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

[The Panda]

Number 239

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2003)

 

"Spiders... the spiders... they want me to tap-dance. And I don't want to tap-dance!"

 

My Grade: A+

Most Valuable Player: Alfonso Cuaron's direction

Box Office: 249.5m (347.6m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 91%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars

Synopsis: "It's Harry's third year at Hogwarts; not only does he have a new "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher, but there is also trouble brewing. Convicted murderer Sirius Black has escaped the Wizards' Prison and is coming after Harry."

Critic Opinion: "Most important, Cuarón creates an entirely new topography for the Hogwarts grounds. The first two films took place almost exclusively indoors, with only the occasional visit to the Quidditch field, Hagrid's cabin, or the Forbidden Forest--none of which existed in any clear geographic relation to the school itself. Cuarón instead perches Hogwarts on a steep hillside overlooking a crystal lake and invites his characters to come out for some fresh air. (The magnificent scenery belongs to Glencoe and Loch Levin, in the Scottish Highlands.) In front of this enchanting backdrop Cuarón even finds time to offer moments that are not strictly necessary for the fulfillment of the storyline. These scenes--among them two talks between Harry and Lupin, one on the footbridge and the other in woods overlooking the lake--offer much-needed respites from Rowling's furious plotting. Cuarón's unhurriedness, his willingness to pause to enjoy a mountain view or a conversation between two characters, opens the film up and gives it room to breathe. These days, after all, any director with an adequate technical budget can give us digitized trolls and basilisks, flying cars and animated chessmen. It takes a cinematic wizard to remind us that there is greater magic out in the real word than can be made in any studio."

Reasoning: This is my entry for representing the Potter franchise on my list, so I obviously decided to make that entry the best one.  While I do greatly enjoy the entire series, the mythos created by Rowling, and the books, there's always been something lacking from the Potter movies, well all of them except for Azkaban.  John Williams' score feels more complete, inventive and whimsical.  The characters feel more complete, and the universe feels more alive in this film than any of the others.  The Prisoner of Azkaban is the pinnacle of the Harry Potter franchise.

Decade Count: 1930s: 2, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 1, 1980s: 1, 1990s: 1, 2000s: 6

 

 

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

2 hours ago, CoolioD1 said:

kill bill vol. 2 i'm no fan of. though i think vol. 1 is one of his best films, go figure, but i get why they're paired so often. and so far i like all the other stuff. no real reason to bitch yet, which is a shame.

 

I'm silently bitching that a few titles are so low or didn't make the list. 

[The Panda]

Number 238

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

 

"I'm in lesbians with you."

 

My Grade: A+

Most Valuable Player: Edgar Wright for the Screenplay and Direction

Box Office: 31.5m (34.3m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 81%

Notable Awards: Nominated for an Eddie

Synopsis: "Scott Pilgrim must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes in order to win her heart."

Critic Opinion: "Full of fresh, sharp touches and nonchalantly brash performances (from Kieran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman and Anna Kendrick, among others), "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" consistently hits the sweet spot even if you're ready for Scott to take it up to the next level some way before the climax.  A bit more face time with Ramona wouldn't go amiss either. But those are minor gripes. I promise you, it's way more fun than the grown ups are having in the screen next door." - Charity, CNN

Reasoning: Edgar Wright has some films that are better than this in technical ways, but that doesn't stop Scott Pilgrim from being a non-stop riot of laughter, hilarity and entertainment.  There's not much substance to a movie about a nerd in a bad garage band superfighting his crush's seven evil exes in an attempt to be able to date her, but that doesn't stop it from being endlessly entertaining.  It's also crazy to think this movie came out 7 years ago, I remember going to see this in theaters with my dad when I was still in school (well not College school).  One of the best movies from a GOAT year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

NO GOD NO

[The Panda]

Number 237

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

 

"Truth is cool but unattainable... the truth is totally amazing, but you can't ever reach it."

 

My Grade: A

Most Valuable Player: Alfonso and Carlos Cuaron for the Screenplay

Box Office: 13.8m (20.6m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 92%

Notable Awards: Nominated for Best Original Screenplay Oscar

Synopsis: "In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other."

Critic Opinion: "To call "Y Tu Mama Tambien" sexually explicit doesn't do it justice. The Mexican movie is sexually obsessed, just like its teenage protagonists.  Two boys hit the road with a hot older woman in a portrait of adolescence that's frank, funny and true. Director Alfonso Cuaron and his cast capture that magic moment in young men's lives when they're no longer boys but not yet afraid to show genuine excitement about the possibilities before them. Along the way, the film touches on the profound class differences within Mexico." - Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

Reasoning: A coming of age story full of sex and profanity, while also managing to find a message about friendship between two teens.  It's rich in its commentary, and the subtext that goes on in each of the scenes.  Alfonso Cuaron has consistently delivered some of my favorite movies, and Y Tu Mama Tambien is no exception.  The road trip movie genre is a vast one, and Y Tu Mama Tambien stands among the best of them.

Decade Count: 1930s: 2, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 1, 1980s: 1, 1990s: 1, 2000s: 7, 2010s: 1

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2017 by The Panda

[The Panda]

11 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

NO GOD NO

 

Lol, I'm excited for your reaction later on on the list.  One of your favorites is way up there.

[The Panda]

Number 236

Red River (1948)

 

"There's three times in a man's life when he has a right to yell at the moon: when he marries, when his children come, and... and when he finishes a job he had to be crazy to start."

 

My Grade: A

Most Valuable Player: Tiomkin for his score

Box Office: N/A

Tomatometer: 100%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars

Synopsis: "Dunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son."

Critic Opinion: "The theme of “Red River” is from classical tragedy: the need of the son to slay the father, literally or symbolically, in order to clear the way for his own ascendancy. And the father's desire to gain immortality through a child (the one moment with a woman that does work is when Dunson asks Tess to bear a son for him). The majesty of the cattle drive, and all of its expert details about “taking the point” and keeping the cowhands fed and happy, is atmosphere surrounding these themes.

 

Underlying everything else is an attitude that must have been invisible to the filmmakers at the time: the unstated assumption that it is the white man's right to take what he wants. Dunson shoots a Mexican who comes to tell him “Don Diego” owns the land. Told the land had been granted to Diego by the king of Spain, Dunson says, “You mean he took it away from whoever was here before--Indians, maybe. Well, I'm takin' it away from him.” In throwaway dialogue, we learn of seven more men Dunson has killed for his ranch, and there's a grimly humorous motif as he shoots people and then “reads over 'em” from the Bible."

Reasoning: A great Western Epic about a son leading a mutiny to kill his father, all set in the Great Plains of Texas and riveting score that sucks you into the land.  John Wayne delivers one of his best, of many, performances in the film.  Now the movie does have some key flaws, including the ending and a love interest who really doesn't cut it that well, but that is all made up for in the tension and family rivalry that takes place throughout the movie.  This is a movie that tends to be forgotten in history, and it definitely doesn't deserve to be.

Decade Count: 1930s: 2, 1940s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 1, 1980s: 1, 1990s: 1, 2000s: 7, 2010s: 1

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 235

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

 

"This is what I learned at the hospital. You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining."

 

My Grade: A

Most Valuable Player: The ensemble of the cast

Box Office: 132.1m (143.3m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 92%

Notable Awards: Won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role

Synopsis: "After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own."

Critic Opinion: "All the silvery buzz here is deserved, folks. This meaningful film keeps the laughs, giddy anxiousness and warm butterflies from the trailer and sustains it all through two full hours of a love story. Cheers to director David O. Russell, who also wrote the screenplay based on Matthew Quick’s novel. This movie is funny — and sad. But it’s more up than down, which is saying something given the subject matter." - Baca, Denver Post

Reasoning: One of the highlights from 2012, Silver Linings Playbook proved quality rom-com wasn't dead, or I guess at least still had the potential to result in a great movie.  The movie offers an optimistic message, mixed with realism and commentary on mental disorders.  This stands as one of the only films David O. Russell has made that isn't criminally overrated, with the exception of maybe Three Kings.  This also boasts Jennifer Lawrence's best performance to date.  It leaves you laughing, inspired and moved.

Decade Count: 1930s: 2, 1940s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 1, 1980s: 1, 1990s: 1, 2000s: 7, 2010s: 2

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

I'll do three more tonight, just because I'm really feeling it today.

 

Number 234

Cabaret (1972)

 

"Doesn't my body drive you wild with desire?"

 

My Grade: A

Most Valuable Player: David Bretherton for the editing.

Box Office: 42.8m

Tomatometer: 97%

Notable Awards: Won 8 Oscars

Synopsis: "A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them."

Critic Opinion: "The film version of the 1966 John Kander-Fred Ebb Broadway musical] Cabaret is most unusual: it is literate, bawdy, sophisticated, sensual, cynical, heart-warming, and disturbingly thought-provoking. Liza Minnelli heads a strong cast. Bob Fosse’s generally excellent direction recreates the milieu of Germany some 40 years ago.  The choice of Minnelli for the part of Sally Bowles was indeed daring. Good-hearted, quasi-sophisticated amorality and hedonism are not precisely Minnelli’s professional bag, and within many scenes she seems to carom from golly-gee-whiz-down-home rusticity to something closer to the mark." - Variety Staff, 1971

Reasoning: Cabaret, like many of the most successful musicals, is a jolt of energy with powerful anthems placed throughout it.  Cabaret has quite a bit of glitz and technical explosions on the screen, that it's easy to see why the Oscars nearly went all in on it.  However, what really helps set Cabaret apart is the driving social commentary about the rise of Nazis and anti-Semitism.  It's difficult to watch this movie and not be entertained, yet also moved at the same time.

Decade Count: 1930s: 2, 1940s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 2, 1980s: 1, 1990s: 1, 2000s: 7, 2010s: 2

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2017 by The Panda

[The Panda]

Number 233

American Graffiti (1973)

 

"Your car is uglier than I am!"

 

My Grade: A

Most Valuable Player: George Lucas for Writing and Directing

Box Office: 115m (568.4m Adjusted AKA an Event)

Tomatometer: 95%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 5 Oscars, including Best Picture

Synopsis: "A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college."

Critic Opinion: "But it isn’t the age of the characters that matters; it’s the time they inhabited. Whole cultures and societies have passed since 1962. “American Graffiti” is not only a great movie but a brilliant work of historical fiction; no sociological treatise could duplicate the movie’s success in remembering exactly how it was to be alive at that cultural instant. On the surface, Lucas has made a film that seems almost artless; his teenagers cruise Main Street and stop at Mel’s Drive-In and listen to Wolfman Jack on the radio and neck and lay rubber and almost convince themselves their moment will last forever. But the film’s buried structure shows an innocence in the process of being lost, and as its symbol Lucas provides the elusive blonde in the white Thunderbird -- the vision of beauty always glimpsed at the next intersection, the end of the next street." - Roger Ebert

Reasoning: George Lucas may be laughed at nowadays for his work on the Star Wars prequels, but American Graffiti is an example of the fact that, at one point, Lucas really knew what he was doing.  Or he was just incredibly lucky, or maybe a little bit of both.  Lucas took a hands off approach when it came to this movie, and it really shows with how much the characters naturally blossom in each scene, as if they are just living through life.  The movie is carefree, has a rocking soundtrack and is a song for the bliss of youth.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aabattery]

I am mentally preparing for a Wilderpeople snub.

[The Panda]

Number 232

Moonlight (2016)

 

"No. You're not a ----. You can be gay, but you don't have to let nobody call you a ----."

 

My Grade: A

Most Valuable Player: The Ensemble of the Actors

Box Office: 21.5m

Tomatometer: 98%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture

Synopsis: "A timeless story of human self-discovery and connection, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami."

Critic Opinion: "One of the best movies of the year is an unlikely and profound coming-of-age story. In three unforgettable chapters, a lost boy named Chiron grapples with his masculinity under the pink Miami skies. As a child, Chiron gets a confidence boost thanks to a drug dealer (future Oscar nominee Mahershala Ali) who acts as a father figure — only for it to all unravel in his adolescence when he develops feelings for his best friend. The indie drama, coproduced by Brad Pitt, touches on themes of race, sexuality and isolation in ways that are rarely depicted in cinema. And its quietest moments are the most powerful." - Reinstein, US Weekly

Reasoning: Maybe a little soon for this one to be on the list, but I felt compelled to include it, especially because of how much the film has stuck with me since I watched it.  The movie is subtle, haunting, the performances real, and it's hard to pinpoint the movie as any one thing.  It doesn't cast judgement on its characters, nor does it truly ever redeem them, it simply shows you a life, how it plays out, and leaves you to wonder how much of it was shaped by the culture and stigmas surrounding the lead.  It's a phenomenal movie.

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

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Hints for some reveals to come (over the next few days or so)

 

231: Some people would probably think it's a crime that this movie is this low on my list

229: An oldie about making the perfect mate

227: A BOFFY Monster

226 + 219: Both of these movies are thematically similar.  226 was likely inspired by 219.

216: I only included it so a certain member on these boards wouldn't hold me hostage for snubbing it.

 

[Kalo]

Greta so far, I like most of these alot or have been meaning to watch them. 

[Arlborn]

Nice list so far; you might as well drop the grades though.

[cannastop]

8 hours ago, The Panda said:

Number 232

Moonlight (2016)

I'm taking this as a sign that you thought long and hard about having Zootopia on this list.

[cannastop]

8 hours ago, The Panda said:

216: I only included it so a certain member on these boards wouldn't hold me hostage for snubbing it.

Either refers to me or @AABATTERY. Nice ambiguity.

[The Panda]

Number 231

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

 

"Hasta la vista, baby."

 

Most Valuable Player: James Cameron for the Direction

Box Office: 204.8m (420.9m Adjusted)

Tomatometer: 93%

Notable Awards: Won 4 Oscars

Synopsis: "A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her teenage son, John Connor, from a more advanced cyborg."

Critic Opinion: "Our Flick of the Week is ``Terminator 2: Judgment Day,`` and thanks to some truly spectacular and at times mystifying special effects-as well as some surprisingly solid acting-this is one terrific action picture, more enjoyable than the original. Once again, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a manlike machine sent back from the future, this time to protect a little boy who if allowed to grow up can help save the world from complete destruction. The only problem is that there is another, more technologically advanced machine, also sent from the future, with designs on killing the kid and Schwarzenegger too.  Writer-director James Cameron has cast his film extremely well, with Robert Patrick, as the evil Terminator, more sullen and less macho than you might expect. His skin covers a mass of liquid metal that can change shape at will and is seemingly impervious to attack-bullet holes close up, and if you break him apart he comes together like mercury from a broken thermometer. Also impressive are Linda Hamilton as the tough mother and Edward Furlong as a credible kid. He has a fresh father-son relationship with Schwarzenegger, because sometimes the kid plays the father, teaching the machine that there is more to life on Earth than just killing." - Siskel, Chicago Tribune

Reasoning: There'll probably be a few eye raises at why this is "this low" on my list, although to be fair I personally think it's still in great company with other films around this ranking.  Anyways, Cameron really raised the visual stakes with this one, creating a sequel that's often seen as an improvement of the original (although I'd personally disagree).  The action is exhilarating, the film is a blast from the beginning to the end, and had they chosen to end the franchise here, it would have gone out in a blazing glory.  This is how you make an action sequel.

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

 

 

 

[The Panda]

Number 230

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

 

"Uh, since the United States Government declares this man to be Santa Claus, this court will not dispute it. Case dismissed."

 

Most Valuable Player: Sentimentality and the Joy of Christmas

Box Office: N/A

Tomatometer: 96%

Notable Awards: Won 3 Oscars, and was nominated for Best Picture

Synopsis: "When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing."

Critic Opinion: "Well, a miracle happened on 50th St. and Seventh Ave., yesterday. The Roxy has struck pay-dirt again, following the shut-down of the Benny bonanza. On the screen is “Miracle on 34th Street,” one of the sweetest pictures ever turned out by Hollywood. I don’t mean to say that the film is sweetly sticky, for it isn’t. It is light, it is charming, it is delightfully funny and completely captivating. It is all that, and something more. It has an undefinable spiritual quality that raises the spirits of the beholder into a happy, hopeful mood." - Cameron, New York Daily News (1947)

User Opinion: "This is actually a really sweet little movie. It has one of the best Santa Clauses portrayed in film." - Jack Nevada

Reasoning: Miracle on 34th Street is a Christmas classic, and although it is pretty sappy, it's just the right kind of sappy that makes it a great viewing during the Holiday season.  There are a lot of Christmas movies out there, and a lot that aren't all that great, and Miracle on 34th Street stands among the best of them.  The story is clever and sweet, and it's just all around a great film.  I'm not to sure what to say about it because you should already know all of this, at least hopefully you do.  If you haven't seen this movie, please do pop it in around Christmas time, it's a real treat.

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

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2017 by The Panda

[The Panda]

Number 229

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

 

"To a new world of gods and monsters!"

 

Most Valuable Player: The Technical Work

Box Office: N/A

Tomatometer: 100%

Notable Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar

Synopsis: "Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate."

Critic Opinion: "In the previous Frankenstein film’s finale the monster was burned in a huge fire. Here it’s started off with the same fire scene, except that in a few moments he is revealed to have bored through the earth to a subterranean stream, which saved him from death. From there on, of course, it’s a romp [from a story by William Hurlnut and John Balderston, ‘suggested’ by Mary Shelley’s novel]." - Variety Team, 1934

User Opinion: Lol none apparently.

Reasoning: The Bride of Frankenstein is a movie that ages incredibly well given that it came out 82 years ago.  The movie is timelessly funny, and the campiness of the film only adds to its appeal.  The film is technically impressive, given the age of the movie, and it still looks better than some movies that come out today.  The movie is also touching and a direct improvement over the Frankenstein film that preceded it.  Definitely an oldie for people to check out.

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