Michael Lee's Top Ten Movie List

As Tim said, these aren't necessarily the "best" films I've seen -- just ones that have had some impact on me and probably do a good job of reflecting who I am through my movie tastes....

• Star Wars
  It starts here. My all time favorite set of films. I've seen "A New Hope" several hundred times over the last 22 years, and will certainly see it many more. It is probably safe to say that you wouldn't be reading this list if it wasn't for these series of films.

• Indiana Jones and "the Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Temple of Doom", and "The Last Crusade"
  I guess that despite Star Wars counting as one film for the purposes of this list, the Indiana Jones ones take up three. Unlike the Star Wars films, they are definitely more a "series" -- but I love series characters, as you will see in my list. I don't think the second one is on my list, actually, but the other two certainly are.
  
  
• "Goldfinger"
  I actually enjoy almost any James Bond film -- but this is probably the most definitive of them all, from the theme song, Sean Connery, and everything else. It is a bit archaic now, but still a fun series.
  
  
• "Highlander"
  I picked up the package with Highlander 2, and it just reminded me how much the producers should have kept "There Can Be Only One" as a mantra for the series itself -- the first film is fantastic, with a great Queen soundtrack, and some great direction. The second film -- even if it has now been improved somewhat -- is a disaster, and really only the first film interests me much at all. The DVD director's commentary is interesting.
  
  
• "Austin Powers"
  Hysterically funny parody of many things I like, but also appropriate for our time -- they didn't need to make The Avengers movie after this, because Liz Hurley is a better Mrs Peel than Uma Thurman could ever be. For that matter, so is Mimi Rogers. And Dr. Evil is a classic comedic character.
  
  
• "Blade Runner"
  Probably one of the best Science Fiction films of all time -- the music, direction, and plot go together so well. It all goes together so well, and has influence today -- where would the Matrix be without Blade Runner?
  
  
• "Chasing Amy"
  Since Kevin Smith is roughly my age and shares a lot of my pop-culture background (comics and Star Wars particularly), his films are easy for me to connect with in the past. "Clerks" for the silly Star Wars conversations, "Mallrats" for Jedi Master Stan Lee and Eden Prairie Center, and "Chasing Amy" has all of that as well. I knew exactly what was meant by the title even before I saw the film, and Silent Bob's scene explaning it is about is true as it gets. (I also just saw "Dogma" in the movie theater today (11/13/1999) -- and it is also both irreverent and reverent simultaneously, and I enjoyed it a great deal.)
  
  
• "Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan"
  This movie has a lot to answer for. If this movie had been an awful failure, we would have been spared such disappointments as "Star Trek V" and Voyager. But the quality -- and success -- of this film made the future films and the three tv series that followed almost inevitable.
  
  
• "Quatermass and the Pit"
  The film versions of Doctor Who aren't known to be that good -- though I think the "Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." is underrated. However, this movie is a better Doctor Who film than either of those. Doctor Who shamelessly ripped off from the Quatermass series, and if you follow this up and watch either The Daemons or Image of the Fendahl you will see why.