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

Aliens
Against only one, in space no one could hear you scream… This time, space marines have no clue what they are up against. Let’s Rock!!!!!

Babe: Pig in the City
One pig can make a difference. The children’s film for children of all ages: touching, heartwrenching, uplifting, and visually incredible. From the Mad Max director.

Bladerunner
Last time I checked, most noir films have a voiceover; this one offers many insights. Forget the voiceover-less version, and ignore replicant Deckard revisionism. « spoiler block

Boogie Nights
Never before has a movie hit such a bottom, never once trying for Terms of Endearment type sentimentality. Wahlberg should have at least been nominated.

The Breakfast Club
80’s teen angst perfectly captured. The archetypes represented spoke to me in so many ways. A cinematic classic on par with Rebel Without A Cause.

Highlander
I wish there had been only one, but am intrigued so much by Zeist. Even the Queen soundtrack works, and I’m not a Queen fan.

House of Games
Ummmm….. Mamet’s movie about, you know, con-men, and cons, with you know, a really good cast, and that dialogue, that, you know, you know… ummmmm….

The Killer
Beautiful violence, tragic love story, limited budget—the best example of the don’t give filmmakers lots of money, let them continue to be creative argument.

The Matrix
In the two forgettable sequels, we forget how totally f’in mindblowing and cool the first one was. Take the blue pill…. Or the red one….

Memento
Films at look I way the changed. Answers than questions more have and, again watch I, out figured it have I think I time every.

The Muppet Movie
I really, really want to like everything Jim Henson has done: sadly, Dinosaurs and follow-up muppet projects make this hard. Maybe it is Paul Williams….

Planet of the Apes
Damn, dirty apes! Chuck Heston in all his 1960’s/ 1970’s glory! Minimal, imaginative and dystopian sci-fi perfection. And one of the all time great endings…

Platoon
Oliver Stone’s auto-biographical Christ allegorical Vietnam descent into madness masterpiece. Whatever craziness he stands for now, one cannot take away his time in “the shit.”

Pulp Fiction
Fractured narrative, star-making and re-energizing performances from so many people, some of whom are now common in our collective film vernacular, and some still toil…

Quick Change
Nude women! Clowns welcome! Clown robs bank, shenanigans ensue. Randy Quaid is amazing, and Tony Shalhoub doesn’t even understand colors…. Surreal, frustrating, hilarious, and absurd.

Raising Arizona
I love this Coen brothers film. I love Nic Cage in this film: sadly, neither has again lived up to the potential of this masterpiece.

Reservoir Dogs
Commentary on all the feel-good New-Agey drum thumping men’s movement. Real men don’t share their feelings. Some don’t even tip for a cup of coffee.

The Road Warrior
High-octane, dystopian post-apocalyptic minimalism. Mad Max sequel: establishes pure insanity of post-apoc world, and set the tone for so many leather-clad mohawked films that followed.

The Royal Tenenbaums
Family of geniuses falls on hard times. Anderson’s created universe perfectly mirrors our own, sadly, one of Mr. Hackman’s final roles. Give Hackman more work!

Star Wars
Most impressive, and so totally ignored today, for example, Tatooine is just filmed in the desert, with enough deliberate small touches making it totally fantastic.

Starship Troopers
Yes, it is 90210 in space… that was the point, it establishes the humans as Aryan. This is the film that Alienses should have been.

Strictly Ballroom
Everything beautiful and amazing (quirky characters, the surreal, matter-of-fact kookiness) about Australian films in this love story. This is the Australia I want to visit.

True Romance
I jokingly referred to Reservoir Dogs as Tarantino’s film about male relationships, well it is… no joke. This is his story about love… albeit bloody.

Unforgiven
I love Pale Rider, but this is everything a western should be: excellent cast, Eastwood playing to his age, and Gene Hackman totally kicking ass!

Weird Science
So many funny, funny moments. So dated, but still hilarious and relevant today, unlike say, for example, St. Elmo’s Fire. How far Hughes has fallen…