53. Kill Bill (Both Volumes) (03-04

Tarantino's return after a long hiatus did not hurt him at all. I remember about 2002 when grumblings about this film (One at the time) came about. Quentin's last film left many disappointed (Looking back, Jackie Brown is also pretty great, fuck anyone who says otherwise) But many thought Quentin may have lost it. By 2003, films were influenced by QT rather then made by him and that he might not bounce back. Sure Vol. 1 was more Style over substance (But what A+ style it was) but Many people thought the split was a cashout, but in the end, both films were so different at the time, it would have been a very uneven movie. One day they will put them back together with the 3 main action sequences from Vol 2 that were deleted, and the awesome Crazy 88 massacre in color.


52. Night of the Hunter (1955)

I'll be a little quicker on the next 20 or so. Night of the Hunter is a wonderful thriller led by a wonderful performance by Robert Mitchum. It took a while to catch on, but this is a great films stylistically and a very frightening journey from start to finish.



51. The Sting (1973)

The kind of film that if you don't see until later you don't realize the impact it has on so many films today. A wonderful caper film bolstered by great performances by Newman and Redword, and Shaw. It's perfect yet its fascinating just how simply executed it is.


50. Forrest Gump (1994)

The greatest and most important guy in American history, is of course fictional. Man I just love this movie. It's so well made and is a perfect period peace that captures the different decades and settings its in. Tom Hanks very impressively tops every role he was ever in, and brings an American icon to us. Forrest Gump is so simple minded, yet accomplished so much. Zemeckis made such an appealing yet awesome movie. Its funny, epic in scale, and has perfect drama throughout and just tackles everything it goes on to do.



49. Witness (1985)

One of my favorite actors, and one of the last films of his I really got to see. But wow did this one blow me away. Like with many films on my list, it relies on subtitles and it's simplicities to let the characters sell the story and this is a wonderful work of film form Peter Weir. Harrison Ford may have actually gotten robbed at the Oscars without any fanboyism going after it. He's always solid, but this is a truly great role tailored for him.

Apart from Lethal Weapon 2, A Perfect World, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Commando, American Psycho, Catch Me If You Can and Three Kings...it's a pretty disappointing list so far.

Great additions. Three matches for us now.

The Pennsylvania Dutch accents aren't so hard to understand.

the sting = boring. the only scene i like from this director is the opening scene in the butch cassidy movie, and that has to be credited to the cameraman more than to anyone else.

forrest gump = total crap

witness is like a simpsons parody of amish life.

very bad choices!

I love Forrest Gump, too.

48. Rudy (1993)

Great sports film. One of the best, and it holds up more today. Great score and performance by Sean Austin.



47. Midnight Run (1988)

I know they say Analyze this is the film where the world found out De Niro was funny, but he has never been funnier than in this one. More so because he's not going for jokes, he's playing it straight, but the script is naturally funny. De Niro's on screen chemistry with the great Charles Grodin is one of the best ever on screen. I hope they don't make a sequel they were talking about a year ago. And a great supporting cast from John Ashton, Dennis Farina, and Joe Pantoliano. You'll never have more fun listening to people curse in a film. Such a fun film.


46. The Big Chill (1983)

Such a great ensemble from so many future great actors. Lawrence Kasden's film is such a great study on friendship, life, death, and everything else.


45. The Departed (2006)

I'm a sucker what can I tell you. The Departed may be a combination of everything that is great about a Scorsese film, but what a combination. The cast, the score, the tight pacing, great action scenes. I love it all.


44. Noises Off (1992)

My favorite play of all time. It's so funny, and so wonderful that to me it felt impossible that an adaptation wouldn't work. And to a point, it doesn't quite succeed to how funny the play can be, but even at 80%, Noises Off captures a lot and is a delight to watch. Great comic timing from everyone in the small cast, and no one is overshadowed.

Never heard of Noises Off. Went to see the synopsis. It intrigued me. I'm downloading it right now. Thanks.

Departed and Midnight Run are awesome.

Noises Off is great, especially if you're a fan of theater, John Ritter or Chris Reeve too.

43. Fargo (1996)

Fargo is basically everything there is to like about the Coen Brothers. Quirky characters, dark humor, and nice mix of everything. And those accents!



42. Taxi Driver (1976)

Taxi Driver is a brilliant film. It's almost like an Anti Wood Allen film with its view of everything that is wrong or bad about NY and the effect it can have on people. De Niro slow turn from depression to psychosis is frightening and disturbing, but at the same time you can't help but root for him at times. Great performances all around, and superb direction.



41. The Game (1997)

I don't know why this film is always overlooked by Fincher fans, I absolutely love this film. My favorite of his. It's super unrealistic, but this movie blew my mind when it first came out. It's shot so well, yet looks dirty. Michael Douglas is fantastic. Tight paced, and always leaves you guessing until the end. A great thriller.


40. High Plains Drifter (1973)

Eastwood's directorial Western debut. Mostly my favorite western and it's very non typical. Eastwood plays a character not too unlike The Man with No Name, but with a secret. The setting and characters in the mysterious town of LAGO is creepy, and interesting. There's not as much action as one may expect, but the film itself is beautiful from a cinematography standpoint and the story is very interesting. Clint did a very good job in front and behind the camera. Great non traditional western.


39. Aladdin (1992)

My favorite animated film hands down. Perfect example of everything Disney ever got right. Fantastic animation, wonderful voice casts, and some of the catchiest songs on the planet. It's quite hilarious at times too. It's a pity they don't make them like this anymore.

The Game is a very cool and exciting movie, but the twist ending reduces it in my estimation, particularly upon repeat viewings. It is just too pat, and there are way too many points where Michael Douglas' character could have easily died, thus destroying his brother's "benevolent" I-want-you-to-embrace-life-and-not-be-an-asshole motive. For me, it is definitely minor Fincher, though Panic Room is worse.

Good picks with Midnight Run and The Departed, but only the former is on my list.

38. Tremors (1990)

The best B Movie monster movie ever. Why? Because even though the premise is of course B movie level, it is completely elevated by the great ensemble and extremely inventive creature. The gore is light, but the thrills, excitement and pure fun is there from star to finish. It's the film Snakes on a Plane wishes it was. The first sequel is the best DTV film I've ever seen too.



37. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

What really needs to be said about this film. It's a great zombie film. A very good romance film, and it is downright hilarious. Add them altogether you have a truly amazing time at the movies.



36. The French Connection (1971)

Great Great Movie. The 70s had great cop films and this one is up there with Dirty Harry. Its dark, gritty, and exciting throughout. The car chase here is so much better than Bullit'ts. It's rediculously fast, and is filled with desperation. So many great things about this film that I would rate as the best ever. And the ending is just out of the this world, ending with complete uncertainty and darkness, and the score goes great with it. Popeye Doyle goes down as one of the best cops ever on screen. This is a film they should show in filmclasses, especially mine, that showed Dude Wheres my car? WTF, I couldnt help but think my teacher was an idiot.


35. The Matrix (1999)

I can get past how bad the sequels are and can still enjoy this film for what it is. One fucking mind fuck of a film! Definitely one of the last films that really took hold of cinema and everyone tried to copy. Such a great idea, amazing visuals, and so much fun.



34. The Fugitive (1993)

I can't say enough about how I actually destroyed 2 video tapes because I used to watch this so much. An amazing thriller, with brilliant action scenes and great performances from everyone. People like to knock Ford a lot nowadays for always playing similar roles. But he really was the last kind of movie star that while his acting wasn't necessarily legendary, he is completely competent and the exact person you want in these types of films. TLJ is so cool and the it's exciting every time I watch it.

Oh man, Tremors! Forgot about that one. I don't think it would have made the list, but I do love it. Obviously Shaun and Matrix are two of my favs, so glad to see them here too. The Fugitive I barely remember.

Dude, Where's My Car > The French Connection. Yeah I said it. Mad underrated vs mad overrated.

The French Connection is very good, but also maybe a bit overvalued? I prefer other films in a similar vein, such as The Conversation, Bullitt, and Serpico.

My friends dad used to get Serpico mixed up with Nighthawks. He was always going on about "that Stallone film" ... "you know the one, Serpico, where he's got long hair and a beard".... I would sit there in puzzlement, too young to tell him he was wrong, but adamant that he was.

Those are all very good too, except maybe Bullitt, that's more cause McQueen is a bad ass, the film itself doesn't do much for me.

I loved Nighthawks. Stallone in drag is hilarious. But it's a pretty good cop film. Definitely one of Stallone's lesser known but very solid films.

The Conversation has nothing in common with French Connection apart from Hackman being the main actor. It's closer in tone to The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor or even Klute than to Friedkin's film.

I don't know. Both have a certain hard-edged, urban vibe and are by major New Hollywood directors. But, honestly, it did come into my mind because both star Gene at around the same point in his career.

Yes, Tremors is very enjoyable and has aged well. Lots of subsequent movies have used a similar recipe, but produced inferior results.

Told you this would take ages.

33. Halloween (1978)

To this day, Halloween remains a very effective horror film, that needed to be directed correctly. The use of long lenses making the background just as important a character builds the suspense throughout. Pleasance and Curtis are both great in their roles, and Carpenter's score is iconic.



32. The Blues Brothers (1980)

My favorite musical of all time. Hilarious, and kickass music, and great ensemble of so many great performers. Belushi and Aykroyd have great chemistry despite the off camera craziness. And the car chases and Illinois Nazis will always be memorable. The songs are really done, but also quite funny as well.



31. Vertigo (1958)

A lot of people like to argue this is the best film ever made. Well it is pretty close for me. On a technical level it's quite flawless. Hitchcock's direction is at it's peak during this period, as many great films were released around this time, and Vertigo is an exhausting experience by the end. James Steward and Kim Novak are both wonderful actors, and they sell their relationship well despite the larger age difference. Beautifully shot, and an awesome score.


30. The Usual Suspects (1995)

Great characters, and a fun ensemble, backed by an engaging, caper script. Even Stephen Baldwin is good in it. And the best twist ending of all time. I think yes.

Halloween is a terrific film. Your other picks..meh; same old, same old.