My Homework Assignment: My 100 Favorite Movies of All Time

What is it with movie fans, or music fans as well, that we feel a need to constantly make lists of our favorites or least favorites?

Maybe it's a way of justifying to ourselves as well as the rest of the world not only what we like but why we like them. Every year everyone has a top ten list of their favorite movies of the year, or favorite albums, or favorite television shows. Even the awards shows that crowd the airwaves are a list in a way. They pick their five favorites in whatever category and then pick their favorite from that list. We all do it. I know I do at least.

And you can really make a list for just about everything. There is a great film called High Fidelity that deals mostly with music and the characters are constantly making random lists ranking various songs for various reasons. A great example is the character of Barry, played by Jack Black, who blurts out to name "top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80's and 90's. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, or is it better to burn out or fade away?"

The same can be done for film. Name the five greatest scenes in which Tom Cruise does his obligatory sprinting scene. Or how about five favorite Al Pacino screaming scenes? It can be fun and challenging to come up with a list, but in the end it doesn't mean too much perhaps.

"Doesn't he look angry?"

As much as I love the AFI's tradition of releasing lists of the top 100 films or quotes or songs from films there are always going to be choices I or anyone else doesn't agree with. The lists are subjective and really mean nothing but to the person that created it. It's a way to define one's taste in a way. It also can lead to great discussions and debates as to the validity of one person's picks versus an other's choices. I love reading critic's choices for their favorite films each year, just as I like analysing the nominated films in the various awards categories. I like to compare my picks as a way of validating what I like, but also to criticize and debate what gets chosen and what doesn't get chosen. It really has no concrete merit but it's all in good fun.

So when we were given a homework assignment at work I actually got quite excited. We have a section in the store that displays all of the AFI top 100 American films of all time from the list they released a few years ago. The big boss decided to create a companion wall: the DVD Planet employee's top 100 films of all time. Each employee was assigned to submit their list of 100 favorite films, then a master list would be compiled from all of the most selected titles and we will vote for our picks from that list to create the ultimate list.

I've always wanted to try to come up with a top 100 list before but I've never felt the need to put in all of that work. I've tried to make a top ten list before but I found it too hard to whittle down all of my favorite films to just ten films. One hundred seemed like a more reasonable number that I could work with. One thing was for sure, I was going to take this seriously and do this right.

There were some that as soon as the assignment was given they had their list the next day. I took my time with it, perhaps too much time and I didn't get my list in till a couple weeks later. I wanted to make sure it was right and that took time and diligence in getting it right.

The first thing I did was started to compile a list off the top of my head of my all time favorite films. I initially came up with a little over 30 titles. I then started going through my DVD collection picking some of my favorites. I was also reading everyone else's lists as they were being turned in, catching titles that I had forgotten about or I didn't own so I didn't think about it. When all was said and done I had a master list of about 225 titles. I now had to eliminate more than half of them.

I decided I would come up with a ranking system and rate each title in several different categories such as the writing, acting, directing, personal relevance, re-watchability, etc. I would take the final tally and rank them that way. I actually started this and decided this was just way too difficult and would take forever. Maybe I was taking this a bit too seriously. Perhaps, but I wanted to make sure it was right.

So what I ended up doing was just studying my list and breaking it down into smaller groups. I started by picking the films that I felt absolutely had to be on the list and I ended up cutting it to 80 titles. I picked my initial favorite films I came up with and worked that to about 20 titles. I then ranked those in my preferred order, meticulously rearranging it until I got it right. I continued to do this for the initial 80 titles I picked, picking between 10-20 and ranking those, then the next 10-20, and so on. I was left with a top 80 list and needed 20 more titles from the close to 150 titles left from my original list.

I continued to narrow it down, scrolling over it and picking the ones that were most crucial to me. I got it to 105 titles so the hard part came of what to eliminate. Even after I got it to my final 100 list I continued to tinker with the order. There were films that were down on the list and after looking over it so many times I felt they needed to be higher so I would judge them against each one before it until I found the perfect spot for it. Some moved up, some moved down, but in the end I came up with a final top 100 list that I could be proud of. How geeky am I sounding right about now?

I must say I was quite surprised by my final list. I've been called pretty pretentious by some friends when it comes to my taste in movies, which for the most part I would agree with. There is definitely a fair share of artsy or indie films on my list, but there is some fluff represented as well. Ultimately these are the films that I can watch over and over again. Many are films that have had a direct influence in shaping not only my tastes in movies, but my life personally. I think there is a direct correlation between the art or music or films we like and the type of personalities we have, and our personality behavior has a direct effect on the choices we make in life. To me that is one of the major powers that film has on not only my life but our society and culture in general.

This list was finalized a month ago but if I were to write it now it would probably be different depending on my mood today. There was a film I had owned on DVD that I just watched last week that just blew me away, and had I written this list now it probably would have made my list, it was that good. If you were to compare this to a list I would have written ten years ago it would be drastically different because my tastes have considerably changed. In a way it can be a time capsule to capture that one moment of your life and what you were like when you wrote it. Maybe half of the list would have been on it ten years ago, and it would have been in a really different order. One film in particular stands out to me as being in a completely different spot now than it would have been ten years ago, and I'm reminded by that quote from Barry in High Fidelity, is it in fact unfair to criticize a once great artist for his latter day sins? I'll let you guess what film I'm referring to.

And as I've said before, these lists are subjective. This list is in no way meant to be the definitive list of greatest films ever made, but just my list of personal favorites. So I figured I would share my list with you my dear readers (or maybe it's just reader) for several reasons. One, because I'm a pretentious geek and I need to validate my list to myself by sharing it with you so I feel important. But really, I figure if I am going to write reviews and offer my own opinion and criticism then you should know where I am coming from as far as my taste in film. If you know what kind of films I like and why I like them then it will help validate to not only the reader, but to myself why I like or dislike a film I may watch or write about.

Plus I hope that it will start a conversation and debate about these particular films and your own opinions of them. And maybe it will get you to think about your own favorites so that we could share, compare, and debate who is right and wrong. Maybe I have some films on this list that you haven't seen and it will inspire you to seek them out and find new films to watch. Whatever comes of it, I hope you enjoy reading this. I'm going to reveal them in groups of ten, working backwards until we get to number one.

So without further adieu, let us begin!

#100 His Girl Friday (1940)

This is one of the best screwball comedies staring one of my favorite actors Cary Grant. Cary Grant could do it all from drama to comedy to thriller. He had a certain charisma to him that made him likable in every roll. The closest we have to him today I think would be George Clooney. They have that certain mix of charm and good looks that just screams movie star.

The story focuses on two reporters played by Grant and Rosalind Russell who are both in the news paper business and about to divorce so that Russell can move away with her new love and leave the business and start a new life. Grant will do whatever it takes to keep her around and ends up putting her on a story that turns out to be the biggest the city has seen in quite some time. Meanwhile Grant's character Walter Burns comes up with all sorts of mischief to try and sabotage Russell's new relationship so he can get her to stay.

The movie is full of quick witty dialogue and slapstick humor. It was directed by Howard Hawks who was one of the original giants of old Hollywood. The screwball comedy is a genre that has often tried to be imitated but hasn't had the same success as it did in the '30's and '40's. It's a film I feel still holds up and worth checking out.

#99 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Here's a movie that had a drastic effect on the future of special effects and lead to films like Star Wars being possible. Stanley Kubrick's film is definitely an acquired taste and could be difficult to watch. It's more of a visual poem than it is a traditional plot based story, but that is what makes it unique.

The movie follows the mysterious monolith that suddenly appears on Earth during the stone ages, then again in the future buried on the moon. When the moon monolith is discovered it sends a signal to another one located near Jupiter and an exploration to that planet is set to find the origins. Along on the mission is HAL-9000, the on board computer with a mission of it's own. The monotone voice of HAL helps the eeriness created for one of the most sadistic killers ever created for the screen.

The movie is asking questions of our existence. Where did we come from? Where did the universe come from? Is there life besides us out there? The psychedelic solar trip at the end of the film is one of the most unique effects created for a sci-fi film. The innovative camera work and special effects along with the use of classical music helps to tell the story in place of any dialogue, which is used sparingly throughout the film. It can be a hard film to watch, but Kubrick has undoubtedly created a masterpiece that needs to be seen to be appreciated.

#98 Adaptation (2002)

The second teaming of director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman along with fictional twin brother Donald Kaufman is a realistic if somewhat insane look at the life of a screenwriter. There are moments in this film I fully appreciate because of the realistic approach it takes to writing. The character of Charlie played by Nicholas Cage will do whatever it takes to procrastinate so that he doesn't have to write. It's nice to know that I'm not alone.

Nicholas Cage plays screenwriter Charlie Kaufman as well as his twin Donald. Charlie has just finished Being John Malkovich and he is given the assignment to adapt a novel about flowers. He struggles with how to tell the story and ends up enlisting the help of his brother who has a more Hollywood sensibility. After many struggles he ends up writing himself into the movie and the story ends up becoming the film within the film. Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper in an Oscar winning role play the characters within the film that Charlie is writing yet end up becoming real antagonists for Charlie and Donald.

The film is a really surrealistic approach to story telling and the writing process. Kaufman has a great sense of story structure that is truly complex and innovative. Cage gives one of the best performances in his career creating two completely different characters and pulling them off with great flare in his Oscar nominated role. Adaptation is a really trippy and fun movie. I would love to see another collaboration between Jonze and Kaufman again.

#97 Being John Malkovich

Speaking of Jonze and Kaufman, not only was this their first collaboration but it was their first film and they nailed it. The movie stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and of course John Malkovich. Both Jonze and Kaufman have a unique and odd sense of story telling and their visions mix perfectly to create a fun and creative new story.

Cusack plays Craig, a puppeteer that is struggling to make it big so he is forced to take an office job with a company that is oddly located on the 7 1/2 floor of it's building. While filing away he discovers a portal behind a cabinet that leads into the mind of John Malkovich and while inside you get to see what he sees for a short period of time before being dumped out onto a turnpike outside the city. He shares this secret with his wife played by Cameron Diaz and the woman in the office he is attracted to played by Catherine Keener. An addiction and struggle over sharing this portal is created between the characters that leads to a surprising revelation about it's origins.

Like Adaptation, the story's structure is quite unique and complex. All sense of reality is thrown out and playing under their new rules Jonze and Kaufman are able to create a fantastic fable unlike anything else. It is completely original and inventive with great performances by all of the actors. Some might find it a bit too quirky but it's definitely worth checking out.

#96 Groundhog Day (1993)

What would you do if you were forced to live the same day over and over? That's the premise of this Harold Ramis comedy that stars Bill Murray as a weatherman who gets stuck living the same mundane moment over and over again.

The brilliance of this comedy is the length it goes to explore every possible thing you could do with a single day when you are forced to relive it. The story goes full circle, starting with confusion and anger and then acceptance and taking advantage of it. The set of scenes where Murray explores the different possible ways of dying, only to wake up fine the next morning is pretty damn funny.

There is a real heart and soul present in the story. Ultimately it's about finding a way to make things right in your life. Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell have great chemistry together. It's a clever story that offers a lot of laughs that holds up well. It definite must see every year on Groundhog Day.

#95 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

This is the directorial debut by George Clooney with a script by Charlie Kaufman. Clooney brings an original visual style and gets great performances from his cast.

Sam Rockwell plays Chuck Barris, host to the '70's game show The Gong Show and who claimed to work as a secret agent for the CIA. Whether he really did this or made it all up doesn't matter. Clooney takes the approach that he really did do this to tell the story from Barris' point of view which makes for a more compelling and entertaining story. Rockwell is excellent in the leading roll and Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts give great supporting roles. There are quite a few cool shots in the film like the long take of Barris taking the studio tour which chronicles the shift in time from his visit to his eventual employment in one single shot. Very clever and well executed. Not bad for a rookie director.

#94 Boogie Nights (1997)

A break through film from one of my favorite film makers, Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson writes a script full of complex multidimensional characters and he brings out the best from his actors with his direction.

Mark Wahlberg plays Dirk Diggler in this story that is loosely based on the life of porn legend John Holmes. He is a physically gifted kid who is lost in life but finds his calling as well as a new family in the porn industry. He becomes a huge star and eventually lets the fame and power destroy him as well as those around him. The large supporting cast that includes Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and William H. Macy give outstanding performances. Each character is fully drawn out and have their own story arc that make this film a thoroughly engaging look into the world of porn in the 1970's. It's some dark subject material but the story and direction are really excellent.

#93 Apocalypse Now (1979)

Based on the book "Hearts of Darkness," Francis Ford Coppola transfers the story and characters into the Vietnam War to tell an antiwar story and show the effects war has on man.

Martin Sheen plays Captain Willard, a man on the brink of madness himself who is hired for a secret mission to find another military man who has gone crazy, Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando, and is given the assingment of assassinating him. Along his journey he encounters a variety of interesting characters and some dark and violent battles. But it is the final interaction between Willard and Kurtz where the true madness of war is expressed.

It's a dark and complex film and can be a bit tough to watch at times, but it really is a remarkable achievement of filmmaking. There is a director's cut that was released in 2001 which I haven't seen yet that adds an hour to the film and fleshes out the characters more, but the original cut stands up just fine on it's own. The story of the production of the film is just as engaging, as documented in the film Hearts of Darkness. The madness of the characters spreads to the cast and crew that was truely cursed and would mark an unfortunate downward trend for director Francis Ford Coppola. Both films are worth checking out.

#92 Barton Fink (1991)

Another great film on the life of a writer. This was also the first of a long line of collaborations between writer/directors Joel & Ethan Coen and cinematographer Roger Deakins. Deakins camera work adds as much to the gloom and torture of the character as the script does.

John Turturro plays Barton Fink, a successful New York playwrite who is brought out to Hollywood to write the next big wrestling picture. He locks himself away in a hotel room and struggles to write the commercial work because of fear of sacrificing his intelectual side to his art. Fink strikes up a friendship with a neighbor in the hotel played by John Goodman, a traveling salesman who has a dark and mysterious side to him.

Fink goes a bit mad during the writing process and slowly begins to lose himself. The hotel room he stays in has a bit of a life of it's own. The wallpaper continues to slowly peel away and bleed out the glue holding it together. It's a strong metaphor for Fink and his struggles with trying to write something he's not passionate about. The lighting and photography of the room and the peeling wallpaper adds a great dimension to the story. The entire cast gives great performances in the usual Coen Brothers quirky way.

#91 The Big Lebowski (1998)

One of the best characters created by the Coen Brothers. I'm of course talking about the Dude.

Jeff Bridges plays "Dude" Lebowski, a drunken unemployed stoner who gets mistaken for a millionaire with the same name and dragged into a kidnapping and ransom ploy. All the Dude wants to do is bowl but his life gets turned upside down by this mix of odd characters he comes into contact with.

This is one of the funnier films from the Coens with many quotable lines. John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and John Turturro give great supporting performances, but it's Bridges who steals the show with his role of the Dude. He nails it perfectly and helps to create a truely iconic character. You don't roll on the Shabbos!

Well that's it for now. Thanks for reading along. I'll be back with the next set of ten soon. Until next time...