin (the character). Colin (the Firth). Two hours of bliss (plus some really wonderful deleted scenes on the DVD). Let's get our asses kicked by love! Great quote: "I am Colin, God of Sex. I'm just on the wrong continent." Exception: Mr. Bean. Pride and Prejudice Beautifully condensed into the Good Parts Version, with stunning cinematography and a dreamy Mr. Darcy. Great quote: "I have the utmost respect for your nerves. They've been my constant companion these twenty years." Exception: Jena Malone's overblown portrayal of Lydia. The Long Kiss Goodnight Samantha's transformation into Charly is fascinating. And it blowed up real good. Great quote: "There may be many reasons not to kill you, but among them is not that you'll be missed by NASA." Exception: They missed the obvious line at the very end and it bugs me every time. She throws a knife to kill a noisy cricket and doesn't say, "Chefs do that." Mumford This is my guaranteed feel-good movie. Great quote: "You know what this feels like? When I was in high school, the thing I wanted most when I was stuck in class, the thing that I was desperately in pursuit of, was a hall pass. That's all I ever wanted. I loved moving freely around the school while everybody else was trapped in there. That's how I feel right now. Like I have some giant, all day hall pass." Exception: Martin Short. Except he probably does what he's supposed to do. Star Wars The quintessential space fairy tale, with special effects that are still damned good thirty years later. Great quote: "There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny." Exception: None. Even the flaws are treasured friends. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants