I have been compiling my ‘Best of’ lists for some time. My ‘Best Fiction’ (50) list was slow in compiling but felt definitive to me. My ‘Best Nonfiction’ (50) is still in the works (turns out finding good nonfiction is a chore). My ‘Best TV Shows’ (10) felt arguable, but the list was pretty easy for me to put together- the order maybe not so much. And now I am on my ‘Best Movies (50) list. And I am completely and entirely insecure about this list.
I wish I could eloquently explain my insecurities to you, but I can’t. Maybe I need therapy. But every time I looked at the following list, and I looked at it a lot, I was like, this list sucks. But it doesn’t suck, these are damn good movies.
My best posit as to where my insecurities lie is that maybe my taste in movies is still unrefined. Not unrefined as in I don’t like good movies, but unrefined as in I like movies for a lot of different reasons and, depending on the day, the list may seem like an inadequate representation of one way I like movies.
So I leaned into this list based on how much the movie entertained me- in all the ways a movie can entertain- and how much I want to watch it again… and again… and again…
They are broad criteria, but I have broad values in movies, and these two feel like the mirrors that reflect the majority of my values all at once. That being said, I think it underrepresents some of my love for beautiful cinema and replaces it with my love for story. But hey, maybe that’s another list for another time.
Regardless, all these movies are awesome. And my insecurity does not reflect their quality, only my fear that this small view sways too far in one direction. Anyway… here they are, my Top 50 Favorite Movies Of All Time (I included any of my posts on that film as well).
50. Space Jam
Deleted Bugs Bunny Interview [The Last Dance, Space Jam]
49. Mean Girls
48. Raiders of the Lost Ark
47. Schindler’s List
46. Rain Man
45. Creed II
Workout Montages
44. The Usual Suspects
43. Up
42. The Descendants
41. Fight Club
Can We Talk About [Fight Club]?
40. The Departed
39. The Big Short
38. Good Will Hunting
37. Inception
Dream Levels and Spaces
Dream Heist Team
36. Minority Report
35. The Wrestler
34. Vice
Can We Talk About [Vice]?
33. The Shawshank Redemption
32. Apollo 13
31. Arrival
30. Alien
29. The Dark Knight
28. Jojo Rabbit
I Got Hitler On My Mind
27. Toy Story
26. The Social Network
On Trial [The King’s Speech] vs [The Social Network] (Best Picture)
25. A Few Good Men
24. My Week With Marilyn
Is [My Week With Marilyn] True?: Based on a true story
23. Moneyball
The Scout Scene
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
22. The Silence of the Lambs
21. True Grit (2010)
20. King’s Speech
On Trial [The King’s Speech] vs [The Social Network] (Best Picture)
19. Die Hard
Is [Die Hard] A Christmas Movie?
18. Back to the Future
Can We Talk About [Back To The Future]?
17. Inglourious Basterds
16. Million Dollar Baby
15. Midnight in Paris
14. Rocky
Workout Montages
Is Ivan Drago Overhyped?
13. The Town
12. Rear Window
A Race of Peeping Toms
11. Kill Bill: Volume 1
10. Prisoners
The Setting Of [Prisoners]
9. Her
8. No Country For Old Men-
7. Star Wars: A New Hope*
6. Jurassic Park
Advertising For [Jurassic World] and [Jurassic Park]
5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers*
4. The Godfather
3. Gladiator
2. Jaws
Can We Talk About [Jaws]?
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Mediocre
Slang Dictionary
*I forced myself to commit to one… In the case of ‘A New Hope’ it felt more right to pick the movie that started it all rather than the best film in the trilogy. No clue why… because that logic did not hold for LOTR.
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As a fan of movies, you have my seal of approval. These are all common picks, but that also means they’re fantastic! My favorites (obviously I will spare you from 50) include Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Gremlins, The Empire Strikes Back, True Romance, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
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Appreciate it. It was a weird process. I definitely felt the ‘plainness’ of the list. You should put together your fifty!
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