So, a couple of nights ago, I posted a list of my favorite movies. (Inspired by lists from Webs of Significance and Falling Stones are Not Heavy) The lists that inspired me were of 100 movies, but in order that I might get to sleep that night, I focused on my favorite 50. Tonight I’m posting the next 50.
Here’s the thing. It was pretty easy to make a list of my real all-time favorite movies. The movies I have watched over and over. The ones I can quote from easily. The ones I will reach for as audio-visual comfort food.
The trouble is, that list was only about 40 or so long with my initial braindump. A bit more poking around (in my brain, DVD cabinet, and Amazon ratings) filled out another 30 or 40 pretty easily. It’s been harder deciding which others should fill out the rest of the 100.
It’s funny to realize that I’m choosing a few movies that I consider quite cheezy, and even some that I’m slightly embarrassed about. Meanwhile, I’m leaving off most of the greatest films ever made. (If I were to make a list of the best films I’ve ever seen, my list would be quite different.)
- 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
- 101 Dalmatians (1961)
- The Addams Family (1991)
- Addams Family Values (1993)
- Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain) (2001)
- Back to the Future (1985)
- Batman Returns (1992)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- A Bug’s Life (1998)
- Charlie’s Angels (2000)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
- Conspiracy Theory (1997)
- Dolores Claiborne (1995)
- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
- The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill, But Came Down a Mountain (1995)
- Ever After (1998)
- The Fisher King (1991)
- Gone with the Wind (1939)
- Heathers (1989)
- Iron Monkey (1993)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- L.A. Story (1991)
- Ladyhawke (1985)
- Little Voice (1998)
- The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)
- The Matchmaker (1997)
- Memento (2000)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- Peking Opera Blues (1986)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Pleasantville (1998)
- The Replacement Killers (1998)
- Roger and Me (1989)
- Roman Holiday (1953)
- Say Anything… (1989)
- The Sixth Sense (1999)
- Splash (1984)
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
- Strange Days (1995)
- Strictly Ballroom (1992)
- Tank Girl (1995)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- To Catch a Thief (1955)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- The Truman Show (1998)
- Waiting for Guffman (1996)
- Wing Chun (1994)
collecting tokens 
Hi Alejna —
“101 Dalmations” — That so very nearly made my 100 movies list! (Ditto, incidentally, “The Shawshank Redemption” from your earlier 50.)
“Peking Opera Blues” — oh yay, glad it made your list.
With some of your picks being of kick ass women movies: I wonder… have you seen — and liked — “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”? ;b
Lastly… so is this second 50 behind your first 50 in terms of personal preferences?
Strictly Ballroom = divine.
Do you like all of the Captain Jack Sparrow movies? If so, my child would like to be your best friend.
I admire your restraint — I don’t think I could limit my list to 100.
Ah…Tank Girl. Talk about movies that I can quote!
My own list would be so full of cheesy goodness and guilty pleasures (I’m a movie re-watcher) it would be an embarrassment.
But that said, I think you and I have enough in common that there are some on your list that I’ve never heard of, or not gotten around to that I think I should look them up…and if you’re ever in town, you should check out my movies for a few fabulous ones.
For example, have you ever seen “Saving Grace”?
i’m totally in love with your movies list(s) here… perhaps it will get around to fledging out as a meme if i can nail myself down to a hundred. also, can i tell you how giddy i am about the more obscure of your faves that would be on my list as well (Terry Gilliam’s stuff), and the ones that might not make a list but are still fantastic (i didn’t know anyone else had ever seen ‘the long kiss goodnight’)?
YTSL-
I haven’t seen the new Mummy movie. (I can’t even remember what the last movie I saw in a theater was…) I’d heard it wasn’t great, though. But perhaps for Michelle Yeoh, I will still check it out.
As for the ranking of the 2 lists, it’s hard to say. The first list had more of my nearest and dearest movies, as they were the easiest to list. But being on the 2nd list doesn’t mean that I necessarily like that movie less than a given movie on the first.
magpie-
I’m afraid I might not qualify to be your child’s best friend. I’ve seen the 2nd movie, but barely remember it. (So I guess I wasn’t overly impressed.) And haven’t seen the 3rd yet. Actually, the 1st was one that got tossed on my list to fill out the last 10 or so. Mostly because I love Geoffrey Rush in it. (Arrr!) And Johnny Depp was pretty brilliant, too.
Mark-
Won’t you give it a try? And who says you really have to limit? I’d love to see your list(s).
Lori-
Oh, but embarrassment is part of the fun. (Believe you me, I’m embarrassed by quite a few movies on my list. But I was trying to be honest.) Won’t you please make a list? I’d love to see the overlap.
Ah, I did see and enjoy Saving Grace. But I’ve only seen it once, so don’t know it well enough for this list.
fireweaver-
Well, you can always dig in incrementally like I did. What made it a bit easier was not committing to actual rankings. (How can I choose among those that I love?)
Terry Gilliam is one of my favorite directors, even though I’ve been disappointed in some of his movies. And “The Long Kiss Goodnight” is one of my personal favorites to throw in the DVD player when I want entertainment. (And you know I like kick-ass women movies, right? Geena Davis kicks serious ass in that movie.)
fun! i’ve seen a bunch of these, but you’ve reminded me of some i always meant to see but didn’t!
fret not. my list would be very cheesy in spots, too. for example, i am a huge fan of a hard day’s night and help!, the two main beatles movies. and no one would ever sway me from those, no matter how much they’d laugh at me (at least for help! anyway, lol.)
btw, just say no to the super silly mummy movie. and yes, i likewise totally (heart) Michelle Yeoh, and she does indeed kick some ass in here. but if you’ve seen a couple of indiana jones movies, you’ve seen this one – they lifted chunks of the score and chunks of the plot straight out of the various IJ movies.