My Favorite Films Part 5: #11 - 40

Let's just go ahead and jump right back into it shall we? Here is the next set of titles of my 100 favorite films of all time.

#40) Leon – The Professional (1994)

#39) Pulp Fiction (1994)

#38) Out of Sight (1998)

#37) 12 Monkeys (1995)

#36) Cinema Paradiso (1988)

#35) O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

#34) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

#33) Almost Famous (2000)

#32) The Princess Bride (1987)

#31) Schindler’s List (1993)

#30) Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

#29) Memento (2000)


#28) Shawshank Redemption (1994)

#27) Silence of the Lambs (1991)

#26) Network (1976)

#25) Narc (2002)

#24) Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

I include all the films here. Some say that’s cheating, but they were all filmed together as one long film cut into three. The book was originally written as one story but divided into three by the publishers who thought it was too long. It’s hard to choose between the three because it really is just one long story. So call it cheating if you like, but that doesn’t change the fact that this series is one of the best achievements in cinema history.

#23) Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981)

#22) Reservoir Dogs (1992)

#21) Dark City (1998)

#20) Goodfellas (1990)

#19) All the President’s Men (1976)

#18) Star Wars – the Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Ten years ago this would have been at the top of my list. If I have to rank the entire trilogy in order then the Empire Strikes Back would be followed by A New Hope and then Return of the Jedi. It’s hard to deny the influence this series has had on my generation. I love the art of film because of my love for Star Wars. The original film changed the course of film history with its innovative special effects, merchandising and marketing potential, and its enormous take in box office. The summer blockbuster was born with Star Wars. As I’ve grown older my tastes in film have changed some, but I can’t deny that this should be higher. The bad taste left from the prequel trilogy as well as the altering of great films by denying their existence and only observing the special editions as the only options has caused it to slip on this list. Despite that, Star Wars will always be special and important for me; I just can’t call it my favorite film of all time anymore.

#17) American Beauty (1999)

#16) Requiem for a Dream (2000)

#15) Clerks (1994)

#14) Swingers (1996)

#13) L.A. Confidential (1997)

#12) Heat (1995)

#11) Chinatown (1974)


I’ll end it there for now and be back with my top ten favorite films of all time. Feel free to criticize or critique my list, or take a guess at the top ten. I welcome all feedback. Until next time…