My Top 10 Favorite Movies of All Time, Part 2

Last week I started the list of my top 10 favorite movies of all time. Today, I'm finishing the list with a few more surprises.

6. French Kiss
   Like Sabrina, French Kiss captures the feeling of France quite beautifully. Kevin Kline is absolute, pure comic genius in this role, and Meg Ryan, pre-facelift, is a breath of fresh air. Add in Jean Reno and Timothy Hutton, and you've got a surprising cast with a stunning chemistry.
   
   I've seen this movie so many times that I fell in love with the blue dress Meg Ryan wears when she finally has the chance to get back her man, and contacted the costumer for the film to compliment her work and to inquire about the dress. Much to my surprise, the costumer (an Academy Award winner in her own right, for Pete's sake!) e-mailed me back and said she was so grateful for my words and told me all about the dress, which Meg Ryan also loved so much that she kept it. So French Kiss remains one of my top 10 movies of all time for many reasons.
   
   
7. Rat Race
   Rat Race is just about one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The all-star cast is absolutely incredible, including John Cleese, Whoopi Goldbert, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Najimy, Seth Green, Kathy Bates, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Rowan Atkinson, Paul Rodriguez, Dave Thomas...the list goes on. Rowan Atkinson is undoubtedly one of the funniest human beings of all time, and seeing him as an Italian narcoleptic has me in tears, pretty much every time I see this movie. John Cleese as a giant-toothed casino magnate getting his customers to bet on anything and everything he can conceive of is at his most hilarious. Add in about a hundred Lucille Ball impersonators and a cameo by Gloria Alred, and this movie can do absolutely no wrong. See it. As soon as possible.
   
   
8. Chocolat
   Okay, Chocolat is a romantic movie. It's not a comedy and there's no action or aliens. So while it's true that this film doesn't quite fit into my usual fare, it does have three things I adore: 1) Chocolate, 2) France, and 3) Johnny Depp. I think Juliette Binoche is one of the most beautiful women of our time and I confess, I was surprised that Carrie-Anne Moss was able to carry her role in this film, but she did okay.
   
   A word of advice: First, while watching this movie, make sure you actually do have chocolate with you, otherwise there's just no point. Second, if you must, after watching this movie, try hot cocoa with chili in it, do give a look to the mixture offered by Hotel du Chocolat. While it's not something I personally enjoy, the quality is good and it'll taste far better than if you try to make it on your own.
   
9. Every Star Trek Movie...ever.
   I do love Star Trek. I wouldn't say I'm a "Trekkie," though. I don't dress up and I don't speak Klingon, but I have seen every episode of Next Generation and Voyager, and most episodes of Deep Space Nine and the original Star Trek series (and yup, even Earth: Final Conflict). And I've seen every movie, sometimes all in one day. So I can admit that I'm pretty geeky, but the truth is, from a purely sociological standpoint (watch me try to justify my nerdiness right here), I have always appreciated the point Gene Roddenberry was trying to make...or at least the one I think he was trying to make.
   
   Star Trek, you see, isn't just a sci-fi concept. It's a social one. Star Trek examines a society in which we've gotten past racism, hunger, illness, war, even the need for currency, and have evolved into a race that seeks knowledge, understanding, and betterment. I've always wondered how Roddenberry thought we got to that point. Bottom line: Star Trek pretty much rocks on all levels. The movies have action, drama, and if you understand the Trekkie culture, even some comedy. And I'm just geeky enough to love it.
   
   
10. Every Christopher Guest Movie...ever.
    I'll tell you something - the saddest movie day I've had in a long time was the day Christopher Guest said he wasn't doing mockumentaries anymore. From "This is Spinal Tap" to "A Mighty Wind" to "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman," Guests movies are unparalleled comic genius. Period. I don't know a single person who hasn't seen his movies and agreed.
    
    One of my favorite things about a Christopher Guest movie is looking at the cast and trying to figure out who's who from the other movies - Guest in particular is a chameleon who's appearance, voice, and accent shift dramatically from film to film, whether he's the flamboyant director of a small-town play, a backwoods bait-and-tackle shop owner who loves his bloodhound, or a curly-haired banjo player. It's really quite remarkable, if you can even pay attention to it in between fits of laughter.
    
    The comedy isn't always "ha ha" funny, but more like a "Wow, that's genius!" kind of clever, but you'll be in stitches no matter which film you watch.

Honorable Mentions:

Pirates of the Carribean movies...all of them: Truth is, this one should've been in the top 10, but I only had 10 spots, and sorta forgot about these until I'd already posted the first five. If I hadn't already posted those, I would've adjusted my top five so that "Pretty Much All Marvel Comics Movies" was just one listing. That would've given me back a few more spaces. But since I can't do that, I'll just say that Johnny Depp is genius in these movies, and if you add in the Orlando Bloom eye candy, these films are fine, fine viewing. Even with the copious bad dental work.

Men in Black 1 and 2:  Like Pirates, I kind of forgot about these movies until today. But the comedy genius of putting Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith together with Rip Torn just can't be beat. Of the two, the second is my favorite, but they're both phenomenal. And the cameos by Michael Jackson and Martha Stewart totally rock.


Amelie: I love this movie because a) it's in French, and b) it's quirky and sweet. Period.

Spaceballs: I remember thinking Spaceballs was the funniest movie of all time, and that's why it rates a mention here. Mel Brooks is so funny and the films he spoofs in this movie happen to be my favorites: Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, Planet of the Apes...all the greats are included. Sadly, when I tried to share Spaceballs with my husband, I realized that in adulthood, Spaceballs seems a bit naive in the level of comedy, and is a bit less enticing than I remembered.

The Alien movies: I loved the Alien franchise from the first movie through the third. Sigourney Weaver rocked all three of these films in slightly different ways. I loved the military power of Aliens and Charles Dutton's performance in Alien 3, but the movies beyond that, especially Resurrection have flopped for me, which is why the Alien franchise hasn't made it into my top 10.

The Hulk movies: I liked the first Hulk movie, and loved the second. Ed Norton rocked as Bruce Banner. But the reason this Marvel franchise doesn't make my top 10 is because they keep changing actors, and I don't like that. I didn't like it with Batman, and I sure don't like it with The Hulk. (I also don't care for the use of the Human Torch as Captain America, but nobody asked me)

So there you have it, my top 10 favorite movies of all time, including the honorable mentions. If you add them to your Netflix or Blockbuster lists and take a peek at any of them, let me know. I'd love to hear what you thought.