Because Nobody Asked For It: The Panda's Top 250 Movies of All Time - COMPLETE

[The Panda]

Number 215

Being John Malkovich (1999)

 

"You don't know how lucky you are being a monkey. Because consciousness is a terrible curse. I think. I feel. I suffer. And all I ask in return is the opportunity to do my work. And they won't allow it... because I raise issues."

 

Most Valuable Player: John Malkovich for being John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich

Box Office: 22.9m (38.4m)

Tomatometer: 93%

Notable Awards: 3 Oscar Nominations

Synopsis: A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.

Critic Opinion: "This outrageous comic fantasy may not sustain its brilliance, but it keeps cooking for so much of that time that I don't have many complaints. The first feature of both screenwriter/executive producer Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze, it charts the complications that ensue when an out-of-work puppeteer (John Cusack) gets a filing job on the surrealistically cramped seventh and a half floor of an office building, where he discovers a hidden tunnel that allows its occupant to become actor John Malkovich (playing himself, natch) for 15 minutes before being ejected onto the New Jersey Turnpike. Things get even wilder when the filing clerk and his wife (Cameron Diaz as a pet-store employee) both get the hots for the same woman (Catherine Keener), who has comparable lust for the wife as long as she's inside Malkovich. What's great about this lunatic farce (1999) isn't only its premises about sexual and professional identity but also the spirited way the actors and filmmakers flesh them out." - Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

User Opinion: "Brilliant, brilliant script by Kaufman. One of the most original films I've ever seen, and I have a feeling it might become one of my favorites like eternal sunshine has." - acsc

Reasoning: Being John Malkovich boasts one of the most creative and outrageous scripts that's been put to screen, being about a failing puppeteer finding a secret portal into the brain of John Malkovich.  There are plenty of hilarious visual gags to be had, while also raising ideas of the themes of fetishism and sexual fantasies.  It's really hard to talk about the film without giving too much of it away, but it's definitely worth at least one watch, if only to have your mind twisted and warped by the intellectual weirdness that is about to ensue.  Proof of Kaufman's ability to write and Jonze's ability to direct.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 214

Poltergeist (1982)

 

"They're here."

 

Most Valuable Player: Victor, Grais and Spielberg for the Screenplay

Box Office: 76.6m (225.4m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 88%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 3 Oscars

Synopsis: A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts.

Critic Opinion: "This Steven Spielberg-produced horror film (1982) neatly inverts the antifamily themes of shockers that were being made during the same period (including those of its nominal director, Tobe Hooper—The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Funhouse), presenting a squad of spooks who help a giggly, dope-smoking young couple mature into the responsible parents they ought to be by kidnapping their daughter. Though the shocks are well conveyed, it's the sweetness that lingers, making this the first cute and cuddly entry in the genre." - Kehr, Chircago Reader (1982)

User Opinion: "And now, after you know something about the cast, this movie is even more scary (both the oldest daughter and Caroline are now dead, Caroline died at only 13ish) But damn the chill factor in this thing, I'm getting goosebumps now just thinking about it." - Warhorse

Reasoning: There's a number of strong horror films I thought about putting on the list, that ended up missing, so why did I go with Poltergeist?  Not only does Poltergeist manage to be effectively chilling, and as a kid made me scared of the TV set for a solid month, it also manages to have a sense of Spielbergian adventure that's hard not to love.  The movie is full of frights and fun, which is what an effective blockbuster horror like this should be.  The film holds up exceptionally well with its fantastic visual effects, effective score by Goldsmith, and tightly written screenplay.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 3, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 213

Platoon (1986)

 

"Somebody once wrote, "Hell is the impossibility of reason." That's what this place feels like. Hell."

 

Most Valuable Player: Oliver Stone for his direction and writing

Box Office: 138.5m (306.5m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 88%

Notable Awards: Won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture

Synopsis: A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

Critic Opinion: "The film is full of blood and gore, but the images are honestly earned and not exploitative; indeed, we know in our guts that no film could possibly convey the real horror experienced by a front-line infantry combat platoon.``Platoon`` is filled with one fine performance after another, and one can only wish that every person who saw the cartoonish war fantasy that was.``Rambo`` would buy a ticket to ``Platoon`` and bear witness to something closer to the truth." - Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

User Opinion: "This might be the best war movie of all time.  It blurred the lines between good and evil.  Barber's Adiago for Strings will forever be associated with this film (and it was used to spectacular effect).  What an incredible cast of actors.  Defoe, Berenger, Whitaker, Sheen, Depp, John McGinley, Keith David, Kevin Dillon, Francesco Quinn, etc.  While written to have lots of action and converging storylines, it probably best exemplified the cares and confusion of the average grunt in Vietnam.  By far Stones's best work IMO.  The pinnacle of Sheen's career.  Back when he could still act, before the drugs and partying stole his focus (though he still has his comic timing).
 
Though I used to go to the movies a lot in HS, this is the one movie I can remember watching back then.  It struck such a chord I can still picture seeing the end credits at the theater." - KGator

Reasoning: Oliver Stone may have lost his way, but Platoon is evidence that there was a point where this man could make a really excellent and powerful film experience.  Out of the many films made about the Vietnam era, Platoon stands among the best of them.  It places you within the fields and makes you empathize with the experience the soldiers are going through.  All of the performances are striking and the screenplay is quite solid.  Platoon is definitely a classic war movie.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 4, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 212

The Evil Dead (1981)

 

"Join us..."

 

Most Valuable Player: Sam Raimi's Effective Use of Horror

Box Office: 2.4m (6.6m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 95%

Notable Awards: Won the Saturn Award for Best Low Budget Film

Synopsis: Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.

Critic Opinion: "Sam Raimi directed this 1981 horror feature fresh out of film school, and his anything-for-an-effect enthusiasm pays off in lots of formally inventive bits. The film is ferociously kinetic and full of visual surprises, though its gut-churning reputation doesn't seem fully deserved: if anything the gore is too picturesque and studied, an abstract decorator's mix of oozing, slimy color, like some exotic species of new-wave interior design. There's a weird comic energy in the frenetic physical playing—hysterical actors running in and out of rooms, zombies popping up from the floorboards and out of wall cabinets like jack-in-the-boxes—and the mad Punch-and-Judy orchestration takes on an almost choreographic quality at times (this may be the first commedia dell'arte horror film). There are lots of clever turns on standard horror movie formulas, and one image especially lingers in the mind: a woman splintering into an infinity of hairline cracks, like the suddenly shattered surface of a ceramic vase. " - Graham, Chicago Reader

User Opinion: "One of the top ten horror films of all time imo."

Reasoning: Campy, horrifying, hilarious and gripping, The Evil Dead manages to be one of the most effectively made horror movies of all time.  The movie was originally looked over quite a bit when it first came out, but it later found a cult following.  This is an iconic example of how to create an effective horror feature, and it's pretty impressive how much was accomplished on such a low budget for the feature.  It's not for everyone, but if you like horror, you should check it out.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 5, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

One more for tonight

 

Number 211

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

 

"You think God belongs only to you? He doesn't. God is an immortal spirit who belongs to everybody, to the whole world. You think you're special? God is not an Israelite."

 

Most Valuable Player: Scorsese for his direction

Box Office: 8.4m (17.6m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 82%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar

Synopsis: The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.

Critic Opinion: "Christianity teaches that Jesus was both God and man. That he could be both at once is the central mystery of the Christian faith, and the subject of "The Last Temptation of Christ." To be fully man, Jesus would have had to possess all of the weakness of man, to be prey to all of the temptations--for as man, he would have possessed God's most troublesome gift, free will. As the son of God, he would of course have inspired the most desperate wiles of Satan, and this is a film about how he experienced temptation and conquered it.  That, in itself, makes "The Last Temptation of Christ" sound like a serious and devout film, which it is. The astonishing controversy that has raged around this film is primarily the work of fundamentalists who have their own view of Christ and are offended by a film that they feel questions his divinity. But in the father's house are many mansions, and there is more than one way to consider the story of Christ--why else are there four Gospels? Among those who do not already have rigid views on the subject, this film is likely to inspire more serious thought on the nature of Jesus than any other ever made." - Roger Ebert

User Opinion: None

Reasoning: There's something about Scorsese's religious films that makes them bomb with audiences, underperform with critics, and get skipped out at the Oscars.  Yet there's also something about his religious films that make them among his most interesting movies.  The Last Temptation of Christ is definitely one of Scorsese's more thought provoking movies, and its a testament to him that this movie was even allowed to be made.  The film is stirring in its portrayal of Jesus, the Son of Man, as being inherently man.  It's controversial, but that is one of the things that sets it apart from other films like it.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 6, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 210

Rain Man (1988)

 

"You were in the window. You waved to me, "Bye bye Rain Man", "Bye bye.""

 

Most Valuable Player: Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise's relationship in the film

Box Office: 172.8m (374.5m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 90%

Notable Awards: Won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture

Synopsis: "Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country."

Critic Opinion: "The strength of the film is really that of Cruise's performance, his finest since "Risky Business." Hoffman takes the risky, thankless role of playing someone who is uncommunicative and decidedly uptight. He dares to make the character annoying and frustrating, and the combination of two superior performances makes the movie worth watching." - Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

User Opinion: None

Reasoning: When Cruise's father dies and leaves his fortune to his brother Raymond, played brilliantly by Hoffman, Cruise takes the matter into his own hands by kidnapping his brother for a heartfelt road trip dramedy that stands among the best of them.  It's the characters and their arcs throughout the movie that really make the whole thing work, and all of that is credit to Cruise, who gives the best performance of his career, and Hoffman.  By the time the film finally ends, you feel a bit more attached to both of the brothers, and it leaves an authentic emotional impression upon you.  The movie could have been over melodramatic, but it's sweet, real and rather powerful.  A great Best Picture winner.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 7, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

Man, I just can't even 

[The Panda]

Number 209

Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)

 

"If our children can live safely for one more day it would be worth the one more day that we defend this island."

 

Most Valuable Player: Screenplay and Story by Yamashita

Box Office: 13.8m (17.3m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 91%

Notable Awards: Won 1 Oscar, was nominated for Best Picture

Synopsis: The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

Critic Opinion: "He got it right the second time. Clint Eastwood's latest pass at the battle of Iwo Jima is the brilliant and heart-rending masterwork that the first one might have been: a brave, assured war film that delves into the stories of the soldiers who fought there.  That they happen to be Japanese — that Letters From Iwo Jima is told from the imperial forces' point of view — only heightens the impact of this unforgettable film, because it emphasizes a few naked truths of war. A soldier dies for his country, his family, his honor. He fights to his last bullet and beyond. And sometimes, the enemy he fights seems less than human, an unknown demon or a cipher.  In Eastwood's movie, the demonized foe is American, a conceptual twist sure to discomfit some viewers — even 62 years after the fact. Just as Flags of Our Fathers revisited the battle from the perspective of U.S. flag-raisers, this second approach takes us straight into the tunneled-out rat holes of a lifeless, smelly island. There we encounter the cerebral Gen. Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, peerlessly graceful), the Olympic medalist Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara, almost his peer), the simple baker Saigo (pop star Kazunari Ninomiya), the enigmatic transfer Shimizu (Ryo Kase). Braided throughout the film are poignant epistolary reflections — letters to and from Iwo Jima — and occasional flashbacks to life before the war." - Biancelli, Houston Chronicle

User Opinion: None

Reasoning: Clint Eastwood released two movies about Iwo Jima in the same year, Flags of Our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima.  While, Flags of Our Fathers was a commercial success that resonated with American audiences, as it was told from the American perspective, Letters from Iwo Jima was the more powerful and stirring of the two films.  It's rare to see a war movie told from the side of the people fighting against America, and so Letters from Iwo Jima does something special, it humanizes the enemy.  The film is subtle and incredibly powerful, and one of Eastwood's best.  It's a shame he lost this tender and nuanced touch later on with American Sniper.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 7, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 10, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[The Stingray]

I love Rain Man. A feel-good romp if there ever was one.

 

[The Panda]

Number 208

A Christmas Story (1983)

 

"Only I didn't say "Fudge." I said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word!"

 

Most Valuable Player: The Darn Red Ryder B. B. Gun that'll poke your eye out!

Box Office: 19.3m (51.9m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 89%

Notable Awards: Being played 24/7 on TBS on Christmas Day

Synopsis: In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.

Critic Opinion: "If you're a Christmas holdout, a true believer who still hears reindeer on the roof, and even on an unseasonably warm Christmas Eve holds out hope of waking to a yard full of snow and branches coated like velvet antlers, then "A Christmas Story" is for you.  It's a heart-warming pastiche of snowflakes, Christmas lights strung across city streets, children's noses pressed against toy- store windows and one little boy's quest for the present of his dreams, a Genuine Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle, with a Shock-Proof High-Adventure Combination Trail Compass and Sundial Set Right in the Stock." - Kempley, Washington Post (1983)

User Opinion: "Deck the hors with bors of horry fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra.
Tied with Christmas Vacation for best Christmas movie evrr." - baumer

Reasoning: It's hard to resist this charming and lovable Christmas classic, especially when you've sat and watched this movie a few times in a row, on multiple occasions, as a child due to not realizing you could just change the channel from TBS.  The film is still remarkably funny, and despite the fact that it bombed upon release, it has since found an eternal home as an endearing Christmas classic that will never be forgotten.  One of the all-time great Christmas movies, nuff said.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 8, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 10, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 207

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

 

"No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

 

Most Valuable Player: John Ford's Direction

Box Office: N/A

Tomatometer: 93%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar

Synopsis: A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.

Critic Opinion: "The Western is intrinsically the most political movie genre, because, like Plato’s “Republic,” it is concerned with the founding of cities, and because it depicts the various abstract functions of government as direct, physical actions. It’s also an inherently romantic genre, because of its connection with the nation’s founding mythology. (One of the strengths of Ford’s movie is its depiction of the actual grassroots practical politicking in the Western territories.) The movie’s most famous line, of course, is that of a newspaperman: “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Ford prints it—and prints the facts behind it—and makes a movie about the moral burden of a life lived in the name of a myth and the ethical implications of direct action. Implicitly, the subject of the film is also that of a nation founded in this way. In his next Western, “Cheyenne Autumn,” from 1964, Ford takes on another overlooked Western reality: that of the Native Americans and their relations with the United States government." - Brady, The New Yorker

User Opinion: None

Reasoning: John Ford is an iconic director of Westerns, and one of the greatest directors to ever create films, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is an example of exactly why that is.  Ford pairs with Stewart and Wayne to deliver an action/western classic that deals with the mythology and legend behind a man, and who then who that man may actually be.  Ford manages to make his movies both politically relevant, and classically entertaining.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 2, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 8, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 10, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 206

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

 

"Men like my father cannot die. They are with me still, real in memory as they were in flesh, loving and beloved forever. How green was my valley then."

 

Most Valuable Player: John Ford's Direction (again)

Box Office: N/A

Tomatometer: 90%

Notable Awards: Won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture

Synopsis: At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans, he stern, she gentle, raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life.

Critic Opinion: "Under John Ford’s intuitive direction, 20th Century Fox has brought Richard Llewellyn’s fine, dramatic novel, “How Green Was My Valley,” to the screen in one of the outstanding film productions of the year. The book, a best-seller of 1940, which concerned itself with everyday life in a Welsh mining village, has been made into an extraordinary interesting picture, one that warms the cockles of the heart with its sympathetic presentation of the human problems, spiritual aspirations and economic struggles of men who work in the collieries of Wales." - Kate Cameron, New York Daily News (1941)

User Opinion: None

Reasoning: Two John Ford movies in a row, here is the one that the great director ended up winning Best Picture for.  Although, I don't necessarily think it's the movie John Ford deserved to win the Oscar for, out of his many great movies, it's still masterclass in its own right.  This is also the movie that beat out Citizen Kane, which is almost an understandable decision given how well this movie was made, and it may be why it doesn't get as strong of rep as it deserves.  The film's characters and stories are richly developed, and John Ford really brings out the best of a novel I don't necessarily find that great.  A fantastic and gorgeous looking film in its own right.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 4, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 2, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 8, 1990s: 5, 2000s: 10, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 205

Total Recall (1990)

 

"Baby, you make me wish I had three hands."

 

Most Valuable Player: The Action/Stunt Team

Box Office: 119.4m (244.2m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 82%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars

Synopsis: When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or does he?

Critic Opinion: "Early in this jolting, jumbo-budgeted ($62 million) futuristic thriller, Arnold Schwarzenegger jams a nasty pair of pliers up his nose and yanks out a brain implant that looks like a metal golf ball. That Ah-nold, he sure as hell knows how to pump an audience up.  Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," Total Recall (shot in Mexico) is set on Earth in the year 2084. Schwarzenegger plays Doug Quaid, a construction worker with a sexy blond wife (Sharon Stone) who can't distract him from daydreaming about a trip to Mars. Colonized by humans, Mars is beset by political unrest: The crazed dictator, Cohaagen (a perpetually sneering Ronny Cox), keeps raising the price of fresh air." - Travers, The Rolling Stone

User Opinion: "How can you not like this movie? Classic Sci-fi action pics and one of the last big movies to not have CGI and its aged wonderfully. Tied with Predator for my favorite non Terminator Arnold film. " - Jay Hollywood

Reasoning: Total Recall is an adrenaline rush of a movie, with off the wall hilarity in its aliens, action and guts.  There's not an incredible amount of substance to the movie, but it sure is a lot of fun, and it stands as one of Arnold's best outings as an action star.  If you haven't seen it, it's definitely one that fits in with modern filmmaking, so it should be an easy and fun watch.  This movie is loads of fun, and it's the 90s action genre at its best.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 4, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 2, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 8, 1990s: 6, 2000s: 10, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

[The Stingray]

30 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Number 205

Total Recall (1990)

 

"Baby, you make me wish I had three hands."

 

Most Valuable Player: The Action/Stunt Team

Box Office: 119.4m (244.2m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 82%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars

Synopsis: When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or does he?

Critic Opinion: "Early in this jolting, jumbo-budgeted ($62 million) futuristic thriller, Arnold Schwarzenegger jams a nasty pair of pliers up his nose and yanks out a brain implant that looks like a metal golf ball. That Ah-nold, he sure as hell knows how to pump an audience up.  Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," Total Recall (shot in Mexico) is set on Earth in the year 2084. Schwarzenegger plays Doug Quaid, a construction worker with a sexy blond wife (Sharon Stone) who can't distract him from daydreaming about a trip to Mars. Colonized by humans, Mars is beset by political unrest: The crazed dictator, Cohaagen (a perpetually sneering Ronny Cox), keeps raising the price of fresh air." - Travers, The Rolling Stone

User Opinion: "How can you not like this movie? Classic Sci-fi action pics and one of the last big movies to not have CGI and its aged wonderfully. Tied with Predator for my favorite non Terminator Arnold film. " - Jay Hollywood

Reasoning: Total Recall is an adrenaline rush of a movie, with off the wall hilarity in its aliens, action and guts.  There's not an incredible amount of substance to the movie, but it sure is a lot of fun, and it stands as one of Arnold's best outings as an action star.  If you haven't seen it, it's definitely one that fits in with modern filmmaking, so it should be an easy and fun watch.  This movie is loads of fun, and it's the 90s action genre at its best.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 4, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 2, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 8, 1990s: 6, 2000s: 10, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

 

 

Now we're talking!

 

[elcaballero]

I'm curious as to where certain other Verhoeven films and Evil Dead 2 end up.

[The Panda]

Because of all of the Moonlight hate in the Oscar thread, I decided 

 

Moonlight just got promoted to #100 and officially makes my Top 100 Movies of All Time

This means that everything that has currently come after it gets shifted down 1 rank.  I'll even give Moonlight another write-up when I get to number 100 again.

 

Take that haters, this was totally for political reasons and complete publicity stunt.  Goodnight.

[Plain Old Tele]

31 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Because of all of the Moonlight hate in the Oscar thread, I decided 

 

Moonlight just got promoted to #100 and officially makes my Top 100 Movies of All Time

This means that everything that has currently come after it gets shifted down 1 rank.  I'll even give Moonlight another write-up when I get to number 100 again.

 

Take that haters, this was totally for political reasons and complete publicity stunt.  Goodnight.

 

I suggest bumping T2 100 spots when the re-release hits this August.

[aabattery]

20 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

 

I suggest bumping T2 100 spots when the re-release hits this August.

 

T2 hasn't even been released in the USA yet, I doubt @The Panda has seen it.

 

Spoiler

 

I'm so funny.

 

[The Panda]

Number 205 (Again)

Cast Away (2000)

 

"Wilson!  I'm sorry Wilson!  I'm sorry!"

 

Most Valuable Player: Tom Hanks for his lead performance, and Wilson for his heartbreaking supporting performance

Box Office: 233.6m (362.4m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 90%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars

Synopsis: A FedEx executive must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island.

Critic Opinion: "I'm sure there will be wags who will glibly compare Cast Away to the likes of "Gilligan's Island" and "Survivor", but, in tone, approach, and overall accomplishment, this atypical Robinson Crusoe tale bears a strong resemblance to one of director Robert Zemeckis' earlier efforts, Contact. No, Cast Away isn't about space or messages from another planet, but, at its core, neither was Contact. Both films ask the same crucial existential question, one that Shakespeare pondered for years: taking all things into account, what does it mean to be human? How do we cope with loss, hopelessness, and isolation, and still find the courage to face the next day? The love and dream of a dead father sustained Jodie Foster's character in Contact. For Tom Hanks' Chuck Noland in Cast Away, it is the promise offered by the smile of his equally absent - and equally beloved - wife-to-be.  The last time Zemeckis and Hanks teamed up, a legend was born - the idiot savant Forrest Gump. A brilliantly conceived trip through the latter half of the 20th century, Forrest Gump was part folksy feel-good drama and part well-concealed satire. The 1994 blockbuster offers much more than its detractors, and even some of its supports, acknowledge. Those expecting Zemeckis and Hanks to re-examine the same territory in Cast Away will be surprised - aside from the films' Oscar potential, there's little synergy. Cast Away will not be the crowd-pleaser that Forrest Gump was, but it's a deeper, more rewarding experience. And, just when you think it's over, it defies expectations and metamorphoses into something different and more compelling." - Berardinelli, reelviews

User Opinion: "This movie is a great, somewhat under-appreciated treasure, even with some third-act issues. World class filmmaking from Zemeckis and Hanks." - Telemachos

Reasoning: Cast Away is quite a humbling and surreal kind of watch, and it's still a little shocking to me how it managed to pull in so much money at the Box Office.  Zemeckis delivers one of his stronger works, as well as Hanks giving one of his best performances.  There may not be a whole lot to the movie plot wise, but the themes of isolation and loss that are slowly developed on the island are powerful.  Also, unlike some others, I thought the it was a strong way to end the film.  Not to forget, the heartbreak that endures when Hanks loses his volleyball buddy, Wilson, it takes a pretty well-made film to make you feel bad about a man losing his volleyball.

Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 4, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 2, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 8, 1990s: 6, 2000s: 11, 2010s: 7

 

 

 

[chasmmi]

Cast Away being 205th can only mean that you think the world has only ever made 114 decent films.