Best Movies Ever

This is a list of some of my all time favorite movies. They are not in order by any means and even if they were, they would be subject to change due to differing moods or surroundings.
This list will be far different from any critics and those guys are just wanting to prove how cool they are by agreeing with what everyone else thinks, anyway.




1. The Shawshank Redemption 1994
This movie is about hope. Having hope when a person's surroundings look pretty bleak. If the main character of this movie can hope after having 20 years of his life stolen from him, then shouldn't all of us not have hope? 
Prison life is much worse in reality than this movie but it's still bad and it was great to see the victim hand it to the man when the man is pure evil.
Hope, we should all have it.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981
Possibly the greatest action movie of all time. Probably started new trends in Hollywood. Star Wars and Raiders made Harrison Ford a household name. These Indiana Jones movies created an all new interest in archaeology.
It is true that Adolph Hitler was fascinated with this Biblical type stuff and mistakenly believed that it would give him power. Didn't work out all that well for Mr Hitler and we are all glad of that. This movie starts with a bang and ends with a bang and is all bang in between.

3. Forrest Gump 1994
Light movie in a lot of ways, but for me it's much deeper. My favorite is Lt Dan having it out with God from the top of their shrimping boat.
But, there are too many things about this movie that are pleasing to me to name. Great music throughout and his love for Jenny through the ups and downs is admirable. Yea, yea, I know he's not a smart man but he knows what love is.
Wish we were all a little bit more like Forrest Gump.

4. Saving Private Ryan 1998
The opening battle scene with our soldiers hitting the beach on D Day in Saving Private Ryan has got to be one of the more intense moments in movie history. One can only imagine what the guys that landed on Normandy beach must have felt. Glad I wasn't there.
Did Private Ryan live a life that is worthy of the sacrifice? Do any of us?


5. Braveheart 1995
Underdog vs Bully. This is the classic tale of a great man leading his people into an attempt at independence from the powers that be. In the end, he was not really successful but showed tremendous courage and leadership ability.
Not sure how much of this movie is realistic. But, who cares, it's a great movie regardless.  

6. Gran Torino 2008
To me, this is Clint Eastwood's way of saying goodbye to me personally as his all time best fan. Lots of great lines delivered before he says goodbye. Seems a bit like The Shootist for John Wayne.
This movie seems a bit racist at first but it's funny how a young Asian boy steals his heart with his work ethic and character and becomes his favorite person over his spoiled family.
Definitely one of my all time favorites.

7. Unforgiven 1992
Another Eastwood classic. This movie has one huge message. Killing a man is not all it's made out to be. Tough to live with killing but I wouldn't know first hand.
The movie is slow at times but the ending, the saloon scene, is one of the all time great movie scenes. Eastwood's character makes things right in one vengeful moment of time.
If I don't want to sit through the whole movie, I will just watch the ending. Greatness.  

8. The Great Escape 1963
Talk about an all star cast. This one has it. Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Garner and James Coburn are just a few of the big names from the day.
This is not a flick for somebody looking for a happy ending. Prisoners escape and most are caught and dealt with in not a good way.
This movie shows a perfect example of why Steve McQueen was one of the coolest guys ever. Toss up between McQueen and Paul Newman.

9. Jaws 1975
Really fantastic action/horror movie that easily surpasses most anything else I have seen before or since. The cast of characters is really good but Robert Shaw playing Quint steals the show.
Truly one of the all time great movie scenes happens when the three main stars of the movie compare battle scars and Quint tells of his horrifying WWII experience.
The ending is predictable but that doesn't take away from the greatness of Jaws.

10. Cool Hand Luke 1967
Probably Paul Newman's best movie. Newman plays a petty thief that somehow becomes leader of a merry band of prisoners. He's really just another poor fella trying to deal with killing people in the war and coming from a broken home. Like so many of us, he's looking for God and not finding him. Luke has a problem with God and with authority in general.
Irregardless, Newman demonstrates clearly in this great classic why he was among the coolest human beings to ever live. 

11. Platoon 1986
War is hell. Not much more than that, just pure hell. It's not as glamorous as it is made out to be in so many other movies. This movie is one of the better war flicks in regard to showing how much war is terrible.
The battle with good and evil and evil between two rival Sargent's is classic. Officers are non-existent in this movie about Vietnam, the Sargent's run everything.
It's not a pretty sight but that's what makes this movie so appealing.

12. Good Will Hunting 1997
Will Hunting is a genius, but he is afraid to act upon it because of an ugly past. He talks tough, he acts tough, but he is really too afraid to step outside of his comfort zone. Sounds familiar.
Robin Williams is great in this movie as is Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
I like this movie for a lot of reasons but lets just say I like the idea of a man dealing with things that haunt him and makes a move to correct things.

13. Fandango 1985
Not many have ever even heard of this movie, but it's one of the movies I have watched the most. It's set in Vietnam era Texas, 1971 to be exact. These guys were older than me because I was in junior high in that year, but I can totally relate to what they must have been going through. Vietnam was a huge fear of most guys my age and we all knew we were either going to have to go or run away. I'm honestly not sure what would have happened if I had been old enough because it ended right before I got out of high school.
Fandango is about boys becoming men and facing up to fears and responsibilities. One of my all time favorites and not that many people have ever even heard of it.  

14. Tombstone 1993
This might be my all time favorite movie, if my list was in order this could be at the very top. So many good lines in this one and I have watched it a bunch of times.
I know it's not realistic and is pretty much a fantasy. It's another good versus evil encounter only the good guys really aren't all that good to be perfectly honest.
I've been a huge fan of Kurt Russell since his days as a Disney star and I think this is his best movie. But, Val Kilmer cheats him from owning the film. Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday character is one of the great ones in any movie ever.
Definitely a man's movie and I'm a man.

15. Dances With Wolves
Love/hate relationship with this movie. Love the ideal, hate that it viewed the ending of a way of life that I admire so much. Native Americans often took in whites and treated them like their own but it never worked in the opposite direction. White America never accepted anyone other than it's own and even some of it's own are outcasts.
I loved watching the relationships build between the characters. I am a person that loves to watch great movies and some of my favorites I have seen many times. But, I have never watched Dances With Wolves again just because this was an ending and it's too depressing. 

16. Blackhawk Down
Make no mistake about it, I like action movies of all kinds. I have a lot of war movies at the top of my list and Blackhawk Down is one of the best.
No real theme here for me, just American soldiers kicking butt. Some die, but a lot of enemies die in return.

17. Windtalkers
Another war movie and a very good one. This one involves Native Americans and racism surrounding them.
Windtalkers is pretty intense throughout and has an unhappy ending but is definitely worthy on being at the top of my movie list.