You wanted the best, you got the best

The "best" movies of all-time...what the hell does that mean? Whenever you read these lists you tend to see movies that are supposed to be there; Citizen Kane, Gone With The Wind, etc. I've decided to list the movies, not only great in my opinion, but flicks I can watch over and over and over again. After all that's the best test of a film, right? When art and entertainment collide is when you get pictures like these:

1. Godfather II-Pacino AND DeNiro at the absolute pinnacle of their talents. About as flawless as movies come. I'm a bit like Cartman from South Park when he hears "Sail Away" by Styx when it comes to the Godfather films (sans III). If they are on TV I have to watch until the end.

2. Godfather-I wanted to name my son Brando which might explain how I feel about Marlon, pre-Orca waistline of course (..the horror). The baptism scenes spliced with Michael Corleone's baptism as the new Godfather is absolute filmmaking genius. Always remember: "Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

3. Glengarry Glen Ross-Probably the greatest display of ensemble acting ever put to film. Alec Baldwin should've won an Oscar for his mere 8 minutes of screen time. I personally think this was Jack Lemmon's greatest achievement in film. You know this is a great film when Kevin Spacey turns in the weakest acting performance.

4. Goodfellas-Wow! Scorsese's re-invents, and saves, the mob movie when the bar was set ridiculously high by Coppola and then destroyed by Godfather III (in the same year). Who knew Ray Liotta had that performance in him? This movie's greatness lingered so long it even convinced people that Casino was a great movie.

5. The Big Sleep (1946)-Most folks will say Casablanca, Key Largo or the Maltese Falcon were Bogie's best moments but this is by far my favorite. The plot is complex, the humor is classic, and Lauren Bacall invented sex appeal.

6. The Killers (1946)-Watch this movie and you'll understand why Ava Garnder was the one woman who drove Sinatra crazy. One of the best film noirs of all-time. I've never understood why this film isn't more popular or at least more revered.

7. Annie Hall-This was the first Woody Allen flick I ever saw and I've been waiting ever since for him to approach this classic. The line to Christopher Walken about being "due back on the planet Earth" is classic Allen genius.

8. Shawshank Redemption-I didn't cry this much since I watched Old Yeller as a kid. Morgan Freeman became one of my all with all-time favorites with this performance.

9. Vertigo-The best of Alfred Hitchcock. This film is a total mindf*ck and goes well beyond his usual "everyman in a F'd up situation". Kim Novak is genius and creepy as hell in this flick.

10. The Shining-The one movie I still won't watch by myself at nighttime. Unlike most horror flicks this seems all too possible. A guy with writer's block goes nuts and tries hack his family to death. The sound of the pseudo-Big Wheel going from carpet to hardflooring still gives me the creeps.

11. Malena-A coming of age flick that suddenly turns into a brutal piece of social commentary. Monica Bellucci is perfectly cast as the emotionless Barbie doll who turns young boys into men and her town into Salem. The best Tornatore film to date.

12. Lost In America-Albert Brooks makes the second best Woody Allen movie of all time. I'm a huge fan of all Brooks' pictures but this one is pretty much perfect. The "nest egg" speech at the Hoover Dam is worth the price of the DVD.

13. L.A. Confidential-Great throwback flick that made Russell Crowe a star.

14. What's Up Doc?-This movie reinvigorated the screwball comedy genre. Very funny, very stupid, but very funny. It's interesting to see Babs before she became an extraordinary pompous ass.

15. Usual Suspects-At the end of the film you realize you know nothing. There are dead dudes in the harbor, no drugs, a burned survivor and a whale of a story by Verbal Kint. This movie is so great Stephen Baldwin couldn't even fuck it up. Think about it.


Honorable mention: Pulp Fiction, Arthur, Swingers, Memento, Frailty, The Decline of Western Civilization, 21 Grams, The Machinist, Dead Man Walking, Star Wars, On the Waterfront, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.