My favorite movies

The need for this list became apparent when walking in the park with a friend who had not seen The Big Lebowski. This is someone who must see it. Whose life is incomplete without it. That every year spent living without seeing this movie is a year spent without proper context and grounding.

Starring Jeff Bridges as The Dude. John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman. And so many great lines!

Then I started thinking about other movies he may not have seen. The one that always pops into my mind when this question arises is the great Martin Scorcese film with the fantastic plot, acting, scenery, stars and of course editing. The first time I saw the movie I sat upright in my chair, eyes straight forward, every sense activated. i didn't want to miss one thing. Yet, a few years later, after having seen it at least five times, I'm still tuning into big themes in the story.

Look, let's get real -- we live in the Matrix. Aside from being a fuck-you-up great movie with acting, action, love, heroism, ego, soul (excessive amounts of it) and being sci-fi, and dark bordering on goth -- it's a true story!

Another movie I can watch over and over. The whole thing is done in uff-dah Wiscowtown talk, which I love. I totally had the hots for Frances McDormand. Almost any Coen Brothers movie is great. But this is the one where imho everything came together for them. Also the first big movie with Steve Buscemi (for me at least). Every single part of the movie is great. Tons of laughs, but also sweetness.

I think Tim Burton is great, except of all his films, only Beetlejuice makes this unqualified-great list. Two others come close: Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. His early movies had an edge of darkness and cruelty to them, beneath the humor. They took risks, and didn't follow anyone's formulas except for Burton's. But over time his movies have lost their originality and have become more standard Hollywood drek, as original as a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel (one of the very small number of movies I've walked out on). Until recently I'd go to every Burton movie, hoping to see another Beetlejuice, but after so many disappointments, these days I don't even go. Last one I saw was Dark Shadows.

But enough about the drek. Beetlejuice!

All the great characters, the NY socialites, the country bumpkin, the goth daughter, the gay decorator, the rich real estate developer. And dead people! And the actors. Oh my god. Geena Davis who I would give it all up for. A young Alec Baldwin. Winona. And music and comedy, and really tacky special effects. It's the best, a laugh a minute.

The third Coen Brothers movie on my list. Another movie I can watch from beginning to end any time and never get tired of it, because of the pure evil of Javier Bardem playing the assassin.

It's a perfect movie, like all the others on this list. Every character supports a story which is both typical Coen Brothers (life is random) but also funny in a fatalistic way. You never laugh at the jokes in this movie, but you're left with a lot of feelings of humor at the end of it.