Note: a number of these films include some amount of violence, coarse language, sexual situations, etc.
Best of 2009
Best of 2010
Best of 2011
Best of 2012
- A Simple Plan - my favorite movie; delves into the human condition by way of a modern day parable of the Biblical idea that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."
- Bella - Amazing movie, a must see. Wonderful pro-life message.
- To End All Wars - This movie left me speechless. Incredibly emotional to watch, it follows the lives of POWs in Japanese WWII camps. Most explicitly Christian movie I've ever seen out of Hollywood.
- Gran Torino - Moving tale of heart change and sacrifice. Eastwood goes out on top with this powerful film.
- Cinderella Man - inspiring tale of heroism during the Depression based on the life of boxer James Braddock; one of the best stories of familial and marital love in a long time.
- Lord of the Rings Trilogy - fantastic adaptation of Tolkien's thrilling adventure in Middle Earth; the trilogy gets better as it goes, with The Return of the King standing as one awe-inspiring flick. On the whole, the trilogy stays mostly true to the book, with the most egregious oversight being the complete disregard for the love story between Lady Eowyn and Faramir.
- Identity - "Going up the stairs, I met a man who wasn't there; he wasn't there again today, I wish I wish he'd go away"... thrilling suspense movie with great twists.
- Man on Fire - powerful movie of redemption and sacrifice. Denzel Washington does a superb job.
- Tombstone - "I'm your huckleberry"... Fun action film based on the life of Wyatt Earp and the fight at the OK Corral. Val Kilmer plays Doc Holliday like no one can.
- The Game - my all-time favorite suspense thriller; not only does it have a great twist or two along the way, humility is the main message.
- Unbreakable - wonderful film by M. Night Shyamalan that always gives me goose bumps at the end; tells a wonderful story of marital renewal and sacrifice couched in an entertaining story involving a real-life superhero.
- The Shawshank Redemption - powerful film with very positive themes of restraint, hope, and redemption (to name a few).
- Gladiator - another Russell Crowe acting masterpiece, this movie is based in ancient Rome with powerful themes of honor, duty, and patriotism. The title of this blog is based on a line from Gladiator.
- Memento - most unique film I've seen. Makes a rather average story very interesting just by the movie's structure.
- Braveheart - bravery and sacrificial love rule the day in the epic war movie in which Mel Gibson directed and starred.
- The Village - another of Shyamalan's films that has everything in it: moving and clean love story, suspense, and plot twists. Unique.
- The Count of Monte Cristo - this retelling of the classic Alexander Dumas tale is well-made and decently captures the most important details of the moving redemption story. However, one must read the book to fully capture the Count's reverence for God.
- The Matrix - the original one in the trilogy had an amazing combination of action, philosophy, and Christian symbolism. The other two films were not as unique.
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - this historical drama is quite engrossing, particularly for one that stretches close to three hours in length. Produced with a Ken Burns-like style yet not a documentary, the film pulls the viewer in and doesn't let him go. Casey Affleck is brilliant as the titular "Coward."
- Gone Baby Gone - another film starring Casey Affleck (and directed by his brother Ben), this one delves into the human condition and the idea of absolute morality. This one stunned me with its depth and honesty.
Best of 2009
Best of 2010
Best of 2011
Best of 2012
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