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January 24, 2008
Greatest Movies of All Time
Don asked me a question tonight that I had to give quite a lot of thought to. He asked me what I thought the top ten greatest movies were. And as I tried to put the list together, I realized I had to make two categories. One for great story, direction, writing and acting. Another for pure entertainment value. Here's my list--keep in mind, this only includes movies I've actually SEEN. If there's a movie you think is great and it isn't on my list, chances are, I either disagree with you or I haven't seen it. And I don't include movies before the 1970s because I don't like old movies. So all you folks out there crying, "Casablanca!" and "Gone with the Wind!" forget about it. Go ahead and put it on your list, but this is MY list, so all that matters is my opinion.
So first, the greatest movies according to pure entertainment value including some of my favorite lines:
25. Better Off Dead - "The international language...YOU know! LOVE! The language of love!"
24. Swing Kids
23. Bad Boys II
22. Legend of the Drunken Master (Drunken Master II)
21. Twister - "Cow... 'Nuther cow!"
20. Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3 (yes, I know, that's cheating, but remember: this is MY list, not yours!)
19. The Terminator (I)- "I'll be back."
18. Stargate
17. The Mummy
16. Rush Hour 1 & 2 - "Do YOU understand the words that are comin' out of my mouth?"
15. Superman (I)
14. Back to the Future (I)
13. Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom - "You call him Dr. Jones!"
12. The Transporter
11. A League of Their Own - "There's no crying in baseball!"
10. Office Space - "I was told I could listen to my radio at a reasonable volume."
9. Forrest Gump - "Ruuunn, Forrest! Ruuuunnn!"
8. Bourne Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum
7. The Last Samurai - "This has been a very good conversation."
6. Blade Trinity
5. Star Wars...the ORIGINAL I, II & III (Episodes 4, 5, & 6 for you hardcore nuts out there)
4. Aliens
3. Independence Day - "Oh no you did NOT shoot that green shit at me!" (This has one of the best-written soundtracks ever)
2. The Princess Bride - "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." (At one point, had the entire script memorized.)
1. Monty Python & the Holy Grail - "How do you KNOW she is a witch?"
And counting down the greatest movies according to story, direction, writing and acting:
15. Phenomenon
14. Glory
13. The Color Purple (I know, Don, you hate Whoopi Goldberg)
12. Stand By Me - "Two for flinching!"
11. The Green Mile
10. The Shawshank Redemption
9. The Last Samurai - "Sake!!!"
8. Superman
7. Star Wars...the ORIGINAL 1, 2, 3
6. Gladiator (This movie has the greatest soundtrack ever written)
5. Independence Day
4. Forrest Gump
3. The Princess Bride
2. Monty Python & the Holy Grail - "It's only a flesh wound."
1. Braveheart - "Ireland, it's my island." "You're mad." "I've come to the right place!" (Saw this in the theater about 4 times...or was it 6?)
So there you have it. One more thing: these lists are subject to change at my discretion. And if ya don't like it, well, TOO BAD! :-P
ADDENDUM: D-OH!! I've just been reminded by an old friend that I've forgotten Army of Darkness. Yes, this is a complete CLASSIC! I would have to put this somewhere between 9 and 13 of the "Entertainment Value" category since it's one of my all-time favorites. "Whoa, the words, the words, right, right. (Ahem!) KLAATU!...VERAATA!...NIK-(cough, cough, cough)!!!!" (Silence) "OKAY THEN!" (Takes the Necronomicon and all hell breaks loose.) HAHA!!
Posted by Amy at January 24, 2008 12:30 AM
Comments
"Stevens my name. I am the most wanted man on my island, but I am not on my island!"
"Your island? You mean Ireland?"
"Yeah, its MINE!"
"You're a mad man."
*enter nutty laughter*
Posted by: meat ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://priori2ude.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 2, 2008 01:39 AM
"She turned me into a newt!"
"A newt?"
"I got better..."
Beware of the Man Eating Bunny!
And, "Get back here! I'll bite your knee caps off!"
Posted by: meat at February 2, 2008 01:35 AM
I agree about the concept of two different lists, one for awesomely entertaining movies and one for movies of great artistic achievement. It's been very fun reading both of your lists! I'll have to come up with my own lists on my blog sometime.
Posted by: revjen at January 29, 2008 12:02 PM
Eric, I'll give you Army of Darkness. But I haven't seen Joe's Apartment (can't stand cockroaches, real or otherwise) and I have to disagree about Bore of the Rings. Sorry!
Posted by: Priori2ude at January 25, 2008 09:39 AM
Haven't logged on in a while -- but I'm a little disappointed by the apparent lack of "Army of Darkness". A movie that is regularly quoted (by me) in my classroom -- much to the chagrin of my confused students.
And hey, what about "Joe's apartment"? I believe you introduced me to this inspiring film -- though I still haven't decided if I should be thankful or resentful of that.
On a more serious note, I think all three "Lord of the Rings" movies were amazingly full of Win in their uncomparable greatness -- but this is your list, so I'll give you a pass on that one.
Hail to the King, baby.
Posted by: Silvermarble at January 25, 2008 09:02 AM
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