The Panda's Top 250 Movies of All Time Countdown (FINISHED)

[4815162342]

Strange administrators lying in forums distributing likes is no way to form a moderator panel. Supreme executive power comes from the members, not some farcical gif-ic ceremony!

[Plain Old Tele]

No love for THE WILD BUNCH, the original "modern" Western?

[rukaio101]

I'll admit I always preferred A Few Dollars More and The Good the Bad and the Ugly to Once Upon a Time in the West and Unforgiven. (Although obviously, both are still classics of the genre.)

[The Panda]

5

The Lord of the Rings

Yes, I just shoehorned three movies into one so it only took up one spot on my list, I know that is kind of cheating, but the trilogy is really like one extremely long movie anyways, so it counts right?  In fact, there was a time when The Lord of the Rings used to be the number 1 film(s) on my list, but then those pesky hobbitses movies came out, shat on the legacy of my favorite book as a child, and tarnished the name of Middle Earth forever, so I can no longer (with any dignity) put this at number one when there are four other movies I like just as much that haven't completely destroyed their reputation with unnecessary, god-awful prequels.

Edited April 14, 2014 by The Panda

[Plain Old Tele]

But whatever you think about the HOBBITs, they don't change the LOTR films one iota.

[The Panda]

But whatever you think about the HOBBITs, they don't change the LOTR films one iota.

 

They do play some influence for me personally when my top 7 movies of all time are so close for me in my personal opinion that the tiniest thing I find wrong with it can move it a couple slots.

 

It's why Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn't higher, and why Empire Strikes Back was all the way at number 30.  

Edited April 14, 2014 by The Panda

[Plain Old Tele]

So is RAIDERS lower because Spielberg made CRYSTAL SKULL?

[The Panda]

So is RAIDERS lower because Spielberg made CRYSTAL SKULL?

 

What's this Crystal Skull movie you speak of?

 

There was no Labeouf swinging on vines...

 

Or Aliens....

 

Or nuclear refrigerators....

 

Or....

 

I can't do this anymore

 

Edited April 14, 2014 by The Panda

[darkelf]

I too consider LOTR as one long movie and it's #3 or #4 on my list but however shitty a sequel or prequel or sidequel to a movie is, it never diminishes my enjoyment of the original movie. If anything, it makes me admire it even more.

 

Anyway, good list and a good blend of classic and modern movies.

[The Panda]

4

The Shawshank Redemption

I had an actual break down for at least a good minute or two in a weird sort of crying after the credits started rolling for this movie, it absolutely moved me (and thankfully the first time I watched it was at home, alone), and that's what separates my top 4 movies from the rest of them, each of these next four moved me deeper than any of the other movies, so take the ranking of my top 4 with a true grain of salt because I had all four of these movies at number 1 somewhere in the process and I eventually just went with this order.  Anyways, I find this movie self-explanatory to why its so great, the story is engaging, the tone and mood sucks you in, it has some of the strongest and most memorable shots in film history, and it ends up putting you in the shoes of Andy, making you feel everything that he would have.  The Shawshank Redemption is all around spectacular, if it were a food dish it would be Pizza.        

Edited April 14, 2014 by The Panda

[ChD]

Yay, Shawshank!

[4815162342]

They do play some influence for me personally when my top 7 movies of all time are so close for me in my personal opinion that the tiniest thing I find wrong with it can move it a couple slots.

 

It's why Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn't higher, and why Empire Strikes Back was all the way at number 30.  

 

That's kinda ridiculous.

[Ozymandias]

5

The Lord of the Rings

Yes, I just shoehorned three movies into one so it only took up one spot on my list, I know that is kind of cheating, but the trilogy is really like one extremely long movie anyways, so it counts right?  In fact, there was a time when The Lord of the Rings used to be the number 1 film(s) on my list, but then those pesky hobbitses movies came out, shat on the legacy of my favorite book as a child, and tarnished the name of Middle Earth forever, so I can no longer (with any dignity) put this at number one when there are four other movies I like just as much that haven't completely destroyed their reputation with unnecessary, god-awful prequels.

 

Lord of the Rings is truly the greatest franchise.  I saw each of them 4-5 times when they came out and to this day I haven't had a better experience at the theater.  30 Oscar nominations with 17 wins baby, that will never happen again for a fantasy or scifi universe. 

 

I too was really underwhelmed by Hobbit 1, but that doesn't subtract from LotR at all because they're still the same films as they were and remain unchanged.

 

They do play some influence for me personally when my top 7 movies of all time are so close for me in my personal opinion that the tiniest thing I find wrong with it can move it a couple slots.

 

It's why Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn't higher, and why Empire Strikes Back was all the way at number 30.  

 

Now I can totally understand why A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back may no longer be as good to a lot of people after all the bullshit changes George Lucas has made to them over the years, especially since the original versions no longer officially exist and hard as fuck to find.

 

If Peter Jackson ever fucked with any of the Lord of the Rings films today(I'm not sure if hes allowed to), then there would be hell to pay.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Ozymandias

[The Panda]

3

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I literally almost decided to fuck it and make these next two movies have a two way tie for second, but then I figured that doesn't make any objective sense, so I forced myself to make a decision.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is probably the WTF choice of my top 10 list, but there's just something about this film that always draws me back to everything about it.  The first time I saw it I really, really liked it and borderline loved it, but I found with each repeat viewing I ended up loving this movie and it touched my soul because of how much I relate to the film.  Not only that, but this movie is filled with so many small details and layers that add something new to find and contemplate every watch, well contemplate after I stop crying because it's one of the few films that syncs in at every level with my emotions and personality.  This movie got phenomenal reviews when it was released, but it still is greatly overlooked for just how fantastic it is.

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

A really good movie, I felt the ending was slightly heavy handed, but oh well.

[The Panda]

Alright, sorry for the long delay, here is number 2

 

2

Finding Nemo

Is it a crime to put an animated movie so high on an all-time list?  It doesn't really matter because there was absolutely no way this movie wasn't going to make my list under any circumstance, it is one of the few animated movies that are able to transcend the stereotype of being for kids and being a film where every single aspect is not only thoroughly enjoyable by an adult, but absolutely loved.  The jokes are spot on, and never dig low, in fact most of them are probably adult oriented rather than child oriented, the vocal performances are genuine and honest which makes each character rise above the stereotypical pitfall they might have otherwise hit.  The soundtrack is one of my absolute favorites, and it alone can spawn an emotional response from me.  But it's the powerful story and scenes that really put this film on another level for me, there are three moments in this movie that make me cry every single time I watch it (and I when this movie came out I pulled a Shay and watched it 12 times within that year, I am not joking. I have seen it even more sense then, and it still makes me cry at those exact points every time), there are even more moments that do it randomly, just not every viewing.  I actually had this at number one, but when I thought about it there was one movie that resonated with me just a bit more...

[luna]

No love for THE WILD BUNCH, the original "modern" Western?

 

having seen two peckinpah movies, i can safely say that this one is not his best.

[ChD]

Come on, number 1. Please reveal it this month...

[The Panda]

Before I announce my number 1, I am going to give a congeniality award to a movie that isn't number one but gets a very distinct mention.  

 

Congeniality

Kung Fu Panda

Is there a seriously a movie that measures up to this one, it's pretty much the best movie of all time in every single standard, okay maybe not but I really do love this movie, it's a film that does my species proud.  Few movies stand among this one.

 

[Plain Old Tele]

I saw that Panda had posted and figured he listed his #1. Silly me.