My All-Time Favorite Movies: #40-21

This month is my 40th birthday. Whenever my birthday comes up, I always want to do something big. Since I had already chosen my favorite songs and my favorite video games, the most logical choice was to count down my favorite movies of all-time. Despite it being the most logical idea, it was also the most intimidating. I've seen hundreds of movies of every type over the decades I've been breathing. How the hell can I possibly narrow that down to 40, let alone rank them?

Like with my video game list, I didn't make my choices based on critic reception, box office numbers, or award nominations. I chose these movies based on how much I enjoy them and how likely I am to load them up again. I'm also sticking to my one film per franchise rule that I always use for my countdowns. As I have plenty to talk about, I can't cram it all into one article. It'll take two.

Well, I've stalled long enough. Here are the first 20 films that I will always be too happy to watch again.

I've seen plenty of docudramas, and La Bamba is easily my favorite. I know that it took some liberties with the life and career of Ritchie Valens, but it still worked thanks to the performances of Esai Morales as his troublesome half-brother Bob, Joe Pantoliano as his manager Bob Keane, and especially Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie himself. Also, all the covers of those 50s classics (especially from the band Los Lobos) were wonderful to listen to every time. Even though I was born 20 years after "The Day the Music Died," the songs and the movie still reach me.

From a rock drama based on a true story to a rock drama that could easily be mistaken for a true story. Eddie and the Cruisers presents an intriguing mystery where Tom Berenger investigates the disappearance of the fiery leader of a band far ahead of their time. Michael Paré's performance as Eddie Wilson was so good that it disgusts me that he ended up in a bunch of Uwe Boll's movies, and the music by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band was just awesome. The sequel is enjoyable, too, but I much prefer the mystery of the original.

I love all the Lethal Weapon films, but the third is my personal favorite. After two movies of Mel Gibson flipping out while Danny Glover plays the straight man, the role reversal in this one was very refreshing. Also, Joe Pesci gets more to do while not being as annoying, Rene Russo kicks ten kinds of ass (quite literally), and Stuart Wilson's dirty cop made a very effective antagonist. It may not have the prestige of the first, but I enjoy it the most.

I love action movies, and I love spoofs. Hot Fuzz is the funniest action spoof is history. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are the perfect partners; little wonder they team up in so many movies. The story goes all over the place, taking potshots at ALL the action movie cliches, and just about every joke works. It was tough deciding between this and Shaun of the Dead, but Hot Fuzz just barely won out.

Riddick, played by the awesome Vin Diesel, is one of the greatest antiheroes in movie history, and Pitch Black was the perfect introduction to him. A ship crash lands on a planet full of photosensitive aliens that's about to go into total eclipse, and the survivors only hope of escape is a vicious murderer who can see in complete darkness. This movie provides the perfect mix of action, sci-fi, and horror, and Vin's portrayal of Riddick kept me transfixed the whole way.

I definitely wanted the legendary Freddy Krueger on my list; it just came down to choosing between the original and the third. While the performances and atmosphere were fantastic in the original, I prefer the premise and personality of Dream Warriors. Watching the teenage patients of a hospital taking the fight to Freddy on his turf was exciting, and Freddy made some of the greatest kills in slasher movie history here. Dream Warriors proves that not all horror sequels have to suck.

Short Circuit is on this list for one reason: Johnny 5 is the most lovable robot in movie history, even more than C-3PO or R2-D2. His movie, where a power surge gives him consciousness and curiosity about the world, makes me smile every time I plug it in. Even though the human characters, most especially Ally Sheedy, can be annoying, I still root for them to help Johnny 5. I enjoy the sequel, too, but the original is just a bit funnier and more endearing.

This is somehow the most unique, yet traditional, vampire movie ever made. Like the movie Highlander, which barely missed getting on the list, this movie made me feel the pain that immortality can bring. Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Kirsten Dunst just knocked it out of the park with performances that manage to be alluring, heart-wrenching, and terrifying all at once. This is one of my Halloween must-watch movies.

Everyone had to read this courtroom drama in school at some point. I love the story; I even got to see it on stage a few years ago. However, the 1957 film is still the best version of it. All the characters were brilliantly played, but the showdowns between Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb brought the kind of intensity that's almost unheard of for movies of the time. This is one of the oldest movies on my list, and it left the kind of impact I rarely get with newer films.

I've already talked about this forgotten comedy spy thriller. Check out my article for more details. It still gets me laughing, it's still exciting, and it's still a joy to see Europe this way.

I'm not a fan of war films in general, but leave it to the legendary Stanley Kubrick to change my mind. Full Metal Jacket works in a way other war films don't, by focusing on the psychology of turning kids into killers rather than on the war itself. It chills me through the whole runtime; even the funnier parts courtesy of R. Lee Ermey, Adam Baldwin, and Matthew Modine are still chilling.

Few movies have made me laugh as much as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The action scenes were some of the most energized I'd seen in the last 20 years, and the premise and jokes still get me cracking up. Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie's chemistry is so perfect that it's no wonder they got married after this. Even Vince Vaughn is much less annoying than he usually is, which is a miracle in itself!

To this day, this is the most unique fantasy adventure film I'd ever seen. All of Jim Henson's creatures are memorable, the imagination of the story and settings is beyond compare, and David Bowie hypnotizes as Jareth the Goblin King. "As the World Falls Down" from this movie is still one of my favorite songs of all time. There's talk of remaking this one; I hope they forget about it.

This is the definitive teen sex comedy, and it still cracks me up. The Lassie scene is still one of the funniest moments I had ever seen in my life. On top of that, it has plenty of guts with its look at race relations and bigotry in the 50s, and plenty of action with the big revenge plot against Porky (Chuck Mitchell) at the end. The sequels are okay, but the original is a must-see.

The fact that this supernatural horror/legal thriller has been largely forgotten is just unholy. I won't go into too many details as this will definitely be the subject of a Second Chances article later. Suffice it to say, the imagery is haunting, the story kept me engrossed, and Al Pacino played the best Satan I had ever seen (that's not a spoiler as it's in the trailer). This is a movie so good that it's providing inspiration for my first screenplay.

This is easily the smartest movie Arnold Schwarzenegger was ever involved with. The way director Paul Verhoeven left the movie ambiguous as to whether the events were real or just in the protagonist, Quaid's, head was just ingenious, and his patented, over-the-top, and gory action scenes are still exciting and funny in equal measure. Forget the crappy remake with Colin Farrell; watch this one instead.

This is the best video game movie I had ever seen, mainly because the game is a plot point rather than the basis of the story. Again, I won't go into it too deep as I want to save it for a future Second Chances article. I will say this, though. Henry Thomas gives a better performance here than in E.T., Dabney Coleman did a great job in both of his roles, and Michael Murphy was quite threatening as the antagonist, Mr. Rice. This is a forgotten spy thriller worth another look.

This is the ultimate tale of hunter vs. hunted. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, and the rest of the team are awesome, and the Predator is one of the coolest and most unique aliens ever put on screen. While the sequels go crazy with the action scenes, the original keeps the action more subdued while providing the atmosphere and tension of a great horror movie. It's a shame John McTiernan didn't do more horror; he definitely had a knack for it.

One word comes to mind when I think of this courtroom drama... "powerhouse." The story about two Marines on trial for following illegal orders stays tense the whole way through, and the all-star cast led by Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson provides performances, which blast this one into the stratosphere. This is one of the most perfect dramas I had ever seen in my life.

This is a sci-fi action comedy that's actually gotten better with age, like fine wine. Sylvester Stallone is at his funniest here as a 90s cop forced to adapt to an overly-politically-correct future, and Wesley Snipes looks like he's having a ball playing the psychopathic Simon Phoenix. This is a movie so good that it even got an enjoyable performance out of Rob Freakin' Schneider of all people! That should not be possible!

What do you think of my picks so far? Let me know, and check out my top 20 next time!