30.
The Last Samurai (2003)
Tom Cruise vs. Samurai vs. Ninjas vs. Machine Guns. This movie is about…well…the last samurai. Its essentially about losing touch with tradition and its just one of those incredible movies that changes you on the inside after you watch it. Great battle/fight scenes. Best movie about Japan I’ve ever seen.
29.
Seabiscuit (2005)
Another one of those cheerful true story sports movies that I love. From the documentary feel, to the camera to make it feel like you’re racing as one of the jockeys, this movie is great visually, and the emotional feel is as well. This movie does a good job of capturing the feel of the Great Depression, as well as the sensational aspect of horse-racing. Probably the best movie on this list if you wanna feel that rush of “yes we won!”
28.
Collateral (2004)
Collateral (starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx) is basically a twisted buddy movie. Tom Cruise forces Jamie Foxx (who plays an everyman taxi driver) to drive him around L.A. so that Tom Cruise can shoot a bunch of key witnesses. This is probably one of Tom Cruise’s best roles, and he plays a villain! Their’s also a great soundtrack, with a brief appearance by Audioslave.
27.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Basically a Schindler’s List for Africa, this is a great inspirational movie. Its about this dude who owns a hotel in Rwanda. And he does more good than the stupid U.N. ever will. Stuipd U.N. And yes, Don Cheadle is the dude.
26.
King Kong (2005)
Peter Jackson is such a good director. Man. This movie knocks my socks off. Its really long, but if you can pay attention for the whole thing its totally worth it. Unless you’re an idiotahem I mean uninformed you should know this was based on some movie that came out in 1933. A big ape climbs to the top of the empire state building. Naomi Watts is an angel in this movie, and Jack Black is in it too…wait…Jack Black? Ya. Basically.
25.
Munich (2005)
This movie is about Jews kicking ass. Surprise, surprise Stephen Spielberg directed it. Its sort of based on a true story…kind of. The real life events are known as “Operation Wrath of God” which is such an awesome name. Anyway, its starting Eric Bana and he’s in like Black Hawk Down and Star Trek. He’s also in that new movie with Rachel McAdams about some Time Traveller or somethin.
24.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Boy am I going to get flamed for this one. If you’re thinking about flaming me I have a singular response: “Have you actually seen this movie?” The only thing about it thats a chick flick is the fact that its about the fashion world, but thats really just the setting. This movie is hilarious, and its actually pretty interesting. Anne Hathaway (who is gorgeous, no questions about that one) is a college grad who goes to work for a magazine that is a fictional version of Vogue. Meryl Streep (probably the greatest actress of our time) plays the owner. Its an interesting look at fashion and the corporate world, and what it takes to live that kind of life. Think of Mean Girls for grown ups.
23.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Russell Crowe. Ships. The ocean. Epic. Anyone who can film a good movie with the ONLY location being a ship in the middle of an ocean deserves a medal. Which is why this movie won best cinematography. So great. Basically this is one British man-o-war vs. one French mercenary ship. Thats it. Watch this movie. (Unless you’re afraid of water.)
22.
Inside Man (2006)
Clive Owen robs a bank. Denzel Washington and Willem Dafoe try to stop him. Jodie Foster tries to stop all of them. This is one of those Spike Lee films that makes you THINK. Not only about “How the heck is Clive Owen going to pull this off.” But also about racism, right and wrong, and what life is like in New York. I’ve watched this movie four times and I still can’t figure out who the bad guy is. Watch it yourself and see what I mean.
21.
United 93 (2006)
I watch this film every September 11th. This sobers me up and reminds exactly what our country went through on that day. If you’ve never seen this you should watch it two weeks from today. Not just about the people on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania, it also shows the events of the day from the perspective of other government officials. There are no big actors in this movie, giving it even more of a documentary feel. This movie feels real and I get goose bumps just thinking about it.
