Gib's Top Ten Dramatic Movies (No Comedies Allowed!)

1) "The Count of Monte Cristo" One of the best storylines of all time. This movie has it all: sword fights, true love, betrayal, revenge… On top of all this the acting in the movie is dynamite. If you haven’t seen it, stop what you are doing and go watch it now.
2) "Stranger than Fiction" Quirky story with quirky characters. Just enough twists to keep you interested and just enough comedy to keep a smile on your face. The killer cast of Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Will Ferrell is icing on the cake.


3) "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" The classic case of going to the movie theatre expecting to be underwhelmed and walking out saying, “holy crap, that was awesome!” Although the recent avalanche of sequels have put a damper on my love for this movie, I still think seeing it in the theatres was one of my most pleasant and surprising movie-going experiences to date… 4) "Forrest Gump" One of three movies to ever make me cry. All three are on this list. Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump has to be one of the best acting performances I have ever seen. The story itself is the perfect blend of emotion. It is happy, sad, frustrating, silly, angering, and entertaining all rolled into one movie.



5) "The Shawshank Redemption" Also one of best storylines I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. The Warden in this movie would have to be near the top of my “Top 10 Most Dastardly Villains” list, and I can remember few movies where I rooted more for the success of the main character than I did for Andy Dufresne. The cast of Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, and Bob Gunton isn’t too shabby either…
6) "Saving Private Ryan" My favorite “war movie” of all time. It is real. It is tough to watch, and it makes me dang proud to be an American. Tom Hanks is incredible once again.



7) "No Country for Old Men" Not a “feel good” movie, but it has another one of what consider to be the great Hollywood villains of all-time in Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh. He is so terrifying to me that I still sometimes have to convince myself that he is not real when I close my eyes to sleep at night.

8) "Glory" One of the three movies that I have ever cried while watching. The cast is one of my favorites: Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Cary Elwes.




9) "Apollo 13" Tom Hanks again makes the list. Ed Harris is also dynamite in this movie. I believe this movie captures the “never-say-die American spirit” that has helped make our country so great.


10) "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark" The quintessential action/comedy movie. This movie never gets old, and is one that I will enjoy showing to my kids one day.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

1) "Up"
2) "Man on Fire"
3) "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"
4) "Little Miss Sunshine"
5) "Iron Man"

[All images from imdb.com]