My Top 50 Movies...10-1

Ok, here we are at the finale of the list. I must apologize that I lied last time, my favorite 80's movie does find itself in the top 10. For the final time, I cheat on the trilogy thing (did you guess what trilogy this is?). There are lots of things that go boom on this final list. Each film on this list is outstanding in its own right and as such, gets each gets a picture.

Enjoy the list...My Top 10...

10. We Were Soldiers (2002)The best movie about Vietnam ever made. Mel Gibson portrays a great leader and the action is outstanding. The back-and-forth between Gibson and the Vietnamese leader on tactics is pretty sweet. Awesome action highlights this great war movie.

9. Saving Pvt. Ryan (1998)The best WWII movie I've ever seen. The first 30 minutes is a fantastic achievement in cinema. Several great battle sequences surround the solid story.

8. Die Hard (1988)The best Christmas movie ever made...and my favorite film from the 80s. This movie really set the tone for all action movies to follow. Even today, action films and lead characters are often compared to this film and John McClane (as portrayed by Bruce Willis). Yippee-ki-yeah...

7. 300 (2007)Historical accuracy is overrated (as you will note by a couple up-coming films), but awesome ass-kicking action is not. There is very little that isn't wicked cool about this film.

6. Gladiator (2000)This movie is probably one additional large-scale battle away from the number 1 spot. A great lead character and sweet action hit all the right notes in this historical fiction movie.

5. Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)The only film of the prequel trilogy to make the top 50. Honestly, Episode II just missed...but I digress. This was an outstanding film that I actually viewed multiple times in the theater. With so many loose ends to tie up, I wasn't sure this film could succeed, but it did. And the final lightsaber fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan is just amazing.

4. The Dark Knight (2008)It might well be nostalgia that keeps the other 3 movies ahead of this one. I also saw this one several times on the big screen and multiple DVD viewings. I cannot think of a single bad thing about this film. Heath Ledger as the Joker may be one of the best performances ever...haunting really.

3. The Rock (1996) Simply one of the most fun movies I've ever seen. Not a strong acting job, not a believeable plot, and ridiculous action...but I love it. I can watch this movie from any point and enjoy it. From the very beginning this film gets revved up and never lets up until the end.

2. Star Wars Original Trilogy (1977+)The original trilogy is simply the best set of movies ever made. A story that is just amazing, with some of the most memorable characters put to film. What is truly amazing is the scope of the universe that George Lucas created. Personally, A New Hope > Empire Strikes Back > Return of the Jedi. I've never watched them in a row, but I have seen all 6 films on 6 consecutive nights. Amazing story...

1. Braveheart (1995)My favorite movie of all time. Despite the historical inaccuracies (which are quite abundant), I just love the film. Awesome battle sequences, some great characters, and that ending just chokes you up. I'm okay with making the King of England a little more evil than he probably was...since you need a bad guy...but what bugs me more on the historical inaccuracies is downplaying the role of some of the other Scots (esp. Mornay). Oh well, a great film that remains my favorite movie.

Well, thanks for sticking with me over the past week. Pretty impressive out-pouring of posts, eh? Now to keep it going without the series forcing my hand...hopefully, that shouldn't be a problem....especially since I have to do my annual "Best of the Year" series.