My Top 10 Stand Alone Movies
We talk a lot about movies at work and during the past 5 years or so, I’ve been pretty much settling in to being a cranky old man full time. Especially when it comes to new movies. New movies mostly suck. I’m sorry but they just do. There’s a few good one’s every now and then but nothing like it used to be. It’s mostly due to my personal lack of interest in comic book hero movies, and well, that’s about all that gets made anymore. I didn’t grow up reading comics so it just never resonates with me. I just don’t care if Wolverine lives or not, or whether Superman and Batman can hug it out and be friends. It does absolutely nothing for me. Anyway, tonight at work I was rambling on about the shitty-ness of Hollywood and someone asked, “Jesus Scott, what do you like?” So behold, haters — presenting my top 10 favorite movies that are essentially stand alone titles. Anyone who knows me knows that I generally go for the more rated R stuff so The Lion King ain’t going to be on this list. I like a good story, good acting, good violence, good humor and good writing. And don’t get me wrong either; I like a good hearted, low effort watch as much as the next person but the movies that really stick with me and ones I come back to most often are ones that are more challenging to the viewer (I guess that’s the way I’d describe it?). My list doesn’t contain any titles that are part of a trilogy or long running series, etc. We all love Star Wars and Back to the Future so there’s no need to put them on the list.
The Last 5 Out: Not top 10 material, but damn close!
Zoolander — Probably one of the biggest surprises. It’s hilarious every time I watch it and has stood the test of time. Cold Steel, Hansel, reading centers for ants, etc. Cracks me up.
The Dark Knight — The only ‘comic book movie’ ever worth seeing. The problem is, any new comic book movie that comes out, I immediately hold it to this standard. Spoiler alert, none of them come close at all. Heath Ledger = bad ass in this movie.
The Usual Suspects — This movie was such a mind trip the first time I saw it. It was a movie that had such a great story, I was sad when it was over. I could keep watching a continuation of this story for hours on end.
Grosse Pointe Blank — Ten years man, ten years!!! The sarcastic and dark humor in this movie was so clever and so well written, it remains one of my favorite 90’s movies. Dope soundtrack too! Popcorn!
No Country For Old Men — This had it all. The acting, the writing, the story, the violence. Phew, it was a classic. Javier Bardem plays one of the all time greatest villains in this one. It just misses my Top 10.
The Top 10 — If you made this list, you done good!
10. Training Day (2001) — “You in the office baby!” Denzel is such a G in this movie. I love it. It’s so quotable too. “You can shoot me, but you can’t kill me.” It’s a cool story with awesome cameos, intense moments, and a good ending. I can watch it any time.
9. Inglourious Basterds (2009) — This movie has some of the most intense moments in all of film. The opening scene can mentally wear you out and the movie has just begun. The charades scene in the bar is also top notch.
8. The Big Lebowski (1998) — Coen Brothers not surprisingly nailed this one. It’s just so damn funny. It’s another well written comedy that also gives the viewer an interesting story to follow along as well. The characters are so dynamic, you just never know what’s coming next.
7. Tron: Legacy (2010) — Yes, it’s a sequel but since it hasn’t hit ‘trilogy’ status yet, it makes my list. Yes, I’m a Tron nerd who loves anything Tron. This movie has the atmosphere, and of course the soundtrack by Daft Punk. Olivia Wilde helps out too :)
6. High Fidelity (2000) — This movie hit home with me mostly because when it came out, I too worked in a record store full of music snob co-workers. It was a great job that gave me a lot of fond memories, so whenever I see it, it reminds me of that time. It’s hilarious too.
5. The Life Aquatic (2004) — This one was tough for me because Wes Anderson is a director that makes so many movies that I love. But if I had to narrow it down to my favorite, this would be it. The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Grand Budapest Hotel are right up there too.
4. Lost Highway (1997) — As my friends and I left the theater after seeing this they said, “Dammit Scott, what the hell did you just make us watch?!” I just had a large stupid grin on my face. David Lynch crafted a masterpiece in this one that is still hard to explain. I loved every second of it.
3. Spaceballs (1987) — This is one of the first comedies I remember seeing as a kid and just being in tears over, I was laughing so hard. It’s a great tribute to Star Wars. Who knew Rick Moranis would end up being one of the greatest ‘bad guys’ in a movie. We ain’t found shit!
2. Trainspotting (1996) — Here’s a great movie that will teach you a ton of British slang AND make you never want to do heroin. This is a challenging watch with dashes of hilarity and sadness. It’s not really a feel good movie but it’s so well done that I can watch it repeatedly. Plus Spud, so ya know…
- Heat (1995) — This to me is the pinnacle of film. It has everything that I like and contains nothing that I don’t like. The story, acting, and writing is all top notch. It’s almost 3 hours long and never has a dull moment. The last bank heist and subsequent shootout scene in downtown LA is one of the greatest scenes ever shot in film. That’s just my opinion though. I love this movie and it’s by far my favorite ever. I seem to watch it at least a few times a year.
Conclusion
So there ya have it, my top 10. There is no doubt that I have forgotten something insanely obvious that I will kick myself about later. Also, I should probably also note that as you can see, my list is recent to pretty recent. I’m not much of a film historian so some critically acclaimed film from 1969 is not going to make my list. But there’s my answer to the question of what I actually do like.
