As promised in yesterday's posting, I am going back to the movies tonight.  I sometimes get a chance to watch a movie that I have not seen in a while and love when it reminds me about a great film that might have slipped my mind.  Last week, I watched one such movie called Memento.  What an outstanding film!  This movie, released back in 2000, is the story of a guy who suffers from short term memory loss and is hunting for the man he thinks killed his wife.  The cool part about Memento is that writer/director Chrisopher Nolan (who since has wrote & directed Batman Begins and The Prestige) allows the story to unfold BACKWARDS.  It was a very unique and innovative way to tell a story.  I highly recommend you see this movie if you never have or see it again if it has been a while.  The film stars Guy Pearce who has not done much of note since Memento, but reminded me of another movie I had not seen in a while.  Pearce was also one of the stars of the 1997 film L.A. Confidential.  I had not seen L.A. Confidential in quite some time and seeing Guy Pearce reminded me of how great that movie was.  It was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and won best adapted screenplay and best supporting actress honors.  It also was the film that really launched Russell Crowe's career with his fantastic performance as Bud White.  It has been 10 years and this is another tremendous movie you should definitely check out whether you have seen it before or not.  When you see some of these great movies, it just makes it so much more evident that we are lacking that level of quality in most of today's movies.  The nice thing is you can always go back and watch the great ones again (and again).

This weekend, I was flipping channels and came across the movie Con Air.  I really enjoyed this film when I saw it back in 1997, but not so much ten years later.  Con Air is not one of those movies like the two mentioned above which I would recommend seeing again, but it did have John Cusack as one of the stars.  I have mentioned it a couple times before and I will mention it here again, I am a big John Cusack fan.  When I was lying there watching Con Air, I thought that I should do a Top 10 list on John Cusack movies, so that is what I did.  Here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 LIST OF JOHN CUSACK MOVIES:

Honorable Mention.  Also mentioned before when I did the Rob Reiner Top 10 list, Stand By Me is one of my very favorite films.  Although it was a very small role (as Gordy's brother Denny Lachance), John Cusack did appear in Stand By Me (1986), so I will at least give it an honorable mention.

10.  One Crazy Summer (1986) as Hoops McCann.  Could have listed another Reiner film, The Sure Thing, here instead, but I like One Crazy Summer (which also stars Demi Moore) a little better.

9.  The Ice Harvest (2005) as Charlie.  Some interesting plot twists including alternate endings available on the DVD version.

8.  Runaway Jury (2003) as Nicholas Easter.  Under-rated film based on the John Grisham novel.  Definitely worth seeing.

7.  Eight Men Out (1988) as Buck Weaver.  Tells the story of the Black Sox scandal from the 1919 World Series.  Very cool movie especially if you are a sports fan.

6.  Better Off Dead (1985) as Lane Meyer.  Already listed in my Top 10 Teen Comedies from the 80's.

5.  Serendipity (2001) as Jonathan Trager.  Another under-rated film that addresses fate and finding that one person you are meant to be with.  I like this movie which co-stars the beautiful Kate Beckinsale very much and recommend it to anybody who enjoys a good romantic comedy.

4.  Being John Malkovich (1999) as Craig Schwartz.  A very quirky film written by Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation & Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and directed by Spike Jonze.  This is the type of movie I find very entertaining even though some might find it bizarre.  Great characters and performances by all of the cast.  I highly, highly recommend you see this film at least once.

3.  High Fidelity (2000) as Rob Gordon.  Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, Cusack was nominated for a best actor Golden Globe in this role.  He plays a record-store owner who happens to be a compulsive list-maker (like anybody else we know?).  Great cast including a breakout performance by Jack Black.  Definitely on my recommended list.

2.  Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) as Martin Blank.  This movie easily ranks in my Top 10 Favorite Movies, though it did not receive the critical acclaim that I always felt it should.  It is about a professional hitman who goes back to his hometown to attend his high school class reunion.  My twisted sense of humor just finds this entire film hilarious each and every time I watch it.  I love it and cannot recommend it more highly.

1.  Say Anything (1989) as Lloyd Dobler.  Written and directed by Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), this is another one of my all time favorite movies.  Lloyd Dobler is one of my favorite movie characters of all time as well.  It features wonderfully written dialogue and a story that really connects with you emotions.  Released back in '89, the movie still holds up today.  If you have not seen it in a while, do yourself a favor and watch again soon. 

That's the list, but please note that I have not seen his three most recent films (Grace is Gone, 1408 and Martian Child), so those could end up on this list when I do.  I hear Grace is Gone is a very good movie, so I hope to see that real soon.  Other Top 10 lists for actors that I plan to work into future postings include John Candy, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Eddie Murphy and many more.  OK, that will wrap up things for tonight.  Thanks for reading and, if you are new to my blog, be sure to check out the archives to get caught up.  Peace & love.

Check this out:  Kind of "the grass is always greener" commentary...

Quote of the day:  "No one can be right all of the time, but it helps to be right most of the time." -Robert Half

Download this:  "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel - One of the best movie songs ever is featured in an iconic scene from Say Anything which stars John Cusack and ranked #1 on the Top 10 list above.  Not in any John Cusack movie that I am aware of, but also one of my favorite songs, is "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel.  Both are wonderful.