11.1 ~ #19

"Clue" (1985)

From Netflix: "Director Jonathan Lynn's board game-inspired campfest finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the killer among them, the guests and Boddy's chatty butler (Tim Curry) must suss out the culprit before the body count rises. Lesley Ann Warren also stars in this hilarious whodunit (filmed with three different endings)."

This movie is SO a classic!

I've loved this movie FOREVER and I used to play it OUT on VHS, when I recorded it off of HBO as a youngin' LOL

Fantastic cast, fun story, laugh out loud jokes that STILL make me laugh after hearing them at least 50 times in my life...just all out awesome! it might be that it's one of those movies that's so bad, it's good, but I'm biased. I grew up loving this film!

The movie as I remember it always had three endings, the first being "what ifs" and the last one being the "actual" ending...but I found after watching the DVD that apparently when it was originally released, you'd see a different ending (of the three) depending on which theater you went to. I appreciate how that's kinda cool...the board game always had a different ending, so why not the movie? But at the same time, imagine going to see the flick, then discussing it with a friend that saw it at a different theater, and being entirely confused when you guys can't agree on the whodunit? Fail.

Still, great movie, awesome cult classic, a real taste of my childhood...and it bothers me immensely that they're remaking it for next year. Boo. So much for cult status, every douchebag on earth will think themselves a "fan" just cuz it's the cool thing to do.

I hate when things I love are raped by the masses. LOL

If you haven't seen this, GO WATCH IT! You won't regret it!

10.2 ~ #18

"Clerks" (1994)

From Netflix: "Made on a shoestring budget by director Kevin Smith, this classic indie comedy won awards at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Convenience and video store clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed … and bored out of their minds. Between serving nonstop shoppers, the overworked counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their offbeat love lives."

I love all things Kevin Smith.

EVERYTHING he's ever written, directed, starred in...is GOLD.

Except Jersey Girl, but I love him enough to forgive him for that.

I've only seen Clerks a handful of times...it's a little more grown-up than a lot of the movies Kevin Smith did later on in his career, mostly because it's so verbose. The whole thing takes place inside a convenience store, and is completely dialogue-driven. It's also completely in black-and-white, a trait that they play homage to in the opening of Clerks 2...which I own and have PLAYED OUT. And of course, you can always count on Silent Bob and his one line that seems to wrap up the whole movie in a nice, neat, philosophical package...

Great movie, but maybe I'm biased because I watched movies like Dogma & Mallrats before I watched this one for the first time, so I was already used to the style, plus I already liked a few of the characters. I don't know how I'd feel about this film if I had watched them all in the order in which they were made. This is the first film featuring recurring characters from the View Askewniverse, a badass world that our friend Kevin Smith created.

Great film, though I'd love to discuss it's merits with someone who sees it with new eyes, before being exposed to other works of Kevin Smith...

6.2 ~ #8

"As Good As It Gets" (1997)

From Netflix: "When acerbic, reclusive and obsessive-compulsive author Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) lets stressed-out single mom and waitress Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt) and gay neighbor Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear) and his dog into his life, profound changes await them all in this touching dramedy. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, the film won Oscars for Nicholson's and Hunt's heartfelt performances."

I love this movie.

I've seen it before, many times. I think the reason I've seen so few movies is because once I decide I love a movie, I will watch that same movie a dozen times in a week. Considering that, it's no wonder I hadn't had time to watch a bigger variety of movies.

In any case...

With a cast like this, it's hard for any movie to suck. Add to that a great story, and you've got gold. Jack Nicholson is phenomenal, as always. I don't think this guy has EVER sucked at anything EVER. Greg Kinnear is another one of those guys that is just so GREAT at everything he does, whether he's playing the douchebag, the daddy or the gay artist (like here) he always delivers. I don't personally like Helen Hunt too much, but I really LOVED her in this. And Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a tiny part, but he's good at it.

And the dog that plays Verdell is the bomb.

This is such a great movie. It's funny, it's sad, and it's HUMAN. It tears down walls and makes you see how the characters tick, and when you see all these people on such a real level, it makes their interactions even more interesting. It's got a fantastic message about tolerance, and it also tells you that if you take chances, you might surprise yourself. Definitely a must-see, and entertaining enough that after all these times I've seen it, I only know realized that it's over 2 hours long. Every movie on this list so far with the exception of the first has been at least 2 hours long. Yikes! Good thing with movies like this, you don't feel it. :)

Next up: another movie I can watch over and over, and have: "Babe".