100 All-Time Favorite Movies
February 25, 2008
Happy Academy Awards!
In honor of the date, I went and saw Juno today. I highly recommend it. It really pinpoints how we sometimes handle situations so poorly when other options are available, how it’s all about perspective.
And the lines are so well written . . . you won’t want to miss a word. As evidenced by the fact that my dear friend Roxanne told two old people in front of us to zip it in the middle of the movie. It was great!
So after hours of combing through varied websites, I have finally determined my list of 100 favorite movies. The top 10 are in bold. And the favorite tear-jerkers are in italics.
I particularly enjoy the juxtaposition of Doris Day versus Charles Bronson, both which are listed more than once. Although I think of myself as a chick-flick kind of girl, the list is heavily slanted toward action movies. Who knew?
1. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (Sidney Poitier) - I will love this until the end of time.
2. Brokeback Mountain (Heath Ledger) - The sobbing I have done over this movie is beyond all reason. I can watch it over and over. Heath was brilliant.
3. Terms of Endearment (Debra Winger) - An all time favorite.
4. Men of Honor (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) - One of the best movies of all time, yet never given the credit it deserves.
5. Dirty Dancing (Patrick Swayze) - What can I say? I’ve probably seen it 100 times.
6. The Departed (Leonardo DiCaprio & Mark Wahlberg) - A masterpiece. I never understood the hype over Leo until this.
7. The Bridges of Madison County (Clint Eastwood) - I sobbed and sobbed. Magnificent. They should have stayed together.
8. Harold and Maude (Ruth Gordon) - A piece of genius, magnificent, fantastic black humor.
9. The Parent Trap (Hayley Mills) - My favorite since childhood.
10. Best In Show (Christopher Guest) - Brilliant, so funny.
11. Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightley) - Loved it beyond words.
12. Rudy (Sean Astin) - I’m a huge fan of the sports genre, particularly the underdog.
13. Carrie (Sissy Spacek) - My all-time hero, she kicked some major ass in high school.
14. The Last King of Scotland (Forrest Whitaker) - Wow, what a movie.
15. The Birds (Tippi Hedren) - Scariest film of my childhood.
16. Urban Cowboy (Debra Winger/John Travolta) - I love this soundtrack, I love Debra Winger. I am evidently a hick at heart.
17. Hoosiers (Gene Hackman) - This will make you stand up and cheer!
18. Cinderella Man (Russell Crowe) - Combination of underdog plus romance equals perfection.
19. A Perfect World (Clint Eastwood/Kevin Costner) - I freaking love this film. I still could cry if I thought hard enough about the final scene.
20. The Glass Bottom Boat (Doris Day)
21. Gone With The Wind (Clark Gable)
22. Pretty Woman (Richard Gere)
23. Ransom (Mel Gibson)
24. An Officer And A Gentleman (Richard Gere)
25. The Deer Hunter (Robert DeNiro)
26. Jesus Camp (Documentary) - If you haven’t seen it, get it. Scary.
27. Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder) - I’m not sure anything ever touched me as deeply as when Charlie found the golden ticket.
28. The Notebook (Ryan Gosling) - Beautiful!
29. Falling in Love (Robert DeNiro) - Love story.
30. Clerks (Kevin Smith) - Black humor at its’ absolute best.
31. Cast Away (Tom Hanks) - He’s just brilliant. How do you talk to a freaking volleyball for two hours and make it interesting? He pulled it off.
32. The Executioner’s Song (Tommy Lee Jones)
33. Die Hard (Bruce Willis)
34. The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis) - One of the best movies ever written. The twist is so unexpected.
35. Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) - I love Clint, I love ass-kicking.
36-40. Death Wish (I, II, III, IV & V) (Charles Bronson) - No one does the vigilante thing better than this guy.
41. The Silence of the Lambs (Anthony Hopkins)
42. Jaws (Roy Scheider) - Scary every single time.
43. Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) - I love this chick.
44. The Graduate (Dustin Hoffman)
45. Meet The Parents (Ben Stiller) - Hysterical.
46. Meet The Fockers (Robert DeNiro) - And then they did it again.
47. Scarface (Al Pacino)
48. Mystic River (Sean Penn)
49. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - I had no idea I could love a zombie flick.
50. When A Stranger Calls (Camilla Belle) - I’ve never been more frightened in a theater than when I was watching this movie.
51. Pillow Talk (Doris Day) - I just love Doris.
52. The Sound of Music (Julie Andrews) - I’m so glad they made it over the mountains.
53. Pearl Harbor (Ben Affleck) - Thank God he did something well.
54. Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) - The balls in the face scene - perfection.
55. Secretary (James Spader) - The hottest sex scene I’ve ever seen. And very weird.
56. The Birdcage (Robin Williams)
57. The Towering Inferno (Paul Newman)
58. Double Jeopardy (Ashley Judd)
59. Conair (Nicolas Cage) - The final scene makes the movie worth watching.
60. Driving Miss Daisy (Morgan Freeman)
61. To Sir, With Love (Sidney Poitier) - Huge Sidney fan.
62. American Gangster (Denzel Washington & Russell Crowe)
63. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) - It seems hokey until I watch it again, fall in love again, cry again.
64. The Guardian (Kevin Costner)
65. Love Actually (Hugh Grant)
66. Little Miss Sunshine (Steve Carroll)
67. Heathers (Winona Ryder)
68. The Prince of Tides (Nick Nolte) - This story is just so heart-wrenching.
69. The Godfather (Al Pacino)
70. Titanic (Leonardo DiCaprio) - I just can’t get past why she didn’t try harder to pull him up onto the raft.
71. Legends of the Fall (Brad Pitt)
72. The People v. Larry Flynt (Woody Harrelson) - I never expected to like this movie so much.
73. Play Misty for Me (Clint Eastwood)
74. Where The Heart Is (Natalie Portman) - It really doesn’t get any better than having a baby in Wal-Mart.
75. Sex, Lies & Videotape (James Spader)
76. Gone Baby Gone (Casey Affleck)
77. A Time To Kill (Matthew McConaughey) - Never was there a more sympathetic character than the father in this movie.
78. While You Were Sleeping (Bill Pullman) - One of Sandra Bullock’s best movies.
79. The Perfect Storm (Mark Wahlberg)
80. Home For the Holidays (Holly Hunter)
81. The Family Stone (Diane Keaton) - Great ensemble of actors, Sarah Jessica Parker plays her role so perfectly.
82. Something’s Gotta Give (Diane Keaton)
83. Caddyshack (Bill Murray)
84. With Six You Get Eggroll (Doris Day) - My favorite Doris.
85. Sleepless in Seattle (Meg Ryan) - I can watch this one over and over again.
86. Brian’s Song (James Caan)
87. French Kiss (Kevin Kline)
88. Raging Bull (Robert DeNiro)
89. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
90. Fried Green Tomatoes (Kathy Bates) - The scene in the parking lot.
91. Sudden Impact (Clint Eastwood)
92. Love Story (Ryan O’Neill) - My first ever chick flick.
93. You’ve Got Mail (Tom Hanks)
94. Sabrina (Harrison Ford) - Both versions are great movies.
95. Sling Blade (Billy Bob Thornton) - This guy is really a genius. Loved this movie.
96. Jurassic Park (Jeff Goldblum) - The dinosaurs continue to scare me every time I watch it.
97. Please Don’t Eat The Daisies (Doris Day)
98. Juno (Ellen Page)
99. The Devil Wears Prada (Anne Hathaway & Meryl Streep) - The fashion carries this movie.
100. Christmas Vacation (Chevy Chase) - It’s funny every single time.
LATE ADDITIONS:
101. Midnight Express (Billy Hayes) - Brilliant.
102. God Grew Tired of Us (Documentary) - Should be required viewing by every American citizen. Tremendous.
103. Death at a Funeral
104. Martian Child (John Cusack)
105. Same Time Next Year (Alan Alda, Ellen Burstyn) - I can’t believe I forgot this one, I love it! Plus, the song “The Last Time I Felt Like This” makes me swoon.
106. Happiness (Todd Solondz) - A virtual freak fest.
February 25, 2008 at 8:30 am
Wow, so many of these would be on my favorite list too. But man oh man, When a Stranger Calls. I saw this in a movie theater before I knew better. I have never watched a scary movie since. I will never recover from the fright and that was 100 years ago!
February 25, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Love Doris Day too. I was surprised that no Geraldine Page films were listed. Try and see “The Trip To Bountiful,” “Sweet Bird of Youth” and “Summer and Smoke.” Paul Newman’s “HUD” and Julie Harris in “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln” and “The Member of the Wedding” with Ethel Waters. I’d also suggest, “The Old Settler” with Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen and “The Gin Game” with Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.
February 25, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Thank you! I’ve never seen any of those movies — I know my knowledge is quite lacking when it comes to anything before 1970 or so. I’ll definitely be renting all your suggestions!
February 25, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Hi,
I’m with you 110% where A Perfect World is concerned. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, but I love it and react to it exactly the same way every time.
Take care,
Sandy
February 25, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Hi again,
I agree with you on pretty much all these movies, most of which I have seen.
I’m a huge Kevin Costner fan for a variety of reasons and I just wanted to suggest that you might take a couple of hours and check out
“Dragonfly”.
If you loved “A Perfect World”, whether you have any interest or not in the supernatural, I know I don’t, but go into this movie with an open mind and for the performance and story line, and see what you think.
Enjoy,
Sandy
February 25, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Such a great list! And I thought I was the only one who loved Bud and Cissy!
February 25, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Yes, Bud and Cissy! I was trying to remember his name in the movie last night. You can’t even hear it in your head without a Texas twang attached. And the bitch in that movie was named Pam. I loved this song and the adoring look on Cissy’s face when she was crazy for Bud (lol):
Well, I spent a lifetime lookin’ for you
Singles bars and good time lovers were never true
Playin’ a fools game, hopin’ to win
Tellin’ those sweet lies and losin’ again
Chorus:
I was lookin’ for love in all the wrong places
Lookin’ for love in too many faces
Searchin’ their eyes, lookin’ for traces
Of what I’m dreamin’ of
Hopin’ to find a friend and a lover
I’ll bless the day I discover
Another heart lookin’ for love
And I was alone then, no love in site
I did everything I could to get me through the night
I don’t know where it started or where it might end
I’d turn to a stranger just like a friend
(Chorus)
And you came a knockin’ at my heart’s door
You’re everything I’ve been lookin’ for
There’s no more lookin’ for love
In all the wrong places
Lookin’ for love in too many faces
Searchin’ their eyes
Lookin’ for traces
Of what I’m dreamin’ of
Now that I found a friend and a lover
God bless the day I discovered you
Oh you, lookin’ for love
February 26, 2008 at 7:59 am
That scene where Cissy cleaned up the trailer and the bitch girlfriend took credit for it still burns my biscuits. Probably the test of a good movie- can you still get fired up, grossed out, emotional, cry, laugh, etc.- thinking about a scene a decade or so after watching it. Well you’ve inspired me to start my own list- I’ll post it next week when I done with this daily crafting thing. We’re going to have some overlap- esp. the Doris movies!
February 26, 2008 at 9:23 am
I’m going to have to work the phrase “burns my biscuits” into conversation somehow today. I think it could actually cause me as much joy as the ‘F’ word, potentially.
Can’t wait to see the list! I’m going to obtain all the suggested flicks and have a fantastical movie weekend, where I don’t leave the house. Actually, it may take an entire week (squeal with delight).
February 26, 2008 at 2:13 pm
What about “Shakespeare in Love” (Joseph Feinnes), “Better Off Dead” (John Cusack), “Under the Tuscan Sun” (Diane Whatshername), “Butch Cassidy” (Redford and Newman), “The Sting (same), “Bull Durham” (Kevin Costner), “The Goonies” (Sean Astin), “16 Candles” (Molly Ringwald), “Stardust” (Claire Daines) and “I Am Sam” (Michelle Pfieffer).
February 28, 2008 at 10:20 pm
hey sis, thought i d write, how can you put forrest gump at 63? legends of the fall at 71? all though carrie was good its way to high on your list i think—–so surprised you are such a debra winger fan—i just adore her. Did you know she once was left for dead after a car hit her as a child, but she survived of course. i heard that on paul harvey. departed at #6 is deserving. have you seen FRACTURE great movie. LEO is excellent i am glad you noticed, i did not find BLOOD DIAMOND on your list. the thing about LEO though, has he ever not been killed off in a movie TITANTIC, BLOOD DIAMOND, DEPARTED, and i think there is another great one he was killed off in. perhaps he gets bored and rude during filming and begs to go home so the directors just kill him off. BIRDCAGE, bad movie, c’mon robin williams you can do better than that. life is grand i now have sirrus radio to listen to–love ya
February 28, 2008 at 10:24 pm
oh i forgot to mention, i still am infactuated with that pammy girl who reads your blog. I am sure she d love my british accent and muscled smooth body, maybe i should ask her to attend a democratic gathering with me to see if she d join me. (maybe its true opposites attract)
February 28, 2008 at 10:31 pm
ohhh to PAMAJAMA-i loved urban cowboy, found myself in pasedena tx. on one of my ventures in 1982 and visited GILLEY”S where URBAN COWBOY was filmed (it is closed down now, i think he moved to branson mo) the bar was just like in the movie, but kinda dirty. i drank some lonestar with a friend from Buffalo NY, played pool. picked up a chick and got laid to, had the whole urban cowboy experience, she and i had sex on her downtown balcony. very fun. true story.
February 28, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Scott, oh my God, I am so excited that you responded to a post! Three times! You made my day
The thing about the list is that only the top 10 are actually ranked, it would have taken me another two hours to try and rank the rest. Love the Urban Cowboy story. And especially the line about the Democratic gathering!
I’m not completely sold on Birdcage. I was getting a little nutty by the end. I have to check out Fracture and see if I missed it. Can’t really remember if I’ve seen it, but it sounds familiar. At least we’re completely in sync on Debra Winger.
love ya - me
February 29, 2008 at 11:30 am
Brother Scott: what can I say to that pick up line? Even if you’re not a Democrat, I’m thrilled to hear that you’re still the president of my fan club.
March 11, 2008 at 1:48 am
Please note I have added an extra movie, number 101: Midnight Express with Billy Hayes.
June 1, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Since you are obviously a fan of Tom Hanks, I was surprised not to find “The Green Mile” on your list. Oh well. By the way, in “Titanic”, she fails to pull him onto a floating door, not a raft (but I agree with the sentiment). I always chuckle when I think about that scene.
Jack (Leo): “Promise me you’ll never let go”.
Rose (Kate): “I promise”.
…then she lets go and he sinks. Now, obviously he was talking about not letting go of her love for life, but I still found it hilarious in retrospect. I repeat, I chuckle thinking back on that scene, but when I watch the movie (every time), I am too consumed and somber to find humor in it.
Loved your list.
June 19, 2008 at 2:56 am
HI… yeah, i agree. SHould see i am sam (sean penn) and moulin rouge (nicole kidman).. I love these. Pls check them out. They really are great! =)