2004's Desert Island Top Ten Movies

J. Kevin Tumlinson

It's that time of year again. Or rather, it's the end of that time of year again. Now that 2004 is closing shop and 2005 is starting to sweep off the sidewalk out front, it's time once again for J. Kevin Tumlinson's Annual Desert Island Favorites List!

This year, it's DVDs.

I hate to admit it, but this is a much tougher list for me than favorite CDs. I'm a huge movie buff, so narrowing down a meager little list of my favorites is quite a challenge. But hey, it's tradition. Here goes! In no particular order...

High Fidelity -- How could I possibly have a Top 10 list without the mother of all Top 10 List movies? John Cusack and Jack Black in one film? Not to mention all that great music. And the constant monologue would be quite the inspiration for a guy stuck on a desert island, not to mention that since Cusack talks to the camera the whole time I could pretend we're having a conversation. Better than a volley ball.

Ghostbusters -- This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I still remember going to the theater to see it when I was 12. It was the first movie I ever saw that actually USED surround sound, and wow did it make a difference! Plus, this has to be the best work that Bill Murray ever did. Who was cooler than Peter Venkman? Yeah, that's right. Nobody.

Raiders of the Lost Ark -- But before there was Ghostbusters, there was the first movie to feature Indiana Jones - the whip bearing, idle swapping, fedora wearing archeologist that had all the pretty girls writing in their eyelids. I'm not sure there have ever been many archaeologists who fought Nazis, but I sure wanted to be one after seeing this guy in action. And it didn't hurt that Indie was played by none other than Han Solo himself.

Napoleon Dynamite -- This movie is sweet. Even if you don't have any nunchaku skills.

The Shawshank Redemption -- I figure if I'm stranded on a deserted island with no way off, I have a lot in common with Andy. For starters, there's the unwanted man-love in the shower...

Spider-man -- I waited 30 years for this movie to come out. Might as well spend 30 years scrutinizing it with a sun-addled brain. Plus, the wet t-shirt scene with Kirsten Dunst will keep me warm on those long, lonely nights.

Oh Brother, Where Art thou? -- This is the very question that I hope my brother will ask every day that I'm gone.

Spider-man 2 -- I waited 30 years for the first one, but this is the one I think of as "the best super hero movie ever made." I'm sure I'd be fashioning rope swings form jungle vines and acting out the Doc Ock battle using palm trees and inner tubes in no time.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended editions) -- Ok, I admit it, I'm sneaking in three movies for the price of one. But all together this is something like 12 hours of movies. That's good for passing those long days on the beach. Not to mention there are like 20 something hours of behind the scenes footage. And I can pretend that I have a magic ring that makes me invisible to everyone else on the island! I bet no one would talk to me.

Cast Away -- Because I like irony.

Well, that's this year's Top 10! Here's to a great 2005. Best wishes from everyone here at ViewOnline.com, and happy New Year!

J. Kevin Tumlinson is the Publisher and Editor for ViewOnline Magazine at www.viewonline.com. He is a Houston Baptist University graduate with degrees in English and Communications and a Masters in Education. You can reach him by e-mail at kevin@viewonline.com. He would be the first couch potato with a tan.

posted by Unknown @ 4:56 PM