Top 5

I'm quite a fan of the list if I may say so myself, and with that in mind I feel like starting a little run of top 5 lists over the next few days/weeks. At the very least, it will hopefully get my posting going a little more consistently. Keep in mind that there is no order within these lists, just a general top 5. First, let's start with my favorite movies.



1. Donnie Darko

One of the first movies I truly loved, it is almost impossible to explain and, after watching it 4 or 5 times, I still have trouble wrapping my head around it. Despite it's lack of transparency--or maybe because of it--Donnie Darko has always been one of my favorite movies of all-time.

2. Blood Diamond

A powerful movie about the illegal diamond business coming from Africa, this movie stars both one of my all-time favorite actors (Leonardo DiCaprio) and favorite women (Jennifer Connelly). Blood Diamond touches on many touchy subjects involving Africa and the Western world, while also providing great action and a constantly moving plot. It's hard to explain what makes this movie so good, but after watching it you can't help but love it.

3. Garden State

No other movie combines angst-ridden young adults, Simon & Garfunkel, The Shins, and pure happiness in the same way as Garden State. Between Zach Braff walking past the automatic sinks in the airport in the opening scene and Natalie Portman's saying that "this will change your life" while giving him her headphones, Garden State is just plain awesome.

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind details the trials of a couple attempting to undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories after a rough break-up. However, it is through this erasing procedure that the couple realizes their true love for each other--and they consequently spend the rest of the movie trying to outrun the erasing of their memories. Eternal Sunshine's cyclical plot is similar to that of Donnie Darko--a style that I apparently enjoy quite a bit.

5. Almost Famous

While I have never been able to successfully put a finger on just what makes Almost Famous so good, I repeatedly find myself watching and re-watching it--both on TV and DVD. Maybe it's Kate Hudson, maybe it's the live music, I don't know. All I know is that Almost Famous is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favs.