1.
Unforgiven ~ proselytizing for two hours how inglorious the old
west really was before finishing with the most glorious ending ever.
2.
Gone With The Wind ~ Scarlett O'Hara was my first love. Hard to
believe this film was made 70 years ago. Gorgeous soundtrack.
3.
There Will Be Blood ~ Daniel Day Lewis in one of the greatest
performances ever. Lost Best Picture Award to a movie appearing on this list at
#142.
4.
The Book of Eli ~ Dystopian ambience at its best… stark cruel
future… Denzel is bad in a good way and the girl is utterly gorgeous.
5.
Appaloosa ~ My second favorite western. Great chemistry and writing.
6.
Cinderella Man ~My favorite sports movie.
7.
Life is Beautiful ~ The miraculously perfect fusion of comedy
with sadness. Soundtrack is must-have.
8.
Forrest Gump ~ Intellectually challenged character who becomes a
football star, ping pong champion, war hero, chivalrous lover, and noble father
leaving me with no excuse for dreams unrealized.
9.
True Romance ~ Watch it for the showdown between Christopher
Walken and Dennis Hopper, but the rest of the movie is superb too.
10. Star
Trek II, III, and IV ~ When I was a child, I'm afraid my reverence for Spock
eclipsed my reverence for anything else.
11. Unbreakable
~ My favorite super hero movie. Bruce
Willis must be convinced of his unique abilities and destiny.
12. Gladiator
~ Gripping story of revenge waged in ancient times against a twisted tyrant.
13. The
Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ~ Saw it on VHS when I was about 12 and the phone
rang just before final showdown. While movie was on pause my brothers and I
argued for nearly an hour about who would kill who. Incredible
music by Morricone.
14. To Kill
a Mockingbird ~ The inspiring integrity of Atticus. A movie unlike any other
for the mood it creates and sustains.
15. Truman
Show ~ Another parable on what you might say if you ever bumped into your maker.
16. Enchanted
~ Fairytale Princess reminds us it's okay to have faith.... in people, in
dreams, in love, in life.
17. Equilibrium
~ This guy can (and, more to the point, does) kick ass.
18. Sideways
~ Made me feel smart just watching it. Working at several levels and ultimately
suggesting you should be true to yourself and while you're at it, go ahead and
conquer your fear.
19. Rounders
~ The movie about Texas Holdem. Matt Damon's character is a card playing
genius.
20. Groundhog
Day ~ Lesson to be learned on how sweet life can be when you stop being an
impatient self~centered jerk.
21. Far and
Away ~ My favorite Tom Cruise movie. A great adventure transcending continents
and feelings.
22. Goodwill
Hunting ~ Matt Damon's character is a genius (again). This time he's tough as
nails too and doesn't give a shit about anything or anyone. He's simply
unimpressed.
23. Life of
Brian ~ Easily the funniest movie ever made. And it scores a few points too
about how ridiculous religion can be.
24. Princess
Bride ~ When you're a kid you love stories and this is the best one.
25. Blade
Runner ~ My favorite Sci-Fi movie. Rich with symbolism. What if you could meet
your maker? Vangelis soundtrack makes it unforgettable.
26. Rocky
I, II, III, V, VI ~ Had to omit the fourth installment because of the goofy
speech Rocky makes to the Russian audience after defeating their champion.
27. Rise of
the Planet of the Apes
28. Love
Actually ~ Tons of laughs that leave you appreciating how boring life would be
without that warm mushy stuff we tend to classify as love.
29. Braveheart
~ Beautiful how he humiliates the bad guys for killing his sweetheart. They pay
with blood. Lots of it.
30. Blood
of Heroes ~ Little known but perfectly produced dystopian portrayal of underdog
athletes who won't quit.
31. Sling
Blade ~ Carl?
32. Casablanca
~ Replete with majestic dialogue and beautiful musical score.
33. Long
Hot Summer ~ Don Johnson, Cybill Sheperd, Jason Robards. This 1980’s made for
TV movie still hasn't been released on DVD.
34. Napoleon
Dynamite ~ One of a handful of comedies on this list. Utterly unique. Makes you
thank God you're not in high school anymore. Makes you sad that some people
never outgrow those years.
35. Ivanhoe
~ Referring to the 1982 TV movie starring Sam Neil as the primary villain. A
gorgeous depiction of heraldry and chivalry.
36. Yes Man
~ In which we are playfully reminded that we’re not doing quite enough living
with our lives.
37. Godfather
Trilogy ~ Notice the way the appearance of fruit consistently precedes death. The
music will linger with you long after the closing credits ascend the screen.
38. Oz the
Great and Powerful
39. Year
One ~ Funnier every time you watch it and it will make you more knowledgeably.
40. Girl in
a Cafe ~ In which life is too damned precious to keep your mouth shut.
41. The
Hunger Games
42. Django
Unchained
43. Troy ~
Very cool battle scenes and an inspired translation of Homer's Iliad to film
without too much silliness with the pantheon of gods. Unfortunately there is a scene early in the
movie in which Brad Pitt seems to have borrowed an outfit from the women’s
wardrobe.
44. Untamed
Heart ~ Illustrating how it's better to have loved and lost than to have never
loved.
45. Pulp
Fiction ~ Not one unquotable line in the entire script.
46. Desperado
~ Full throttle entertainment greatly accentuated with Salma Hayek's personal
contribution to global warming.
47. Scarface
~ Al Pacino is riveting as the bad ass Cuban. Wicked soundtrack.
48. Dodge
Ball ~ Clever and creative comedy. Ben Stiller wants so much to be tough and
somehow fails to realize that he is consistently the precise antithesis of
coolness.
49. The
Black Stallion ~ Inspiring and artistic. The main character, Alex, seems so
quiet and introverted as though at his young age, he's learned already to live
on a more enlightened plane where articulation is rendered primitive.
50. Shenandoah
~ Watch it for the advice James Steward gives his future son-in-law about how
sometimes women will cry and you won't know why they're crying but it doesn't
matter. Just hold them.
51. At Play
in the Fields of the Lord ~ Not yet on DVD. Sweeping South American epic in
which pretty much every pretension is stripped naked.
52. Last
Samurai ~ My second favorite Tom Cruise movie. There's a great great great
action sequence in which the hero replays what he just did in his head...
killing three assassins in about three seconds without a weapon.
53. Scent
of a Woman ~ Should be watched on Thanksgiving Day. Pacino's character is blind
in a couple of ways. Doesn't stop him from smacking people down... and
sometimes they deserve it.
54. Up
55. The
Hobbit
56. Lord of
the Rings Trilogy ~ Well done adaptation of the classic fantasy series. Could
do without all the hobbit frolicking toward the end.
57. True
Grit ~ (2010) Amazing dialogue.
58. Never
Let Me Go ~ An alternate reality in which we depend on exploited clones for our
extended life expectancy.
59. Mask ~
Exciting and hilarious. The first movie I ever saw Cameron Diaz in and it was
love at first sight.
60. District
9 ~ Amazingly realistic style of sci~fi
61. The
Invention of Lying
62. It's a
Wonderful Life ~ James Stewart at his best. Nothing wrong with movies that make
you strive to be a better person.
63. Arsenic
and Old Lace ~ Cary Grant at his unrivaled best. The look on his face will crack
you up several moments before he opens his mouth to say something.
64. Harvey
~ Watch this movie every New Year's Eve with a couple of your dearest friends
and plenty of White Russians. Takes a few years but eventually you'll find out
how it ends.
65. Regarding
Henry ~ Warms your heart to see an asshole accidentally learning how to be a
person again.
66. Philadelphia
Story ~ Watch if for the dialogue between Cary Grant and a drunk James Stewart.
67. High
Noon ~ The most classic of all westerns. Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, and an Academy Award winning soundtrack.
68. Mr.
Smith Goes to Washington ~ A showdown between one good man and an entire
government of greed and corruption. Not based on a true story, but who knows...
maybe someday.
69. Apocalypto
~ This is the kind of movie that grabs you and takes you for a ride at an
accelerated velocity and never sets you down until you see the end credits.
70. Leon -
The Professional ~ This hero is tough as nails, but somehow a little girl finds
a place in his heart.
71. The Man
Who Shot Liberty Valance ~ The sixth film on this list featuring James Stewart.
Also John Wayne.
72. The
Graduate ~ I know it's not a comedy, but sometimes I have to laugh at the way
the characters are so incapable of connecting with each other. Soundtrack
= Greatest Hits by Simon and Garfunkel.
73. Shane ~
Pretty deep story in which a gun slinger tries to retire while the bad guys
won't let him. It doesn't hurt my appreciation for this movie that I was named
after the main character.
74. Planet
of the Apes ~ Possilby the greatest cinematic surprise ending of all time.
Watch for thunder in the sky when the astronauts are first exploring the
planet... I swear you can see the face of an angry ape illuminated in the
clouds.
75. The
Crucible ~ A cautionary tale against hysteria based on my favorite play.
76. Moonstruck
~ I watch the scene over and over again where Nicholas Cage demands of Cher
"What am I, a monument to justice? I lost my hand! I lost my hand!"
Riveting hilarity.
77. Pride
and Prejudice ~ One of Hollywood's most successful adaptations of a classic.
78. Searching
for Bobby Fischer ~ As you support this little boy's quest to dominate the
chess world, he's busy cultivating something far more important, his soul.
79. A
Knight's Tale ~ A fun movie with some surprisingly touching moments.
80. A Few
Good Men ~ You know how sometimes you're flipping through channels and you come
to a movie and you just can't flip to another channel no matter how many times
you've seen it?
81. Batman
Begins ~ Better than the more highly acclaimed sequel Dark Knight which is
poorly written. Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman all in one film!
82. Brave
83. The
Jack Bull ~ Where unwavering principle meets a tragic fate.
84. Underworld
Trilogy ~ Sexy gothic vampire movies with irresistible dark wet sinister
ambience and thrilling action. The third and best is set in medieval times.
85. Avengers
86. Training
Day ~ Possibly Denzel Washington's greatest performance. As close as you can
get to L.A. without actually going to L.A.
87. Count
of Monte Cristo ~ Hollywood took this immense classic and said Alexandre Dumas
wrote a good story, but we can do better.
88. I,
Robot ~ One of those rare instances in which the film is at least twenty times
better than the book.
89. Somewhere
in Time ~ A little silly... a little sappy... but when I first saw it more than
twenty years ago... I didn't want it to ever end. Did I fall for Jane Seymour? Of
course. Heart melting soundtrack.
90. Cousins
~ Unforgettable moment as an altercation escalates in the movie's climax when
Ted Danson explains "I'm trying to make some chicken salad out of some
chicken shit."Lean on Me ~ In which Morgan Freeman endears himself to
movie audiences forever.
91. Frankie
and Johnny ~ In which a cook and a waitress remind us that you don't have to be
a prince and a princess to create your own hot steamy passionate romance.
92. Bambi ~
Sweetest animation ever made. Watch it for Thumper's charming perspective on
life. Outstanding music.
93. Idiocracy
94. Immortals
95. Titanic
~ No one compares it to Gone With the
Wind anymore, thank God, but still a good movie.
96. Patriot
~ During which I realized I had already seen every facial expression Mel Gibson
is capable of (and there are only two), but still a gripping story and well
produced.
97. Legends
of the Fall ~ In which Brad Pitt superbly portrays a man with a wild savage restlessness
raging inside.
98. Independence
Day ~ Exciting fun and patriotic!
99. Last of
the Mohicans ~ I like the very old black and white version too, but this one is
perfect and beautiful.
100. El Cid
~ In which I fell in love with Sophia Loren at the moment when her character
relinquishes her quest for vengeance against the man who killed her father. An
epic film.
101. The Ten
Commandments ~ In which every line is delivered as though it were going to be
the final line in the movie, and yet somehow it works. Majestic
soundtrack.
102. Ben Hur
~ Apparently this is the Charlton Heston part of my list.
103. A Time
to Kill ~ Not sure how realistic it was to have KKK in hand to hand combat with
good guys outside the courthouse, but otherwise a great movie with great
performances.
104. Gettysburg
~ A movie about one battle. You'll feel like you were there except you won't
have three hundred bullets in you.
105. Bourne
Trilogy ~ Exceptional fighting sequences. Bourne is about as cool as an action
figure can get.
106. Superman
Returns ~ In which I realized that I myself have what it takes to be a
superhero minus the looks and the physique and the ability to fly and the
incredible strength and the dedication to all that is good, but at least I know
how to lose the girl I love. I can do that.
107. Masada
~ Epic showdown between zealots and the entire Roman empire. Peter O'Toole is
amazing.
108. Taken ~
Liam Neeson is the wrong vigilante to provoke.
109. Karate
Kid I & II ~ The first film features one of the greatest kicks to the head
in all of film history. The second takes us to Japan where Daniel falls in love
with an unforgettably sweet innocent beautiful girl. Third and fourth
installments were painfully stupid.
110. Saving
Private Ryan ~ Opening assault on D-Day brought to life... giving my generation
a glimpse of why their generation is so revered.
111. All the
King’s Men
112. Children
of Men ~ Has a tendency to make you jump out of your seat at the least expected
moments.
113. Thor
114. A
Simple Plan ~ The lady in the seat in front of me got up and left the theater
in disgust. But I like movies that make you ask yourself what you would do.
115. Edge of
Darkness ~ The grimmest Mel Gibson performance to date.
116. Proof ~
Sophisticated and complex exploration of genius and the fragility of our
emotions.
117. The
Fighter
118. The
Town
119. 10,000
B.C. ~ Similar to Apocalypto, but with magic and fantastic beasts.
120. Matrix
~ Could have been so much better, but Laurence Fishburn's corny speech meant to
inspire the good guys before the climactic battle made me gag. And the plot got
so convoluted... no one can honestly say they knew what was going on.
121. King
Kong ~ Newest version seems like three different movies. First they find Kong.
Then there's the Jurassic Park adventure with Kong versus Dinosaurs. Then
there's Kong in NY.
122. Liar,
Liar ~ Jim Carey's best comedy.
123. Maltese
Falcon
124. Davy
Crockett ~ This movie instilled in me a dream of ending my life gloriously
while killing incredible numbers of enemy soldiers with a couple of pistols and
a Bowie knife.
125. My
Cousin Vinny ~ Marisa Tomei is delectable and the scene in the cell when Vinny
is mistaken for a horny inmate will slay you with laughter.
126. Dream a
Little Dream ~ Almost forgotten movie from the 80's with Jason Robards, an
adorable Meredith Salinger, and the two Cory's. Winning
soundtrack.
127. Kick
Ass ~ Extremely R-rated action film.
Don’t miss Nicholas Cage’s tribute to Adam West.
128. The
Straight Story
129. Hurt
Locker ~ Igniting as nothing has before my sympathy for soldiers who risk their
lives every day.
130. Crash
131. 300 ~
Enjoy the action and the story, but not the silliness of everyone growling
every time they speak.
132. Safety
Not Guaranteed
133. Hanna
134. How to
Train Your Dragon
135. The
Amazing Spiderman
136. Mary
& Max
137. Snowpiercer
138. Hancock
139. Daybreakers
140. And
Justice For All
141. Elysium
142. Incredible
Hulk ~ In which a helicopter crashes to Earth without bothering to blow up.
143. Centurion
144. Battle
of the Bulge
145. Mongol
~ The Rise of Genghis Khan
146. Revolution
147. Finding
Forrester ~ Farfetched how the student faces off against the frustrated
professor in front of the class… every pupil’s fantasy.
148. Absolute
Power
149. Talladega
Nights ~ The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ~ I could watch this just for the prayer at
the dinner table.
150. Moneyball
151. Dead
Poet Society
152. The
Reading Room ~ An inspiration for the fine art of being kind and good to the
human race.
153. Chariots
of Fire ~ Listed more for the Vangelis soundtrack than for great performances
or scenery or plot.
154. Excalibur
~ The best Arthurian movie so far, but one day they’ll make one with a decent
budget.
155. Pathfinder
156. Sin
City
157. American
History X
158. Dream
Team
159. Monsters
Ball
160. Kill
Bill I&II
161. Tristan
and Isolde
162. Phantom
of the Opera
163. Fargo
164. No
Country for Old Men
165. Cowboys
166. Anonymous
~ Entertaining treatment of the conspiracy theory that the works of Shakespeare
belong to someone else.
167. Super 8
168. Kingdom
of Heaven ~ Disappointing how every chapter of his life begins with him meeting
someone new and ends with that someone disappearing.
169. The Day
the Earth Stood Still (Keanu Reeves)
170. Gangs
of New York ~ The main reason to see this movie is the brilliance of Daniel Day
Lewis.
171. Tombstone
172. Click
173. Pale
Rider
174. Donnie
Darko
175. Adjustment
Bureau
