Have you ever had the conversation with someone, “Hey, if you could get paid to do anything in the world, what would it be?” Yes, of course you have. We’ve all had the conversation. Maybe it was when you were doing a bit of drinking, but it’s a conversation even for the soberest of people. I figure you spend most of your life working so you can spend that rest of it doing things that you love. The question is really designed to combine doing things you love and getting paid for them. My answer to that question frequently changes, but always revolves around a few things: Traveling, music, movies, and fashion. So, I’m going to take a few lines of your time to give some recommendations about my favorite movies. I’m going to split this into a 4-part series over the next month, detailing my favorite movies, musical albums, fashion fads, and travel destinations. With that, I’ve always said taste in anything is subjective, so don’t hold it against me. After all, I’m not getting paid for this. Yet.
I’ve loved movies since I was old enough to try and watch a PG-13 movie when I shouldn’t have. The same applies to trying to watch a rated R movie when I shouldn’t have. The list of my favorite movies is ever-growing, but here are my top 5. I’ve basically cemented these as my top 5 for the sake of continuity, but it will change when/if I see a movie truly deserving of knocking my top 5 around.
1) Green Street Hooligans – A lot of people haven’t seen this movie, so I can talk it up all I want without fear of mass opinions. For those of you who have seen it, you might think, “How can that movie be your favorite?” My retort would be this: It combines 3 of my favorite things – drinking, football, and swearing. It’s about a kid (Elijah Wood) who gets kicked out of Harvard cause he took the fall for his junkie roommate when the school found drugs in their room. He goes to visit his sister in London, falls in with a football firm (gang) and their leader (Charlie Hunnam) and the movie plays on from there. I’ve talked to the writer of the screenplay, Dougie Brimson, on several occasions and as a man who grew up in that environment, he vouches for the integrity of the movie. With bits that are funny, gritty, and emotional, it meshes all the things I mentioned above into a film that I’ve loved since I saw it. I also hold it close because the lead character in the film shares my last name, “Dunham.” Funny, I know.
2) Snatch – Guy Ritchie hasn’t done much worthy of praise in the last 5 years (Rock N Rolla being the exception), but his first two big movies that I loved were Snatch andLock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (see my next favorite movie). This movie is a crime caper about two guys looking to sell a huge diamond that they found inside of a dog. We learn of the story and how all characters are intertwined throughout the film. It’s witty and funny, much more a comedy than something serious. Jason Statham and Brad Pitt are the names that would stick out on a casting sheet. It’s good guys vs bad guys, all in an attempt to locate and hold onto this elusive diamond. The banter is classic and probably some of my favorite in any movie. The whole movie involves learning new things and that they somehow affect more than just the people involved in the scene.
3) Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels – Probably Guy Ritchie’s quintessential film. This was what put him on the map, but for me, Snatch is better. However, this is a close 2nd. This is in the same vain as Snatch. It’s a crime caper about four guys (Jason Statham, again) who pool all their savings to have one friend play in an exclusive poker game – an effort to quadruple their money. The poker game is held by a man that no one wants to be on the bad side of. Naturally, he loses the money, but not just that. He overextends himself and ends up owing the mob boss (Harry the Hatchet) a large sum of money. The movie revolves around them trying to figure out how to make the money back. Again, other characters help play a part in where this money comes from and ultimately how the movie ends. A mixture of crime and comedy, this is a definite must see.
4) Shawshank Redemption – This film is in many a people’s top 5. I remember the first time I saw this movie when I was like 12. From then, it remained in my top 5. Based on the short novel by Stephen King, it’s about a man (Tim Robbins) who is wrongly accused of murdering his wife. He is sent to Shawshank prison where he meets and befriends a fellow inmate (Morgan Freeman). The movie is about their lives inside Shawshank and basically how they survived inside the prison over the course of some 15-20 years. It’s involved and it keeps you wanting to know more. There aren’t a bunch of twists or turns, but I will say that the ending is the best ending to any movie. Ever. In fact, this is probably my 2nd favorite movie of all time, alternating the top spot with Green Street Hooligans.
5) Good Will Hunting – I’ve always loved this movie, but it has just recently, and finally, cemented its spot in my top 5. Based around a misfit genius (Matt Damon) who ends up getting on the wrong side of the law a few too many times from too many fights. After Will solves a complex math problem on the chalkboard of an MIT hallway working as a janitor there, a math professor bails him out of jail in the agreement that they will work together. The agreement is that it keeps Will out of jail and allows this math professor a look inside what makes Will a mathematical genius. Will is also forced to meet with a court-appointed therapist . After going through several shrinks that he blows off, he meets with one (Robin Williams). The movie is about Will growing up into more than someone who just gets drunk and in bar fights. Of course a girl is involved (Minnie Driver). It’s about Will realizing what he really wants. His witty friends (Ben and Casey Affleck) make the movie even more awesome. Definitely worthy of a top 5 spot.
I have a million other movies that I could talk for days about. If you would like to shoot the gab over movies, music, travel, fashion, or anything, follow me on Twitter (@JasDunham). I’d love to get paid to watch and critique movies, but for now, I’ll just write my thoughts here and rant on Twitter. Hope you enjoyed.
