BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) RIVER’S EDGE
This was a lot harder to figure out than one would expect. Keanu Reeves has been in TONS of great movies. I normally don’t do honorable mentions and I’m not about to start, but Speed, The Devil’s Advocate, and Constantine made me think long and hard. I had to go with River’s Edge. It’s one of my all time favorite movies. It’s not perfect, but the performances, direction, and grittiness of it all rocks. For a mid 80’s movie this movie broke a lot of grounds in terms of independent cinema. This is Keanu Reeves’ staring project and he does well with it. He’s conflicted on what to do as the world around him, especially Crispin Glover and Dennis Hopper, are going absolutely ape shit. It’s a great movie and should be watched regularly by all movie fans.
(THREE) POINT BREAK
This is a guilty pleasure. In 1991 I saw Point Break at the drive in and I was stoked. I had the soundtrack on cassette tape, I watched the movie on a loop, and I still to this day quote the movie. I’m such a fan of this movie that the opening scene of The Dark Knight feels like it’s mildly ripping this movie off. I know that’s crazy, but that is how much I think about this movie.
(TWO) THE MATRIX
In some circles this would be his number one. I can respect that. It’s a great movie. The franchise itself was pretty cool even though it faded in quality as the sequels came. Never the less, Keanu rocks this role. He will always be Neo and nerds are always going to love The Matrix. It’s a modern classic and one of the coolest science fiction movies of all time.
(ONE) BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
If I had to be stuck on an island with only ten movies this would be one of them. The poster for this movie is about six feet away from me. I look at it every single day with the same genuine affection I’ve had since kindergarten. This 1989 buddy comedy is the second best time travel movie of all time. #1 is Back to the Future, but you should already know that. I spent many hours, many days, and many years being in love with this movie. Plus, this movie taught me more about history than 90% of the teachers I’ve had. This movie is greatness.
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