#1 – The Godfather

#2 – Dead Poets Society

#3 – Elizabethtown

I think a man’s number three film of all time says something about him. Not his one and two, but his three. It’s like a guilty pleasure–we try to hide it but we can’t deny it. For me, that’s Elizabethtown. For one, people seriously underestimate the artistic freight packed into this film. A short list of its themes: rural/urban, death/life, love/like/hate/dislike, burial/cremation, frivolous sex/marriage, drunkenness/temperance, luck/misfortune, tragedy/comedy, failure/success. I could go on, but you get the picture. Beyond that, this film takes us on a hero’s journey (or road trip) in every way Campbell explored. For those who grew up in a small town, they’ll get it. For the rest, Elizabethtown will seem like a weird movie. I’ve watched this film more than any other and cry most every time, sap that I am. Whatever you do, do not go into this film thinking it’s a simple romcom. It’s more. So much more…

#4 — Tombstone

For me, Tombstone embodies everything a western should b: new sheriff, the stranger, gun slinging, shootouts, duels, stark dusty environments, and pitch-perfect dialog that fell right out of the Wild West. When I was growing up, my father enjoyed westerns more than anything and though I owned no copies of John Wayne films or Butch Cassidy, Tombstone sat on my shelf and, in the end, I still think it’s better than the rest. If you haven’t seen this film, you’re not a fan of westerns. Period.

#7 — Vanilla Sky

From the moment I heard Radiohead’s Everything in its Right Place with the voice of a hispanic woman whispering “Open Your Eyes” recorded over the top, I knew I was in for something special. In the same class as Memento, Primer, Existance, The Butterfly Effect, and Donnie Darko—Vanilla Sky sucks us into a world we know nothing about but must learn everything about before it’s too late. This movie calls us to do two things: take off the mask & open our eyes. When we do, we deal with loss and enjoy reality.

#8 — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Some films move me to laugh, applaud, nod my head, shout “amen” or even cry. This was the only film that, upon my first viewing, made me cry twice. The imagery of Tolkien placed upon the screen was enough for me, regardless of whether Jackson got everything right. Theodin chanting, “Death!” and Sam’s friendship “at the end of all things” moved me to tears. That, for me, is enough.

#9 — The Shawshank Redemption

“Andy Dufresne – who crawled through a river of sh*t and came out clean on the other side.” I have one good friend who hates nearly every instance of voiceover in film. I have another friend, the little brother of the first, who uses Shawshank as his argument to the contrary. Without Morgan Freeman’s Red, The Shawshank Redemption would have lacked something. Also from the rock pick to the shoes to tax forms–TAX FORMS of all things–this film (originally a Stephen King short story) uses simple objects to give us hope. Also, as a side note, that whole scene with the boys on the roof sipping soda while spreading tar took me back to the construction sites I worked on with my father. By “worked” I mean “tried not to shoot out my eye with a nail gun while handling menial tasks.”