Ten Best Movies of All Time

Although we've taken a few swipes at some truly horrible movies (especially the Ten Movies That Were So Bad, I Walked Out), here's a list of the BEST movies of all time. OK, that may be a bit presumptuous, but who wants to read a list called "Michael Cooper's Favorite Movies of All Time?"

10) Das Boot - OK, go ahead and start making jokes about oily men in submarines. Sigmond Freud would have a field day with this movie pick, but (although a bit lengthy) it is one of the best war movies ever made. This movie caught a lot of flack for showing things from the Germans' point of view (but they aren't shown in a sympathetic light, and I still cheered at the end when the Brits bombed the crap out of them).

9) Dr. Strangelove - Hilarious and brilliant are the two words that best describe this Stanley Kubrick classic (by the way, he did Full Metal Jacket as well). Peter Sellers is at his best, playing the President of the United States, a British officer, and Dr. Strangelove. But the best performance was given by George C. Scott. You can also see a young(er) James Earl Jones and Slim Pickens (who is really more annoying than interesting). It's amazing to think that this movie was made at the height of the Cold War, when people were scared shitless about the prospect of a nuclear attack.

8) Full Metal Jacket - This is without a doubt the greatest "half" movie of all time. Anyone who has seen this excellent Vietnam War movie knows what I'm talking about. The first half of the movie (featuing real-life ex-drill instructor R. Lee Ermey berating the fat, hapless "Private Pyle") will have you laughing (and gasping). Was it really like this for people going through basic during 'Nam? Probably not, but this movie is worth seeing multiple times. The second half of the movie (where they're actually fighting in 'Nam) is not as good, but it's still worth seeing.

7) Ran - Another excellent Kurosawa period piece, Ran is a huge cinematic accomplishment. Although admittedly not for everyone, the movie's storyline, dialogue, and scenery are phenomenal.

6) Waiting for Guffman - A little-known film, Waiting for Guffman is the first in a trio of excellent comedies written by and starring the brilliant Christopher Guest. This is quite honestly the absolute funniest movie ever made. Anyone who doesn't agree can go piss up a rope. The subtle (and not-so subtle) humor in this film have not been quite matched by Guest's subsequent movies (Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, although both movies are extremely good in their own right).

5) Glengarry Glen Ross - Although I've yet to meet a female who even remotely enjoyed this movie, I haven't met a man who didn't love it. This is without a doubt the most well-acted movie ever made (I'm not exaggerating). The superb cast gives some of the best performances of their careers (Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, and the great Jack Lemmon). Alec Baldwin's 15 or so minutes on screen are unforgettable. Unless you've seen this movie, you cannot call yourself a man.

4) Seven Samurai - Few movies have been imitated as much as this Kurosawa classic. This is the best samurai (or war) movie of all time (IMHO). The movie revolves around seven rag-tag samurai warriors who band together to protect a poor farming village. Although victorious in the end, the samurai suffer tremendous losses. Ironically, the villagers turn out to be almost as ungrateful as the people of Iraq (if you can imagine such a thing). This movie is worth owning (and watching repeatedly). Admittedly, whether you speak a word of Japanese (or none) you'll need to watch it a few times to get every piece of the plot (which is the hallmark of a great movie). Toshiro Mifune gives the best performance of his long, distinguished career.

3) Sling Blade - Billy Bob Thornton's first movie continues to be his best (he did a good job with A Simple Plan, but nothing comes close to Sling Blade). This movie did more for "independent" films than any other I can think of. I think I saw this a total of four times in the theater (a record for me). If you haven't seen it, you're in for a treat. In addition to Thornton's brilliant acting, Dwight Yokum gives an outstanding performance as possibly the most unlikable villian of all time. And John Ritter is superb. If you're not choking back tears during this movie (or laughing yourself silly at some points) you're just not human.

2) The Phantom of the Paradise - in the mid-70's, my sister dragged me to see this movie. Neither of us knew what it was about, and to this day I don't know how we ever got in (since we were well under age). For fifteen years, I considered this to be the absolute worst movie I'd ever seen. Then, while attending college in Asia, I saw the movie at a video store and couldn't resist. I wanted to confirm how horrible it was. Wow! What a difference growing up makes! The movie (Brian DePalma's first, by the way) is a brilliant spoof of the music/entertainment industry. For any TRUE cult movie fan, this is the best (forget Rocky Horror, which is stupid and pointless). It's tough to point out who gives the best performance (but it is funny to note that Paul Williams played the "cool" guy. Bwahahaha). Apart from Paul Williams wearing those stupid 70's fashions, this movie kicks ass!

1) Jaws - Yes, this was a "big-budget blockbuster" at the time, but this movie still holds up extremely well. Although Cassablanca was a good movie, the acting and dialouge can't hold a candle to this one. And, with all due respect, once you know who or what "Rosebud" is, Citizen Kane is not the "greatest movie of all time," so drop it already. As I learned in English Literature class (many years ago), there are four types of conflict in drama: Man against Man, Man against Nature, Man against the Unknown, and Man against Himself. Jaws has all four types, and is one of the best acted movies of all time. Robert Shaw's speech (about the USS Indianapolis sinking at the end of WWII) was mostly improvised. Sheer brilliance!