My Top 100 Movies -- 15-11

15. Love Actually. This brilliant film is perhaps the ultimate hybrid. It's a romantic comedy, an anthology, a Christmas movie, a tear-jerking drama, and more. Its bottomless cast featuring numerous award-winning and -nominated actors will make you laugh and cry. I raved about this movie a few years back (though it was not the first time I'd seen it). Really, the only bad thing I think you could say about it was that it spawned several critically derided knock-offs based around other holidays.

14. Galaxy Quest. When J.J. Abrams, director of the newest Star Trek films, was asked what he himself thought was the best Star Trek movie, he reportedly answered Galaxy Quest. And honestly, whether the story is true or not, the sentiment certainly is. This brilliant comedy is tinged with surprising drama, emotion, and thrills, and soars to heights even greater than my favorite real Star Trek film. It lovingly parodies the actual Trek franchise without ever once denigrating it; it even makes a hero out of a sci-fi fan. Once again, I have an earlier review you can read for more details.

13. The Shawshank Redemption. I've never read the original novella by Stephen King on which this film was based, but based on his writing that I have read, credit for this film's brilliance must go to writer-director Frank Darabont. Whaever alchemy he worked to massage that story into this brilliant script, whatever uncanny ability he had to elicit amazing performances from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman (among others), this film was a towering achievement. And it's criminal that this movie won none of the 7 Oscars for which it was nominated, was left off of the AFI's original top 100 film list (only to be added in the 10th Anniversary version), and barely covered its budget in a largely ignored theatrical release. At least it's appreciated today; IMdB users have rated it the best movie ever made.

12. Frailty. When most people think "horror," they think of a monster or killer lurking in the shadows, jumping out to scare the audience. But Frailty is a true horror film; it is utterly horrific. A domineering father played by Bill Paxton forces his two sons to help assist him in committing grizzly murders of people he says are actually demons in disguise. Can two young boys bring themselves to stop their own father? And are they even capable of doing so? This film was also directed by Bill Paxton, who did such a tremendous job delivering a taut, moody, unsettling film, it's unthinkable that he's directed only one full length film since then. Sure, he's been starring on an HBO TV series (Big Love) for most of that time, but I think his even greater talent is being wasted. (More thoughts on the movie were in my earlier review.)

11. American Beauty. I've gushed about this movie before, and in the process revealed friends who both love and hate it. Anyone who has watched Six Feet Under will concede that Alan Ball's writing can be polarizing that way. I find the tightly woven tapestry here to be ingenious, and the characters all captivating. Sam Mendes provides wonderful direction to a cast of amazing actors. Of all the movies to ever actually win the Best Picture Oscar, American Beauty is my favorite.