25-word mini-reviews of our Top 25 Movies…

12 Monkeys
Brazil is too cynical and exhausting. Time Bandits is fun and fantastical but lacks cohesion. This time Terry Gilliam crafts a perfectly balanced whimsical dystopia.

The American Astronaut
This sci-fi western ditches space battles for a dance contest. The in-jokes, cheap FX and deliberate weirdness may turn off many but won me over.

Back to the Future
So many reasons to love this film. The time travel. The Delorean. The nostalgia. Crispin Glover. It’s sweet, fun and welcome like an old friend.

Being John Malkovich
My favorite WTF film plows way beyond any sensibility to make the unimaginable seem blasé. I look for the 7th and 1/2 floor everywhere.

The City of Lost Children
A gloomy and dangerous nightmare world doubles as a wonder-filled kid’s playland. What a great combination! Even the most despicable villain is sympathetic and child-like.

Donnie Darko
An ambitious mess that haphazardly juggles too many lofty ideas, but it perfectly expresses the jumbled mind of a troubled teen. Love the bunny suit.

Ed Wood
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton craft a loving tribute in their best pairing yet. The cast is all caricatures but anything less would be disrespectful.

Edward Scissorhands
Cuddliest goth ever, even with those razor fingers. The colorful cookie cutter town scares me, though not as much as thick-necked Anthony Michael Hall does.

Eraserhead
Boring, perplexing and painful. It took me several years to even recognize a story. Once you know the pacing and let yourself go, it’s brilliant.

Ghostbusters
Eccentric geeks become heroes with a cool logo, cooler car and coolest toys ever. Don’t forget the hot nerdy secretary. Where do I sign up?

Ginger Snaps
Its poignant twist on the werewolf mythos would be enough. The girls’ heartfelt and comic rapport brings me back even for the less worthy sequels.

Grey Gardens
I dare you to resist these two fallen socialites deluding themselves in a crumbling mansion. A hypnotizing train wreck that never mocks its eccentric subjects.

Highway 61
Sure it’s uneven and sometimes meandering, but this dark and quirky road movie is a fun trip. Abundant odd characters include a slimy, sympathetic devil.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
I don’t know why so many Wes Anderson fans dismiss this. It’s sentimental and overly wacky but in the end actually brought me to tears.

Mulholland Drive
The cinematography, colors and actresses are gorgeous. That lame audition scene fooled me at first, then exploded this eye candy into a work of genius.

Napolean Dynamite
I’m glad I saw it (three times!) before the hype took over. A goofy and good-natured character sketch that I gorge on like comfort food.

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Pee-Wee’s world is as epic as it is inane. The bathtub battle thrills me. Large Marge scares me. The backlot climax with Twisted Sister rules.

Primer
Learn how friendship can be damaged through abuse of trust and time travel. This deceptively underwhelming head twister seems different every time I watch it.

Rubin and Ed
Crispin Glover in platform shoes and Howard Hesseman in a bad wig bicker through the desert with a frozen cat. Trust me: a perfect film.

Secretary
No matter how alien the lead couple’s S-M motivations are, the hesitant attraction, underlying tenderness and pure eroticism are undeniable. This is Donnie Darko’s sister?!

The Shining
Much of the horror is suggested but when it does materialize Kubrik refuses to let you look away. The slow-boiling madness and terror are pitch-perfect.

Tron
The stunning technoir style, imaginative adventure and actors who take things seriously make up for a ridiculous, dated plot. Why can’t every movie have lightcycles?

Vampire’s Kiss
Nic Cage redefines unrestrained with a performance as comical as it is disturbing. His nervous breakdown is scarier than if he actually was a vampire.

Woman in the Dunes
Dramatic, claustrophobic and sometimes erotic, but it’s really all about the sand. Grains, walls, trickles, ripples, rivers, cascades and avalanches in gorgeous black and white.

Young Frankenstein
Possibly the best comedy ever. Great sight gags, audio cues, groan-worthy punchlines and Marty Feldman. Bonus points for providing a solid story beneath the parody.

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