Review: Hot Tub Time Machine

Grade: B+

Adam, Nick and Lou were best friends back in high school and felt their lives were going places. Now, they’re all grown up and are rather miserable with their adult lives. After an accident puts Lou in the hospital, they decide to try to have a fun weekend away together at their favorite place when they were in high school, Kodiak Valley Ski Resort. The three of them plus Adam’s nephew, Jacob, head up to the mountains for a weekend of fun and drinking. When they get there, the town isn’t quite what it used to be and all they are left with is the hot tub in their room. They decide to pile in and get drunk but when they wake up, they realize they have somehow been transported back to 1986. When they are warned by an odd hot tub mechanic, they decide it’s best to try to relive that day exactly how they did over 20 years ago, or at least that was the plan.

I’m gonna go ahead and call it right now, I predict a minimum of four Oscars for Hot Tub Time Machine at next year’s academy awards. One of those awards is going to be a new category, best title. For some reason just saying the title of this movie makes me smile. The movie is actually really entertaining. Seeing all the styles and music that was popular in ’86 was great. Hot Tub Time Machine is hilarious to top it all off. The jokes are constant and the laughter never stops. The story is actually really fun, this movie’s story absolutely could have been terrible but they managed to come up with something that’s not stupid and keeps you entertained not to mention all the great throw backs to classic 80’s stuff and movies. And the ending is really good.

John Cusack (2012, War Inc.) plays the role of Adam, a guy who is down on his luck and tries to fix that in the past. I enjoy Cusack in everything that he has done and he does not disappoint in this movie. I love that fact that he spends half the movie dressed very similarly to his character in Say Anything and he is in a scene that is a great homage to Sixteen Candles, which all but started his career. Craig Robinson (Pineapple Express, TVs The Office) plays Nick, a man who gave up his dream of music for his wife and now washes dogs for a living. Robinson was hilarious as always and really did a great job in this movie. Not to mention that he is actually a pretty good singer. Rob Corddry (W., Harold and Kumar 2) plays Lou, who’s greatest days were in high school and is completely miserable now. Corddry delivers some of the biggest laughs in the movie. Relative new comer Clark Duke plays Adams nephew Jacob, who spends his life on a computer. Duke did a pretty decent job with his role and was pretty funny too. The movie also features hilarious performances by Crispin Glover, Sebastian Stan, Lizzy Caplan and the great Chevy Chase.

If you are looking for a good fun comedy, go see Hot Tub Time Machine. It’s simply a lot of fun with a lot of laughs. 2010 is looking to be a great year in comedies.

Great quote: “Great white buffalo… Great white buffalo… Great white buffalo”

Review: The Bounty Hunter

Grade: B+

Nicole Hurley is an investigative reporter who accidently skipped bail while following a tip. Milo Boyd is an ex-detective now working as a bounty hunter. Nicole and Milo used to be married. When Milo is handed the sheet that informs him that his next target is his ex-wife, all he can think is Best.Job.Ever! After he tracks her down, though, he discovers that she’s not lying about being close to solving a murder. The people who committed the murder are now trying to kill her. At the same time, some bookies who Milo owes money to are trying to track him down. As the two go on the run together, trying to get back to the city, they come closer to solving the crime, and reignite their passions for each-other.

This movie was just as good as I was hoping it to be. Filled with comedy and action it is a lot of fun to watch. It is hilarious to see what would happen when a bounty hunter is told to go pick up his ex-wife because she skipped bail. Milo has far too much fun tormenting his former wife as they play a hilarious game of cat and mouse. Nicole has no problem dishing it all right back in Milo’s face though. The action and suspense were few and far between and not all that great, but what do you expect from a romantic comedy? Also, it is a bit predictable, but once again, it is a romantic comedy, 99% of them end the same way. It is cute and would make for a great date movie.

Gerard Butler (Law Abiding Citizen, 300) plays Milo, the bounty hunter chasing down his ex-wife. I am a huge fan of Butler’s and will pretty much watch him in anything, as much as it pains me to watch him try to speak with an American accent, and he did a pretty good job with this role. Jennifer Aniston (Marley and Me, The Break-Up) plays Nicole Hurley, an investigative reporter hot on the trail of a murder. I am not really a fan of Aniston in movies but this is the second movie that I’ve enjoyed her in, the other being Bruce Almighty. The movie also features Christine Baranski, Peter Greene, Siobhan Fallon, Jeff Garlin and Carol Kane.

This movie is rather enjoyable and fun to watch. I would definitely have to recommend it to anyone looking for a good date night movie.

Review: Repo Men

Grade: B+

In the near future, the national debt has risen so high that the government has gone into bankruptcy and corporations have taken over. One corporation in particular, The Union, has developed artificial organs that they sell on credit to people to help them live longer and healthier. What they don’t tell you is that if you get three months behind on payments they will send a repo man to repossess the organ with little to no regard to your comfort or survival. Remy is one of these repo men. He and his lifelong best friend, Jake, have been repoing together for years. One day, Remy goes to repo a well known musician’s heart, when his defibrillator backfires and almost kills him. His only chance of survival is if he gets a top of the line artificial heart put in. Unfortunately though, after he gets the artificial heart, he no longer finds himself able to repo organs, which causes him to get behind on payments. As he goes on the run from his own best friend, he encounters a young woman who also has artificial organs, he then decides to find a way to wipe them, and everybody with artificial organs, out of the system.

This movie is one of the few movies like this lately that has actually managed to reach most of its potential. It is a very fun movie to watch, albeit quite gory at times, and is more enjoyable than I thought it would be. One thing that’s great about it is that it has a wonderful sense of humor about itself and in turn is actually kind of humorous at times. It is also a great commentary on creditors and the direction our country is sort of heading in, it was amusing to see things that implied that China now owns America, which sadly we are not far from. The movie was just plain fun to watch and I would be willing to watch it again.

Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, The Hiliday) plays the lead role of Remy. Law did a fantastic job with this role and really helped make the movie worth viewing. Forrest Whitaker (Street Kings, Vantage Point) plays Remy’s best friend, Jake. Whitaker did a pretty good job with this role and the interactions between him and Law’s character were great. Liev Schreiber (Taking Woodstock, Defiance) plays Frank, Remmy and Jake’s boss. Liev does such a great job at roles like this, he eerily does such a great job playing completely heartless people. The movie also features Alice Braga, Carice Van Houten, and RZA.

If you enjoy fun, and at times bleak, sci-fi movies in the vein of Blade Runner, then go and check out Repo Men. The action is good, the humor is good, the acting is good and the story is good, and unlike movies like Surrogates, this movie has a great concept that it actually manages to almost completely live up to the potential of.

Review: She's Out of My League

Grade: A-

Kirk is just a lowly security guard at an airport in Pennsylvania. One day, Molly came through his line at work and while every other guard was trying to keep her around as long as possible, Kirk quickly came over and saved her by letting her through security finally. Then, Kirk finds her phone that she forgot in her rush and she asks him to hold on to it. When she gets back into town she invites him to an event that she planned, so he could return her phone to her. Molly begins to like Kirk when she realizes that he is very kind and honest and that he isn’t like other men that she’s dated in the past. However, Kirk is very insecure and becomes quickly convinced that she is too hot for him and that she will dump him as soon as she realizes this. Both Kirk and Molly try to fight the odds and make their relationship work.

This movie turned out to be really good and really funny. I really liked how this movie played out, I was looking forward to seeing it and it really exceeded my expectations. The story is actually very sweet and the humor tends to stay away from raunch for the most part. A truly surprising movie and already a contender for one of the best comedies of the year. I am so glad to see that the studios are beginning to trust in R rated comedies again. While, like I said, the movie’s humor does tend to stay away from raunch, there are many aspects of it that if it was turned PG-13 it wouldn’t have been nearly as good or as funny.

Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up) plays the main role of Kirk, a slightly nerdy guy with very little self confidence. He did a fantastic job with the role, every time I see him in a movie it seems as though he just keeps getting better and funnier. Relative new comer Alice Eve (Crossing Over) plays the role of Molly, the extremely beautiful event planner. Eve did a wonderful job and it almost seems as though this role were tailor made for her. The movie also features great, and funny, performance from T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Krysten Ritter, Lindsay Sloane, Nate Torrence, Debra Jo Rupp and more.

If you are looking for a great romantic-ish comedy, this is the movie to see. It is extremely funny from start to finish and at the same time it has a very enjoyable story and is very sweet. I definitely enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would and actually really want to see it again. I really can’t recommend seeing this movie enough.

Great quote: “Wait, she kissed you? With her actual mouth? And meant to?”

Review: Green Zone

Grade: B+

Shortly after the war with Iraq stars, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller is the leader of the task force set up to find the Weapons of Mass Destruction. After the third site that they hit where they are informed that there are WMDs turns up empty, Miller starts to question the sources the military are using. He finds out that the military is getting their information from a source code-named "Magellan". At the same time, a local Iraqi citizen tips him off about a meeting between many of Saddam's men nearby. Miller goes rogue in order to figure out who "Magellan" is, what the truth about WMDs is and tries to find a way to prevent all hell from breaking loose in Iraq.

I didn't know how to feel about this movie going into it but it really surprised me. I will admit, it almost comes off as a prequel to the Bourne trilogy. It is directed by Paul Greengrass, who directed Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum, it stars Bourne himself, Matt Damon, and it is about a man in a special task force who goes rogue to find out answers for himself. But, Green Zone is an exciting thriller that takes place in the early days of the Iraq war and presents some interesting questions as to why we went to Iraq. Greengrass uses his unique, almost documentary style-esque, hand-help camera technique that he has used in his previous films that really makes this interesting to watch. Only downside is that there are some scenes where the camera is so shaky you can't really tell what is going on.

Matt Damon (Invictus, The Informant) plays the lead role of Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller. Matt Damon was really enjoyable in this movie and he did a great job portraying his characters determination to discover the truth. Greg Kinnear (Ghost Town, Little Miss Sunshine) plays Clark Poundstone, a man from the Pentagon who handles the source known as "Magellan". Kinnear did a great job as this man who you just hate and can tell is hiding something. Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) plays Martin Brown, a man from the UN who is suspicious of the source as well and chooses to help Officer Miller. Gleeson gives a great performance as usual in this. Amy Ryan (Dan in Real Life, Gone Baby Gone) plays Lawrie Dawn, a writer with the Wall Street Journal who exchanges information with Miller when she can. She did a pretty good job with this smallish role.

Green Zone is a very enjoyable war thriller that most people will be able to enjoy. Although I have a feeling that W haters and conspiracy theorists will probably enjoy it the most.

Review: Alice In Wonderland

Grade: A-

This movie, Alice in Wonderland, is not a remake of the classic tale and it is only loosely based on the classic books by Lewis Carroll. In this movie, Alice is now 19 and doesn't feel like she quite fits in the society she is being forced to live in. At a party at a Victorian estate, Alice spots a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat, she chases after the rabbit and falls down a rabbit hole and into Underland, more commonly known as Wonderland. It has been over 10 years since she first went to Wonderland and has since forgotten it and thinks it was all a dream, she is convinced this visit is a dream as well. She is reunited with all the people and creatures in Wonderland and is informed that she has been brought back to Wonderland because she is the only person who can slay the Jabberwocky and end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow) did a wonderful job directing this movie and I wouldn't have wanted anybody else to do it. The movie looks absolutely extraordinary and spectacular. I will admit, it looks a bit cartoony at times, but I feel that it works for this movie as Wonderland is supposed to be a crazy and rather cartoonesque world. The movie is very enjoyable to watch especially if you are a fan of the stories and characters. This movie really sticks true to the craziness of the story. It was wonderful to see all the classic characters, Mad Hatter was great, the Cheshire Cat was fantastic, the March Hare was hilarious, Tweedledee and Tweedledum were a joy, really, all of the characters were so very fun to watch. Burton really did a great job at bringing an updated version of this classic tale. I really hope that someone convinces Tim Burton to remake The Wizard of Oz.

The cast of the movie was really great. Relative new comer Mia Wasikowska plays the lead role of Alice. She did a fantastic job with the role, portraying Alice's confusion and wonder of being in this world. Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) plays the role of the Mad Hatter. Depp was a perfect casting choice for this rather eccentric role, and he did it perfectly. It was rather interesting though as half the time, Depp was speaking in the quirky voice you hear in the trailer and the other half of the movie, he is speaking with a Scottish accent. It was bizarre yet interesting, it has been a while since I've read the books so I don't remember if the Hatter is actually Scottish or if that's something Burton decided to add. Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeny Todd, Fight Club) plays the role of the evil Red Queen. She was perfect in this role, I don't know how to describe it but her portrayal of the Red Queen was genius. Anne Hathaway (Get Smart, Valentine's Day) played the role of the White Queen. Hathaway did a great job with this role and really did a great job portraying how nice the White Queen is, who literally won't hurt a fly. Crispin Glover (Charlie's Angels, Back to the Future) played the Knave of Hearts. Glover was truly devilish in this role and did a great job with it. The movie also features the voices of Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall and others.

If you are a fan of all the Alice in Wonderland tales and movies, you should definitely go see this movie. It is so much fun to see all of the classic characters and what not, come to life in Tim Burton's beautiful re-imagining, of sorts. This movie is just plain fun to watch. I watched it in IMAX 3D, and while I think that everything is better on IMAX, I wouldn't say it's necessary to watch it this way unless you really want to. The 3D is kind of cool but in general, I am so very over the whole 3D craze.

Review: Cop Out

Grade: A-

NYPD detectives Jimmy Monroe and Paul Hodges have been partners for nine years. One day, while trying to get a lead on a drug dealer, everything goes wrong and their contact is killed and the murderer gets away from them and the two are suspended for a month. Monroe, now concerned that he won't be able to pay for his daughters dream wedding, decides to sell a rare baseball card. While trying to sell the card, the shop is robbed and his card his stolen. Monroe then recruits the help of his partner to help find the people who stole his card. In the process, they stumble back into the case that got them suspended and they don't even realize it.

This is director Kevin Smith's first time directing someone else's writing, and he did a pretty good job of it. The movie was absolutely hilarious and we really have Kevin Smith and his integrity to make good movies to thank for that. WB wanted to dumb this movie down to a PG-13 rating but Smith took an 80% pay cut to keep it rated R, and thank all that is holy that he did. After seeing the movie, if they had tried to make it PG-13 it would have been a horrendous pile of a movie. But thanks to Smith this movie was absolutely hilarious. The writing was great and the first scene in particular had me laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair. The movie is fun, funny and exciting. The action in the movie is pretty good too and this movie is a great blending of the two genres. Probably one of the best buddy cop movies I've seen.

Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Surrogates) plays detective Jimmy Monroe. Willis was absolutely hilarious in this movie. Harkening back to his roles in the Die Hard movies, Willis can handle the action all the while throwing out hilarious one liners. Tracy Morgan (TV's 30 Rock, SNL) plays detective Paul Hodges. I have only ever really like Tracy Morgan on 30 Rock but he was actually pretty good and really funny in this movie. Willis and Morgan work surprisingly well as partners and their two clashing personalities was fantastic, easily one of the better bromances of the past couple years, and only helped add to the humor of it all. Sean William Scott (Role Models, The Dukes of Hazard) plays Dave, the thief who stole the card. His role, while not all that big, was really funny and his interactions with Willis and Morgan are great. The movie also features Kevin Pollak, Adam Brody, Rashida Jones, Jason Lee, Guillermo Diaz and Michelle Trachtenberg. Sadly though, no appearances by Smith himself or his hetro lifemate Jason Mewes.

If you are looking for a good cop/action movie with tons of humor, Cop Out is the movie to see. Also, if you like Bruce Willis, this is the movie for you. This movie more than exceeded my expectations. I am a huge fan of Kevin Smith, but I like his movies for his writing, not so much the direction. But if ever there was a script that would get Smith to direct something he didn't write, it is this. I'm going to call it right now, one of the best comedies of the year. One last note, the title of the movie, Cop Out, is alright, and once you hear the story of how that name came to be it's actually pretty funny, but I much prefer the original title as it makes more sense and is hilarious its self: A Couple of Dicks. In fact I still tend to call it that. I understand why they changed it, too a point, but I still find it to be a genius title.

Great quote: "Hey, you want to be my jail cell BFF, without the forced rape?"

Review: Valentine's Day

Grade: C

Valentine's Day is a big day to some people, even though it's not a national holiday. It means different things to different people. Some love the holiday and chose to cherish the ones they love on this day, others despise it and only feel alone and unloved. This movie follows several different couples as their lives, and stories, intertwine in Los Angeles on February 14th. From a couple that's been together for over 50 years to couples that have only been together for two weeks. From couples that are sure they are in love to couples that are still trying to figure things out. It's simply a story of people trying to discover true love.

This movie is kind of a mess. There are far too many characters in it. Some of those characters, you barely know their names by the end of the movie. I understand why they had so many characters, they were trying to show every aspect of love/valentine's day that they could think of. Problem is, to be able to do that well, the movie should have been 4 hours long. Instead they try to cram like thirty characters stories, and try to develop those characters, in just two hours. I will admit, some of the characters were great, like George Lopez's character and Jessica Biel's character. Some were just downright awful, and I mean just terrible writing, like the 10 year old kid who acts and talks like he's 40 and Anne Hathaway's phone sex operator, just awkward. There is also a pretty big plot hole/goof the movie made, see if you can catch it.

Now, I would like to say that I did find the movie pretty funny. Some of the conversations that people have in the movie are hilarious. My favorite scene involved Jennifer Garner and Patrick Dempsy after Garner's character discovers her boyfriend, Dempsy, is married. She finds him and his wife at a restaurant and pretends to be a waitress and tells them the special is "Filthy Lying Pig" and the details of said special had me laughing hysterically.

The cast is, as I mentioned before, massive. The only person I would consider the "lead" of this movie is Ashton Kutcher and that's simply because he has the most screen time and his character kind of ties it all together as he is a florist delivering flowers to most of the characters. The rest of the cast includes Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, George Lopez, Topher Grace, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Garner, Hector Elizondo, Shirley MacLaine, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Larry Miller, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift and Carter Jenkins.

This movie is at least pretty decent. It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be but it did still feel like a mediocre script that they tried to cover up by casting everyone they could think of. It is a great date movie, even though sometimes it's views on love and relationships is a little messed up. I will admit, overall, it is a great satire on the ridiculousness that is Valentine's Day.

Great quote: "Some people don't believe love exists unless it's expressed in front of many other people."

Review: Shutter Island

Grade: D-

In 1954, U.S. Marshalls Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule are investigating the disappearance of a dangerous murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane on the remote Shutter Island. When the U.S. Marshalls get to the island they can sense that something isn't right. The doctors at the hospital won't let him view records of patients he feels will help solve the mystery. Then a hurricane hits the island and cuts off communication with the main land and more criminals escape in the confusion. Teddy then begins to doubt everything and becomes convinced that there are much deeper and darker things happening on the island.

There are many problems with this movie. To start, the trailer, basically if you have watched the trailer, you have seen the movie. The trailer shows far too much for the movie and as a result I was able to predict how the movie was going to end simply by watching the trailer. I was dead on in my prediction. Even without the trailer though, the movie is extremely predictable. I felt it was easy to tell what was going on from the very beginning, Scorsese wasn't very subtle. On top of that, the movie drags everything out far too much, it easily could have removed 45 minutes from its runtime. I don't know why Scorsese is trying to make an M. Night Shyamalan movie, but he failed at doing so. Please Mr. Scorsese, stick to what you know, gangster movies.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond, The Departed) plays the central role of Teddy Daniels. DiCaprio doesn't even give that good of a performance in this movie. At times he seems a bit over exaggerated and it becomes distracting. Mark Ruffalo (The Brothers Bloom, Zodiac) plays Teddy's partner, Chuck. Ruffalo actually did a pretty decent job with his role, the problems I had with his part weren't his fault but rather the writing of the movie. Ben Kingsley (Lucky Number Slevin, You Kill Me) plays Dr. Cawley, the head of the institution. Kingsley was great in the movie and was really the only good part of it, you can thank him for me not giving this movie an F. The rest of the cast includes, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earl Haley and Ted Levine.

I really have to say, don't waste your time and especially your money on this movie. If you really want to see it, wait for DVD. Me, I'm upset that I lost 2 and a half hours of my life to this movie that I won’t get back.

Great quote: "I know you are a man of violence because I am a man of violence."

My Top 20 Favorite Movies of All Time

Celebrating my 100th blog posting, I have decided to share a little bit more about myself by coming up with a list of my personal 20 favorite movies of all time. So let's get right into it:

20. Cool Runnings

Seriously, who doesn't love to watch this movie? It is fun, exciting, funny and inspirational. This is one of the most quotable movies ever in my opinion. Not to mention the great John Candy in one of his best roles.

19. Blues Brothers

A classic movie with Tom Arnold and John Belushi. This movie has tons of great music and great musicians. Not to mention that it's funny as hell.

18. Fight Club

Based on a book by Chuck Palahniuk, this movie is a social satire. Mocking corporations and, let's be honest, the stupidity of men and mob mentality. An intense movie with some great performances by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.

17. Back to the Future

This really encompasses the entire trilogy. All three movies are hilarious and, in my opinion, the best roles Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. These movies are classics that I could watch over and over again.

16. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This is by far my favorite Steven Spielberg movie. It is also probably my favorite performance by Richard Dreyfuss. This movie has an amazing story and great performances all around. It is just fun to watch sometimes.

15. Three Amigos

This movie combined the comedic genius minds of Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short. I could quote this movie all day, it is hilarious from start to finish with just the right amount of camp.

14. Watchmen

The best graphic novel of all time was turned into a gorgeous and accurately represented movie by Zack Snyder. This movie is amazing to watch, especially if you are a fan of the graphic novel, as most of the scenes look like they came right out of the book. Great performances all around and an extremely compelling story line. If you haven't seen the Ultimate Cut with the Tales of the Dark Freighter woven back into the story line, do so.

13. Wayne's World

Really the only good SNL skit turned movie ever… Well, Coneheads was pretty good too. But Mike Myers and Dana Carvey were perfect in this movie. This movie is hilarious, easily quotable and set to an amazing soundtrack. Not to mention Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere, Brian Doyle Murphy and Lara Flynn Boyle are great in it as well.

12. Stargate

Roland Emmerich's opus, and by that I mean that it is the only Emmerich movie that lives up to what it's supposed to be. There isn't much action in it, but there doesn't need to be. The story and plot are fantastic and can be enjoyed by sci-fi fanatics and others alike. James Spader and Kurt Russell are fantastic in it as well. Easily one of the best sci-fi movies ever.

11. North by Northwest

I love a good portion of Alfred Hitchcock's movies and while he mostly is known for his horror I feel this suspense movie about mistaken identity is his best. Carey Grant, who is one of my favorite actors of all time, gives an amazing performance in this movie and Eva Marie Saint is wonderful. This is an exciting movie to watch, the story is great and the dialogue is great and witty at times. If you have never seen this movie, go watch it, it's fantastic.

10. The Abyss (Director's Cut)

This is James Cameron at his best, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love The Terminator, True Lies, Avatar and Aliens, but this movie is just so original. Not to mention that, once again, the special effects were ground breaking for its time. I specify the extended Director's Cut because the theatrical cut leaves out so much, including the message the alien entities are trying to make. It is a wonderful movie with a great story and great acting. If you haven't seen it, do so now.

9. O' Brother, Where Art Thou? / The Big Lebowski

I'll start off by saying that I am a huge fan of the Odyssey, it is my favorite story of all time. O' Brother is the most creative and ingenious telling of that story I have ever seen. The Coen brothers really did an amazing job with this movie. Every shot is just beautiful and the movie is loaded with fantastic music. And of course, George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson are amazing in the lead roles and John Goodman has a great part in it too.

The Big Lebowski is a classic. Again, the Coen brothers did an amazing job with this movie. It is absolutely hilarious from start to finish as it is filled with so many great lines. Jeff Bridges gives the best performance of his career in this movie. The rest of the cast is great too and includes John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. This movie has become a cult classic and it is just fun to watch in your bath robe while sipping on a white russian.

8. Iron Man

I love superhero/comic book movies, and this is as good as it gets. Jon Favreau did an amazing job with this movie. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrance Howard are great in it as well. It is just a fun movie to watch. It's exciting and full of action and just the right amount of humor. The best super hero origin movie ever. I can watch this movie over and over.

7. Harvey

A classic movie about a man, Elwood P. Dowd, who is a mild-mannered, pleasant man who just so happens to claim that he is friends with an 6 foot tall invisible rabbit. A classic comedy starring one of my favorite actors, James Stewart, in one of the best performances of his career. Very funny and enjoyable to watch. Speilberg is currently talking about remaking this movie, not sure if it will live up to the original.

6. The Incredibles

I love Pixar's movies, they are all just so amazing. But my personal favorite Pixar movie, and personal favorite animated movie, is the Incredibles. It is a joyous movie that shows a topic I have debated myself, what happens to superheroes when they retire. This movie is a hilarious and heartfelt movie that everybody can enjoy.

5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This movie blew me away when I saw it for the first time. The story is absolutely amazing and every time I watch this movie I am hooked from start to finish. David Fincher did such an amazing job directing this movie. It is absolutely gorgeous. The technical aspects of the movie are amazing as well. Brad Pitt gives the performance of a lifetime as the title character. Cate Blanchett and Taraji P. Henson gave amazing performances as well. This movie is simply one of the best movies ever made, in my opinion.

4. Clerks

I have to admit, this really encompasses all of Kevin Smith's movies; Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks II and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. But it all started with Clerks, Smith's debut into writing and directing. Made for a measly $27 thousand, it is a work of genius. It has some of the best dialogue of any movie out there and it is absolutely hilarious while still maintaining a good story. All of Kevin Smith's movies are loaded with raunchy humor but they also tend to have a ton of heart to them.

3. Star Wars

The classic go to sci-fi movie. This was the movie that started it all, introduced us to so many classic characters. The story is fun and exciting to watch. It has spawned many sequels, some great some bad, but I love them all. This movie is simply fantastic and so much fun to watch, no matter who you are.

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The best John Highes movie ever, in my opinion. It tells a great story about a boy in high school who decides to play hooky with his best friend and his girlfriend. They go on a wild adventure in downtown Chicago, eating at a fancy restaurant, going to an art museum, going to a baseball game, crashing a parade and more. Along the way, the characters learn more about themselves and each other. It is a beautiful story and to top it off, it is extremely funny. Sad thing is, I would ditch school or work and watch this movie, how ironic.

1. Top Gun

I could, and have, watch this movie over and over and over. There is just something so great about. It is loaded with action, drama, romance and humor, everything you could every want from a movie. It is extremely quotable and I could probably recite this movie by heart. It has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are awesome in it. Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt and Michael Ironside are great in it as well. Fun fact, Tim Robbins is in it too, for a brief period. I absolutely love this movie, cannot get enough of it. If I could only keep one movie from my vast collection, this would be it, no questions. It is so much fun to watch with a large group too, like last summer at Film on the Rocks, listening to everybody cheer along with the movie, so much fun.