By Adam McPartlan
Only two installments in my list of favorite films left. Come back on Wednesday for #26-12.
41: Arrival
Another Denis Villeneuve film, and although not my favorite of his, Arrival is probably his best. The Oscars screwed up massively in nominating neither Johann Johannsson’s haunting and beautiful music nor Amy Adams’ brilliant performance in the lead role as a linguist. There are lots of reasons to like this movie, from its expansion on 2001: A Space Odyssey and Kubrick’s monolith to the themes of humanity, communication, and understanding. It also poses, in an entirely different and heartbreaking way, the question of, “If you knew the future was going to bring you pain, would you do anything differently?” This was the best film of 2016, and the longer you go without seeing it, you are truly depriving yourself of an excellent cinematic experience.
Only two installments in my list of favorite films left. Come back on Wednesday for #26-12.
41: Arrival
Another Denis Villeneuve film, and although not my favorite of his, Arrival is probably his best. The Oscars screwed up massively in nominating neither Johann Johannsson’s haunting and beautiful music nor Amy Adams’ brilliant performance in the lead role as a linguist. There are lots of reasons to like this movie, from its expansion on 2001: A Space Odyssey and Kubrick’s monolith to the themes of humanity, communication, and understanding. It also poses, in an entirely different and heartbreaking way, the question of, “If you knew the future was going to bring you pain, would you do anything differently?” This was the best film of 2016, and the longer you go without seeing it, you are truly depriving yourself of an excellent cinematic experience.
40: Die Hard series
This ranking comes with a caveat: only the first four films are included in this, because the fifth was trash. All of the first four films do an excellent job of giving us action with a fun story and great bad guys. Honestly, the first movie gave Alan Rickman his best role. Hans Gruber is easily one of the most remembered and liked bad guys in movie history, and going against him is one of the equally remembered and liked good guys in John McClane. The second one, minus the annoying, pain in the ass character of Leslie Barnes, is just as good with a pretty fun twist thrown in there as well. The third isn’t so much a great movie as it is just a hell of a lot of fun to watch, and Jeremy Irons plays the bad guy really well there too. The fourth one, though…that’s my personal favorite of the bunch. It brings an old character into the age of technology and hacking in a really wonderful way. There is a great cast with excellent acting from all concerned, especially Timothy Olyphant and Justin Long. And who doesn’t want to see Bruce Willis bring his 80s character into a digital world?
39: Hacksaw Ridge
Mel Gibson’s first film in years is probably his second best film. This movie about Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor, is also one of the best of 2016. Andrew Garfield had himself quite the 2016 with his lead roles in this film and Silence, a Martin Scorsese film about Catholic priests in Japan (another must-see movie, because it’s a religious story told the right way). Hacksaw Ridge got him his first Oscar nomination, and once you see the film in all its gore and violence in contrast to Doss’ compassion and kindness, you’ll know why. It’s a great movie about one of the most violent battles in World War II, Okinawa. While it condensed Doss’ award-winning actions to just a few days of one battle instead of the weeks across three battles, it captures the heart of his story and excellently tells the story behind one of history’s greatest men and the prayer he always said when in the field: “Please Lord, help me get one more.”
38: Airplane!
This is the seminal spoof comedy. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives the performance of his career in this movie. Leslie Nielson begins his illustrious career in comedy. A line of people beating up a panicking woman. A life-threatening guitar solo. And if you aren’t crying with laughter by the time the automatic pilot takes off from the airport, you don’t know what funny is.
37: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This is the ultimate comedy film. Not my favorite comedy ever, but certainly at least one of the best. This movie makes SNL look like child’s play…actually, everything Monty Python ever did does that. This movie has everything: coconut horse clopping, the Black Knight, shrubberies, witches who dress like ducks, a homicidal bunny, and the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow. Wanna know what the hell I’m talking about? Watch it and laugh your asses off.
36: Sherlock Holmes films
Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law are really quite the Holmes and Watson pair. Downey gives Holmes an air of insanity to his genius, while Law makes Watson more of a “I’ll put up with your crap because this is fun” kind of guy instead of an actual sidekick. The villains, played by Mark Strong and Jared Harris, do evil and conniving very well, too. But mainly, all of this just adds up to a few hours of fun and funny film viewing. And you get a bunch of silly, stupid RDJ quotes to remember from both…and isn’t that what all movies should do?
35: RED films
Speaking of silly, stupid lines…ever hear of John Malkovich? Dude plays a paranoid former black ops agent who had his mind screwed with. He is easily the best part of both movies. You want a fun couple hours, watch Bruce Willis, Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and a few other legends get badass, evil and deliver great one-liners every thirty seconds.
34: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
This is arguably the most iconic comedy film ever made. It is the only time Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse ever appear together. You also get both of the cartoon ducks fighting it out while playing the piano, Christopher Lloyd playing a sadistic cartoon-hunting psycho, and many other old cartoon characters appearing to bring laughs for almost two hours. There’s one or two sad parts, but it’s more than worth it to watch Roger Rabbit’s craziness.
33: Dodgeball
With lines like these, what other reasons do you need? If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. That’s a bold strategy, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them. Nobody makes me bleed my own blood. Nobody! And of course: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. If you can master the 5 D’s of dodgeball, no amount of balls on Earth can hit you.
32: The Constant Gardener
I honestly haven’t seen this movie in a few years, but I’ve watched it so many times, I remember everything that happened. Rachel Weisz’ Oscar winning performance as an aid worker in Africa, Ralph Fiennes underrated performance as a British diplomat investigating her murder, and one of the most interesting scripts ever written make this one of the best movies you’ve probably never heard of. Fiennes is married to Weisz in the film, hence his investment in finding her killer. Most importantly is the disgusting fact that the plot of this movie, clinical trials run by drug companies in poor African villages, is based on a very true story. Watch the movie, enjoy the amazing performances and writing, but the best thing that can come from viewing this beautiful piece, also based on the novel of the same name by John le Carre, is that you find a way to reconcile the need for life-saving drugs with the means by which they are obtained.
31: Mad Max: Fury Road
The script is basically non-existent. That’s the only criticism I have of this movie. But even that critique is so bland, I’d spit it out of my mouth if it were food. And I eat everything. The visual effects somehow lost the Oscar, but it doesn’t take away the clear beauty of watching them on screen. It’s a masterpiece of technical work and achievements, and is the crowning jewel of George Miller’s career. And you get the beauty of listening to a future AFI Top 100 quote before it makes the list, and what makes that even more special is that you know it’s going to be on that list before the movie elitists tell you so: “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!"
30: Hell or High Water
This film, along with Sicario, cemented Taylor Sheridan as one of the finest writers of our time. The movie follows two brothers, played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who rob branches of the bank that own their recently deceased mother’s house. Jeff Bridges, who received an Oscar nomination for his role, plays the sarcastic Texas sheriff who tries to chase them down. Honestly, though, Foster is the star of the film for me. He plays a complete badass, jackass, yet loyal older brother, who, when asked why he helps Pine’s character rob banks, responds, “Because you asked, little brother.” The film is incredibly smart, well-acted, and at times emotional. The best part, though, is that this movie is straightforward, tells you everything you need to know by the end of the film, and doesn’t treat the audience like they’re stupid.
29: The Incredibles
If you’re looking for your super suit, look no further. The movie takes the superhero genre and turns it on its head, becoming the first superhero film to ever receive an Oscar nomination for writing. It’s rated PG, but if you’re an adult and don’t love this movie, you have no inner child and no sense of what fun is. It has the longest recorded throw ever made in a father-son game of catch. And unlike Finding Nemo, this film’s sequel is actually worth watching.
28: X-Men: Days of Future Past
This is arguably the best movie in the whole X-Men franchise. People argue it was made to undo the crappiness of X-Men: The Last Stand. I argue that it doesn’t matter why it came to be; all that matters is it tells the best story in whole series while hitting points of nostalgia, yet not leaning on those points. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, and Hugh Jackman do an exceptional job in this movie, and their best work is raising the games of Tim McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence. While they were incredibly successful outside the X-Men franchise as actors, it is in this film where they reach their highest points in the superhero genre. If you can, watch the Rogue Cut of this film; it makes a great deal more sense and adds a whole extra layer of emotion.
27: Midnight in Paris
I saw this movie on a whim one day in the city. When I watched it, I couldn’t help but laugh all the way through it, because Woody Allen so wonderfully captured each of the artists, writers, filmmakers, etc. that I knew it would see a bunch of Oscar nominations. It went on to Win Best Original Screenplay. The best part is that if you paid attention in English class, when you watch Corey Still play Hemingway, Tom Hiddleston play F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Adrien Brody as Dali, you’ll suffer such side-splitting laughter from the accuracy, you’ll have to pause and rewind multiple times.
This ranking comes with a caveat: only the first four films are included in this, because the fifth was trash. All of the first four films do an excellent job of giving us action with a fun story and great bad guys. Honestly, the first movie gave Alan Rickman his best role. Hans Gruber is easily one of the most remembered and liked bad guys in movie history, and going against him is one of the equally remembered and liked good guys in John McClane. The second one, minus the annoying, pain in the ass character of Leslie Barnes, is just as good with a pretty fun twist thrown in there as well. The third isn’t so much a great movie as it is just a hell of a lot of fun to watch, and Jeremy Irons plays the bad guy really well there too. The fourth one, though…that’s my personal favorite of the bunch. It brings an old character into the age of technology and hacking in a really wonderful way. There is a great cast with excellent acting from all concerned, especially Timothy Olyphant and Justin Long. And who doesn’t want to see Bruce Willis bring his 80s character into a digital world?
39: Hacksaw Ridge
Mel Gibson’s first film in years is probably his second best film. This movie about Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor, is also one of the best of 2016. Andrew Garfield had himself quite the 2016 with his lead roles in this film and Silence, a Martin Scorsese film about Catholic priests in Japan (another must-see movie, because it’s a religious story told the right way). Hacksaw Ridge got him his first Oscar nomination, and once you see the film in all its gore and violence in contrast to Doss’ compassion and kindness, you’ll know why. It’s a great movie about one of the most violent battles in World War II, Okinawa. While it condensed Doss’ award-winning actions to just a few days of one battle instead of the weeks across three battles, it captures the heart of his story and excellently tells the story behind one of history’s greatest men and the prayer he always said when in the field: “Please Lord, help me get one more.”
38: Airplane!
This is the seminal spoof comedy. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives the performance of his career in this movie. Leslie Nielson begins his illustrious career in comedy. A line of people beating up a panicking woman. A life-threatening guitar solo. And if you aren’t crying with laughter by the time the automatic pilot takes off from the airport, you don’t know what funny is.
37: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This is the ultimate comedy film. Not my favorite comedy ever, but certainly at least one of the best. This movie makes SNL look like child’s play…actually, everything Monty Python ever did does that. This movie has everything: coconut horse clopping, the Black Knight, shrubberies, witches who dress like ducks, a homicidal bunny, and the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow. Wanna know what the hell I’m talking about? Watch it and laugh your asses off.
36: Sherlock Holmes films
Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law are really quite the Holmes and Watson pair. Downey gives Holmes an air of insanity to his genius, while Law makes Watson more of a “I’ll put up with your crap because this is fun” kind of guy instead of an actual sidekick. The villains, played by Mark Strong and Jared Harris, do evil and conniving very well, too. But mainly, all of this just adds up to a few hours of fun and funny film viewing. And you get a bunch of silly, stupid RDJ quotes to remember from both…and isn’t that what all movies should do?
35: RED films
Speaking of silly, stupid lines…ever hear of John Malkovich? Dude plays a paranoid former black ops agent who had his mind screwed with. He is easily the best part of both movies. You want a fun couple hours, watch Bruce Willis, Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and a few other legends get badass, evil and deliver great one-liners every thirty seconds.
34: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
This is arguably the most iconic comedy film ever made. It is the only time Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse ever appear together. You also get both of the cartoon ducks fighting it out while playing the piano, Christopher Lloyd playing a sadistic cartoon-hunting psycho, and many other old cartoon characters appearing to bring laughs for almost two hours. There’s one or two sad parts, but it’s more than worth it to watch Roger Rabbit’s craziness.
33: Dodgeball
With lines like these, what other reasons do you need? If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. That’s a bold strategy, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them. Nobody makes me bleed my own blood. Nobody! And of course: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. If you can master the 5 D’s of dodgeball, no amount of balls on Earth can hit you.
32: The Constant Gardener
I honestly haven’t seen this movie in a few years, but I’ve watched it so many times, I remember everything that happened. Rachel Weisz’ Oscar winning performance as an aid worker in Africa, Ralph Fiennes underrated performance as a British diplomat investigating her murder, and one of the most interesting scripts ever written make this one of the best movies you’ve probably never heard of. Fiennes is married to Weisz in the film, hence his investment in finding her killer. Most importantly is the disgusting fact that the plot of this movie, clinical trials run by drug companies in poor African villages, is based on a very true story. Watch the movie, enjoy the amazing performances and writing, but the best thing that can come from viewing this beautiful piece, also based on the novel of the same name by John le Carre, is that you find a way to reconcile the need for life-saving drugs with the means by which they are obtained.
31: Mad Max: Fury Road
The script is basically non-existent. That’s the only criticism I have of this movie. But even that critique is so bland, I’d spit it out of my mouth if it were food. And I eat everything. The visual effects somehow lost the Oscar, but it doesn’t take away the clear beauty of watching them on screen. It’s a masterpiece of technical work and achievements, and is the crowning jewel of George Miller’s career. And you get the beauty of listening to a future AFI Top 100 quote before it makes the list, and what makes that even more special is that you know it’s going to be on that list before the movie elitists tell you so: “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!"
30: Hell or High Water
This film, along with Sicario, cemented Taylor Sheridan as one of the finest writers of our time. The movie follows two brothers, played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who rob branches of the bank that own their recently deceased mother’s house. Jeff Bridges, who received an Oscar nomination for his role, plays the sarcastic Texas sheriff who tries to chase them down. Honestly, though, Foster is the star of the film for me. He plays a complete badass, jackass, yet loyal older brother, who, when asked why he helps Pine’s character rob banks, responds, “Because you asked, little brother.” The film is incredibly smart, well-acted, and at times emotional. The best part, though, is that this movie is straightforward, tells you everything you need to know by the end of the film, and doesn’t treat the audience like they’re stupid.
29: The Incredibles
If you’re looking for your super suit, look no further. The movie takes the superhero genre and turns it on its head, becoming the first superhero film to ever receive an Oscar nomination for writing. It’s rated PG, but if you’re an adult and don’t love this movie, you have no inner child and no sense of what fun is. It has the longest recorded throw ever made in a father-son game of catch. And unlike Finding Nemo, this film’s sequel is actually worth watching.
28: X-Men: Days of Future Past
This is arguably the best movie in the whole X-Men franchise. People argue it was made to undo the crappiness of X-Men: The Last Stand. I argue that it doesn’t matter why it came to be; all that matters is it tells the best story in whole series while hitting points of nostalgia, yet not leaning on those points. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, and Hugh Jackman do an exceptional job in this movie, and their best work is raising the games of Tim McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence. While they were incredibly successful outside the X-Men franchise as actors, it is in this film where they reach their highest points in the superhero genre. If you can, watch the Rogue Cut of this film; it makes a great deal more sense and adds a whole extra layer of emotion.
27: Midnight in Paris
I saw this movie on a whim one day in the city. When I watched it, I couldn’t help but laugh all the way through it, because Woody Allen so wonderfully captured each of the artists, writers, filmmakers, etc. that I knew it would see a bunch of Oscar nominations. It went on to Win Best Original Screenplay. The best part is that if you paid attention in English class, when you watch Corey Still play Hemingway, Tom Hiddleston play F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Adrien Brody as Dali, you’ll suffer such side-splitting laughter from the accuracy, you’ll have to pause and rewind multiple times.