Ashley's TOP 10!!!!!!

Hey everybody!!!! This is my long overdue top ten list. Actually, it is 11 because I couldn't delete one without feeling blasphemous. Like Vince with his Star Wars, I am not including Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any Joss Whedon creations in that they are perfection and no one can compare......

11. Harold and Maude: This is an interesting study on love. It is quirky and Cat Stevens wrote most of the soundtrack specifically for the movie (before he went crazy). Even though you should be weirded out, you're not. It makes you think about love and life differently, which is why this movie rocks.

10. Sunset Boulevard: "I always wanted a pool." Enough said.

9. Streetcar named Desire: The play is phenomenal (obviously), the acting is brilliant, and so goes the film. There is so much intensity in this movie. Tennessee Williams creates such an intricate story, and the imagery is so layered, every time you watch it you find something new. PS. Marlon Brando is beyond sexy.

8. Casablanca: There's a reason this is a classic. It is sad, it is funny, it is awesome. If you haven't seen it, do it now.

7. Jules et Jim: Oh mon dieu how can we not include this? Classic French brilliance by Truffaut. He pushes things and we love him for that.

6. Lost In Translation: I love how honest this movie is. The dialogue is real and terrific and the cinematography creates some beautiful images. Bill Murray knows how to create an astounding character. Woo ScoJo!

5. Life Aquatic: Again, I say Bill Murray. Most people like The Royal Tenenbaums better (and it is most definitely brilliant), but this is my favorite Wes Anderson film. The soundtrack is amazing, and I think it is just a little more bizarre, which I guess I am considering a good thing.

4. Volver: This movie is staggeringly good. Pedro Almodóvar is definitely one of my favorite directors, and Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown was close to making this list. But, Volver is beautiful. The story is ingenious, and Penelope Cruz has one of the most incredibly acted scenes I have ever seen. Hooray.

3. Moulin Rouge: Don't make fun of me. I guess you can if you want, but Baz Luhrmann is a genius. The Red Curtain Trilogy (this movie plus Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet)is good directing smacking you in the face. Costumes, Set Design, Cinematography, every little thing about this movie amazes me. It is romantic. I love it.

2. Before Sunrise/Before Sunset Duo: I LOVE these movies because they are proof to everyone that simple, low budgeted, clever films can be made. Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke co-wrote Before Sunset with Richard Linklater. Both films are 90 minutes of intelligent conversation, which seems really dull, but turns out to be truly insightful and it makes you feel good. Brilliant. Love it, watch it over and over.

1. 400 Blows: This was a difficult choice. Wait, no it wasn't. This film is beyond description. When you watch it, something inside you gets woken up and you remember childhood in a different way. The final scene is worth every complaint I have ever heard about this film. It is freeing, and Antoine Doinel becomes a character that you never ever forget...ever.

Woo, that was long but really fun. I hope you all get a chance to do this yourselves. Email your own top 10 (or 11) lists to me or Vince and we will get them up!! YAY LUCine!!!!