10 Things I Love About Film! (My Top 10 Favorite Movies At The Moment)

So for those of you who know me, my top ten favorite movies change A LOT based off of new movies that I've seen or just plain getting sick of the old top 10! However, my first two haven't changed in forever, so I think that they're pretty solid...at least for now. In this post, I will be counting down, so yes, I will be starting with 10 and going down to my favorite movie...it's pretty generic and potentially uninteresting to you, but for someone like me, it's important to have this post! Basically, this is going to be 10 mini movie reviews...hopefully you guys don't find it too boring!


Number 10 - Sunshine (2007)
Director: Danny Boyle (other works include 28 Days Later and Trainspotting)
Writer: Alex Garland (other works include 28 Days Later)
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Chris Evans and Troy Garity.
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: 50 years in the future, the sun is dying and the earth is stuck in a solar winter. A team of astronauts and scientists went in a ship (the Icarus I) to detonate a bomb the size of Manhattan Island in the middle of the sun to restart it, however, they never returned and nothing changed. Seven years later, another team (Icarus II) heads off. Naturally, things don't go as they were planned to, and decisions have to be made in order to keep the mission on track.
Why I Like It: The environmental issues are just one of the things that make this movie what it is. The acting performances of this small but mighty cast blew me, and the majority of my friends, to outer space (pun intended.) The issues faced relating to morality and sanity are also HIGHLY intriguing, not to mention the edge-of-the-seat sensation caused by the thriller portions! In the end, this movie rendered me (and two of my friends) unable to speak, let alone leave the theater immediately. I was crying, and my friends were both shaking...that is the kind of impact that this movie has...it is truly amazing.

Number 9 - Lords of Dogtown (2005)
Director: Catherine Hardwicke (other works include: Thirteen and the upcoming Twilight)
Writer: Stacy Peralta (other works include: Riding Giants and Made In America)
Starring: John Robinson, Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk and Heath Ledger.
Rating: PG-13 (But I like the unrated director's cut better.)
Genre: Biography/Drama/Sport
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: This movie is based off of a true story about teenagers in the 70s who took the surfing style and brought it to land in the form of freestyle skateboarding; which is basically extinct now. This story follows some of the BEST freestyle skaters, Jay Adams, Stacy Peralta (yes, the writer was one of the skaters) and Tony Alva as they go from slum life teenagers skating on a team for their local skateboard shop to sporting brand name skater paraphernalia for nation-wide companies.
Why I Like It: The acting in this movie is excellent, and having one of the original Z-Boys so involved with the making of it makes the movie, story, and characters so much more real. Also, I really enjoyed the way they shot the skating and the surfing...all in all it's just a good movie to watch with some friends...or alone, if you're lame like me.

Number 8 - Cool Runnings (1993)
Director: Jon Turteltaub (other works include National Treasure and While You Were Sleeping)
Writer: Lynn Siefert, Michael Ritchie, Tommy Swerdlow and Michael Goldberg
Starring: Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, Rawle D. Lewis and John Candy.
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy/Family/Sport
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: When an Olympic hopeful sprinter, Derice Bannock, is tripped accidentally by a fellow runner in the Olympic trials, he convinces his best friend and two other sprinters who were tripped and this disqualified, to form the first ever Jamaican Bobsled Team. They also manage to convince a man who lives on the island and knows more than a thing or two about bobsledding, to coach them. They go through a series comic challenges, and end up in Calgary with ice...as in igloos and Eskimos and penguins, and ICE!
Why I Like It: In short, this movie is good clean fun. It is hilarious and I don't think that there is another movie that has me laughing as hard as I do when I watch this movie...every single time!

Number 7 - The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
Director: Rebecca Miller (other works include Personal Velocity and Angela)
Writer: Rebecca Miller (other works include The Private Lives of Pippa Lee and Proof)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis and Camilla Belle.
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: Jack and his daughter Rose live all alone on an island that was once a commune. Jack home school's Rose, they work very hard to keep their little commune running, and in their free time, the protest housing and condo building near them! However, Jack decides that it's time Rose got to know other people, so he invites his mainland girlfriend and her two teenage sons to come and live with them. As a result, Rose has her first introduction to OTHER people, OTHER teenagers, and jealousy.
Why I Like It: The screenplay truly is original, the acting is PHENOMENAL, then again, what can you expect with Daniel Day-Lewis, and the story, while STRANGE, is captivating and educational in a way...it's a story about people, and there don't seem to be enough of those.

Number 6 - Fifty Pills (2006)
Director: Theo Avgerinos (other works include fishing for love)
Writer: Matthew Perniciaro (other works include Standing Still)
Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Kristin Bell and John Hensley.
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: Scholarship college student Darren Giles loses his scholarship when his wealthy roommate, Coleman, throws a party in their dorm room. He tries to rake up enough money for tuition, but he runs short...Coleman, feeling as bad as someone like him can, leaves Darren 50 pills of ecstasy and a beeper. Normally straight-laced Darren has ONE day to sell the drugs and make enough for his college, and the people that he meets along the way make things...interesting.
Why I Like It: My god, this movie is one of the funnies things that I have EVER seen in my life! It may be short, but the length is made up for by the plethora of hilarious supporting characters and comic/awkward situations! Also, I will not deny that several of my favorite actors/actresses show up in this charming little indie film!

Number 5 - Thumbsucker (2005)
Director: Mike Mills (other works include Paper Boys and Does Your Soul Have A Cold?)
Writer: Walter Kirns (novel) Mike Mills (screenplay)
Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Keanu Reeves and Kelli Garner.
Rating: R
Genre: Drama (IMDb says comedy as well...eh, I disagree.)
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: Teenaged Justin has no friends, no motivation, no hobbies, and no life...his vice: sucking his thumb. His overdriven father decides that it is time for him to STOP sucking his thumb, and with the help of a hippie orthodontist, a debate team coach, and Ritalin, he does...but at what price?
Why I Like It: Like some of the other movies on my list, this movie is riddled with my favorite actors and actresses. Also, the plot conveys a VERY important messages about not only life as a teenager, but what effect drugs like Ritalin and Concerta have on teenagers...it faces teenager issues such as sex, pot, parents, and ADD.

Number 4 - Brick (2005)
Director: Rian Johnson (other works include The Brothers Bloom)
Writer: Rian Johnson (other works include Evil Demon Golfball From Hell)
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matthew O'Leary, Nora Zehetner, Noah Segan, Noah Fleiss, Lukas Haas, Megan Good and Emilie De Ravin.
Rating: R
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: When the ex girlfriend of high school senior Brendan is found dead, he goes undercover in a drug ring to try and find out not only who killed her, but who set her up to be killed. This movie is basically Film Noir set in high school...and it uses the film noir language with a modern twist to it!
Why I Like It: The complexity of the characters make this movie impossible to watch just once...or twice...ok, it's fucking addicting! I love the subtle hints, the foreshadowing, the ambiguity of certain situations...not to mention the heir of mystery, the twists, the characters and the acting. Also, the slang makes everything just a little bit more fun!

Number 3 - Elephant (2003)
Director: Gus Van Sant (other works include Good Will Hunting and Finding Forrestor)
Writer: Gus Van Sant (other works include Last Days and Paranoid Park)
Starring: John Robinson, Elias McConnell, Alex Frost and Eric Deulen.
Rating: R
Genre: Crime/Drama
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: This movie follows around several high school students on what at first seems to be a typical morning. As the plot slowly unfolds, we learn more about the characters and more about the people that surround them everyday.
Why I Like It: This movie is shot and edited in an AMAZING and unique style using lots of steady cam and repetition shots, only in different points of view. The acting is all done by underrated or even first time actors, and was the first film for many of this actors. Also, this movie has a VERY strong message to it about an issue that isn't faced anywhere NEAR enough. While it may seem boring to some, I couldn't have turned it off had I tried.

Number 2 - Mean Creek (2004)
Director: Jacob Aaron Estes (other works include The Gifted and Summoning)
Writer: Jacob Aaron Estes (other works include Nearing Grace)
Starring: Josh Peck, Rory Culkin, Trevor Morgan, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz and Carly Schroeder.
Rating: R
Genre: Crime/Drama
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: When 14 year old Sam tells his older brother Rocky that he is being bullied at school, Sam, Rocky and Rocky's friends decide that it is time to teach this bully a little lesson. The boys, along with Sam's unknowing girlfriend, Millie, take George (bully) on a boat trip to try and grant him his comeuppance, but when things don't go as planned, these teens are stuck on the most scarring adventure of their lives.
Why I Like It: A whole slew of my favorite actors appear in this movie...the acting is excellent, the story is a little scary and a bit eye opening, but I'm going to have to say that one of the best things about this movie is the way that it was shot; the contrast between light and dark as a theme is so subtle that I missed it the first time, but after that I started to see it, and when you look closely enough, there is so much more to this movie than initially appears.

Number 1 - The Emperor's Club (2002)
Director: Michael Hoffman (other works include Some Girls and One Fine Day)
Writer: Ethan Canin (novel: The Palace Thief) Neil Tolkein (screenplay)
Starring: Kevin Kline, Emile Hirsch and Embeth Davidtz.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Crappy Havah Kinny Plot Summary: This is the MOTHER LOAD of inspirational teacher movies! Some people complain that it is too similar to the Dead Poet's Society, but really, they have nothing in common. This movie is about a Western Civ. teacher at a prestigious private high school. He has always been one of the most respected teachers in the school; revered by all...until a problem child who's father doesn't love him enough shows up and begins to wreak havoc upon the school, his classmates, and his teacher. Mr. Hundert decides to make this student his project, convinced that he will be able to turn the boy into a scholar just as he had all of his other students; what he is not prepared for is failure.
Why I Like It: I LOVE all of the facts about ancient Greece and Rome, some of my FAVORITE actors give stellar performances, and the story is entertaining, heartbreaking almost, but with an INCREDIBLY inspiring tone to it. It is almost nothing like ANY of the other movies I love, but for some reason, I never tire of it!