The Must Haves: 60-51

The Must Haves: 60-51

Hello again to everyone. We are pretty much at the half way point of my Must Haves list. This is my top 100 favorite films that I simply couldn’t do without in that apocalyptic scenario. I have included films like Dead Poet’s Society, Tombstone, and a couple foreign films House of Flying Daggers and Hero. I am having a lot of fun writing this list and sharing with you all my favorites. Yesterday we included ten more very different films to the list, like Apocalypse Now, Empire Records and Pleasantville. I just want to keep thanking all of my readers for the positive response to this list. Keep up with the comments, please. Right now we add numbers 60-51:

#60—Matchstick Men (2003)

Favorite Quote: “She said you were a bad guy. You don't seem like a bad guy.”--Angela

                                “That's what makes me good at it.”—Roy

An obsessive-compulsive con man suddenly finds out that he has a daughter and has to learn with including her in his life of crime.

Now I think that I have gone on record in saying that I don’t like Nicholas Cage (if not I am now) and about 95% of his movies. This is one of the very few that I adore. I thought he was really great at projected Roy’s neurosis and little mental ticks. I also think this is one of those under the radar films for Ridley Scott that not a lot of people are aware of. If you like films like #92 on this list and/or Ocean’s Eleven, then this film will be an awesome substitute when those others are unavailable.

#59— Léon: The Professional (1994)

Favorite Quote: “You're not going to lose me. You've given me a taste for life. I wanna be happy. Sleep in a bed, have roots. And you'll never be alone again, Mathilda. Please, go now, baby, go. Calm down, I'll meet you at Tony's in an hour, I love you, now go, go now.”—Léon

A professional hitman is reluctantly forced to take in his 12 year-old next door neighbor after her family has been murdered. Over time he begins to teach the girl how to become an assassin.

The film that introduced the world to Natalie Portman and French director Luc Besson. This is one of those amazing movies that should be hated. This is a hitman teaching a young girl how to kill other people! However, because of the humanistic story at the center of this actionieer, The Professional works on many other levels. Let us not forget the great Gary Oldman in this film too. Oldman is so amazing.

#58—The Matrix (1999)

Favorite Quote: “I know Kung Fu”—Neo

A lonely computer programmer is given the choice to wake up from the boring existence that he lives, but when he makes his choice it may not be the one he expected.

This film I think we all knew was going to be on this list at some point. The Matrix redefined the action genre, making it more stylish and one step below a full blown Kung Fu movie. The film almost did in the late 90s/early 2000s what Star Wars did in the late 70s, by making the film a pop cultural phenomenon. I loved the action scenes at the groundbreaking special effects.  

#57—The Bourne Identity (2002)

Favorite Quote: “I swear to God, if I even feel somebody behind me, there is no measure to how fast and how hard I will bring this fight to your doorstep. I'm on my own side now.”—Jason Bourne

An amnesiac government weapon needs to find out how he is before the CIA gets to him first.

Who knew that Matt Damon could kick ass or that Doug Liman could direct a big budget action film? Damon at the time of the film was more known for his dramatic/ touchy feely roles and Liman was the guy who directed Swingers and Go, a couple of low budget dramedies. But the stars aligned for this action film that was loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. I think this film was a stepping stone for both men to just add dimensions to their resumes.

#56—Collateral (2004)

Favorite Quote: “Max, six billion people on the planet, you're getting bent out of shape cause of one fat guy.”—Vincent

A taxi cab driver is hired for the night by a mysterious man who asks him to take him around Los Angeles. The mysterious man turns out to be a professional hitman and the cabbie is now swept up in something he’ll never forget.

We all know that Heat is director Michael Mann’s best film, but I say that Collateral is not far behind. I mean, Tom Cruise is a villain! How cool is that?! Jamie Foxx also proves to the world with this film that his acting range isn’t secluded to In Living Color. I thought the acting and the story were amazing, especially the story. Some of Cruise’s lines about loneliness and if one person amidst millions did something would anyone really notice?

#55—Scent of a Woman (1992)

Favorite Quote: “The day we stop lookin', Charlie, is the day we die.”—Frank

A boarding school student takes a weekend job to earn a little money to pay for his Christmas vacation home. The job, however, is a blind retired Army Colonel that has very specific plans.

Very quotable lines, an iconic dance scene, and another role that will define a legendary actor’s career. Scent of a Woman is a film that I dare anyone not to love. The acting, even Chris O’Donnell, was magnificent and the story was heart wrenching. I watched this film at an age that I probably shouldn’t, but I was in complete awe of Al Pacino, which in turn lit my passion for acting and film.

#54—Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Favorite Quote: “Because the house always wins. Play long enough, you never change the stakes. The house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet and you bet big, then you take the house.”—Danny

A con man and eleven of his friends decide to rob a rival’s casino of 13 million dollars…oh and get his girl back from that same rival.

What would happen if you took eleven of the biggest names in Hollywood (at the time) and threw them together for a movie? A witty and stylish con film that set a high market for the same genre of film for a couple years. The first of the Ocean’s films was great and the cast gelled really well together and the story worked with all of these big names in the film. Wasn’t too corny or over the top, it was just right. Then Warner Bros. decided to cash in on the first films success and thing took a turn for the worst. I love this film, it always makes me chuckle a little when Clooney and Pitt trade quips.

#53—Notting Hill (1999)

Favorite Quote: “And don't forget... I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”—Anna

An English bookshop owner in the middle of London’s fanciest area has a chance that every man in the world dreams of…falling in love with a real movie star!

I hope that you took a look at my list of top 5 Romantic Comedies (seen here) because you will notice this film on that list.  Writer Richard Curtis is a wonderful screenwriter that is able to mix the drama and the comedy so well. For me the story is what made this film work so well, not taking away from the acting, but let’s face it…no Oscar winners here. With the story being so outlandish, Curtis is able to create a world where this kind of thing is believable and can happen to anyone of us at any moment.

#52—Pulp Fiction (1994)

Favorite Quote: “The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.”—Jules

Four stories become intertwined in the most peculiar ways.

I really have no idea how else to summarize Quentin Tarantino’s most popular film. I think most of us have seen this film and most of us have a different idea of what the film is about. I loved this film just for the pure fact of how different and just how violent this film is. The dialogue was great and the performances were astounding. I know that some might think the placing of this film is extremely low, so I am sorry I just thought Tarantino got a lot more polished later on in his career.

#51—Unforgiven (1992)

Favorite Quote: “It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have.”—Will

A group of prostitutes in a small Wyoming town put out a bounty for a group of men that mutilated the face of a girl they know.

This is by far my favorite western. A grittier look at a genre where the line between the good guys and the bad guys was very clear. However, Clint Eastwood blurred that line with this film by making the protagonist have a villainous past and the antagonist a man who is supposed to be good. Maybe that is why I love this film so much, the different views on life and not everyone is who they are supposed to be.

Thank you for sticking around for this action packed unveiling of The Must Haves numbers 60-51. Please return when numbers 50-41 are revealed soon.