My Movie Alphabet Blogathon Part IV: S-Z

Mettel Ray Movie Blog is hosting a blogathon for the ages. I’ll admit, I’m a little upset I didn’t come up with the genius idea but I’m glad a blog I really admire was able to come up with it. The idea behind the My Movie Alphabet Blogathon is exactly what you think it is. Come up with a list, A to Z of movies you love, actors you admire, directors you worship, or anything else related to the cinema. While this is quite the tasking idea and could be redone and redid over and over, I’m going to break up my entry for the blogathon into four segments. You can take a look at Part I here, Part II here, and Part III here.

The Sandlot– 1993
Directed by: David M. Evans, Rated: PG, 101 minutes

Next to The Princess Bride, The Sandlot sits atop my favorite movies of all time list. To me, it’s the perfect coming of age movie. It’s the most quotable movie I have ever seen and is a must watch whenever it’s on TV. It’s the kind of movie that takes you back to a simpler time and gives more nostalgia to lost summers, baseball, and friendship. Heroes live forever, legends never die, and The Sandlot reigns supreme.

Honorable Mentions: Sunshine, Stand by Me, The Station Agent (although there are a billion gems sitting in the S class)

The Truman Show– 1998
Directed by: Peter Weir, Rated: PG, 103 minutes

Who knew Jim Carrey could actually act? Like, really act. With 1998’s The Truman Show, we’re given our first look at the real talent of the funny man and it’s one hell of a tear-jerker. Telling the story of a man who’s entirely life is a lie- for our entertainment, is not only an incredible idea but a heart-wrenching one as well. Seeing him meet his “god” is such as touching, and you can’t help but love the movie. Ed Harris also delivers one hell of a performance.

Honorable Mentions: Twelve Angry Men, Total Recall, Taxi Driver

Karl Urban

Karl Urban is in his own class of movie stars. He looks and sounds a lot like Brad Pitt, but he’s younger and has a lot more edge to him. His career has been a bumpy one, indeed, but with appearances in The Lord of the Rings, Dredd, Red, and Star Trek, his future looks brighter than ever. Personally, I can’t wait to see what he does next. He reeks of charm and sex appeal, while being able to kick so much ass. Tom Cruise hit 50 this year, we need a new action mega star. I think Urban could be it.

Honorable Mentions: The Usual Suspects, Up, Up in the Air

V for Vendetta– 2005
Directed by: James McTeigue, Rated: R, 132 minutes

Could there really be anything else for V? This film has started movements, ingrained the date of a particular holiday in our minds, and made the 1812 Overture even more epic. Starring Hugo Weaving as the titular character, V for Vendetta is a film with style, a smart script, and terrific acting. I’m a sucker for movies set in a dystopian society and I’m even a bigger sucker for badass heroes like V. Quotable, memorable, and even cooler to look at, V for Vendetta is most certainly something special.

Honorable Mentions: Vicky, Christina, Barcelona, Vacation, Versus

Waking Life– 2001
Directed by: Richard Linklatter, Rated: R, 99 minutes

Richard Linklatter is a filmmaker that doesn’t get talked about enough. He’s a master of dialogue- on par with Tarantino and Allen, and his films feel more genuine than real life sometimes. With Waking Life, his drama-documentary, we walk through an assortment of dreams, interviews, and interactions and contemplate life and the meaning behind everything. It’s unique, it’s remarkable, and it looks ridiculously cool.

Honorable Mentions: Christopher Walken, Wall-E, West Side Story

X-Men: First Class– 2011
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn, Rated: PG-13, 132 minutes

Dat Fass. Seriously, Michael Fassbender AND James McAvoy in a movie together, let alone an X-Men flick? Matthew Vaughn completely revives a franchise thought to be dead by taking us into the past, livening up the cast, and injecting his own, unique style. Easily one of the best superhero movies in recent memory and I cannot wait for the sequel. Oh, and Kevin Bacon’s the bad guy. Yeah, it’s awesome.

Honorable Mentions: X2: X-Men United, American History X, Xander Berkley (24)

Young Frankenstein– 1974
Directed by: Mel Brooks, Rated: PG, 106 minutes

It’ll be a sad day when we won’t have Mel Brooks anymore. And an even sadder day when we lose Gene Wilder. Luckily, we’ll always have their movies and can laugh our asses off at the two geniuses. Arguably their best film, Young Frankenstein is just as quotable as any other movie on this list and even more iconic. Brooks retells the classic story but adds his own unique humor, style, and of course, dance numbers.

Honorable Mentions: 3:10 to Yuma, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Yes Man (I love it, shhh)

Zodiac– 2007
Directed by: David Fincher, Rated: R, 157 minutes

David Fincher has made masterpieces at almost every turn in his career but one of them (I feel) never gets the love it deserves and that is Zodiac. The film is one of the most tense things I’ve seen and it’s even more atmospheric. It’s a story about one man’s obsession with finding the Zodiac killer and turns into something you never can expect. Oh, and the cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Yeah. I know.

Honorable Mentions: Zombieland, Zoe Saldana, Zack Snyder

Well, folks. There you have it. My stretched-out (my apologizes) movie alphabet and a list of films and people I love. What are your thoughts on my list? What are some of your favorites? Any clever or unique choices for some of those harder to pick letters?