My 42nd – 44th Favorite Motion Pictures

44. The Sound of Music (1965)
Yeah, that’s right – The Sound of Freakin’ Music. Go ahead, laugh at me.
The truth is, this is one great motion picture. As a whole, I don’t like musicals. But I do have three musicals on my list, and this is one of them. Unlike most musicals, the songs in this picture do not seem to awkwardly retard the progression of the story; rather, they enhance it. The Sound of Music clocks in at a whopping 174 minutes. The first 100 minutes are just plain fun – the characters, the situations, and the music (of course). Suddenly, the film switches gears to a high suspense noirish drama. The songs vanish with the sunset, appearantly. I’ve heard people joke that it’s like two movies in one, and I see their point. Still: both ‘movies’ fit together into one great tale.

43. The Indiana Jones Trilogy (1981-1989)
Ah, yes, another trilogy. When I first viewed “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, I thought to myself: that was so much fun – that’s how every movie should be! Okay, so I don’t think every movie should be like that anymore, but if a studio is going to go through the trouble of financing a special-effects laden summer blockbuster with a big name star, they do well to emulate the tales of Dr. Jones. In fact, let me think of a better summer blockbuster trilogy…oh, that’s right, there isn’t one. Oh, wait there is one…but I’ll get to that later. Anyways, these three movies are made of non-stop seat-of-your-pants excitement wrapped around the most amazing treasure hunt in cinema history. Indiana gets into scrapes approximately every five seconds, and yet still, unbelievably, manages to escape alive. Pure fun. Pure adrenaline. And a little bit of history thrown in.

42. Office Space (1999)
The first time I watched this movie, I wrote it off as good, but not great. Then I got a job where I spent much of my time in a cubical. Then I watched the movie again, and decided it was just about the funniest thing I had ever seen. So, I admit it may not have the mass appeal that other films on this list may possess; but remember: this is my list of favorites. That being said, it’s worth a look for anyone who’s ever had a job. The first five minutes are priceless comedic celluloid, and there’s plenty more laughs during the next hour and a half. I, for one, even laughed at the lawyer’s name (Rob Newhouse – ha!) This is probably the most quotable movie on my list:
Bob: Looks like you’ve been missing a lot of work lately.
Peter: I wouldn’t say I’ve been *missing* it, Bob.