Christspeak, Rx

Have you ever read one of those lists by the critics? Well, I'm sure they know better than most of us, but I think I can give them a run.

My criteria is entertainment, a great story, remarkable characters, script and soundtrack. With all do respect to more serious works and/or truly important films such as Schindler's List or Annie Hall, Citizen Kane, The Graduate...their value is more academic. The films on my list are the one's that blew me away, the one's I can't wait to turn my sheltered friends, kids and grandkids on to, and the movies that I appreciate the more I watch them.

In no particular order...

1. Rear Window Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Office Space
2. Tombstone Destry Rides Again Saving Private Ryan
3. His Girl Friday The Philadelphia Story Scent of a Woman
4. Moonstruck -Phsyco The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
5. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington- North By Northwest- Die Hard
6. Die Hard With a Vengeance L.A. Confidential (1997) Raiders ofthe Lost Ark
7. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance -It's a Wonderful World-High Noon
8. Notorious The Philadelphia Story -The Untouchables
9. Pirates of the Carribean, Finding Nemo, ConAir
10. Big Lebowski -As Good as It Gets (1997)-Jerry Maguire (1996)
11. Open Range-Tin Cup-The Rock
12. Break: What do the following great films have in common? Dark Victory, Goodbye Mr. Chips,Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights
13. The Sting -Blaze -Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
14. Patton-Toy Story-Nothing But Trouble- French Kiss
15. Warlock -Jaws The Gunfighter
16. The Lady Vanishes- The Firm -Top Gun
17. EDTV- The Matrix-The Green Mile
18. Ronin-The Shawshank Redemption (1994)-The Fugitive (1993)
19. Home Alone (1990)-Pretty Woman (1990)-Glory (1989)
20. Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Tootsie, Brave Heart
21. Back to the Future (1985), Rocky, The Goonies (1985)
22. Break: Best TV Series/Movies (in order): Band of Brothers, Lonesome Dove, Sopranos, Entorage
23. Star Wars, Midnight Run, Heat of the Night
24. Casablanca, Peter Pan, Stalag 17 (1953)
25. Dial M for Murder (1954), Manchurian Canidate, Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
26. Hopscotch, Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
27. Godfather II, Kelly's Heroes (1970), We Were Soldiers
28. Gladiator (2000), The James Bond franchise, Toy Story 2 (1999)
29. Key Largo (1948), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Notorious
30. Harry Potter Series, Meet John Doe (1941), My Man Godfrey (1936)
31. The Count of Monte Cristo, Inside Man (2006), Spiderman
32. The Rock, Animal House, Gone in Sixty Seconds
33. Get Shorty, Ferris Beuller's Day Off, Titanic
34. Wizard of Oz, ET, A League of Their Own
35. Sleepless in Seattle