The Nest

I think the Christmas holiday season (and winter in general), is the best time to watch movies. I also think that it's perfectly fine to watch non-Christmas movies, during the Christmas season. As long as they are classic traditional movies that bring forth nostalgic feelings of happy times. I always watch some of my favorite movies during the months of December-January. Movies such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Amadeus, Gladiator, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera. These were movies I first saw during the Christmas/winter season and thus have always hit home around this time of the year. It's just the perfect time to get cozy under a blanket, maybe by the fire, with the Christmas lights on, and take in these movie masterpieces.

I consider myself quite the movie enthusiast (aka cinephile) and have watched a movie nearly every night since my college days. I appreciate most kinds of movies from drama, comedy, to action, (except I'm not too fond of horror films). The more you watch the more you start to appreciate the artistic quality of certain films. So much goes into movie making, and it's the various elements that can make a good movie into a great movies. Components such as the story, the acting, the editing, the film setting, the special effects, the costumes, makeup, music, and so forth. It's no wonder there are awards such as the Oscars to recognize these achievements of great film making. I by no means say a great film has to be recognized by the Academy, but it's likely my list does.

As a movie buff, I love to not only watch movies, but to write about them, and study the premises of the story. I often say the reason I enjoy history so much is because I learn so much of it from watching dramas and epics set during historical periods. I've written many times about movies in these blogs and have broken them up into various themes and categories, such as my favorite genres, favorite franchises, or my favorite seasonal films. I first put together my well thought out Top 25 list in 2009 when I had just started this blog. I then updated it in 2016 (Top 25). This will now be my third update to the list, and this time I am extending the list from 25 to 100 of my all time favorite movies.

Top 100 Favorite Films

100. The Bridge on the River Kwai

Year Released: 1957
Director: David Lean (1)
Writer: Pierre Boulle (novel)
Genre: Historical Epic, War, Drama
Actors: William Holden, Alec Guinness (1), Jack Hawkins (1)
Music: Malcolm Arnold
Oscars: 8 nominations (7 wins including Best Picture)
Significance: Based off the French Novel by Peirre Boulle, this is a great historical fiction pertaining to the Pacific War of 1943. British prisoners led by Alec Guinness are forced by the Japanese to build a bridge in the occupied territory of Thailand. Ever so proud, the British build a remarkable work of architecture, and later refuse to blow it up as they are rescued. The unique story carries this film, but it also offers some grand scale filming of Southeast Asia, as well as masterful acting by Alec Guinness.

99. Coco

Year Released: 2017
Director: Lee Unkrich (1), Adrian Molina
Writer: Lee Unkrich (2), Jason Katz, Matthew Aldrich
Genre: Animation, Fantasy
Actors: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal (1)
Music: Michael Giaccihno
Oscars: 2 Nominations (2 wins)
Significance: This is truly a magical film by Disney that celebrates Latin American culture, specifically the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos. I think it has great animation, an original story, and a very catchy soundtrack. The story is about a young musician who reunites with his ancestors in the afterlife. I think it's such a beautiful story that celebrates family as well as life after death. One of the feel good moments for me of this film, is when Miguel first crosses the bridge into the magical afterlife. The second emotional moment is the closing song Proud Corazon, where Miguel gives homage to his family past and present.

98. Inside Lewyn Davis

Year Released: 2013
Director: The Coen Brothers (1)
Writer: The Coen Brothers (2)
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Music
Actors: Oscar Isaac (1), Carey Mulligan (1)
Music: T Bone Burnett (1), Oscar Isaac (2)
Oscars: 2 nominations
Significance: Set in New York City 1961 during the Folk Music Revival at Greenwich Village. It's a bit of a dark comedy with great original music, much of which is sung by Oscar Isaac himself. I think it's a great story of someone down on his luck trying to make it in the music profession with a convincing performance by Oscar Isaac. The final scene at the end where Bob Dylan makes his debut on stage really captures the setting.

97. Defiance

Year Released: 2008
Director: Edward Zwick
Writer: Nechama Tec
Genre: War, Drama
Actors: Daniel Craig (1), Liev Schreiber
Music: James Newton Howard
Oscars: 1 Nomination
Significance: I remember first watching this film during my European renaissance of 2010 and being so fascinated by the historical aspect of WWII portrayed in this film. It was this depiction of the partisan fighters that inspired me, small pockets of resistance fighters throughout Europe during WWII. This is a true story of a Belarusian Jewish society that is able to find refugee in a forest and establish a community while they hide from Nazi occupancy. Daniel Craig gives a great performance as the historical leader Tuvia Bielski. I find this to be an inspiring war story about survival and finding the good amidst a terrible setting.

96. A Little Princess

Year Released: 1995
Director: Alfonso Cuaron (1)
Writer: Frances Hodgson Burnett (novel)
Genre: Drama
Actors: Liesel Matthews
Music: Patrick Doyle
Oscars: 2 Nominations
Nostalgic Significance: This is what I would consider a nostalgic film, as I first remember watching it when I was in 5th grade. I remember being so drawn to the story and the young girl's emotional roller coaster. Her vivid imagination and her grief in dealing with losing her father and becoming an orphan in a boarding school. Through her positive outlook she was able to endure it all and eventual reunite with her lost father in the ultimate happy ending story. I remember especially being moved by the musical score of Patrick Doyle with it's Indian sitar influence.

95. Kill Bill Vol 1 and II

Year Released: 2003, 2004
Director: Quentin Tarantino (1)
Writer: Quentin Tarantino (2)
Genre: Drama, Crime
Actors: Uma Thurman (1), David Carradine, Daryl Hannah
Music: RZA
Oscars: None
Significance: This is one of my favorite Quentin Tarantino movies, with great nonstop action and choreography. It also has some very artistic cinematography, especially in the Japanese restaurant fight scene. I love the way Tarantino shoots this story in chapters that are out of order. It takes a couple times to really piece all the details together. Uma Thurman gives a very striking performance as the lead femme fatale. I think this movie is so much more than a gory action movie, rather a top quality work of cinema.

94. Troy

Year Released: 2004
Director: Wolfgang Peterson
Writer: Homer, David Beinoff
Genre: War, Epic
Actors: Brad Pitt (1), Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom (1), Brian Cox (1), Brendan Gleeson, Sean Bean, Peter O'Toole
Music: James Horner (1)
Oscars: 1 Nomination
Significance: This film came out when I was a sophomore in college and inspired me to write and direct our amateur film of the Great War of Inan. I always loved mythology and the story of the Iliad and it was great to see a modern adaptation of the story at this scale. Brad Pitt is no doubt the perfect casting for the cocky warrior of Achilles. He is also supported by many other big name Hollywood actors portraying the Greek heroes from the epic poem. I thought the scale of the filming alone, to recreate this epic sword-and-shield battle on a beachfront was very convincing and worthy of my top 100.

93. 8 Mile

Year Released: 2002
Director: Curtis Hanson
Writer: Scott Silver
Genre: Drama, Music
Actors: Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger
Music: Eminem
Oscars: 1 Nomination (1 Win)
Nostalgic Significance: This musical film is a semi autobiographical portrayal of the rapper Eminem's life. I remember first watching this during my high school years, and would frequently quote the lines with my best friend Palmer. It's one of the first depictions of rap battles I had ever seen, and has several hype feel-good moments. Also quite surprisingly the rapper Eminem gives a phenomenal portrayal as the lead actor in this film. It's just an all around great soundtrack, great story, and great film set in Detroit.

92. Master and Commander: Far Side of the World

Year Released: 2003
Director: Peter Weir
Writer: Patrick O'Brian (Novel)
Genre: Drama, War
Actors: Russell Crowe (1), Paul Bettany (1)
Music: Ian Davies, Christopher Gordon, Richard Tognetti
Oscars: 10 nominations (2 Wins)
Significance: One of several great Russell Crowe historical period pieces, this one pertains the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s. It's a grand scale nautical film, set onboard a British frigate as they hunt a French ship. It mirrors themes from the story of Moby Dick, pertaining to the captain's obsession over an enemy, while the crew struggles with their own comraderies.

91. Walk the Line

Year Released: 2005
Director: James Mangold (1)
Writer: Gill Dennis, James Mangold (2)
Genre: Drama, Music
Actors: Joaquin Phoenix (1), Reese Witherspoon (1)
Music: Johnny Cash covers, T Bone Burnett (2)
Oscars: 5 Nominations (1 win)
Significance: I never really cared about country music, but I really grabbed my interest after watching this film starring Joaquin Phoenix as the great Johnny Cash. The movie is a fairly straight forward biopic, with great acting and singing from Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. It also really gives great insight into the musical scene of the 1950s with other notable musicians such as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.

90. Fight Club

Year Released: 1999
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Chuck Palahniuk (Novel)
Genre: Drama
Actors: Edward Norton (1), Brad Pitt (2)
Music: The Dust Brothers
Oscars: 1 nomination
Significance: This is a really good story with solid performances by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. The premise is of a modern day corporate man who turns to fighting as a means to reinvigorate his boring life. In an epic plot twist, we later discover that he has created an alter ego persona and has completely begun to lose his mind.

89. The Sound of Music

Year Released: 1965
Director: Robert Wise
Writer: George Hurdalek, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance
Actors: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer (1)
Music: Richard Rogers
Oscars: 10 Nominations (5 wins including Best Picture)
Significance: It's a famous musical film set in the beautiful mountainous regions of Austria. Starring Julie Andrews and a much younger Christopher Plummer all the songs from this film are quite catchy and popular. Along with it's catchy songs I find the filming to be very impressive and of grand scale throughout the mountains, lakes, and villages of 1930s Austria. Also of interest is the historical backdrop of Austria's pending partnership with the Nazis at the onset of WWII.

88. Apocalypto

Year Released: 2006
Director: Mel Gibson (1)
Writer: Mel Gibson (2)
Genre: Drama, Epic
Actors: Rudy Youngblood
Music: James Horner (2)
Oscars: 3 Nominations
Significance: There really isn't a movie that captures Mesoamerican culture to the scale of this one. It gives a raw and savage depiction of Mayan civilization, where a warrior must escape thru the jungle to save his family. It is simply great filming by Mel Gibson with very suspenseful story. The closing scene at the end where the Spanish explorers arrive to the New World, once again really hits home to set the historical setting.

87. Ocean's Eleven Series

Year Released: 2001, 2004, 2007
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: George Clayton Johnson
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Actors: George Clooney (1), Brad Pitt (2), Matt Damon (1), Julia Roberts (1), Don Cheadle (1), Andy Garcia (1), Al Pacino (1), Catherine Zeta Jones (1), Casey Affleck (1)
Music: David Holmes
Oscars: None
Significance: All three of these movies (Ocean's 11, Ocean's 12, and Oceans 13) are so well written and the quintessential Hollywood movie. With probably the greatest ensemble of A-list actors ever assembled, this film series is very entertaining, comical, and the definition of coolness. Clooney and his gang of conmen take on some of the biggest heists with such suave professionalism. The movie is loaded with great drama, humor, and surprising twists-and-turns along the way.

86. Melancholia

Year Released: 2011
Director: Lars von Trier (1)
Writer: Lars von Trier (2)
Genre: Drama
Actors: Kirsten Dunst (1), Charlotte Gainsbourg, Keifer Sutherland
Music: Classical music by Richard Wagner, Chopin, Strauss
Oscars: None
Significance: This is truly an art film, nonstop aesthetics on display make it very easy on the eyes. It pertains to the theme of depression, portrayed brilliantly by Kirsten Dunst. She is at peace with the approaching apocalypse, while her family begins to panic. The movie really sets the darker tone with Wagner's Tristen and Isolde. It has incredible visual effects with an original human-interest story.

85. Rudy

Year Released: 1993
Director: David Anspaugh
Writer: Angelo Pizzo
Genre: Drama, Sports
Actors: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Oscars: None
Nostalgic Significance: It's one of my all time favorite motivational sports movies and I don't even like Notre Dame Football. I can however appreciate the setting of a Catholic college from Indiana and the true underdog story of Rudy. It's a true feel-good story, played remarkably by Sean Astin with an inspirational musical score. This one has some nostalgic quality to it, and I'm quite surprised it didn't receive more accolades.

84. Anastasia

Year Released: 1997
Director: Don Bluth (1)
Writer: Susan Gauthier, Bruce Graham, Bob Tzudiker
Genre: Animation, Drama, Romance, Musical
Actors: Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd (1)
Music: David Newman
Oscars: 2 Nominations
Nostalgic Significance: Quite often mistaken for a Disney film it was actually a Fox Animated film by the great Don Bluth who also produced Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven. This movie especially has some nostalgic quality for me as I remember watching it as a kid. It had such cutting edge graphics and a great musical soundtrack. During Christmas time we would often listen to Disney music while we worked on puzzles, and quite a few songs from this movie were on those playlists.

83. Lincoln

Year Released: 2012
Director: Steven Spielberg (1)
Writer: Tony Kushner (1)
Genre: Drama, Politics
Actors: Daniel Day Lewis (1), Sally Field (1), David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones (1)
Music: John Williams (1)
Oscars: 12 Nominations (2 Wins)
Significance: This is a masterful performance by Daniel Day Lewis as one of America's greatest presidents Abraham Lincoln. It's also a very insightful story pertaining to the passage of the 13th Amendment. In this historical film, Spielberg focuses not on Lincoln's entire life but the final year he served as president in 1865, before he was assassinated. For anyone who loves history and the sport of politics, this movie is all about the inner dealings and compromise required to get laws passed thru Congress. It's an all around great historical film that really captures the scene of Washington DC in 1865 at the end of the Civil War.

82. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Year Released: 2003
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: Ted Elliott
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Actors: Johnny Depp (1), Geoffrey Rush (1), Orlando Bloom (2), Keira Knightley (1)
Music: Klaus Badelt, Hans Zimmer (1)
Oscars: 5 Nominations
Significance: This is the essential Hollywood pirate film and a worthy blockbuster. Johnny Depp portrays the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow and is supported by a great ensemble cast. The first movie, Curse of the Black Pearl is without question the best in the five part series. It has a wonderful fantasy story, tropical settings, special effects, and the iconic pirate theme song by the great Hans Zimmer. This was actually the 2nd DVD I ever purchased in my freshmen year of college (the first being Gladiator).

81. Life of Pi

Year Released: 2012
Director: Ang Lee
Writer: Yann Martel (Novel)
Genre: Fantasy
Actors: Suraj Sharma
Music: Mychael Danna
Oscars: 11 nominations (4 wins)
Significance: It's a nautical visual pleaser with incredible special effects. I especially enjoy the spiritual and cultural components of the film pertaining more-so to Indian, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The story is one of survival but also has metaphors and allegories to life in general. The character of Pi goes on a spiritual journey of self discovery coming to terms with what he believes, what he sees, and the higher purpose of it all.

80. Indiana Jones Series

Year Released: 1981, 1984, 1989
Director: Steven Spielberg (2)
Writer: George Lucas (1)
Genre: Action, Adventure
Actors: Harrison Ford (1), Karen Allen, Sean Connery (1)
Music: John Williams (2)
Oscars:

5 Nominations, 2 wins for Raiders of the Lost Ark
2 Nominations, 1 win for Temple of Doom
3 Nominations, 1 win for The Last Crusade

Nostalgic Significance: It's one of the most iconic Hollywood action films I remember watching as a young boy. The character of Indiana Jones is the epitome of a heroic adventurer seeking treasure while saving the world. I'm only focusing on the original three here, and not the 2 recent ones. The setting is usually during WWII where Indiana Jones finds himself at odds against the Nazi encampments. The 2nd one, Temple of Doom is quite different where Indiana must face an occultist tribe in India. I think it's the great performance of Harrison Ford, blockbuster directing by Steven Spielberg, and one of the most iconic movie scores from John Williams that make this such a memorable movie series.

79. Cleopatra

Year Released: 1963
Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz (1)
Writer: Joseph L Mankiewicz (2)
Genre: Historical Epic, Romance
Actors: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison
Music: Alex North
Oscars: 9 Nominations (4 Wins)
Significance: It's one of several great Hollywood sword-and-sandal epics that was released during the 1950-1960s. This one for me is still not aged, but rather a marvel of classical cinematography. The casting of the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor as Queen Cleopatra is genius as she dazzles on the screen. The scene that really captures the grandiose scale of this film for me is Cleopatra's entrance into Rome. It's no doubt a long movie, but a must for anyone who appreciates history and classical film.

78. Blues Brothers

Year Released: 1980
Director: John Landis (1)
Writer: Dan Aykroyd, John Landis (2)
Genre: Comedy, Music
Actors: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd
Music: The Blues Brothers Band
Oscars: None
Significance: Such a great comedy from the 1980s starring the two Saturday Night Live actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. The movie is a homage to blues music and also the city of Chicago as the Elwood brothers go on a mission from God to save their Catholic orphanage. Its full of hysterical moments and original catchy songs by the Blues Brothers with contributions from great musical icons such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, and James Brown. The film has now become somewhat of a cult classic that has transcended it's simple comedy status.

77. The Kite Runner

Year Released: 2007
Director: Marc Forster
Writer: Khaled Hosseini (novel)
Genre: Drama
Actors: Khalid Abdalla
Music: Alberto Iglesias
Oscars: 1 Nomination
Significance: This film is driven by a remarkable story pertaining to the modern history of Afghanistan. It tells the story of Amir, a young wealthy Afghani boy who develops a friendship with his servant. However Amir must flee the country with his family due to the Soviet invasion in 1980. Amir finds a happy life in America as a writer, but must later return to Afghanistan to save the family of his former servant from the Taliban. It's an incredible story of companionship, with great acting, and a powerful musical score.

76. Annie Hall

Year Released: 1977
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen (2)
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Actors: Woody Allen (3), Diane Keaton (1)
Music: Various musical artists
Oscars: 5 Nominations (4 wins including best picture)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: This is no doubt Woody Allen's most famous movie, that established a new type of quirky romantic comedy. The film has such a unique style to it, with a narrative recounting the romance. It is carried by brilliant performances by Diane Keaton and Woody Allen, who both play free-spirited intellectuals living in New York City. It's a movie mostly of dialogue but the characters really draw you into the story.

75. Ben Hur

Year Released: 1959
Director: William Wyler (1)
Writer: Lew Wallace, Karl Tunberg
Genre: Historical, Biblical Epic
Actors: Charlton Heston (1), Haya Harareet, Jack Hawkins (2)
Music: Miklos Rozsa
Oscars: 12 Nominations (11 wins)
Significance: This is both a historical and biblical epic pertaining to the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus Christ. It stars the great Charlton Heston, a Jewish man who becomes a great charioteer champion for the Romans. He is later arrested and sold off as a slave by the Romans while his family is imprisoned. He then seeks vengeance against the Roman officer in an epic scene of chariot racing. The scale of this scene is no doubt the highlight of the movie and to this day ranks as one of the finest achievements in cinematic history. Add to this historical drama, the backdrop of Jesus Christ who miraculously heals Ben Hur's family from leprosy after he is crucified.

74. Unforgiven

Year Released: 1992
Director: Clint Eastwood (1)
Writer: David Webb Peoples
Genre: Western
Actors: Clint Eastwood (2), Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman (1)
Music: Lennie Neihaus
Oscars: 9 Nominations (4 wins including Best Picture)
Significance: I think this is a great western story at the much later part of Clint Eastwood's legendary career. This was also the first of several great films he directed. Clint Eastwood teams up with his pal Morgan Freeman as two bounty hunters seeking to cash in a job. They must come face to face with the proud and mighty sheriff played by Gene Hackman. It's funny in this story Clint Eastwood should be the bad guy, while Gene Hackman the good lawman, but the character portrayals tell otherwise. It's just all around great acting and a cliché western movie of shoot-outs, prostitutes, whiskey, and saloons. Clint Eastwood's final shootout against 10 people in the saloon is a classic Hollywood far-fetched scene.

73. Garden State

Year Released: 2004
Director: Zach Braff (1)
Writer: Zach Braff (2)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Actors: Zach Braff (3), Natalie Portman (1)
Music: Various artists
Oscars: None
Nostalgic Significance: This movie takes me back to my college days, at the onset of the indie genre scene. This film is a total quirky romance, starring the up-and-comers Zach Braff and the great Natalie Portman who just established her fame with the Star Wars trilogy. The story pertains to a man dealing with depression and grief, but finds love in his home town in New Jersey. Zach Braff brings such an original artistic style to this film, with a great soundtrack of indie rock music. When I watch it now it takes me back to my younger carefree days in college.

72. The Wizard of Oz

Year Released: 1939
Director: Victor Fleming (1)
Writer: L. Frank Baum (Novel)
Genre: Fantasy, Musical
Actors: Judy Garland (1), Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
Music: Harold Arlen, Judy Garland (2)
Oscars: 5 Nominations (2 wins)
Significance: This is the oldest film on my list, and without question an iconic staple of Hollywood movies. Although it was not officially the first color movie, it's the first to do so at such a grand scale. The film also popularized the fantasy genre. I can only imagine what it was like for the crowds in the theatre to witness Dorothy leave the black-and-white colors of Kansas and step into the colorful world of Oz. The music is all so iconic and Judy Garland really brings it home with her rendition of "Somewhere over a Rainbow".

71. The Revenant

Year Released: 2015
Director: Alejandro Inarritu (1)
Writer: Mark Smith, Alejandro Inarritu (2)
Genre: Drama, Western
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio (1), Tom Hardy (1)
Music: Alva Noto
Oscars: 12 Nominations (3 wins)
Significance: It's one of many great Leonardio DiCaprio historical period pieces. This is one of survival based on the true story of the frontiersman Hugh Glass who was mauled by a bear. Set during the 1820s in the Dakotas, Hugh seeks vengeance after he is mauled by a bear, his son is killed, and he is left for dead. It's a great historical setting regarding the frontier explorations of the Old West. The film is shot in a rather vivid manner with unbreaking shots that really put the viewer in the midst of the action. The acting is also top notch, and won DiCaprio his first Academy Award.

70. The Little Mermaid

Year Released: 1989
Director: Ron Clements (1), John Musker (1)
Writer: Ron Clements (2), John Musker (2)
Genre: Animation, Fantasy
Actors: Jodi Benson, Samuel E Wright
Music: Alan Menken (1)
Oscars: 3 Nominations (2 wins)
Nostalgic Significance: It paved the way for Walt Disney's Golden resurgence of hit films during the 1990s. The story is one of many Disney films based off of old European folklore. This one happens to be the classic tale of a mermaid who falls in love with a human. The music has such a delightful and tropical vibe to it. It's no doubt a nostalgic film we use to enjoy as kids. I remember one year our school did a play of the movie and my dad would practice these songs frequently on the piano at home.

69. The Matrix Series

Year Released: 1999, 2003, 2003
Director: The Wachowskis (1)
Writer: The Wachowskis (2)
Genre: Sci-Fi
Actors: Keanu Reeves (1), Laurence Fishburne (1), Carrie-Anne Moss
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 4 Nominations (4 wins)
Significance: This was one of the first major cyberpunk films, a sci-fi dystopian story set in the modern day digital world. It debuted some ground-breaking visual effects and filming techniques most notably the slow-motion camera. It's a very clever idea of a futuristic world that has been overrun by machines. Humanity makes a stand led by Neo, to free themselves from this control. The trilogy is loaded with so many great moments of combat and action. My only complaint was that the humans decided to coexist with the machines at the end, rather then completely free themselves. Nonetheless it's still a very entertaining movie to enjoy.

68. Dances with Wolves

Year Released: 1990
Director: Kevin Costner (1)
Writer: Michael Blake (Novel)
Genre: Drama, Western
Actors: Kevin Costner (2), Mary McDonnell
Music: John Barry
Oscars: 12 Nominations (7 wins)
Significance: It's another great period piece set during the American Old West after the Civil War. This film celebrates America's old frontier and the Native Americans that once inhabited it. Kevin Costner plays a Union soldier who seeks to find solace within nature only to be faced with new tribulations. The film is carried by a great story with impressive sweeping landscapes of the plains and hills of America.

67. 1917

Year Released: 2019
Director: Sam Mendes (1)
Writer: Sam Mendes (2), Krysty Wilson Cairns
Genre: War, Drama
Actors: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay
Music: Thomas Newman
Oscars: 10 Nominations (3 wins)
Significance: I always use to say there weren't enough films given homage to WWI until I saw this film. It is the Saving Private Ryan movie of WWI, that really puts the viewer in the raw action of it all. What's especially impressive about this film is the single-shot technique that carries with the actors throughout their motion. I always think this format is the best for creating a more real and authentic action sequence. The story is quite simple of two soldiers who need to deliver a message across enemy lines. Sam Mendes does an incredible job at heightening the suspense and leaving the viewer with a penultimate bang at the end of the film.

66. The Patriot

Year Released: 2000
Director: Roland Emmerich
Writer: Robert Rodat
Genre: War, History, Epic
Actors: Mel Gibson (3), Heath Ledger (1), Chris Cooper (1), Tom Wilkinson (1), Jason Isaacs
Music: John Williams (3)
Oscars: 3 Nominations
Significance: For me it's the defining film portraying the American Revolutionary War. It doesn't focus on the famous founding fathers yet rather a militiaman who gets drawn into the conflict. Mel Gibson once again gives off a very convincing and passionate performance of a loving father who is trying to put war and violence behind him. However he has no choice but to join the American rebels in order to defend his homeland. Heath Ledger also puts forth a solid performance, while the villainy of Jason Isaacs is top notch. It's a great feel-good patriotic blockbuster ideal to watch around the 4th of July.

65. Aladdin

Year Released: 1992
Director: Ron Clements (3), John Musker (3)
Writer: Ron Clements (4), John Musker (4)
Genre: Animation
Actors: Scott Winger, Robin Williams (1), Linda Larkin
Music: Alan Menken (2)
Oscars: 5 Nominations (3 wins)
Nostalgic Significance: I believe this may have been the first film as a kid where I was pulled into the marketing campaign. I thought the previews looked so cool, and I especially had a crush on Jasmine. It's yet another Disney masterpiece during their golden Renaissance of the 90s with a perfect soundtrack. Also was encouraging to see a Disney blockbuster about different non-white cultures, this one being set in Arabia. It's just a great all around movie, with an iconic performance from Robin Williams as the genie.

64. The New World

Year Released: 2005
Director: Terrence Malick (1)
Writer: Terrence Malick (2)
Genre: Drama, Romance, History
Actors: Colin Farrell (1), Christian Bale (1), Christopher Plummer (2), Q'orianka Kilcher
Music: James Horner (3)
Oscars: 1 Nomination
Significance: I remember the first time watching this film, being so drawn into the trance-like opening where the British ships arrive to Virginia as they are watched by the Native Americans. This is a very intriguing opening scene without any dialogue, it goes on for over 5 minutes with the building music of Richard Wagner's Vorspiel. The film had several more artistic sequences like this, where the characters emotions are carried away by the camera and it's music. This was the first film of Terrence Malick I ever saw, and ever since I have been a big fan of his work. He brings forth such an original style with constant motion in his filming and beautiful classical music.

63. Marie Antoinette

Year Released: 2006
Director: Sofia Coppola (1)
Writer: Soffia Coppola (2)
Genre: Drama, History
Actors: Kirsten Dunst (2), Jason Schwartzman
Music: Dustin O'Halloran and Various Artists
Oscars: 1 Nomination (1 Win)
Significance: It's a modern-day take on the life of Marie Antoinette, presented by the visionary director Sofia Coppola. The setting and costume is spot-on capturing France in the 1780s (prior to it's revolution), while the music and acting is present day hipster. Kirsten Dunst does a great job at creating a spoiled princess who would later be the cause of a civil unrest. This film was a big part of my European Renaissance during 2010, especially when I first became fond of French culture and history.

62. The Ten Commandments

Year Released: 1956
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Writer: Dorothy Clarke Wilson, JH Ingraham, AE Southon
Genre: Biblical Epic, Drama
Actors: Charlton Heston (2), Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter
Music: Elmer Bernstein
Oscars: 7 Nominations (1 win)
Nostalgic Significance: I remember watching this one as a kid, usually around Lenten season or Easter and finding it to be a very enjoyable story. Despite it's somewhat aged special effects it's a total epic regarding the biblical tale of Moses and the Exodus. Charlton Heston gives off such a convincing performance as the hero of Moses who leads the Israelites out of captivity from the wicked Egyptian pharaoh. Although it's quite a long film, for me it's one of the most iconic sword-and-sandal epics and makes for a very nostalgic watch.

61. Brokeback Mountain

Year Released: 2005
Director: Ang Lee (2)
Writer: Annie Proulx (novel)
Genre: Romance, Drama
Actors: Heath Ledger (2), Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway
Music: Gustavo Santaolalla (1)
Oscars: 8 Nominations (3 wins)
Significance: I remember taking an advanced literature class my sophomore year and we are assigned this book to read. I also happened to be the same year this critically acclaimed movie was released. I don't remember the book too much, but I do remember lying in my bed and listening to the beautiful guitar soundtrack of Gustavo Santaolalla. I knew the music before I knew the film, but I was equally impressed with the scale of the film. I thought it was such a new type of film to see a romance between two male cowboys, who are often stereotyped as overly masculine. The acting between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal made for great screen chemistry. I just especially liked the setting high up in the mountains with this soothing guitar music.

60. Catch Me if You Can

Year Released: 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg (3)
Writer: Frank Abagnale, Stan Redding, Jeff Nathanson
Genre: Drama
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio (2), Tom Hanks (1), Christopher Walker (1)
Music: John Williams (4)
Oscars: 2 Nominations
Significance: Just a great true story about a conman living a life of luxury while he runs from the police. Still early in his career, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a strong performance as the cocky Frank Abagnale who cons his way into becoming a pilot, doctor, and lawyer during the 1970s. He is chased by an FBI agent played by Tom Hanks. The film is more of a character-piece without any elaborate settings or effects but still a favorite of mine. I think it's the acting and story that does it for me.

59. Scarface

Year Released: 1983
Director: Brian de Palma
Writer: Oliver Stone (1), Howard Hawks, Ben Hecht
Genre: Crime, Gangster
Actors: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer
Music: Girogio Moroder and Various Artists
Oscars: None
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: One of the most iconic gangster films starring Al Pacino as the infamous druglord Tony Montana. I think this film really captures the booming cocaine industry of the 1980s with the Medellin cartel feeding thru Cuba and into Miami. It's a rags-to-riches story about a street thug who climbs to the top of the drug empire thru his ruthless dealings. It's a very violent and vulgar movie, but what else would you expect from a crime gangster film. I'm actually quite surprised Al Pacino didn't receive any Oscar acclaims for this passionate performance.

58. Anna Karenina

Year Released: 2012
Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Leo Tolstoy (Novel)
Genre: Romance
Actors: Keira Knightley (2), Jude Law (1), Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Music: Dario Marianelli
Oscars: 4 Nominations (1 win)
Significance: This is a unique and modern adaptation of the classic Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy. Its filmed as if it was all taking place on an elaborate stage. Keira Knightley gives off a passionate performance as the conflicted Anna Karenina, which I thought should have at least garnished her an Oscar nomination. The supporting actors also give off top quality performances. From the music, the story, the filming, to the acting I really enjoy the Russian setting this film portrays.

57. Gone with the Wind

Year Released: 1939
Director: Victor Fleming (2), George Cukor, Sam Wood
Writer: Margaret Mitchell (Novel)
Genre: Romance, Epic
Actors: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh
Music: Max Steiner
Oscars: 13 Nominations (8 wins)
Significance: It's amazing that Victor Fleming managed to direct the two biggest films in Hollywood history in the same year of 1939. After the Wizard of Oz was released to shatter all movie making standards, Gone with the Wind took this even further in receiving the most accolades of any film prior. It is a southern epic, set during the Civil War that gives a unique perspective from the Confederate point of view. The character of Vivien Leigh is quite dazzling on the screen, even to this day. Her counterpart the famous Clark Gable is also quite charming and closes with one of the most famous lines in movie history, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn". It's a great epic regarding the history of the Civil War as well as the history of cinema.

56. Mystic River

Year Released: 2003
Director: Clint Eastwood (3)
Writer: Brian Helgeland, Dennis Lenahe
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actors: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins (1), Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, Emmy Rossum, Laurence Fishburne (2), Laura Linney
Music: Clint Eastwood (4)
Oscars: 6 Nominations (2 wins)
Significance: Set in Boston this is a great crime drama and a character-driven piece directed by Clint Eastwood. It's carried by the brilliant acting of Sean Penn as a grieving father who is out for justice after his daughter has been murdered. Tim Robbins also gives a solid performance as the wrongfully accused murderer. These two actor were well deserving of their Oscars and were supported by an ensemble cast. The two scenes that hit home for me are when Sean Penn is held off by the cops after discovering the death of his daughter. Or when he breaks down on the porch when talking to Tim Robbins. Add to this great acting and story is just the perfect emotional theme song composed by Clint Eastwood.

55. The Graduate

Year Released: 1967
Director: Mike Nichols
Writer: Calder Willingham, Buck Henry, Charles Webb
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
Music: Simon and Garfunkel
Oscars: 7 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: It's such an iconic Hollywood film that represents that 1960s counter-culture era. It's the acting of Dustin Hoffman and the music of Simon and Garfunkel that does it for me. In this film Dustin Hoffman is living in a state of bliss after graduating college, and has an affair with the much older Mrs. Robinson ("who is trying to seduce him"). He later breaks free of her, but in a further scandal dates her daughter and breaks her free from an arranged marriage. It's such a well written original story with great acting and some of my all time favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs such as April Come She Will.

54. Training Day

Year Released: 2001
Director: Antoine Fuque
Writer: David Ayer
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actors: Denzel Washington (1), Ethan Hawke
Music: Mark Macina
Oscars: 2 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: One of Denzel's best performances as the undercover gangster cop Alonzo. The movie all takes place in a day where Alonzo trains the rookie played by Ethan Hawke, and plans to entrap him with a crime. As the story unfolds we see how corrupt Alonzo is as his masterplan continues to develop involving dealings with gang members and top elected officials. My favorite scene is at the end where Denzel knows he is beaten and yet confronts a full gang with verbal threats. Just a great story with great acting.

53. The Great Gatsby

Year Released: 2013
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writer: Scott Fitzgerald
Genre: Romance
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio (3), Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan (2), Joel Edgerton
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 2 Nominations (2 wins)
Significance: This is a wonderful modern take on Fitzgerald's famous 1920s novel. Yet another solid performance by Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby he pours his soul into the romance for Daisey played by Carey Mulligan. Although this film was probably meant more as a blockbuster, I think it has serious acting quality to it, and I wonder why neither were nominated for Oscars. Tobey Maguire also gives off a likable performance as the narrator of the story. The film has fantastic special effects, music, with lavish settings. I just hate the tragic ending that brings the whole party in the film to an abrupt end.

52. Y Tu Mama Tambien

Year Released: 2001
Director: Alfonso Cuaron (2)
Writer: Alfonso Cuaron (3), Carlos Cuaron
Genre: Drama
Actors: Gael Garcia Bernal (2), Maribel Verdu (1), Diego Luna
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 1 Nomination
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: I believe I first discovered this film during my Latin American appreciation phase in 2008-2009. I was already a huge fan of Motorcycle Diaries, and felt this one was quite similar. It was yet another independent film with political undertones, also starring Gael Garcia Bernal once again. He is joined by his friend Diego Luna, as two college pals on a road trip with a beautiful lady. Their friendship is really tested as both begin to desire the beautiful woman. It's a great story of free-spirited adventure in the backdrop of modern day Mexico.

51. Platoon

Year Released: 1986
Director: Oliver Stone (2)
Writer: Oliver Stone (3)
Genre: War, Drama
Actors: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe
Music: George Delerue
Oscars: 8 Nominations (4 wins including Best Picture)
Significance: It's one of the quintessential Vietnam War movies (next to Apocalypse Now). This epic war film directed by Oliver Stone, creates a very intriguing story within the jungles of Vietnam. The platoon is divided into two groups, the alcohol guzzling conservative "juicers" and the pot smoking liberal "heads". While the platoon fights against the Vietcong, they must also fight within themselves. It's an engaging story with big scale production and visual effects. The acting is also quite good most notably the performance from the likable Williem Dafoe and the villainous Tom Berenger.

50. Raging Bull

Year Released: 1980
Director: Martin Scorsese (1)
Writer: Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage
Genre: Drama, Sports
Actors: Robert De Niro (1), Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci (1)
Music: Various artists
Oscars: 8 nominations (2 wins)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: This is a biopic about the life of Italian-American boxer Jake LaMotta, who climbed the middleweight charts during the 1940s. Filmed in black-in-white it's one of several Scorsese's films that portray Italian-Americans. Robert De Niro plays the ambitious boxer who climbs to the top, only to lose his composure at the end. He is aided by his brother, played wonderfully by Joe Pesci to try to keep him on his feet. LaMotta's wife is portrayed by Cathy Moriarty who dazzles on the screen even in black-and-white. What I especially love about this film is the beautiful theme music of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni.

49. Lost in Translation

Year Released: 2003
Director: Sofia Coppola (3)
Writer: Sofia Coppola (4)
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Actors: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson
Music: Various artists
Oscars: 4 Nominations (1 win)
Significance: It's another original screenplay and film directed by the innovative Sofia Coppola. It's about a young American girl right out of college who finds herself at a crossroads while traveling with her husband in Tokyo, Japan. She befriends an elder actor, played by Bill Murray and the two share a brief companionship for a while. Both characters seem to be a bit morose, and yet they lift one another up throughout the film. I don't think their relationship is one of romance, yet rather one of friendship like a father and a daughter. It's a character-driven piece and a unique and artistic film from Sofia Coppola.

48. The Aviator

Year Released: 2004
Director: Martin Scorsese (2)
Writer: John Logan
Genre: Drama, Epic
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio (4), Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Alan Alda
Music: Howard Shore (1)
Oscars: 11 nominations (6 wins)
Significance: I think this was the film that really established Leonardo DiCaprio as the top A-list actor in Hollywood, especially when it comes to historical period pieces. I think I first caught on to this movie while in college where I began to really appreciate good movies. It's a total Hollywood epic pertaining to the life of Howard Hughes, the billionaire movie-maker and aviation enthusiast. I honestly didn't know much about this figure, until the passionate performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. He is also aided by an ensemble cast of a-list superstars which makes this such a entertaining period piece.

47. V for Vendetta

Year Released: 2005
Director: James McTeigue
Writer: The Wachowskis (3), Alan Moore (graphic novel)
Genre: Drama, Action
Actors: Hugo Weaving (1), Natalie Portman (2)
Music: Dario Marianelli
Oscars: None
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: I'm really not sure why this graphic novel adaptation didn't garner any Oscar nominations. It's a thrilling dystopian story with powerful acting from Hugo Weaving as the antihero V, and Natalie Portman as Eve. It's probably more of an action film, but it certainly is laced with some heavy drama and filming quality. The scene where Natalie Portman comes free from her torture chamber, is such an emotional powerhouse. Maybe I'm just partial to dystopian settings, but I really regard this story and movie is top notch film quality.

46. It's a Wonderful Life

Year Released: 1946
Director: Frank Capra (1)
Writer: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra (2)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actors: James Stewart, Donna Reed
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Oscars: 5 Nominations
Significance: It has become one of my all time favorite Christmas movies that I really just discovered a few years ago. Also worth mentioning it is also a drama and romance film, which happens to finish on a very high note with the season of Christmas. It's an incredible story about a man's life who later needs an angel to help him realize how good he has it. James Stewart plays such a likable funny person who wins the girl over with classic lines such as "I'll give you the moon". But he later loses his composure as needs an angel to help him realize what truly matters in life. The ending scene is one of the top feel good moments in all of movies, where James Stewart runs thru the streets wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. He later joins his family where the entire community come together to sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

45. A Beautiful Mind

Year Released: 2001
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Akiva Goldsman, Sylvia Nasar
Genre: Drama
Actors: Russell Crowe (2), Paul Bettany (2), Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly
Music: James Horner (4)
Oscars: 8 Nominations (4 wins)
Significance: I was a big Russell Crowe fan after watching him in Gladiator, and really liked his performance in this film as well. This time he plays a charming mathematician with a natural ability to break codes. However his genius mind also begins to play tricks with him and we later realize that he is suffering from schizophrenia. The film depicts an insightful Cold War era piece, set in the 1950s. It later turns into a domestic affair where a man must let go of his great ambitions to focus on his wife and family. It's a character driven piece with great acting from Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. It also has a very inspiring soundtrack from James Horner.

44. Dark Knight Series

Year Released: 2005, 2008, 2012
Director: Christopher Nolan (1)
Writer: Bob Kane, David S Goyer, Christopher Nolan (2)
Genre: Drama, Action
Actors: Christian Bale (2), Morgan Freeman (2), Ken Watanabe, Heath Ledger (3), Tom Hardy (2) Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Music: Hans Zimmer (2)
Oscars:

Batman Begins (1 Nomination)
The Dark Knight (8 Nominations, 2 wins)
The Dark Knight Rises (none)

Significance: This is my favorite of the many Batman film adaptation series. I think this movie series blends the categories of your typical action superhero blockbuster with an top quality film drama. That's to say while it delivers on the special effects as most blockbuster action movies should it also delivers on the story, acting, and the filming. Christopher Nolan creates a very complex story here with darker elements of Batman as well as the villains. The portrayals of the Joker and Bane in particular are especially iconic movie roles. Heath Ledger's Joker won him the actor in 2008 and saddly may have contributed to his death by overdose. The movie has a darker element to it, but still finishes on a high note where the good guy wins.

43. Avatar

Year Released: 2009
Director: James Cameron (1)
Writer: James Cameron (2)
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Music: James Horner (5)
Oscars: 9 nominations (3 wins)
Significance: This was such a revolutionary film when it came to computer generated graphics. I remember watching this film in the theaters and being blown away with the 3d graphics. It's a total fantasy epic that takes place in a whole different galaxy. The story reminds me of the animation Ferngully where the general message is humanity destroying mother nature, and the natives must fight to protect their homeland. Aside from the incredible special effects the music is also very inspiring and other-worldly. It's just such a feel-good film.

42. Back to the Future Series

Year Released: 1985, 1989, 1990
Director: Robert Zemeckis (1)
Writer: Robert Zemeckis (2), Bob Gale
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Actors: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd (2)
Music: Alan Silvestri
Oscars:

Back to the Future 1 (4 Nominations, 1 win)
Back to the Future II (1 Nomination)
Back to the Future III (None)

Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Nostalgic Significance: I remember watching this film with my dad and brothers back in Park Avenue and always being so intrigued by the storyline, and the complexities of time-travel. The movie had pretty cutting edge special effects for it's time in the 1980s. It's just a classic Hollywood movie series with great acting, an adventurous story, and an iconic theme song.

41. Apocalypse Now

Year Released: 1979
Director: Francis Ford Coppola (1)
Writer: John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola (2), Michael Herr
Genre: War, Drama, Epic
Actors: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duval, Laurence Fishburne (3)
Music: Various artists
Oscars: 8 Nominations (2 wins)
Significance: It is the quintessential Vietnam movie (alongside Platoon) with epic filming by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie is a big scale production pertaining to the Vietnam War with a great story, filming, special effects, and acting. The film has so many iconic scenes in it, such as when the choppers strike a village to the music of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. Or Robert DuVall's perfomance and classic line, "I Love the smell of napalm in the morning"; or just Marlon Brando's overall performance as the insane Colonel Kurtz. It's a story that get's heavier and wackier the longer it goes which no doubt is a reflection of the Vietnam war in general.

40. Remember the Titans

Year Released: 2000
Director: Boaz Yakin
Writer: Gregory Allen Howard
Genre: Sports, Drama
Actors: Denzel Washington (2), Will Patton, Wood Harris
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: None
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Nostalgic Significance: This is my all time favorite sports movie and has added nostalgic value taking me back to my high school days. I remember watching this movie over and over again on a road trip to Florida with the Palmer family. We use to quote the movie so much. It has a great story true story during the 1970s, about white and black people coming together to win football games. The soundtrack is also full of some great classic rock and soul hits.

39. Gangs of New York

Year Released: 2002
Director: Martin Scorsese (3)
Writer: Jay Cooks, Steven Zaillian, Kenneth Lonergan
Genre: Drama, Gangster
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio (5), Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis (2), Brandon Gleeson (2)
Music: Howard Shore (2)
Oscars: 10 Nominations
Significance: Another great period piece from Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, pertaining to the history of New York City. The story and setting is very well done, as it truly takes you back to the 1860s of New York. The acting is also on par with phenomenal performances all around, especially by the method actor Daniel Day Lewis. His villainous performance of Bill the Butcher really takes the film to the next level.

38. Goodfellas

Year Released: 1990
Director: Martin Scorsese (4)
Writer: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese (5)
Genre: Gangster, Crime
Actors: Robert De Niro (2), Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 6 Nominations (1 win)
Significance: It's one of my favorite gangster films and yet another classic by Martin Scorsese. The acting by Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci is some of the finest, and they really make a great team on-screen. Ray Liotta also gives off a solid performance as the protagonist and narrator of the story. The movie has so many classic lines and moments, but one of my favorites is when Ray takes his girlfriend on a date thru the kitchen of the bar. The way the camera follows Ray through the kitchen and to his table is masterful cinematography.

37. The Illusionist

Year Released: 2006
Director: Neil Burger (1)
Writer: Neil Burger (2)
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Actors: Edward Norton (2), Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti (1)
Music: Philip Glass
Oscars: 1 Nomination
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: I just love everything about this film set in the Gilded Age of Vienna, Austria late 1800s. The setting alone is already quite enigmatic, but the storyline is even more so as it pertains to the story of a magician. Edward Norton gives off his best performance ever in my opinion as he tries to save the countess (played by the beautiful Jessica Biel) from her mad fiancé the crowned prince of Austria. Meanwhile Paul Giamatti also gives a stellar performance as the inspector trying to get to the bottom of the whole mystery. The film has such an original style, grim yet a beautiful quality to it. It has great costumes, settings, acting, and an alluring musical score by Philip Glass.

36. O Brother Where Art Thou

Year Released: 2000
Director: The Coen Brothers (3)
Writer: The Coen Brothers (4)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actors: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 2 Nominations
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: It's a great satirical comedy by the Coen Brothers with so many catchy folk bluegrass songs. I just love that rural setting in the deep South early 1900s, where George Clooney and his pals form a hit band known as the Soggy Bottom Boys. I think the real catch of this film for me is it's musical soundtrack. It has original songs as well as contributions from Allison Kraus and the Stanley Brothers.

35. Sideways

Year Released: 2004
Director: Alexander Payne (1)
Writer: Rex Pickett, Alexander Payne (2), Jim Taylor
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actors: Paul Giamatti (2), Thomas Haden Church
Music: Rolfe Kent
Oscars: 5 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: There is so much I like about this movie from the topic of wine-tasting to just it's road-trip format. It's a dark comedy with brilliant performances from the cynic Paul Giamatti and his dimwitted friend played by Thomas Haden Church. The two actors counter each other so perfectly, it makes for ideal on-screen chemistry. The film mixes moments of comedy with heavier tones of drama at times. Over the years it has become a go-to comedy to watch with my dad.

34. Harry Potter Series

Year Released: 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
Director: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron (3), Mike Newell, David Yates
Writer: JK Rowling (Novel)
Genre: Fantasy
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Brendan Gleeson (3), Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith
Music: John Williams (5)
Oscars:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (3 Nominations)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (None)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2 Nominations)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (1 Nomination)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (None)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (1 Nomination)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2 Nominations)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (3 Nominations)

Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: Aside from the genius writing of JK Rowling, the movies actually do a great job of bringing these popular books to life. What I especially love about the 8 part movie series is that most the actors stuck around for a ten-year span. I don't think there's ever been a movie series quite as long as this one, that still managed to keep most of it's ensemble cast all the way thru (the only major change was Dumbledore after move 2). The films have great special effects, music from John Williams, elaborate settings, and so forth. I've already written countlessly about this series, so don't have to say too much more to justify it's case on this list.

33. Almost Famous

Year Released: 2000
Director: Cameron Crowe (1)
Writer: Cameron Crowe (2)
Genre: Drama
Actors: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 4 Nominations
Previous Position: #20 (Down 13 spots)
Significance: I first got into this film as I was beginning to love and understand classic rock music. The entire movie is set during the early 1970s at the height of the rock n' roll music scene. The movie really gives a solid appreciation for rock n roll as it is told from multiple aspects pertaining to the fans, the journalists, and the musicians themselves. It has so many beautiful moments in it such as when the older sister uses the music of Simon and Garfunkel to explain herself to her mother. Or when the groupies deflower the innocent journalist, or when the whole group sings Tiny Dancer on the bus. It's a great story, with great acting, and great music.

32. Pulp Fiction

Year Released: 1994
Director: Quentin Tarantino (3)
Writer: Quentin Tarantino (4)
Genre: Drama, Crime
Actors: John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman (2), Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken (2)
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 7 Nominations
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: It's a cult classic from the visionary director Quentin Tarantino and shot in such a unique format. Tarantino loves to break up his films in chapters, and each chapter in this movie builds up to a crazy situation. This movie is no doubt Tarantino's masterpiece and has become a staple of Hollywood pop culture. The acting is perfect all across the board as it portrays a gangster circle as they all cross paths on a day in Los Angeles.

31. There will be Blood

Year Released: 2007
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson (2)
Genre: Drama
Actors: Daniel Day-Lewis (3), Paul Dano, Ciaran Hinds
Music: Jonny Greenwood
Oscars: 8 Nominations (2 wins)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: This is what I consider a true work of art, just the way it is filmed and especially the acting from Daniel Day Lewis. He truly is the best actor in the business what it comes to pure method acting and period role pieces. The story is a unique historical setting in the early 1900s pertaining to the oil boom industry. The character of Daniel Plainview is as wicked as ever, an ambitious prospector who strikes it rich and builds an oil empire. The story is really more of a character-piece, than a historical epic, despite a few sweeping landscape shots. The most impressive shot for me is when he strikes oil, the rig explodes, and he runs to save his boy.

30. The Lion King

Year Released: 1994
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Writer: Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Wolverton
Genre: Animation
Actors: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
Music: Hans Zimmer (3), Elton John
Oscars: 4 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: #23 (Down 7 spots)
Nostalgic Significance: It was the 4th consecutive blockbuster and critically acclaimed film from Disney during it's Golden Renaissance of the 1990s. Similar to Aladdin, I remember the hype and marketing campaign for this one as a young kid and really was excited for the movie. I remember even watching the movie in theaters and feeling so sad when Simba's father Mufasa died. This was in my opinion probably Disney's finest movie all around with a great story, visual effects, and hands down the best Disney musical soundtrack. I remember I had watched the movie so many times that I could quote the entire film.

29. Dazed and Confused

Year Released: 1993
Director: Richard Linklater (1)
Writer: Richard Linklater (2)
Genre: Comedy
Actors: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck (1)
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: None
Previous Position: #24 (Down 5 spots)
Significance: Another cult classic and comedy for me that reminds me of my college years and also my early appreciation of classic rock music. I think this movie is more than just a typical stoner comedy, but has some very good filming and cinematography. For example that scene where Matthew McCaughey walks into the game-room with his pals while Bob Dylan's Hurricane is top notch cinema and not your standard comedy movie. But what I really love about this movie is the general feel to it. It's a youthful celebration of music, high school, parties, drinking, chasing girls, summertime, and good times with friends.

28. Doctor Zhivago

Year Released: 1966
Director: David Lean (2)
Writer: Boris Pasternak (Novel)
Genre: Epic, Drama, Romance
Actors: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Alec Guinness (2)
Music: Maurice Jarre
Oscars: 10 Nominations (5 wins)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: I think it was this movie (and Reds) that really got me interested in Russian culture and history. It's a sweeping epic set during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and a very complex love story. The main character of Doctor Zhivago is a poetic optimist who is able to endure the hardships of WW1 thru his new found love for Lara. However eventually the Russian Revolution, as well as his obsession with Lara, slowly ruins his life and drives him to madness. It's one of the finest historical epics, with masterful acting and big scale filming. The vast snow covered landscapes make this an ideal movie to watch during wintertime. And that musical score of Lara's Theme by Maurice Jarre really sets the romantic tone of this movie.

27. Phantom of the Opera

Year Released: 2004
Director: Joel Schumacher (1)
Writer: Gaston Leroux (Novel), Andrew Lloyd Webster (1), Joel Schumacher (2)
Genre: Romance, Drama, Musical
Actors: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webster (2)
Oscars: 3 Nominations
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: I remember when I first discovered this movie during Christmas of 2009, I was so inspired by it for several months. It's the music that does it for me, but the film design, costumes, and setting are equally as impressive. It kind of reminds me of Amadeus a little bit with it's operatic European setting. My only problem though is that it peaks too early with a string of great songs, and then gets overly melodramatic towards the end. It's no doubt a complex story of a love triangle, which I intend to eventually read the original novel by Gaston Leroux. It's one of my all time favorite musicals right alongside Les Miserables.

26. Black Swan

Year Released: 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writer: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J McLaughlin
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Drama
Actors: Natalie Portman (2), Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Music: Clint Mansell, Tchaikovsky
Oscars: 5 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention
Significance: One of my favorite psychological thrillers and performances by the skilled Natalie Portman. I especially love this content of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and the ballet company set in New York City. Natalie Portman creates such an original character of a young girl struggling for perfection so much so that it drives her to madness. The filming of Aronofsky is genius as it builds throughout the movie and gets more surreal up until it's grand climatic ending. This is another example of what I would consider a total art-film.

TOP 25 GOLDEN FILMS

25. Cold Mountain

Year Released: 2003
Director: Anthony Minghella
Writer: Charles Frazier (novel), Anthony Minghella (2)
Genre: War, Romance, Drama
Actors: Nicole Kidman (2), Jude Law (2), Renee Zellweger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman (3)
Music: Gabriel Yared and various folk artists
Oscars: 7 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: #25
Significance: This is a great historical romantic epic set during the American Civil War based off the novel by Charles Frazier which I intend to read someday. The opening scene of the movie establishes it's epic scale, with the Battle of the Crater. It's a passionate story about returning home to a loved one in the midst of such horrible times. The movie has an incredible rural setting in North Carolina, with an ensemble cast of period acting and a great folksy soundtrack. I love to watch this movie around the fall time as it pertains to the Civil War and rural America.

24. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Year Released: 2004
Director: Michael Gondry (1)
Writer: Charlie Kaufman, Michael Gondry (2), Pierre Bismuth
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actors: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson (2), Kirsten Dunst (3), Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo
Music: Various Artists
Oscars: 2 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: #18 (Down 6 spots)
Significance: Such a great concept film with Jim Carrey's finest performance in my opinion. It's a dark comedy about a man who decides to erase the memory of his girlfriend but then has second thoughts. Kate Winslet also puts forth a memorable performance as his quirky lover. The movie really goes into the abstract as we are mostly inside of Jim Carrey's mind the whole time. It has wonderful acting all around, with a trance-like soundtrack, and a very stimulating story.

23. Pan's Labrynith

Year Released: 2006
Director: Guillermo del Toro (1)
Writer: Guillermo del Toro (2)
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Actors: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu (2)
Music: Javier Navarrete
Oscars: 6 Nominations (3 wins)
Previous Position: #22 (Down 1 spot)
Significance: This is one my favorite eerie movies, with a darker fantasy element to it. It's such a great original story by Guillermo del Toro, with a historical setting of the Spanish Civil War in the 1940s. The special effects are also quite impressive. But what really hits home for me is that musical score and lullaby that plays throughout the movie. It's one of those films that can be open for interpretation and is perfect to watch around Halloween time. That ending where she reunites with her parents always hits a high emotional sensastion with me.

22. To the Wonder

Year Released: 2012
Director: Terrence Malick (3)
Writer: Terrence Malick (4)
Genre: Romance, Drama
Actors: Ben Affleck (2), Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams (1)
Music: Hanan Townshend, Richard Wagner
Oscars: None
Previous Position: #21 (Down 1 spot)
Significance: Another personal favorite of mine, despite it's lack of academy acclaim. I think the filming is so brilliant, similar to Malick's New World, it's constant motion in the backdrop of beautiful classical music. The composing of Hanan Townshend is remarkably as she enhances the work of Richard Wagner's Parsifal. So many scenes really hit home for me in this film particularly the early love scenes between Affleck and Olga's characters. There is also the storyline of the conflicted priest, played wonderfully by Javier Barden, who has begun to struggle with his faith. I think this is a film very open to artistic interpretation, especially it's ending where it appears Olga's character ends up in a dreamlike state, almost like heaven, looking back to her previous state of wonder.

21. American Beauty

Year Released: 1999
Director: Sam Mendes (2)
Writer: Alan Ball
Genre: Drama
Actors: Kevin Spacey, Anette Bening, Chris Cooper (2)
Music: Thomas Newman
Oscars: 8 Nominations (5 wins)
Previous Position: #16 (Down 5 spots)
Significance: This is another great film and story, more of a contemporary drama with a psychological tone. It's a character piece, about a man going thru a mid-life crisis and has a sudden awakening inspired by a younger woman. This film is shot so artistically with abstract sequences that take us into the mind of someone losing his grip on reality. The acting is also quite masterfully most notably from Kevin Spacey and his overly anxious wife played by Annette Bening. As the title suggests it's a story about suburban America and is filmed in a very beautiful way.

20. Fantasia

Year Released: 1940
Director: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe
Writer: Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, Lee Blair
Genre: Animation, Musical
Actors: Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor
Music: Various Classical artists
Oscars: 2 Honorary Awards
Previous Position: #14 (Down 6 spots)
Nostalgic Significance: I remember watching this one as a kid, as my dad would always emphasis classical music around the house. The mixture of animation with classical music was a true breakthrough for Disney at the time. I think it's still quite the timeless piece with the beautiful music of Stravinsky, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, and Schubert. The Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven is my favorite segment that depicts a mythological paradise of Greek creatures. This film is an all time nostalgic favorite for me, and is one of the earliest movies I can remember watching.

19. Les Miserables

Year Released: 2012
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: Victor Hugo (Novel), William Nicholson, Alain Boubil, Claude-Michel Schonberg
Genre: Musical, Drama, Historical Epic
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe (2), Anne Hathaway (2)
Music: Claude-Michel Schonberg (2)
Oscars: 8 Nominations (3 wins)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention (New Addition to List!!)
Significance: I remember first seeing the previews for this one when I lived at my apartment in River Road and was so excited for it. It's everything I like about movies, with a historical setting, classic literature, and top quality acting. It was filmed with such a raw style, where Hooper really put the cameras up-close to the performers. Many of the actors in this movie were really singing the songs on the set, which gave it a more authentic quality to it. Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman truly poured their hearts and souls into their performances. Aside from the incredible music, is just the massive scale of the film, that is an unending visual pleaser. It's my all time favorite musical film, that especially inspired me through the year 2012.

18. Shakespeare in Love

Year Released: 1998
Director: John Madden
Writer: Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard
Genre: Romance, Drama
Actors: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush (2), Tom Wilkinson (4), Judi Dench, Colin Firth
Music: Stephen Warbeck
Oscars: 13 Nominations (7 wins including best picture)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention (New Addition to List!!)
Significance: This is a fairly new discovery for me in the past ten years or so, and has quickly climbed the ranks of my all time favorites. It's a lighter tone of drama, comedy, and romance and yet done so with true poetic and artistic quality. It has an ensemble cast of very passionate acting, most notably by Gwyneth Paltrow who dazzles on the screen. It's a great historical time piece set during the mid 1500s of the Golden Age of Queen Elizabeth. The film of course takes some liberties on the history of Shakespeare as he finds inspiration for his play of Romeo and Joliet. I love everything about this movie, the musical score, it's historical setting, but more so it's homage to literature.

17. Shawshank Redemption

Year Released: 1994
Director: Frank Darabont
Writer: Stephen King, Frank Darabont (2)
Genre: Drama
Actors: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Music: Thomas Newman (2)
Oscars: 7 Nominations
Previous Position: #12 (Down 5 spots)
Significance: Yet another historical period piece with a masterful story by Stephen King and brilliant acting by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. It takes us back to the 1950s in a prison yard where a wrongfully accused man seeks to break free. He is patient and makes the best out of his unfair situation by befriending his fellow inmates. The most beautiful scene of the film for me is when the music of Mozart's Figaro plays over the speakers and all the inmates look off in bewilderment. The film also has one of the happiest feel-good moments in all of cinema. It's truly a movie masterpiece.

16. The Pianist

Year Released: 2002
Director: Roman Polanski
Writer: Ronald Harwood, Wladyslaw Szpilman
Genre: Drama, Historical Epic
Actors: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay
Music: Wojciech Kilar
Oscars: 7 Nominations (3 wins)
Previous Position: Honorable Mention (New Addition to List!!)
Significance: This movie was part of my European Renaissance during 2010. I would often think of those Polish streets during wintertime at my apartment complex in Fishers. It's another Holocaust film, not quite at the scale of Schindler's List, but still as emotionally powerful. It's a unique true story about a pianist who is very close to his family. However during the Nazi invasion of Poland, he is separated from them, and then must survive in the ghetto of Warsaw. His conditions worsen as he tries to hide and survive throughout WWII. The movie doesn't quite take us into the concentration camps but gives a very insightful detail of the Jewish ghettos of the time. It's filmed very well with masterful acting by Adrien Brody.

15. The Godfather

Year Released: 1972, 1974
Director: Francis Ford Coppola (3)
Writer: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppla (4)
Genre: Gangster, Crime, Drama
Actors: Marlon Brando (2), Al Pacino (2), Robert Duval (2), James Caan, Robert De Niro (3), Diane Keaton (2), John Cazale
Music: Nino Rota
Oscars:

Godfather I (11 nominations, 3 wins including Best Picture)
Godfather II (11 nominations, 6 wins including Best Picture)

Previous Position: #13 (Down 2 spots)
Significance: This is without question the greatest gangster film and a true iconic Hollywood classic. It pertains to the Italian-American Mafia during it's heyday in the 1940s-1960s. It's a fictional story about the Corleone family, but has many historical ties to real Mafia families and historical events. It's film making at it's finest with top quality acting, music, settings, and cinematography. Both Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro won Oscars for their portrayals of the Vito Corleone. Al Pacino also gives a riveting performance as the heir to the family business, even more so as the boss in part 2. Both of the movies are quite long and loaded with detail, but the more you watch them the more you appreciate their artistic quality. I fell in love even more so with this game when I played the video game on my PC in 2010. That musical theme song is also so piercing and a trademark of cinematic history.

14. Braveheart

Year Released: 1995
Director: Mel Gibson (4)
Writer: Randall Wallcae
Genre: War, Romance, Historical Epic
Actors: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Brendan Gleeson (4)
Music: James Horner (6)
Oscars: 10 Nominations (5 wins including Best Picture)
Previous Position: #6 (Down 8 spots)
Nostalgic Significance: I remember first watching this one at grandma's house and being blown away with the scale of the medieval battles. I think that was the first time I'd seen that type of military display where warriors would charge into the battlefield at one another like that. It was a very graphic and gory film but no doubt set the stage of how terrible those times really were. This an epic masterpiece by Mel Gibson, portraying the Scottish hero of William Wallace. I just love that sweeping landscape and rollling green hills of Scotland in this movie. I love the acting, the romance, the story of vengeance, the battles, and especially the musical score by James Horner. The movie has so many beautiful scenes in it, most notably at it's end where William Wallace courageously faces his death.

13. Forrest Gump

Year Released: 1994
Director: Robert Zemeckis (3)
Writer: Winston Groom, Eric Roth
Genre: Drama, Romance, Epic
Actors: Tom Hanks (2), Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
Music: Alan Silvestri (2) and various classic rock artists
Oscars: 13 Nominations (6 wins including best picture)
Previous Position: #7 (Down 6 spots)
Nostalgic Significance: The year 1994 was no doubt the best year in movie history that produced three films that are in my top 25 list (Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption, and Forrest Gump). I remember also first watching this movie at grandma's house and being inspired by Forrest's journey thru history. This movie is a homage to American culture, particularly starting with southern culture. It shows Forrest's journey into becoming a man who deals with love, racial inequalities, and the social issues of the 1960s counterculture wave. He is thrust into combat during the Vietnam War and comes out as a hero. Forrest is a dimwitted character who always seems to have fortune on his side. Played brilliantly by Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump is the embodiment of the good and somewhat naïve American soldier. The film has so many well shot sequences, such as Forrest meeting Elvis Presley, or when he breaks free from his knee braces, or the emotional ending when he bids Jenny farewell. This is an iconic film of American pop culture with a great soundtrack of classic rock.

12. Titanic

Year Released: 1997
Director: James Cameron (3)
Writer: James Cameron (4)
Genre: Epic, Romance
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio (6), Kate Winslet (2), Kathy Bates (1)
Music: James Horner (7) and Celine Dion
Oscars: 14 Nominations (11 wins including best picture)
Previous Position: #15 (Up 3 spots!)
Significance: This film set so many records for it's time, including most expensive movie ever made, biggest box office hit, most Academy nominations at 14, and most Academy wins at 11. I saw it several times as a kid and was impressed but I did not really start to appreciate it's artistic quality until much later. It's such a wonderful historical-fiction and romantic story by James Cameron and equally as impressive of an epic scale film. The visual effects were groundbreaking for their time and the boat was actually built to scale to really create a more realistic sense of the event. Leonardo DiCaprio was still quite early in his career, but he proved he could not only be a heartthrob actor, but a leading figure in historical period epics such as this. I think what really hits home for me in this movie is the music by Celine Dion and James Horner.

11. Midnight in Paris

Year Released: 2011
Director: Woody Allen (4)
Writer: Woody Allen (5)
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Actors: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams (2), Kathy Bates (2), Marion Cottillard (1), Adrien Brody (2)
Music: Various Jazz Artists
Oscars: 4 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: #19 (Up 8 spots!)
Significance: This has become a recent favorite of mine in the last ten years, and I know it's my dad's favorite film. It's just such a well written story by Woody Allen, a romantic-comedy with a great element of fantasy to it. It brilliantly portrays the 1920s golden age in Paris, that brought together some of the finest artists in writers in history. The acting is top notch, especially by the likable lead Owen Wilson, who is going thru a dream-like scenario. The magical fantasy in this film is never really explained, and I just lost that feature by Woody. Everything about this film is such a comforting watch, from it's acting, the story, the beautiful setting of Paris (in the rain), and especially the jazz music.

10. Saving Private Ryan

Year Released: 1998
Director: Steven Spielberg (4)
Writer: Robert Rodat
Genre: War, Historical Epic
Actors: Tom Hanks (3), Matt Damon (2), Tom Sizemore
Music: John Williams (6)
Oscars: 11 Nominations (5 wins)
Previous Position: #17 (Up 7 spots!)
Significance: This is the penultimate World War II epic film for me, pertaining to the American Invasion of Normandy on D-Day. That opening twenty minutes of the film is arguably some of the best filmmaking in cinema history with it's raw and violent depiction of the war. From this point on the story unfolds as a squad must journey thru occupied France to save a soldier. The filming and setting is what really makes this film special for me, but the acting is also worth noting. Tom Hanks gives his best performance yet as the heroic Captain and once again that staple devoted American soldier. It's no wonder Tom Hanks is considered one of the most likable American actors. Spielberg creates such a a vivid and somber portrayal of the war theater with great action, visual and sound effects to make it really come off screen.

9. Star Wars

Year Released: 1977, 1980, 1983
Director: George Lucas (2)
Writer: George Lucas (3)
Genre: Sci-Fi
Actors: Harrison Ford (2), Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Alec Guinness (4)
Music: John Williams (7)
Oscars:

A New Hope: (11 nominations, 6 wins)
Empire Strikes Back (4 nominations, 2 wins)
Return of the Jedi (4 nominations)

Previous Position: #4 (Down 5 spots)
Nostalgic Significance: This movie inspired me so much as a kid, probably the reason I wanted to become a writer and movie director at one point. I have watched these 3 movies more than any other movies by a long shot. My brother and I would watch them on a daily basis and had them memorized from line-to-line. The filming was obviously ground breaking for it's time, but what I really enjoyed was that story by George Lucas. He created his own entire universe, a setting in a whole different galaxy where anything was possible. This really opened up my imagination as a kid. Everything about the film is so iconic, especially John Williams musical score. I love all Star Wars content, even all the new stuff, but these three originals will always be separated from the newer stuff.

8. Reds

Year Released: 1981
Director: Warren Beatty (1)
Writer: Warren Beatty (2)
Genre: Historical Epic, Romance
Actors: Warren Beatty (3), Diane Keaton (3), Gene Hackman (2), Jack Nicholson
Music: Stephen Sondheim
Oscars: 12 Nominations (3 wins)
Previous Position: #9 (Up 1 spot!)
Significance: I first saw this film in my political phase of 2009 while living in Chicago. It's this film that really drew me into more liberal and even communist ideals for a while. But it's so much more than a political drama, it's a historical fiction and a true romance. However unlike other great historical romance fictions (such as Cold Mountain or Titanic) this one is actually based on a true story. It recounts the lives of famed journalists Jack Reed and Louis Bryant who covered the Russia Revolution of 1917. This movie also pulled me into some Russian inspiration, but I think it's more so from an American aspect (as opposed to Doctor Zhivago). I think the dynamic in this film between Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton are the real draw for me as they are able to establish a very convincing romance. This is no doubt a reflection of Diane Keaton's great skill who was in three of my top 40 films (Annie Hall, Godfather, and Reds). But this movie ultimately belongs to Warren Beatty as it was clearly his magnum opus personal project.

7. Children of Men

Year Released: 2006
Director: Alfonso Cuaron (4)
Writer: Alfonso Cuaron (5), Timothy Sexton, David Arata
Genre: Drama
Actors: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Caine (2)
Music: John Tavener and various artists
Oscars: 3 Nominations
Previous Position: #11 (Up 4 spots!)
Significance: It's without question my favorite dystopian film with such a great concept of an infertile world. Aside from it's brilliant story that really wins it over for me is the genius directing by Alfonso Cuaron. He displays some incredible film techniques of long continuous shots in the midst of heavy action and fighting. Some impressive examples include when Julianne Moore is shot and the group must escape from the insurgents; or when Clive Owen must escape the safe-house where the car keeps stalling out; or the final battle sequence in the refugee camp. The movie has so many powerful moments, but the one that really chokes me up is when Theo and Kee carry the newborn thru a battle scene and everyone freezes to look upon. It almost has religious ties to it where the trio represents Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. It's a great film by Cuaron, great acting by Clive Owen, great special effects, great dystopian setting, and a very great story.

6. Motorcycle Diaries

Year Released: 2004
Director: Walter Salles
Writer: Ernesto Che Guevara (Biography), Alberto Granado, Jose Rivera
Genre: Drama
Actors: Gael Garcia Bernal (3), Rodrigo de la Serna, Mia Maestro
Music: Gustavo Santaolalla (2)
Oscars: 2 Nominations (1 win)
Previous Position: #10 (up 4 spots!)
Significance: I first watched this movie while living in Chicago in 2008 and it brought on a major Latin American inspiration thru 2009. I always say it was this film that inspired me to have my own adventure into Costa Rica. It's a beautiful account of Ernesto's life before he became the iconic revolutionary. I was simply shocked the first time I saw this story to see this man who could have been a wealthy doctor, throw all that away to fight a guerilla war. Aside from it's incredible story, the filming is so beautiful as it takes the viewers on a road trip thru South America. The acting is also very convincing with a great blend of comedy, drama, and real chemistry. What I especially love about the movie is the musical soundtrack by Santaolalla, with the most minimalist yet soothing guitar I've ever heard.

5. Schindler's List

Year Released: 1993
Director: Steven Spielberg (5)
Writer: Thomas Keneally, Steven Zaillan
Genre: Historical Epic, Drama
Actors: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes (2), Ben Kingsley
Music: John Williams (7), Itzhak Perlman
Oscars: 12 nominations (7 wins including Best Picture)
Previous Position: #8 (Up 3 spots!)
Significance: Yet another example of a total art-film, this is quality at the highest order. No doubt it's Spielberg's magnum opus and most personal project. It pertains to the horrors of the Holocaust and no film creates such a raw and vivid portrayal as this one. Spielberg shot the film in black-and-white to really capture that somber look. It's based on a true story of a man who was able to save thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. The film still depicts the savagery and atrocities committed by the Nazis during this time. It has so many emotional moments, but for me the best scene is at the end when Schindler breaks down crying because he did not save more people. The violin piece by Itzhak Perlman, is one of the most recognizable movie themes in cinema history. It's just a total movie masterpiece.

4. Amadeus

Year Released: 1984
Director: Milos Forman
Writer: Peter Shaffer, Zdenek Mahler
Genre: Drama
Actors: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Oscars: 11 Nominations (8 wins including best picture)
Previous Position: #4
Nostalgic Significance: This is another one that takes me back to my grandma's house as a kid. I remember my dad especially loved this movie and would tell us all about classical music history. It's a total musical epic about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and his genius gift at composition. It also adds an unofficial theory that his life was sabotaged by a jealous competitor Salieri. The acting by Tom Hulce as Mozart and F Murray Abraham as Salieri are top notch Oscar worthy. The costumes and settings are very elaborate to bring to life Vienna during the Baroque period of the late 1700s. And of course the music is it's defining feature, some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. It's because of this film, that I always consider Mozart my favorite classical musician.

3. Land Before Time

Year Released: 1988
Director: Don Bluth (2)
Writer: Stu Krieger, Judy Freudberg, Tony Geiss
Genre: Animation
Actors: Pat HIngle, Gabriel Damon, Helen Shaver
Music: James Horner (8)
Oscars: None
Previous Position: #3
Nostalgic Significance: This is without question my favorite animation and most nostalgic of films. I remember watching it as a kid and feeling such real emotions with the story and it's characters. I would like to say it was this movie that brought on my obsession with dinosaurs as a kid but I can't really confirm that. I do know that I watched the movie quite frequently growing up and loved everything about it. It was the ultimate adventure story, of a young boy seeking light in the midst of a barren hellish land. Despite all the struggles, he endures the hardship with tremendous courage and companionship and finds the most happy of endings. It is such an inspiring story with some of the most beautiful musical score I've ever heard. The song by Diana Ross also really hits home at the closing credits. When I die I hope to hear this music as I transition to the afterlife and am reunited with all my loved ones.

2. Lord of the Rings

Year Released: 2001, 2002, 2003
Director: Peter Jackson
Writer: JR Tolkein (Novel)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic
Actors: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom (3), Viggo Mortenson, Sean Astin (2), Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett (2), Hugo Weaving (2), Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee
Music: Howard Shore (3)
Oscars:

Fellowship of the Ring (13 Nominations, 4 wins)
The Two Towers (6 Nominations, 2 wins)
The Return of the King (11 Nominations, 11 wins including Best Picture)

Previous Position: #2
Nostalgic Significance: Similar to Star Wars I love how this story takes us into a whole different universe. It's a fantasy epic that hits a homerun in every single filming category. I first remember watching all the movies in the theaters while in high school and being so inspired by it's adventurous story. In a way its kind of similar to Land Before Time, a quest of companionship in a barren land. But aside from Tolkein's brilliant story, Peter Jackson disserves equal credit for this masterful epic he produced. The special effects are truly groundbreaking, the ensemble cast is wonderful, the costumes, makeup, and settings are other-worldy, and the scale of battles are simply awe-inspiring, and the music is heavenly. There are so many moments in this film serious I consider the highest quality of cinematic production. The two examples that always stick out for me are Gandalf's charge at Helms Deep, and Theoden's charge at Peleanor Field. But there's probably 20 more moments in this film series that take your breath away. The musical score by Howard Shore also plays a massive role in the films ranking. I've probably seen this movie series the 2nd most (after Star Wars) and have an annual tradition to watch it after Christmas.

1. Gladiator

Year Released: 2000
Director: Ridley Scott (3)
Writer: David Franzoni, John Logan, Willian Nicholson
Genre: Drama, Epic
Actors: Russell Crowe (3), Joaquin Phoenix (2), Connie Nielsen
Music: Hans Zimmer (4)
Oscars: 12 Nominations (5 wins including Best Picture)
Previous Position: #1
Nostalgic Significance: This one has remained at the top of my list since I first released a list back in 2009. I remember it was the first DVD I ever bought in high school and the film inspired me so much during those times. Once again it's probably the music that plays such a massive role in it's position, but it's still an all-around perfect film. The historical setting by Ridley Scott is amazing, to really bring Rome and the Coliseum alive the way he did. The acting by Russell Crowe is masterful, a true emotional powerhouse. The action, special effects, and fight sequences are very entertaining for a drama film. The costumes, makeup, set design, special effects, and every other category of great filming hit the highest marks. But the musical score of Hans Zimmer is my favorite part. I find that closing scene at the end where Maximus transitions to the afterlife to be the most wonderful scene in all of movies. The story hits it's zenith at that point and is backed by the most beautiful of musical compositions. It's a movie that still chokes me up and gets me so inspired after watching it.

Monday, December 16, 2024

Top 100 Favorite Films (3rd Version)