My top 25

Ok, so ive been doing recommendations throughout the year but now that things are wrapping up, I'll go the extra mile and give you my top 25 ALL-TIME fav's. Just so you know this is hard because its something I've been personally been meaning to do, so here goes nothing....

25. Fight Club - "When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep... and you're never really awake"...boy can I relate. I would tell you more about this movie but well there's a rule to not talk about it, and the 2nd rule, well im still not supposed to talk about it.





24. Munich - This movie is perhaps the best Steven Spielberg movie I've seen in a long time. Not only that but the John Williams score keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was nominated for Best Picture the past year.






23. Roger & Me - Director Michael Moore's 1st documentary from 1989.
I don't know what it is about it, but its very entertaining. It focuses on the aftermath of the downsizing of General Motors in Flint, Michigan and Moore's efforts to confront CEO Roger Smith.






22. La Notte - A film that I saw recently that blew me away.
It's a simple story of a couple going through marital issues and the tempations that surround them. The cinematograhy is breathtaking.






21. Dr Strangelove -
You would think a film from 1964 wouldn't be funny or translate well to todays generation but yet it does. A timeless film really. It's a dark comedy from genius director Stanley Kubrick. It follows its crazy cast of characters as they prepare for nuclear war. Peter Sellars plays 3 roles in the film, all perfectly different, you would never know otherwise.

20. Contempt - I've recommended this film before, One of the best French New Wave films ever done. Music is fantastic and plus Brigitte Bardot is smoking hot.







19. Y tu mama Tambien - Such a chill movie. A fantastic road movie about two mexican friends and their own adolensense. Along the way they encounter a woman who brings them together in ways they never knew.



18. Vanilla Sky - Great from start to finish, the ending is amazing. Cameron Crowe is one of my favorite directors. Don't hate it cause Tom Cruise is in it, it came out before he went crazy. This is perhaps his best movie he's ever done (and probably will ever do)




17. Annie Hall - An unconventional film. But it works, and captures the vibe of relationships so well that it connects to people today. Winner of the 1978 Oscar for Best Picture







16. Rashoman - Another movie I've recommended. Akira Kurasawa is one of the most influential and greatest directors of all time. Every single one of his films is legendary, this just so happens to be my personal fav.







15. Taxi Driver - "Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man. " ...perhaps something we can relate to at certain points in our lives. Director Martin Scorcese, Paul Schrader's script and Robert DeNiro's acting weave into the story of single taxi driver in New York who reaches his boiling point and decides to fight back against society. You talkin to me? you talkin to me???

14. The Matrix - I'm not the biggest fan of the sequals but the first one is amazing. One of the most influential action movies to come out in our lifetime.






13. Boogie Nights - "You're not the boss of me, Jack. You're not the king of Dirk. I'm the boss of me. I'm the king of me. I'm Dirk Diggler. I'm the star." ....there are so many good quotes in this movie, its awesome.

12. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Another good personal fav and one of Steven Spielberg's best. It's my fathers favorite movie so it connects us in a weird way.

11. Dog Day Afternoon - Sydney Lumet's thriller about a man played by Al Pacino who robs a bank and then all hell breaks loose. The cinematograhy is amazing. It also features perhaps my most favortie actor of all-time John Cazale.







10. The Great Escape - When you think action movie, you probably think big mindless explosions or something. This film does action and suspense the real way and its one of the greatest movies of all time.




9. Adaptation - You see that picture, that's how I feel coming up with an adequate summary for this film. the movie that put screenwriter Charlie Kaufman on the map.




8. Pulp Fiction - Perhaps the coolest movie ever made. I don't know what else really to say that hasn't been said.


"Tell that bitch to chill!"





7. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Perhaps the greatest paced movie of all-time. So many memorable images. One thing people forget, this film also received Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Indiana Jones is the man.



6. The Shawshank Redemption - One of the most beautiful movies ever done. It's a story about hope, even in the darkest of places. Morgan Freeman's voiceover is riveting.





5. Jackie Brown - My favorite Quentin Tarantino movie. Probably everyones least favorite. I don't know what it is but it's just such an awesome movie.

"I didn't know you liked the Delfonics"




4. The Shining - Stanley Kubricks best movie. The cinematograhy is probably the greatest of all time. Jack Nicholson gives an amazing performance...





3. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - ....but not his best as he shines even better in this film about a mental institution and the cast of characters inside. This is a film that launched the careers of Danny Devito & Christopher Lloyd to name a few.





2. The Godfather Saga - Ok so I'm counting parts 1 and 2 as a single film. It is afterall a direct continuation of the story. Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert DeNiro, John Cazale....I mean does it get better than this??? well it didn't for me even as recent as a few weeks ago but since I've seen it so many times a new film has won me over..........

1. Goodfellas - This is perhaps the greatest edited movie ever. It's Martin Scorsese's masterpiece about the world of crime following Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro and Joe Pecsi. I've decided to rate it higher than the godfather because it very rewatchable. I can put it on anytime and be very entertained each time. I literally could keep watching this movie and never get sick of it. If you have never seen it, do so immediately





Well that wasn't a long post or anything. Who knows, this list will probably change dramatically soon as everyday I watch more and more films. Thats the cool thing about films, they are truly works of art and you can see them in a whole new light the next time you see it. Casey and Lisa, you guys have been awesome teachers and thanks for everything. Now if you will excuse me im going to watch this movies I left off the list just to make sure I didn't make a mistake.....

It's in my queue...

You guys bring up a very good point here. A netflix phenomena if you will. The saying "It's in my queue"'. By this rational anyone who utters this is hooked. Well consider me hooked. It's like that movie Requiem for a Dream, I'm a netflix version of Ellen Burstyn trying to fit in a red dress (or in my case open a red envelope) . Right now my friends and I are hooked. My queue alone right now is about 200 movies deep. That's going to take me like a year to watch no joke. Oh well it's a long summer.

Speaking of Requiem, that movie made me sick the first time I watched it. I saw Darren Aronofsky's other film Pi as well, not as good, a little pretensious if you ask me. Jennifer Connelly though is arguably my favorite actress. Not gonna lie I've had a crush on her since I saw the Labyrinth in 3rd grade. In fact between that, The Rocketeer and A Beautiful Mind, I think I'm set for life. Mmmm Jennifer Con..(splashed with water)...yea sorry about that rant. My friend actually told me to check out House of Sand and Fog because not only is she in it but that it's also a good movie. Ben Kingsley is it and hes always great. I look forward to checking it out and watching it eventually because.......well...you know, its in my queue.

"Enough is enough...

...I've had it with these snakes!"

You know what movie sucks....

....Hard Rain with Christian Slater. You know what sucks even more...actual hard rain at a ballgame. I had tickets to tuesdays Red Sox-Yankees game. Beckett's debut vs the Yanks since the shutout in the world series; Johnny Damons 1st series back; and not to mention BEAUTIFUL seats (WAY better than those in the picture) I had tickets for my friends and I in the right field roof tables which is basically like a luxury box as you have your own waiter and they bring you food, not to mention you get a complimentary free 100 dollars to spend on food & beverage. Of course with our luck the game got rained out and is postponed until august. It wont have the same effect then because i wouldnt be able to go with the same guys. Oh well i might sell them...(if your interested let me know). At the very least i got a free dinner with a view because we used those 100 dollars up in about 3 seconds. We had fun eating a ton of food and beer....even though it was in the rain.

shootin & seafood

So i shot a short film over the weekend AND bought a new external hard drive, so things are looking up in the movie making department. The project is an homage to old Italian films that im doing for the iMovie project. I shot it in Boston near the harbor so the visuals should be nice, it was all caped off with a helping of crab cakes with my crew at The Barking Crab. mmm....crab cakes...