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

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

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

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

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

Ive actually pretty much agreed with a lot of their recent picks. Especially Rylance and Simmons.

Sky Beams: The Movie

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

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

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

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

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

Number 216 Gojira (1954) "Until I die, how can I be sure I won't be forced by someone to make the device again?" Most Valuable Player: The visual effects and Godzilla wrecking shit Box Office: N/A Tomatometer: 93% Notable Awards: Nada Synopsis: American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable, dinosaur-like beast. Critic Opinion: "Honda's miniatures are both charmingly quaint and touchingly physical (a sequence where a miniature village is bombarded with flames is strikingly pulse-raising). They stir that queasiness peculiar to mayhem that's actually "real," even if on a miniature scale, as opposed to the effect often produced (or not produced, rather) when it's created through computer graphics. Yet most unnerving isn't the realism but the pathos as Godzilla destroys Tokyo. It's these sequences that bear the closest resemblance to Honda's modern-day descendants, yet it's also here that the film feels bracingly unique. It's no secret that Godzilla is a cultural working-out of the trauma of a society hit with two atom bombs not even a decade earlier, and as the great beast stomps Tokyo to bits, it's heartbreaking to consider that trauma was too intense to be addressed outside the ostensibly frivolous medium of the B-movie." User Opinion: "Tough to watch due to the real life parallels of the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan, but by far the greatest monster film ever made. Hail Honda." - redfirebird Reasoning: Back when I was a kid, I used to run around the house screaming that I was Godzilla, knocking things down and shit. Little did I know that this little monster movie was a powerful allegory to American use of nuclear weapons in Japan. Despite the campiness, it's quite harrowing social commentary, especially with how recent this really was made after the dropping of the atomic bombs. Gojira created an iconic monster, and it is one of the greatest monster movies to have ever been made. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 2, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 4, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

This one is on here because @AABATTERY kept sending my scary messages. Sorry @cannastop Zootopia missed the list, your messages weren't scary enough. Number 217 Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) "I didn't choose the skuxx life, the skuxx life chose me." Most Valuable Player: Taika Waititi for Writing and Directing Box Office: 5.2m Tomatometer: 97% Notable Awards: 1 BOFFY Win, plus was nominated for the Best Picture BOFFY Synopsis: "A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush." Critic Opinion: "A young orphan and his very reluctant keeper “go bush” on the lam from authorities in “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” Based on a tale by the late, prolific New Zealand novelist Barry Crump, Taika Waititi’s latest is a pleasing comedy-adventure that pays cheeky homage to key early works from that nation’s first filmic renaissance — right down to casting the still-game Sam Neill, who was also a fugitive 40 years ago in Roger Donaldson’s “Sleeping Dogs.” Despite the humor, there’s a cornier, more formulaic core here than in the writer-helmer’s prior successes “Boy” and “What We Do in the Shadows” that may comparatively limit its offshore prospects. But international sales should be hale enough, and the pic is sure to be another home-turf hit." - Harvey, Variety User Opinion: "Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a great movie. The cast work well together and the cinematography is beautiful (definitely enhanced by how beautiful New Zealand is). Sam Neil is great, and Julian Dennison does an excellent job as Ricky. The only character I wasn't huge on was Rhys Darby, but I don't think that was enough to drag the film down. He wasn't bad but I personally think he was a little bit out of place. I'm not sure how well this translates overseas, but it definitely felt very NZ-ish; which makes sense, since it was an NZ production through and through. The laid-back tone definitely reflects a lot of NZ culture. Taika Waititi is one of my favourite filmmakers, and this really continues his winning streak after Boy and What We Do In the Shadows. His sense of humor shines through the film, but it also deals with the more serious aspects in a touching way." - AABATTERY Reasoning: I'm probably being a bit reactionary by including a number of 2016 movies that I loved on here, but I placed them all a bit lower than I wanted to as a way to compensate. Anyways, Wilderpeople is an indie comedic gem that manages to out Wes Anderson Wes Anderson. The film is a laugh riot from the beginning to the end, has touching elements, and has performances that brilliantly delivered by the entire cast. All of the scenes are endlessly rewatchable in their dry wit, and it's not a film that I'll easily forget. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 4, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 7

Number 218 Men in Black (1997) "It just be raining black people in New York!" Most Valuable Player: Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jone's chemistry Box Office: 250.7m (472.4m Adjusted) Tomatometer: 92% Notable Awards: Won 1 Oscar Synopsis: A police officer joins a secret organization that polices and monitors extraterrestrial interactions on Earth. Critic Opinion: "I tell you, it's a miracle. After a pre-release advertising campaign that made the film's key images more readily available than oxygen itself, "Men in Black" has finally arrived in the nation's theaters. My first inclination would be to yawn, but stop the presses -- this time the prefabricated hype is actually supported by what takes place on screen! "Men in Black" is the wryest, sharpest, most entertaining special effects film in recent memory, a simultaneous participant and mocking parody of the more-bang-for-your-buck behemoth genre." - Tatara, CNN User Opinion: "As good as friday night movie entertainment goes. Its perfect. I've seen this at least six times, and it never fails to amuse me. TLJ and Will Smith are the best duo ever." - Jack Nevada Reasoning: Men in Black is the definition of a perfect popcorn flick. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones boast electric chemistry, and the storyboarding is about as creative and outrageous as a Summer Blockbuster could get. It's a shame they were never able to get the sequels as truly right as they were able to nail this one. This is an example of when the phrase, "They don't make em' like this anymore!" really could accurately apply. Men in Black is a rare blockbuster that gets everything right. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 4, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 6

Number 219 An American in Paris (1951) "I'm a concert pianist. That's a pretentious way of saying I'm... unemployed at the moment." Most Valuable Player: George Gershwin for the Music Box Office: N/A Tomatometer: 95% Notable Awards: Won 6 Oscars, including Best Picture Synopsis: Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman. Critic Opinion: "It is a joy to the eye, ear and imagination of the beholder, because of its original use of the Technicolor cameras, the clever designing of the backgrounds, borrowed in some instances from the French impressionists, the artistic use of light and color, the beauty of its sets and costumes, its exhilarating choreography, its wit and rhythm, its Gershwin score and lyrics, and because of its highly talented cast." - Kate Cameron, New York Daily News (1951) User Opinion: None Reasoning: An American in Paris is marked with an incredibly iconic score and set of musical numbers to follow it. Beyond the music, the film is shot gorgeously, and the camerawork is fun to watch, especially for its time. While there may be another film about a struggling concert pianist that I like more than this classic, Gene Killey definitely outperforms that films charismatic lead star, and his presence really helps to elevate the movie. It's also fun to know, as a music nerd, to point out the film was originally inspired by Gershwin's suite "An American in Paris" which I heard live before actually seeing the movie, it's what inspired me to watch it. The film is a joy to watch and listen to, so do give it a whirl sometime. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1950s: 1, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 3, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 6

Number 220 The Iron Giant (1999) "Souls don't die." Most Valuable Player: Brad Bird for the direction and story Box Office: 23.2m (39.4m Adjusted) Tomatometer: 96% Notable Awards: Won 1 BAFTA Synopsis: "A young boy befriends a giant robot from outer space that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy." Critic Opinion: "The Iron Giant's theme of fear of the unknown is craftily balanced against the power of innocent imagination. Using the 1950s as a focal point, dazzlingly tricked out with period details (my favorite was a commercial for a nearly forgotten breakfast cereal called Maypo), the filmmakers map a witty prophecy of contemporary America, where the same dreads and dreams are doing battle. The animation is particularly beautiful: Though the characters have a comic-strip physicality on the order of King of the Hill, their movements are beautiful and subtle, and to these eyes surpass Disney. The way the pickup truck belonging to Hogarth's mom gives a little shake when she shuts it off; the misty way car headlamps halo a face against the night sky -- The Iron Giant abounds in such microscopic delights." - Feeney, L.A. Weekly User Opinion: "Features one of the most emotionally powerful lines in movie history, with a single word: "Superman."" - DamienRoc Reasoning: The Iron Giant is an animated classic that was sadly skipped over when it first came out. Thankfully, Brad Bird's been able to show off his talents in a few other movies since then, but The Iron Giant stands as one of his best. The movie is emotionally resonant, it's hard not to be moved by the time the movie reaches its climax. The animation is still gorgeous to look at, and the hand-drawn element allows it to be impervious to aging. A great movie. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 3, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 6

Number 221 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) "All I know is, I was in love with you when you left and I'm in love with you now. Other things may have changed but that hasn't." Most Valuable Player: Harold Russell for his Supporting Performance Box Office: 23.7m (475.8m Adjusted) Tomatometer: 96% Notable Awards: Won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture Synopsis: "Three World War II veterans return home to small-town America to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed." Critic Opinion: "When Samuel Goldwyn said recently that ‘The Best Year of Our Lives,” which had a gala premiere at the Astor Theatre last night, represented his outstanding achievement as a Hollywood producer, he spoke nothing but the truth. His new film is everything he claims for it and more. As far as this review is concerned, it is the best picture to come out of Hollywood since the end of the war. It is a slice of postwar life in an American town, with a little of everything that goes to make up the major and minor adjustments of the men who returned from the various war fronts to civilian life." - Kate Cameron, New York Daily News (1946) User Opinion: None Reasoning: This is a best picture winner that I feel like is undeservedly looked over, maybe solely due to its age, or maybe because it's mostly quiet. The film looks at the lives of World War 2 veterans after they return from war, and how their lives have changed, in ways big and small, as well as constants within their lives, and how they adapt to a new world. It's a wonderful little movie, and definitely a classic. Harold Russell is also exceptionally inspiring due to being a veteran from the war himself. This is one of those "American Experience" films that really does succeed in its goals. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 3, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 2, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 6

Number 222 Hell or High Water (2016) "I've been poor my whole life, like a disease passing from generation to generation. But not my boys, not anymore." Most Valuable Player: Taylor Sheridan's Screenplay Box Office: 27m Tomatometer: 98% Notable Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscars, including Best Picture Synopsis: "A divorced father and his ex-con older brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's ranch in West Texas." Critic Opinion: "“Hell or High Water” is a lean, efficient modern Western that is so satisfyingly constructed I’m tempted to say it’s just about perfect. There’s a special pleasure in watching a movie that knows exactly what it’s after and then, in scene after scene, gets it. Set in a desolate sprawl of West Texas, it centers on two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), whom we first see in the early-morning hours holding up a small bank. They continue to rob regional branches, all of the same bank, making off with only small denominational, non-traceable bills. " - Rainer, Christian Science Moniter User Opinion: "It's like a climax and epilogue in one and the acting is pitch perfect from both. It's incredible how tense it feels, despite the fact that it's 'over.' I've always liked Chris Pine, as in, he's better than his pretty boy looks suggest, but here, he outdoes himself. He's got a certain weariness, a yearning to be done with everything that that really shows throughout, and that's not something every actor can express through their body language." - MrPink Reasoning: With a pitch perfect script, ensemble and wide-sprawling environment, Hell or High Water made itself an instant Western classic for me, and it was to tempting to not put it on here, especially since I love a good Western. The film may be a slow-burn, but it never drew my attention away, and I was always engaged, and then the ending hits. The climax is classically Western, and increasingly relevant to today's times. I only see this movie climbing up the list in the future, but I decided to start it low at a modest level, in case it doesn't. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 2, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 2, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 6

Number 223 Beetlejuice (1988) "Let's turn on the juice and see what shakes loose." Most Valuable Player: Michael Keaton's lead performance Box Office: 73.7m (155.1m Adjusted) Tomatometer: 81% Notable Awards: Won 1 Oscar Synopsis: "A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a "bio-exorcist" in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house." Critic Opinion: "Tim Burton’s imagination jumped into the saddle and held onto the bridle with Beetlejuice, and no other movie in his entire filmography stands as successfully on the precipice of mundane surrealism and candy-coated gothic whimsy. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure may have a more believable devotion to infantile overtures and Ed Wood may be a more respectable ode to the spirit of the eternal outcast, but Beetlejuice is a universe unto itself. Sure, you could say, so are most of Burton’s fusspot fantasies. But Beetlejuice‘s strength is that Burton’s navel-gazing artistic sensibilities were still emerging at the time, and thus appeared to be commingling with some semblance of reality rather than trying, as he has been predominately doing since Mars Attacks, to shelter himself away from it. Maybe some credit needs to go toward Michael McDowall’s steady-building scenario, which establishes humdrum existence before gradually peeling away layers of reality one after the other until we end up in a shape-shifting house and the unholy marriage between life and death happening therein." - Henderson, Slant Magazine User Opinion: None Reasoning: Tim Burton has developed a reputation for being exceptionally good at delivering the freakishly weird, and Beetlejuice never ceases to be proof of Burton's wild imagination. Better yet, Michael Keaton fully gives into the hilarity of the title role and gives some of the best work of his career, next to Birdman, Batman and Spotlight. The movie is full of undead fun antics. The score is exciting, the dialogue is rich with hilarity, and it manages to showcase some of the best of Burton that hasn't been seen much nowadays. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 2, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 2, 1990s: 2, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 5

The Lion King v. Gone with the Wind Raiders of the Lost Ark v. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back v. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial The Godfather v. The Sound of Music Rogue One: A Star Wars Story v. American Graffiti Star Wars: A New Hope v. The Jungle Book (1967) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King v. The Avengers Jaws v. Beverly Hills Cop Doctor Zhivago v. Ghostbusters Star Wars: Return of the Jedi v. Pinocchio Cinderella (1950) v. The Ten Commandments Mary Poppins v. Titanic The Dark Knight v. Ben-Hur Fantasia v. The Bells of St. Mary's Jurassic Park v. Spider-Man 2 Forrest Gump v. Shrek 2

I see Kong opening mid 40s and pushing its way above 100m. It's surrounded by competition, and there isn't tons of hype.

Oooh, I have some even better stuff even higher up

Number 224 Star Trek (2009) "If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Most Valuable Player: The New Cast Box Office: 257.7m (298.8m Adjusted) Tomatometer: 95% Notable Awards: Won 1 Oscar Synopsis: "The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time." Critic Opinion: "What do we want from our summer movies? Fun-o-tainment. We want to be taken away to another world (check) that's much like our own (check). We want great characters (check) that teach us something along the way (check). We want action. And suspense (check, check). We want to feel like the people involved with the film care as much about movies as we do. Which happened here. It's a beautiful thing when a plan comes together, when that delicate marriage of big budgets and studio interference somehow bends to the will of a superior director. Film.com spends a lot of time telling you what you shouldn't waste money on ... so it's with great joy and conviction that I urge you to invest in Star Trek. It's big fun." - Legal, MTV User Opinion: "Along with First Contact and Wrath of Khan this is one of the best Trek films." - Impact Reasoning: While this movie has its flaws, they are all but made up for with how much fun the movie is to watch. Star Trek (2009) manages to reach a level that few of the other Star Trek films have managed to reach. The film is creative in how it reboots the universe, J.J. Abrams breathed new life into the franchise with this 2 hour audition to direct a Star Wars movie. The visual effects are spectacular, the new cast manages to capture the same charisma that made the original cast so lovable and it's another fantastic movie to come out of 2009. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 2, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 1, 1990s: 2, 2000s: 9, 2010s: 5

Number 225 It Happened One Night (1934) "YES! But don't hold that against me, I'm a little screwy myself!" Most Valuable Player: Frank Capra for his Direction Box Office: N/A Tomatometer: 98% Notable Awards: Won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture Synopsis: "A spoiled heiress running away from her family is helped by a man who is actually a reporter in need of a story." Critic Opinion: "Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable make a potent combination in so far as their power to draw crowds into the theatre is concerned. The first showing of “It Happened One Night,” in which they appeared together for the first time, was greeted by a full house early yesterday morning at the Music Hall, while a long queue waited outside to get in. The co-stars make a good team. They are an attractive pair and they play their respective roles with a refreshing lightness. They are ably assisted by a supporting cast that includes Walter Connolly, who gives, as always, a finished screen performance in the role of Claudette’s multi-millionaire father; Roscoe Karns, who is amusing as a flirtatious traveling salesman; Jameson Thomas, as a charming mountebank; Alan Hale, the late Blanche Frederici, Ward Bond, Arthur Hoyt and others." - Cameron, New York Daily News (1934) User Opinion: "Out of all the films to win the Academy award for best picture... this is probably in the top 3. Nowadays of course this is typical romcom formula, but not a single current romcom has the wit of this movie's screenplay, nor does any current male lead ooze charm like Clark Gable did, or share an incredible chemistry akin to the one that he and Colbert share.<3 <3 <3 A+++++++++" - CoolioD1 Reasoning: Frank Capra proves time and time throughout the early part of film history that he is one of the greatest directors of all time, and this is another moment where he is able to prove that. Again, like many oldies, the film itself may seem simple compared to some of the movies out nowadays, but it really created the romantic comedy formula. Not only that, but it set a bar that very few rom-coms have ever been able to meet. The movie is intelligently written, masterfully directed, and an iconic piece of cinematic history. It's a classic you should definitely watch. Decade Count: 1930s: 4, 1940s: 2, 1960s: 1, 1970s: 3, 1980s: 1, 1990s: 2, 2000s: 8, 2010s: 5