The screen moves in front of me and I see...

Movies are pretty important to me. Not just because I'm a film minor. They're important because they say a lot about life. To me they are the highest form of art (When done for art's sake instead of entertainment.)with the combination of sound, motion, and visuals. It's incredible to me every day I log into IMDB and look through the movies that have been made and are being made to see the progression of the art form. From King Kong to Lord of the Rings we've come a long way (Though in my opinion King Kong has aged very well considering it was made over 70 years ago.) So I decided I would create a short list of some great movies that you've probably never seen. They either didn't get a lot of press due to being overshadowed by a blockbuster, being independent releases, or being older than most college students will watch, but they're all great movies. Some can be considered art, but for the most part I'm just sticking with entertainment here.


1. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou









This is probably my favorite movie. It's incredible. In his 4th film Wes Anderson follows the
story of a down and out oceanographer (Modeled after Jocque Cousteau)out to avenge the death of his closest friend Esteban. The killer: A Jaguar Shark. Soon Zissou's son (Maybe) and a journalist join the crew as they search for the Jaguar shark that killed Esteban and we watch as Steve rides out his midlife crisis. This movie is visually stunning with claymation special effects for the sea creatures and incredible cinematography. Easily one of the funniest movies on the list, but also the saddest.


2. Death to Smoochy

I don't understand how more people have not seen this movie. This is my favorite comedy of all time. Danny DeVito brings us a story of corruption in children's television. In the staring slots are Robin Williams as Rainbow Randolf a crazy children's T.V. show host who loses his show and Edward Norton as the soy dog eating Sheldon Mopes who is Smoochy the Rhino (A drastic change from his two previous roles in Fight Club and American History X.) who Randolf frames as a Nazi. This is one of the best dark comedy I've ever seen and has some great one liners.


3. The Abominable Dr. Phibes



















I can't have a list without one of my favorite actors of all time Vincent Price. Most of you may know him as the guy who did the spoken word part in Thriller. In this film Price stars as Dr. Phibes renowned doctor, scientist, organist, and biblical scholar who survived an accident which claimed the life of his wife. Now Phibes is extracting his revenge on those he deems responsible for his wife's death. His preferred method of murder? Nine Biblical plagues from the Old Testament.



4. Magnolia



















This is the movie that made me respect Tom Cruise as an actor. It has an all star cast: Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, William H Macy, John C Reily, and Alfred Molina. Magnolia is a tapestry of intertwining stories including a child game show prodigy, a former child game show prodigy, a loser cop, a gold-digger and her dying husband, a male nurse, a dating guru, and a aging game show host. A great film by P.T. Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Punch Drunk Love, and Boogie Nights).


5. Planet of the Apes (The Original)






















Sure there's a remake, but do yourself a favor and skip it. This is Charlton Heston in an incredible performance in one of the most important Sci-Fi movies pre-Star-Wars. The idea is incredible especially given the time (1968) taking a middle-aged white man and making him a minority. Give it a chance and be ready for that classic line: "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"


6. Vanilla Sky


















What?! Another Tom Cruise movie? Yes, and it's another winner. Vanilla Sky is based on the Spanish film Abre Los Ojos. The other connection between the two films? The beautiful Penelope Cruz. Vanilla Sky follows the life of a millionaire who is forced to choose between two women (Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz...poor guy.) and after making the choice suffers its consequences. I love the use of music and keep an ear open for The Beach Boys' Good Vibrations. One of my favorite uses of music in any movie.


7. Night of the Living Dead (The Original) and Dawn of the Dead (The Original)






















Do you like horror movies? How about zombies? What about social commentary? Well then these movies are just the ticket. Two of the greatest horror movies ever by George A. Romero. Avoid Romero's latest attempts and check these two out if you want to see truly great zombie movies. Night follows a group of survivors who struggle to survive in a secluded farm house and find that their greatest enemy is themselves. Meanwhile in Dawn a group of survivors hole up in a mall (The movie was shot when malls were rare with only a few in America) and attempt stay sane while living in a consumer paradise. If you need any extra incentive, there's actually a pie fight between zombies and a group of bikers...I'm not making this up.


8. The Last Waltz



















This is the only documentary on the list, but it's one of the movies I've seen the most and my favorite documentary. A documentary of The Band's last performance featuring performances by Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchel, Van Morrison, Evangeline Lilly, Ron Wood, Ringo Star, and Bob Dylan. You may have also heard of the director, he goes by the name Martin Scorsese. The concert was actually performed on Thanksgiving day and those who went were treated to a full meal before having some of the biggest names in music performing on the stage together.


9. Once Upon a Time in the West






















I'm going to say this once and for all: Once Upon a Time in the West is the best western ever. There I said it. Now with that said I must acknowledge that there are dozens of other great westerns out there, but this one really does take the cake. Sergio Leone truly pushed himself to new heights with this nearly 3 hour epic. Married perfectly with a score by Ennio Morricone Sergio tops his most acclaimed film The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly on all fronts. The performances from Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson really shine and Sergio is able to actually shoot in America for the first time giving an even more authentic feel to the rugged west landscape.


10. Almost Famous























Another Cameron Crow movie. Yep, he's a good director and no not in a Jerry Maguire kind of way. Almost Famous follows William Miller as he follows his dream of becoming a music critic and gets to tour with Stillwater. The journey gets more than a little complicated when William breaks the number one rule set down for him by legendary music critic Lester Bangs: Don't make friends with the rock stars. This is probably one of the most authentic movies I've seen dealing with this time period pulling from inspiration such as The Allman Brothers Band, The Who, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Cameron Crow's own time writing for Rolling Stone magazine as a teen.


Honorable Mentions:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

King Kong (The Original)

The World's Fastest Indian