make a list of my 10 favorite movies of all time

There are very few movies that surpass the books they are based on, but I believe this is one, partly because the movie cuts straight to the emotional parts and lets the philosophy speak for itself.

Watching this movie is almost unbearable, but there is joy, too. This movie is an embodiment of Henry Ward Beecher’s quote: “In this world, full often, our joys are only the tender shadows which our sorrows cast.”

The Green Mile is possibly Stephen King’s best work, and the movie does not disappoint. The fact that Tom Hanks is the star probably does not hurt, but every actor is perfectly cast. This movie is a must-see, good-vs-evil, pound-on-the-arm-of-your-chair film.

Okay, this is no masterpiece, but it fascinates me. Ben Affleck is a reverse engineer who does top-secret jobs for companies and then has his menories of the job erased. All he cares about is the paycheck, until . . .

Gotta love it!

Sheesh, why has this movie stuck with me forever? It was about ballroom dancing, and I only saw it once, but i loved it. Must see if Netflix has this one.

6. The Natural: A murky and mysterious baseball movie in which a young phenom (Robert Redford) takes the wrong path and finds his way back to the game late in life, only to be challenged by the Forces of Baseball Evil. A magical, wonderful movie.

5 The Truman Show: All the world’s stage, but Truman is the only one who does not know he stars in his own show. This movie not only shows that Jim Carrey can act, but it also makes you think about how far some people will go to keep others in the “roles” they have cast them in.

4. Requiem for a Dream: I have to be in the right mood to watch this movie, but it may well be the most powerful film I have ever seen. Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans and a young Jennifer Connelly all play characters addicted to something, but I see this less as a movie about addictions than as a movie about taking missteps in life and losing the connection to your dreams. An incredible movie that you can’t just shake off after watching it—it stays with you.

3. Amadeus The life of Mozart only sounds like a yawner. Tom Hulce brings Mozaert to giddy life, and F. Murray Abraham gives a deservedly Oscar-winning performance as his archrival Salieri. Frau Mozart is deliciously played by someone whose name I can’t recall. The score-the music of Mozart, natch-does not hurt either.

2. The Shawshank Redemption This is a good movie made great by the incomparable Morgan Freeman’s narration. The violence and hopelessness of prison are the backdrop for the heart of any good movie—characters you care about struggling against their circumstances.

1. Gattaca The very best movie I have ever seen. The music is incredible; watery and claustrophobic. You drown in it; it envelops you. The casting is perfect. Ethan Hawke as Vincent, the never-quite-good-enough bother who longs to go to space. Uma Thurman as the cool, perfect-yet genetically imperfect-love interest. Jude Law as the angry silver medalist. This movie asks the question, “What counts more—perfect genes or grit and determination?” Damn, you know the answer already, but you cheer on the gritty and determined Vincent as if you didn’t.