Favorite Movies

This is as good a Friday Topic as any. In no particular order...

Tombstone: Everything a movie is supposed to be. The good guys are good, the badguys are bad, and there ain't no in-between. Val Kilmer should've won an oscar for his Doc. Beyond it all though, the movie can teach exactly what friendship is about.

Forrest Gump: So many people write this off as a flippant comedy... about a dumb guy who gets lucky. In fact its a morality play. The movie compares and contrasts its two most important characters... Forrest and Jenny. Forrest is neither handsome, nor smart. He is born with screwed up legs... but his mom loves him, and throughout the movie, all he does is what is right. Jenny on the other hand is beatiful and smart. She spends the whole movie being selfish, and giving no thought to right and wrong. By simply doing what's right, Forrest encounters all the success in the world. Jenny dies of aids. To this day... you can say the words, "You died on a saturday" with a slight southern drawl, and anyone who hears you knows instantly what you're quoting.

Jaws: The old timer is worth the price of admission by himself. "Farewell and Adieu, ye fair spanish ladies..." The scene with the three men on the boat is still one of my alltime favorites... Back when pure masculinity was still allowed on the silverscreen such things weren't so remarkable as they are today. This was a modern-day Moby Dick... and they nailed it.

Armageddon: Bruce Willis plays John Wayne saving the world. What else do you want? Billy Bob Thorton plays a great smartass NASA chief. "He's pretty much the smartest guy on the planet, so you might consider listening to what he has to say." Its just a great action movie that leaves you tired from just watching. Its a guys movie, about men being men, and women loving them for it.

Equillibrium: Cross japslappin' and firearms... The fight scenes make the Matrix look cheap. That's all there is to it... and thats more than enough.

The Professional: Assassin teaches 10 year old girl the business. Nuff Said.

The Outlaw Josey Wales: The greatest western ever made... save maybe Unforgiven. I probably give this one the nod though, as Josey is a Confederate. So many great, quotable lines... So many memorable characters... Love it.

Under Suspicion: Put Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman in a room for 2 hours and let them go at each other. The movie is brutal, honest, and perfectly executed by two of the best actors of their day.

Sling Blade: So much to love... Dwight Yokem plays the best drunk redneck in history... and in a prime example of "He needed Killin' " Billy Bob does just that. This is another story of Right and Wrong... Just and Unjust... and its another story that most people miss.

The Apostle: One of the surest ways to distinguish a true yankee is to show them this movie. Yankees just don't get it. It means nothing to them. Flies right by their heads. The movies is about Faith, and impection, and The South.

Secondhand Lions: It's this generations Princess Bride. I offer no spoilers for this one. If you haven't seen it, go now. Understand that the two main characters could easily be JAC and I when our wives finally wise up and leave us.

Hell... I could go on all day... I'll stop for now though.