My 100 Favorite Films (75-51)

75)  Jurassic Park-  James Cameron’s The Abyss was the first time seeing something CGI that was truly impressive (the water snake). Then Jurassic Park opened and blew you away! The music, the T-Rex, Spielberg’s talent for creating fear and intensity. Still holds up so well.

74)  Lethal Weapon 2-  Sequels can ruin or strengthen a series. This film is so well done. It took everything you loved about the original and kicked it up with caffeine.

73)  Willow-  “I stole the baby!”

72)  Mission Impossible III-  I love Tom Cruise. I love J.J. Abrams. I love Alias. This movie was a combination of all.

71)  The Incredibles-  The best superhero movie ever made. Sorry Dark Knight.

70)  The Princess Bride-  One of my favorite scripts of all time. Probably the most quoted movie ever.

69)  End of Watch-  This movie is quite harsh. It’s not for everyone. But the relationship developed on screen between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena is so real. Beautifully done.

68)  Duck Soup-  I love the Marx Brothers! Their all-time best.

67)  Pulp Fiction-  Before my mission I was in California with friends and we went into a movie memorabilia store on Santa Monica Boulevard. I had enough money to buy either a Pulp Fiction script or a mint condition Yoda action figure from The Empire Strikes Back. I chose the script. Great movie, but that was a HUGE mistake.

66)  Contact-  I love Jodie Foster. She is brilliant in this movie—it reminds me of my sister Jani.

65)  Untamed Heart-  This is such a simple film. I love the story, I love the performances and the music is at the top of my list.

64)  Close Encounters of the Third Kind-  This also reminds me of Jani. Crazy great visuals and Richard Dreyfuss is so perfect. The scene where he is trying to get his kids to go see Pinnochio…love.

63)  The Professional-  This is another wonderful relationship film. Jean Reno and Natalie Portman create the most beautiful kinship. I love, love, love Natalie Portman in this movie.

62)  The Silence of the Lambs-  This is how a horror movie is made. Brilliant.

61)  Dances With Wolves-  “Tatonka.”

60)  The Parent Trap-  I remember when I found out that Hayley Mills was just one person! What the?! Disney classic at it’s finest.

59)  How to Train Your Dragon-  I love the music, the vocal work, the visuals (great 3D film).

58)  The Shawshank Redemption- “I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.”

57)  Garden State-  And so continues my love affair with Natalie Portman…

56)  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-  Robert Downey, Jr.’s best work. Whip smart script and perfectly executed by Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer.

55)  The Fugitive-  I can’t believe that Harrison Ford was not nominated for an Oscar for his work in this! Great thriller.

54)  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-  I wish I could say this is John Hughes’ best film (coming up soon), but it’s just about perfect. It’s no surprise I wanted to be Ferris and have Sloane be in love with me.

53)  (500) Days of Summer-  “This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know up front, this is not a love story…” And yet, one of the best love stories ever told.

52)  In the Name of the Father- Daniel Day-Lewis is insane. I was obsessed with this movie at age 17.

51)  Always-  An unappreciated gem from Steven Spielberg.