Thursday, February 16, 2006

Ten More Flicks That Rock


Here is a list of ten more movies that I think of as classics. These are films that I could watch at any time. Flicks I would recommend to any of my friends. Of course, they all fall into the Sci-Fi/Action/Fantasy category, but that is just what I dig. Here is the list in no particular order...

TEN MORE FILMS THAT KICK-ASS!
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1) Highlander (1986): Christopher Lambert stars as Connor MacLeod, an immortal being who must fight others like himself throughout the centuries. Visually spectacular with some real pathos and a kick ass score by Queen. Also features Clancy Brown as MacLeod's psychotic nemesis, the Kurgan and the great Sean Connery as his mentor, Juan Ramirez. This is one of those movies that I thought was fairly cheesy the first time I saw it, but upon subsequent viewings, it just got better and better.

2) Alien (1979): Ridley Scott's "haunted house in space" film still holds up, even after all these years. Although not as intense as the sequel, Aliens, it is scarier and more claustrophobic. The Alien design by H.R. Giger is still one of the most original and creepy creations in cinematic history.

3) Near Dark (1987): This is my favorite vampire movie (even though, never once, is the v-word uttered in the script). Sadly, it didn't do as well at the box office as it could have because it came out at the same time as the inferior Lost Boys. It brilliantly captures the bon vivant that an immortal being must feel and places the action in a gritty, western setting. Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and Jenette Goldstein (who played space marines Bishop, Hudson and Vasquez in Aliens) are excellent as Jesse, Severen and Diamondback, the three toughest vamps, and the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream is awesome.

4) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): While many people disparage the second film of the Indiana Jones trilogy, I give Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford major props for taking the movie in a completely different direction than Raiders of the Lost Ark. This is an excellent, two-fisted adventure.

5) The Road Warrior (1982): This is the second film of Mel Gibson's Mad Max trilogy, and by far the best. In this one Gibson's anti-hero, Max must help a clan of survivors protect their precious oil from a gang of insane thugs in a post-apocalyptic future. Great violent fun.

6) Leon, The Professional (1994): This flick is an interesting fusion of a French art film and an American action movie. It also features a star making performance by a 12-year-old Natalie Portman. The love story between the girl and a foreign hit-man, Leon (played by Jean Reno) should be creepy, but instead it is strangely compelling.

7) Ladyhawke (1985): In this film directed by Richard Donner (the one who made us believe a man could fly), Rutger Hauer (as Captain Navarre) and Michelle Pfeiffer (as the Lady Isabeau) play two star-crossed lovers plagued by a terrible curse. They are damned to be always together, eternally apart--for as long as the sun rises and sets. As long as there is day and night. And for as long as they both shall live. Although Matthew Broderick's wisecracking thief, Gaston the Mouse and the soundtrack by Alan Parsons & Andrew Powell seem a little too modern for a story set almost 700 years in the past, this is still a highly enjoyable fantasy/adventure with heart.

8) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982): Not only the best Star Trek film ever made, but arguably one of the best action movies of the 80s. It was so good that subsequent Star Trek flicks continually tried to copy it's formula, but none were as effective. It is also a great joy of mine to watch William Shatner's hero, Captain Kirk and Ricardo Montalban's villain, Kahn try to out scenery-chew one another.

9) Planet of the Apes (1968): Twilight Zone creator, Rod Serling, penned the screenplay for this brilliant social satire. Features some fantastic make up effects that hold up even by today's standards and some hilarious scenery-chewing by gun nut, Charlton Heston. "Get your filthy paws off me you damn, dirty apes!"

10) Blade Runner: the directors cut (1982): Visual stylist Ridley Scott outdoes himself with this futuristic film noir adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novella, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. This is a thought provoking and substantive meditation on the nature of life, both natural and artificial.

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