100 Must-See Movies: The Modern Classics (1990 – 2010)

Last year, Yahoo Movies published a list called “100 Movies To See Before You Die: The Modern Classics.” This list spanned films from the last 20 years. The films listed were either widely critically acclaimed, groundbreaking, or influential in some large aspect. I sought to compile my own list. Since I just finished it, I decided to include 2010. Have any movies to add? See anything on here that is heretical? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment.

The original list can be found here:

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die-modern-classics.html

Enjoy –

Nate

Disclaimers:

• Most of these movies are really important to me. Some of the picks are simply influential or groundbreaking moments in filmmaking. Some are personal soap boxes. Most are just flat-out GREAT movies.
• There were a few movies that frequented other’s lists that I could not include because I just didn’t like them that much. Some examples are No Country for Old Men, Donnie Darko, American Beauty, The Royal Tenenbaums, Children of Men, Borat, etc.
• Some movies that also frequented other lists were not included because I simply have not seen the movie (for one reason or another). Some examples are Brokeback Mountain, Thelma and Louise, Mulholland Drive, Before Sunrise, The Big Lebowski, Almost Famous, Lost in Translation, City of God, Shaun of the Dead, A History of Violence, etc
• An asterisk * after a title means it appears on Yahoo’s original list as well as my own.

1. The Town (2010)
2. The Fighter (2010)
3. The Social Network (2010)
4. The King’s Speech (2010)
5. Inception (2010)
6. Avatar (2009)*
7. The Hangover (2009)
8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
9. Iron Man (2008)
10. The Dark Knight (2008)*
11. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)*
12. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)*
13. There Will Be Blood (2007)*
14. 300 (2007)
15. Transformers (2007)
16. The Departed (2006)
17. The Prestige (2006)
18. Blood Diamond (2006)
19. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
20. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)*
21. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
22. King Kong (2005)
23. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)*
24. Crash (2005)
25. Anchorman (2004)*
26. Spiderman 2 (2004)
27. Saw (2004)
28. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
29. The Notebook (2004)
30. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)*
31. Mystic River (2003)
32. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
33. Elf (2003)
34. Finding Nemo (2003)*
35. Gangs of New York (2002)
36. Minority Report (2002)
37. The Pianist (2002)*
38. Harry Potter Series (2001-2011)
39. The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)*
40. Memento (2001)*
41. Moulin Rouge (2001)
42. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
43. Shrek (2001)
44. Black Hawk Down (2001)
45. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
46. Gladiator (2000)
47. The Patriot (2000)
48. Cast Away (2000)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)*
50. Remember the Titans (2000)
51. Meet the Parents (1999)
52. The Boondock Saints (1999)
53. The Green Mile (1999)
54. The Matrix (1999)*
55. The Sixth Sense (1999)*
56. Fight Club (1999)*
57. Saving Private Ryan (1998)*
58. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
59. American History X (1998)
60. The Truman Show (1998)
61. L.A. Confidential (1997)*
62. Good Will Hunting (1997)
63. Titanic (1997)*
64. Men in Black (1997)
65. The Rock (1996)
66. Fargo (1996)*
67. Independence Day (1996)
68. Jerry Maguire (1996)
69. The English Patient (1996)
70. Braveheart (1995)
71. Apollo 13 (1995)
72. The Usual Suspects (1995)*
73. Se7en (1995)
74. Toy Story (1995)*
75. Babe (1995)*
76. Forrest Gump (1994)*
77. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)*
78. The Lion King (1994)
79. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
80. Pulp Fiction (1994)*
81. Speed (1994)
82. Jurassic Park (1993)
83. Schindler’s List (1993)*
84. The Fugitive (1993)
85. Tombstone (1993)
86. Rudy (1993)
87. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
88. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
89. Groundhog Day (1993)*
90. Unforgiven (1992)*
91. Aladdin (1992)
92. A Few Good Men (1992)
93. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
94. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)*
95. Beauty and the Beast (1991)*
96. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)*
97. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
98. Dances With Wolves (1990)
99. Goodfellas (1990)*
100. Home Alone (1990)

LIVE together, DIE alone – The LOST Series Finale

(DISCLAIMER: if you haven’t seen the finale or watched any of the show, DO NOT read this lol, it will ruin it!!!)

LOST – a show that has enthralled audiences ever since Oceanic 815 crashed back on September 22, 2004 came to an end Sunday night. One of the most anticipated finales of all time would finally reveal the fates of our beloved castaways and reveal any last secrets the island had to offer us.

When we left everyone at the end of the last episode – What They Died For – Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer were on their way to kill Locke, and Jack had just volunteered to be the next protector of the island after Jacob. Locke and Ben were on their way to find Desmond and destroy the island.  Back in the “alternate reality”, Desmond continues bringing people together, orchestrating something for the finale that we’re not quite sure of yet.  Then the finale begins –

On the island, Jack and Locke take Desmond to the heart of the island, lower him in, and have him remove the sort of rock cork in the center of it. Desmond is unafraid of the challenge because he has seen what is happening in the alternate reality, but when he moves the rock he finds himself still in the heart of the island. This causes the light to drain out and the island to begin to be destroyed, fall apart, and ultimately start sinking. This also negated the powers of Jack and Locke to not be able to hurt one another. As Locke attempts to leave the island, Jack engages him in a hard-core fight. Jack is wounded badly in the fight by a knife, but just as he is about to be killed, Kate shoots Locke who is then kicked off a cliff by Jack. As the island continues to self-destruct, Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Lapidus, Miles, and Richard attempt to get to and fix the plane before they go down with the island. Jack returns to the heart of the island with Hurley and Ben to try and reverse what Desmond did and save his friends. Jack established Hurley as the new protector, knowing that being exposed to the light would kill him. With reluctance, Hurley accepts the duty and lets Jack go. Jack finds Desmond alive down in the hole, and gets him the rope to be hoisted back out. Jack puts the cork back and the light returns, preserving the island and his friends. Jack lies in the cave. We see Hurley and Ben commit to running the island together, while the others take off on the Ajira plane.

Back in the alternate reality, Desmond has continued his mission of somehow making people “let go” and remember what happened on the island. He, with Hurley’s help, leads each person to a person who changed their life on the island. Each scene was super emotional. We saw Sayid reconnected with Shannon (Boone was there too), Sawyer reconnected with Juliet; Jin and Sun are brought to reality during their daughter’s ultrasound. Probably the most emotional one, besides the ending with Jack, was when Claire, Kate, and Charlie’s eyes are opened. While attending a concert featuring the musical talent of Daniel (Farraday) Widmore, Claire goes into labor and is assisted, just like on the island, by Kate. Charlie helps too and during the birth, Claire and Kate both are hit with the flashbacks of what happened on the island – a really, really emotional scene shared by these characters. As the show neared its end, everyone began to gather at the church where Jack’s father’s funeral was to be held. The casket had been delivered earlier that day.  Ben sits outside and makes his peace with Locke and says goodbye to Hurley. He tells him he isn’t coming in yet because he has some more things to settle. Jack and Kate arrive, and Jack enters through the rear of the church. As he places his hands on the casket, his eyes are then opened to what everyone else has seen. He remembers all that happened on the island. He is then approached by his father who tells him why everyone is there. They had all died, some before Jack and some long after. The place they lived was something they had created to find each other. The time they spent together on the island was the most important of all, and they needed each other to remember, to let go, and to move on. Jack then walks out into the sanctuary to find all his friends from the Oceanic flight. Everyone mingles and hugs as they are all finally reconnected. Intermixed in this scene is the final scene from the island. Jack finds himself out of the cave and alone on some rocks. He stumbles through the woods, finding himself back in the bamboo forest he first woke up in. Clenching his knife wound, he falls to the ground in that same opening. Back in the church, Christian Shepherd walks out the front door of the church, which opens to reveal a bright light which then begins to fill the church. As Jack lies on the ground, Vincent runs back out of the woods and lays down next to Jack. We then see Jack’s right eye close, and the series comes to a dramatic, emotionally charged close.

So what’s my take on the whole thing? First of all, I wanna say that the writers/creators of LOST are brilliant. Writing like this does not happen often. What they created, however, was a show so complex and with so many details that it was nigh impossible to answer everything. Also, it’s nearly impossible to please everyone. A show that could have taken us in so many directions is bound to disappoint some people who wished it went in a different one. Personally, I loved the finale and what they did with the ending. It’s ends in true LOST fashion, ultimately being connected by the characters and love, not mythology and mystery. Also typical to LOST, it ends with some room for interpretation. The “flash sideways” world seems to be a type of purgatory – some kind of holding place for the people who are already dead but haven’t passed on to the next life. Though I’m not completely sold on this idea, I like the notion that blowing up the bomb at the end of Season 5 created this alternate world. Juliet told Sawyer that it worked, though clearly they were still on the island. It did, however, create a reality that they all lived in which seemed to be free from the hand of Jacob. Desmond, because of his freaky “powers” got a unique taste of and look at this reality, prompting him to open the eyes of all his fellow castaways. Regardless of interpretation, I really enjoyed the way they wrapped things up. My only complaint would be that they shouldn’t have wasted so much time at the beginning of the season on things like the Temple. More time could have been used to go into more detail about the origins of the heart of the island, Jacob and his brother, and the purgatorial world that the characters “created for themselves.”

It’s weird for me to write about this. I don’t generally watch much TV, but for years now we have been immersed in this world. The characters are SO good and SO well developed that we feel like we know them all personally. I don’t typically cry during any movies, much less during a tv show, but this episode had me going at several moments, including the entire last 5 minutes. It was almost a Lord of the Rings moment for me when it ended. A world and story that’s so intriguing and emotionally involving, spanning several years, is finally over – so what do I do now lol? The characters finally found rest and a new life with each other – similar, to me anyways, to Frodo being taken to the Grey Havens after his incredible journey ended. It’s just hard to believe that Jack and the crew won’t be showing up again next season. SO again, I would just like to congratulate the creators and cast for presenting such a solid show. LOST will truly be missed amongst a sea of otherwise predominantly dull television programming.

Namaste.

COEXIST: Symbols, Society, and Separation

Most bumper stickers are simple, requiring little thought to get the message the driver wants you to. It’s normally a campaign plea, a sports team, the classic honor student brag, or a funny phrase. One recently popular one, however, really got me thinking. If I take the time to research something (haha), you know it’s been on my mind. You’ve probably seen one of these bumper stickers by now. They’re typically a blue-ish color with big white symbols that appear to make up the word C O E X I S T. What I’m wondering is how to view this concept/movement in light of Scripture and our culture.

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

The Bumper Sticker was created by a website called www.peacemonger.org. From what I’ve read, the creator/owner of Peacemonger is a fairly radical liberal dude, highly involved in anti-war/anti-Bush movements, and even delves into a group that believes 9/11 was a government-staged conspiracy – that the towers toppled as a result of detonated explosives.

Definition, as stated on www.answers.com:

• To exist together, at the same time, or in the same place.

• To live in peace with another or others despite differences, especially as a matter of policy:

The symbols forming the word COEXIST appear as follows:

• C – the crescent moon and star symbolizing and associated with the Islamic (Muslim) faith.
• O – the peace symbol, originally used for the promotion of nuclear disarmament, later adopted by anti-war advocates in the 60’s.
• E – the astronomical symbols for Mars/Venus, later used to denote gender.
• X – the Star/Shield of David, later used to symbolize Judaism and represent the nation of Israel.
• I – the 5-pointed star used to symbolize the religions of Wicca and the Baha’i. Wiccans range from polytheists to atheists and practice witchcraft. The Baha’i basically meld most religions together, stating Jesus/Muhammad/Buddha were simply messengers for an almighty God.
• S – the ying-yang symbol, standing for Taoism, a diverse religion grounded in nature and spirits, and Confucianism, in which people attempt to better and perfect themselves through social and personal efforts focused on morality and virtue. Both religions find their roots in Asia.
• T – the cross, a long time symbol for the Christian faith, depicts the act of love and sacrifice by the God-man Jesus Christ.

Meaning/Message of the movement and those who display the logo, as stated in an article at  www.enochmagazine.com –

• “COEXIST is a way to demonstrate your support of religious freedom, tolerance and understanding.”
• “To encourage others in a greater religious understanding of other’s distinctive faiths, beliefs and practices. To promote friendship, goodwill and mutual trust among them.”

My Take –

In a nutshell, I believe (at this point) that the symbol is a good thing. I don’t believe that it predominantly represents the idea of atheism or some new age nonsense, but of a culture where religious freedom continues, just as our nation was founded on. Christians need to be accepting of all people in order to establish relationships and lead them to the TRUTH. Discrimination and animosity towards other religions, regardless of how wrong they may be, is a perfect recipe for further discord between fellow countrymen and between creations of God. I support the idea of tolerance, in the context of a free nation and a loving standard crafted by Jesus Christ. The sticker does not call us to accept all religions and ways of life as gospel, but to live in an understanding and peaceful way, while still upholding our personal beliefs.

On the flip side, I do think the COEXIST sticker could be confusing to some who are struggling to find an absolute truth. I can see problems when witnessing to someone who has come to believe, possibly as a result of the movement, that one can find God/peace/themselves through many avenues. I think it may be harmful for a Christian to fully support a concept that leaves other options, besides the atoning blood of Jesus, as possibilities for divine/eternal security.

Can you really support COEXIST if you believe John 14:6? What do YOU think? Feel free to reply here on the blog or on the FBook note page.

The dC Declaration Tour – Athens, GA May 4th, 2009

Last night was the long-awaited David Cook concert in Athens, Georgia. Here’s the story –

So it’s Sunday the day before the concert, and I still have noone to go with. Was I still gonna go? YEA. Would I still have had a great time? No doubt. But having peeps with you is always a plus. So at lunch Sunday, I was talking about the concert and my friend Rachael said she may be able to move her work sched around to go with me. Very cool. So she did and as of Mon morning, I was going with just her. Monday afternoon at 4:45, roughly 4 hours before the concert started, Nate and Mindi finally committed to going after 8 weeks of me nagging them 🙂 So I got to go with 3 other people -sweet.

So that morning I was watching a David Cook video blog and noticed under the comments section that everone was offering sympathy for his loss. I quickly googled the situation. David’s older brother, Adam, had been battling cancer for around 10 years. He was 37 yrs old , had a wife and 2 kids. He passed away late Sat night, and David found out around 3 am. He was scheduled to run in a 5k in DC in support of cancer. He kept his commitment there, and announced at the race what had happened. At this point in reading about his bro, I assumed the concert that nigtht was off, however, I later found out that the only show that was canceled was the one on the day of the funeral, wed may 6th. Needless to say, I knew this would add a ton of emotion to the concert last night. David guitar even has Adam’s initals on it to always keep thoughts on him.

The concert itself was amazing – a sold out crowd packed the walls of the Athen’s Georgia Theatre. The opening guy, Ryan Starr, was surprisingly good, but nothing compared to the energy and talent that filled the room when DC took the stage. His opening song was Heroes, my personal fav from his debut album. It was hard to take in that the dude we had cheered for week in and week out for so long was standing literally 15 ft in front of me. This was my 1st secular concert (featuring a big-name artist.) The guiarists/drummer for him were really good as well. They did a total of 11 songs. The only let-down was that I was hoping, especially since it was a smaller crowd, that he would have done some autograph signing and picture taking at his merchandise table. It would have been so cool just to say hey and tell him we were praying for his family. He seems liek the kinda guy that you could just go grab coffee with and chill out with.

Anyways – an amazing time. I cant wait to see him in concert again someday. Puts on ana amazing how with so much emotion.

Easter 09

The 1st  *Special Edition blog post could not have a greater subject. . . .

        Acts 2:42 says “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

        Today we celebrate the most crucial event in history. Anyone can die. Anyone can suffer torture and cruel treatment. NOT just anyone can conquer death. Today we remember what should be the driving force in our every breath : Jesus, the God man, willingly allowed sinners like you and me to put to shame and death the only being capable of saving them from the same thing. Striking story, but praise God that’s not where it ends. He lives, and thus we too may live.

          The church service this morning at Grace Church in Greenville was amazing. Pastor Matt Williams concluded our study on 1 Peter by examining Peter’s life. Last week we looked at his failures; this week his transformation. Matt started in John 21, detailing Jesus’ appearance to the Disciples after having fished all night only to come up empty. Jesus then takes Peter aside, purposefully asking him 3 times if he loved Him. In a nut shell, Jesus’ final charge to Peter was to simply feed the sheep, even though Jesus stated plainly that Peter’s life was not going to go well. I was not going to be the heroic and joyous triumph over Roman rule that Peter thought it would be. With that, we fast-forward 2 months to Acts 2, and we witness the birth of the church. As the Holy Spirit comes down into the world, strange things start to happen. The evil rulers of Jerusalem attribute this to drunkeness and insanity that has come upon the “Jesus Followers”, still clinging to an all-but-gone cause. Then the time comes for Peter to show what Jesus changed in him. Someone needed to stand up, speak out, and let the very people who killed God know what was happening. Peter figures, “hey, Jesus said life wasn’t going to go well for me, so I might as well start living my life for Him now.” And with that, Peter preaches at Pentecost, proclaims the murder and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and sees 3000 souls come to a faith in God.

          After the message, we had a baptism service. The baptisms at Grace are really cool/unique for several reasons. Each person gives a short testimony  in a video shown right beforehand. This is really cool cause it just lets everyone get to hear where the person is coming from and who they are. Everyone who is friends or family with the person is then allowed to gather around the pool to show support and love. To my understanding/knowledge, there is no passage in Scripture saying a Pastor has to be the one who actually does the baptizing, so at Grace, the person being baptized is allowed to choose the person who has had the biggest spiritual influence on their life to baptize them. This could be the Pastor, but it could also be a parent, sibling, or friend. There is something really touching about a Father being baptized by our Pastor and then staying in the pool to baptize his daughter, assisting in her making the same public profession of faith as he did moments earlier. Of course, this is all being accompanied by the musicians and worship leader playing and singing Jesus Paid It All, and just made for a really special time on a really special day.

             For the Christian, it’s imperative to live in the past – remebering what God has done for you, but also to live in light of the future – the return of the Savior. We closed the service by singing Glorious Day,  which states in it’s closing verse :

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming. One day the skies with His glories will shine.  Wonderful day, my Beloved One’s bringing. Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine. Living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away, rising He justified, freely, forever. One day He’s coming, O Glorious Day!