10 Movies I Can't Live Without

To follow up my "10 Songs I Can't Live Without" post, I decided to do a movie post. Although I believe that some of these movies are fantastic films, by no means am I calling all of them masterpieces. They are simply what the title says, "movies I can't live without." These are the movies I watch over and over again, the ones that I go back to. These are the movies I would take to a desert island with me (preferably in blu-Ray.) I would also like to reiterate that the reason most of these films are on here are because of the people I watched them with, and the memories that are associated with them.

1. Cruel Intentions (Roger Kumble, 1999) I saw this movie in the theatres, and immediately fell in love with it. It was quite racy at the time, and at 15 a lot of it shocked me. The way the characters treated sex as a tool to get what they wanted blew my mind. I continued to watch this movie as I went through high school and college, and eventually chose it as my "favorite movie" for my essay to get into Chapman University. When I watched it as a film academic, I couldn't believe how good the movie was. This wasn't a teen movie in the vein of She's All That or Ten Things I Hate About You. This was a well executed collaboration between filmmakers, that happened to have major teen stars in it. It's a modern-day period piece, and I love it.

2. Clue (Johnathan Lynn, 1985) I vaguely remember seeing this movie for the first time on television when I was around 10. My Mom wouldn't rent it for me. I guess she thought I was too young to watch it. Anyway, I eventually bought it on DVD in college and renewed my love for it. This is just such a fun movie. It's dealing with something very serious--murder--but doing it in a non serious way. I love the board game, and to make an adaptation that sort of touches on the board game, but really doesn't, was ingenious. I also love that there are THREE ENDINGS with three DIFFERENT killers and they all could make sense!

3. Can't Hardly Wait (Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, 1998) I saw this in the theatre, but it was the constant DVD watchings with Kara in high school that solidified this movie for me. This is a great teen romantic comedy, and I love movies that take place in one day. Preston is such a lovable character, and you want him to get the girl even though it seems like everything is against him. Seth Green's character is priceless, and almost every teen star at the time was either in it or had a cameo. The late 90's were rife with teen movies, but this one is my favorite and in my opinion the best.

4. Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain, 2001) I watched this over a year ago after the insistence of Danner, and by now I've probably seen this movie 40 times. I absolutely love every minute of it. I love that it's so quotable, doesn't take itself seriously, and is just plain funny. I love movies with ensemble casts, and there are so many notable performances in this one. This movie made me a fan of Michael Showalter. It's definitely a movie that is best watched in a group, and it's no wonder they hold screenings of it from time to time.

5. Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, 2005) I love film noir, definitely modern film noir. I love the style of this movie, the performances, the inter-connecting stories. I love how raw and real it seems, even though we're looking at things that clearly can't be real. Everything is over the top, and I can't wait for the sequel, if it ever gets made.

6. Cabin Fever (Eli Roth, 2003) This film gave me such high hopes for Eli Roth, but unfortunately I hated all his followups. This film is both an homage to horror movies, and a parody. It's witty, gross, and fun. It's an '80s horror film, but made in 2003. It also stars Ryder Strong, who I love. I saw it first in the theatres, and multiple viewings on DVD. The DVD has lots of special features, most specifically commentaries from everyone involved. Eli Roth comes across as sort of a douche on the commentaries, so I usually just stick to the straight-up viewing.

7. Empire Records (Allan Moyle, 1995) This film is probably the most quotable on my list. I love the ensemble cast, the fact that it takes place in a day, and that work can look like so much fun. I love the soundtrack and the Rex Manning video. This movie makes me think of high school, and how I wished I had a job like that back then.

8. The Village (M. Night Shymalan, 2004) While not flawless, this is my favorite and in my opinion best movie of M. Night. I watch this movie over and over for the love story. It was marketed as a horror film, which was a great detriment since this movie is clearly about the relationship between Ivy and Lucius. I also watch this movie for the great performances that Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquin Phoenix deliver. This film is also beautiful, which makes it easy to watch.

9. Closer (Mike Nichols, 2004) I try to watch this movie at least once a year because it's so hard to watch. It's hard to watch people be so mean to the people that they love, and continue to do it forever. These people will always love each other, but it's such an abusive kind of love that it seems like it's not even worth it, yet these people keep going back to each other. I watch it to remind myself that what these characters are doing isn't love, and that their actions should never be emulated.

10. Showgirls (Paul Verhoeven, 1995) This movie is so underrated. This movie is clearly a masterpiece, and the people who subscribe to the "it's so bad it's good" mentality clearly don't get this movie. It's wonderfully made, which doesn't mean it can't be NC-17. The script is great, the cinematography is great. The acting is mediocre at times, but that's one of the reasons this movie is great. The actors all take their characters very seriously, and it shows. Elizabeth Berkely had to have been on speed for this role, but it's what makes her character so endearing and hateable. Gina Gershon is my favorite in this movie, and you know she had to have fun playing that role.