Gushing About Shows You Like (Sugar Wiki)/Film

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Oh, my god! That is the greatest movie you've ever seen in your life!

Spoilers may lie ahead.

  • In the decade of the 1930's, even the great city of Metropolis wasn't spared the ravages of the world-wide depression. In these times of fear and confusion, the Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper whose reputation for honesty and truth, became a symbol of hope for the city of Metropolis...... Cue, John Williams Rousing Music and so begins THE definitive, and greatest, Superhero movie ever made. Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane. No it's Superman. Thirty years later, they still can't top it.
    • ^^ Probably the most delightfully theatrical opening in film history.
  • Despite all the controversy, Borat was one of the funniest films ever made. Once you get past all the gratuitous "yagshamash" and see the film you will laugh your ass off.
  • It couldn't make me cry because I was smiling too hard,. I couldn't make me laugh because I was fighting back tears. Life Is Beautiful is. It just made me happy, it made me realize that there are truly beautiful people in this world. If only in the minds that envisioned such a wonderful story.
  • I love Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs so very very much. The perfect blend of action--Did I say action? I mean violence--angst, and character development.
    • Seconded. It's also pretty funny and low-key despite the blood and the deaths, and surprisingly touching where Orange and White's comradeship is concerned.
  • Maybe it belongs under 'anime', but Grave of the Fireflies is the most powerful thing I've ever seen in a long time. To this day it is the only movie that has made me cry. And it felt wonderful
  • Is it full of more tropes than this very wiki? Yes? Is the acting campy sometimes? Yes? Does the story stretch, and in some cases, stomp on, logic? Yes? Is Independence Day also one of the most purely entertaining and fun movies in recent history? Hell yes!
    • And inspiring; the President's "this is Independence Day" speech? Oh boy, there aren't words for the shivers that went up my spine.
    • I spit at the notion that this movie is anything other than epic. I watch it yearly, and it never ceases to bring me to tears. I adore the characters, I love the action, I love the story, I'm in love with the soundtrack, and it has the best climax of any movie. Period. I have never been able to sit through the president's speech without buckling down into tears.
  • People seem to take it entirely for granted, but Star Wars is actually pretty damned good. And weird. But also good.
    • Hell, the star wars movies are some of the only movies I've ever watched without feeling like I want to go do something else before it's over.
    • Totally. I love Star Wars.
    • OT love!
    • Lots of people will disagree with me, but... I love Jar-Jar.
      • He's not as bad as people make him out to be. But for me, R2D2 will always be the best.
    • Ep III love! Ian McDiarmid is made of villainous win.
      • Episode III is definitely a good movie and in my opinion had enough badassedness to paper over the Narm (which is less frequent anyway).
        • I am still livid that I let people's badmouthing stop me from seeing AOTC and ROTS in the cinema. Am I alone in my angstlove in crying solidly through about half of ROTS and shuddering with horror at Palps' creepy little ballet speech? I even, yes, um, think I like it more than... anyoftheotherfilms. Hem.
        • On the subject of ROTS, can I just mention how utterly brilliant the lightsaber duel on Mustafar is? From how ridiculously over the top the actual creation of the environment is, to the brilliance from both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, it actually tops the Luke vs. Vader duel in ROTJ in terms of raw emotion, and power conveyed, considering it's the Jedi equivalent of a brawl. Absolutely made the film for me.
    • Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is made of pure, sweet win. Every scene is beautifully done from music to acting to directing, the Leia/Han and Darth Vader scenes especially. Also, my respects to Mark Hamill for his awesome acting in the Yoda scenes, where he couldn't hear what Frank Oz was saying and had to act his lines to a mute puppet.
    • This may be slightly over-the-top, but Darth Vaders Heroic Sacrifice in Episode 6 is pretty much the only thing that can even temporarily restore my faith in humanity. * After the Star Wars love I gotta talk about Star Trek. Particularly, Parts II, III, and IV, which are so awesome, people who despise Trek love them. James Horner's kickass music probably helps.
    • What about the new 2009 Star Trek film? I know some really hardcore Star Trek: The Original Series fans didn't like it because it was accessible to everyone, but that's what I (and my two siblings) loved about it. It was fun and fast-paced with amazing CGI, but the acting was superb as well. Okay, I love Leonard Nimoy as much as the next Geek, but you've got to admit that Zachary Quinto's performance as Young Spock had a quiet intensity to it that made it probably the best performance in a Trek film to date.
      • No argument there. I enjoyed it, and I have an aunt who called herself one of the original Trekkers and gave the film a thumbs up.
      • I've never been a Trekkie and am so ignorant of and indifferent toward the Star Trek universe that I don't even know what Romulans are, yet I still liked the new Trek film so much I went to the theater to see it thrice.
      • Same with my parents, aunts, uncles, etc., all of whom grew up watching TOS. My mom had been initially skeptical when she saw the trailer, but absolutely loved the film when she saw it. I too grew up watching the various movies and TV series and have a rather embarrassing knowledge of Trek lore, and I adored it. (My mom and I both agree that Simon Pegg in particular nailed the role of Scotty, though everyone did a good job. My initial reaction upon first hearing the cast list was completely allayed when I actually saw the movie.)
  • My favorite movie ever is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Okay, I have weird tastes, but I picked it up without knowing anything about it and was raving immediately afterwards to my mother on how great it was. It's far from your average romantic comedy -- the two leads are messed-up, and just about every other supporting character is too -- yet it's surprisingly and realistically heartwarming and optimistic in spite of its highly flawed characters, which appealed to the likes-happy-endings-done-right-True Art Is Angsty-be-damned romantic in me. Plus, the mind/dream scenes are wonderfully imaginative and the underlying messages about the importance of memories in one's life, even the painful ones, are thought-provoking without being Anvilicious. It's a lovely film that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves.
    • I concur! It is the most brilliant film that she has ever seen, yet she has never met another fan.
      • Never met another fan, you say? Literally everyone I know who has seen this movie adores it. Because it's fucking awesome. And while we're on the subject of Michel Gondry... just, Michel Gondry. Give The Science of Sleep another chance (like I did), world!
      • The Science of Sleep is AWESOME. Gondry mindfuckery at it's best (yes, I liked it more than Eternal Sunshine).
        • I would like to add his name to the list. I actually bought it for a friend for her birthday so she could watch it after months of gushing about it to her.
    • Add one more troper to the count -- it is one of the finest science fiction movies I have seen, indeed, one of the finest movies simpliciter. Jim Carrey once again proves the Tom Hanks Syndrome playing Joel, and Kate Winslet is no less impressive as Clementine. Fantastic script, fantastic acting, fantastic direction ... it's just good.
  • Little Shop of Horrors. In my opinion, it is the perfect movie.
  • Starship Troopers. It's the film version of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja -- if it isn't under Rule of Cool, it's under Rule of Funny, with kickass CG. What's not to love?
  • I like High School Musical, it's my goofy Guilty Pleasure! There, I said it. Feel free to get out your torches and pitch forks, now.
    • Pitchforks? Torches? Nay, at most we'll throw a coconut covered cupcake your way and then hand you a napkin.
    • It kind of helps that Troy seems to be getting buffer these days. Oh whatever, everyone knows he's one of the main reasons the movies are so popular. And I don't mind that at all.
    • I have this, er, 'friend' who is in no way a pre-pubescent girl but still saw the third movie in the cinema three times. Ahem.
    • I would hereby like to say I was entirely skeptical the first time I saw this movie to its quality, and must confess that it lead to me crying during movie for the first time in six years. The Charm, The Music, Troy and Gabbi, this is a movie I'll never back down from.
    • For me, it's the soundtrack. Say what you will about the plot and characters, but the songs are not coming off this iPod.
    • ...I cried at the end of the second one. And I didn't even see the whole thing! It must have been the song; the soundtracks for these and other Disney Channel stuff are what you would call my guilty pleasure music.
  • Terminator. Arnold is a great robot from the future, the action scenes are awesomeness, and it's just entertaining. The sequel's even better, with an interesting plot, even better action, the guy who invented Skynet, and I just want to give Arnold a hug in that one. Ok, maybe I can't describe why I like it that well, it's just a very good, well plotted action movie with a great villain and an even better sequel.
    • The first Terminator is one of the most atmosphere-drenched masterpieces in the history of fiction. Second one's great too. But let's end it there, shall we?
  • Primer is one of the best Time Travel stories I've ever read or seen. No mucking about with Hollywood History, just impenetrable geek-talk and a plot that gets confusing as crap once people start changing the past. Which is exactly what it would be like if time travel were invented for real.
    • Seconded. Practically the only model of time travel that makes any sense, and they both invented it and pulled off both making the plot suitably incomprehensible while still allowing the viewer to determine what went on on genius levels.
  • Speaking of Kung Pow, Kung Pow! I can't think of a single scene in it without at least one very quotable line. "I really like the band N* Sync...my favourite member is Harpo. Is there a Harpo in N* Sync? If not, there should be..."
    • Kung Pow is the dumbest movie ever made. I've seen every Coleman Francis movie without Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Manos: The Hands of Fate while in El Paso. I know stupid movies. No, this shouldn't go on Darth Wiki. This is praise! The film is so stupid, so absolutely guileless, that - if one can accept it on its own terms - it is utterly impossible not to laugh. And when push comes to shove, the pure honest laughs given by Kung Pow are worth it every time.
  • The Three Stooges are the greatest comic trio in recorded history. Moe Howard, the intellectual's Stooge, could act. Watch "You Natzy Spy!" and "The Great Dictator" back to back if you want to see Moe Howard out act Charlie Chaplin playing the same character. Curly Howard, the funniest Stooge, played one of the most unique characters in film history. He was a torrent of tics and running gags that never failed to entertain and never felt forced. And then there's Larry Fine, the film lover's Stooge. Larry rarely did anything but react - because he is the greatest re-actor in history. Just try to make some of the faces Larry had, and you will curse God for depriving you of the Fine face muscles (pun intended). The creativity of the films were awesome. How they kept coming up with such incredible gags for years astounds me. Sometimes there would be so many gags in a short that the plot would become completely abstracted, yet it was never difficult to follow. It was never difficult because the slapstick came from character. When someone got hit or someone hit someone, there was an underlying "logic" of comedy that informed every movement. I could go on for pages. So I will sum up: it is not possible to be greater than The Three Stooges, and being declared their equals is the highest of praise.
  • Superman Returns. It takes everything that made Richard Donner's Superman great and then just adds and adds and adds onto it.
    • But did he have to basically turn down the gamma on the costume?
      • ...I'm going to take that as a positive, because all you have to complain about is that the costume isn't quite right.
  • The Riddick series is, in my opinion, one of the best example of pulp sci-fi films out there. Badass anti-hero with memorable lines and a great supporting cast, no matter which movie, running the gamut from Claudia Black and Keith David to big names like Judi Dench, it's managed to still be good, not only when changing genres from horror to epic fantasy action, but even when changing mediums, from live action to animation and video games. A very underrated series, and Vin's best work.
    • Definitely. Perhaps not amazingly deep, but definitely good fun, good atmosphere (Pitch Black is, at times, truly pitch black), and even fairly interesting characters.
    • The game was so great, that years later when it was rereleased it was still great. Pitch Black was a great action movie, and Riddick is one of the most awesome characters ever in it. The Anime bridge between the movies just got better from there. Chronicles of Riddick never happened, though.
      • I even loved the sequel, i know it's got 'alot' of hate and for the most part I can understand given how different the second was to the first at times. But i really liked the odd design, style and Necromongers concept. I'm alone in this opinion among my friends and we usually like the same films.
  • Conan the Barbarian. Even with all its heavy right-wingedness, it's an incredibly powerful movie - every monologue (and there are plenty of monologues) is played so beautifully and so hypnotically that it commands your attention the entire time and never lets it go.
  • Bond. James Bond.
    • Daniel Craig is the most badass of all six Bonds.
      • Agreed.
    • And Roger Moore is the funniest. Say what you will about him, but I have never left a Roger Moore Bond film without a big grin on my face.
      • Except for For Your Eyes Only. That one is one of the most suspenseful Bond films and among the ones to feel the most like a spy film. Even people who hate Moore liked not only that one, but he proved to be well-cast in it.
    • Sean Connery. Probably the most suave badass to ever live with a cool factor of 110.
    • Even though those movies are all excellent, the best Bond film in my mind was On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Certainly not a popular choice on my part, the film is nonetheless my favorite Bond movie by far. It's also the closest adaptation of the bunch, sticking to Ian Fleming's novel from the explosive beginning, to the absolutely heartwrenching ending. It's just as much a Shakespearean tragedy as it is an action film. It also has the most well-developed female character in the series (with only the possible exception of Casino Royale's Vesper. Just watch it; Lazenby is actually pretty good as Bond.
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was one of the best films of 2003. Johnny Depp was robbed at the Academy Awards.
    • But what about At World's End? I'll admit there's a bunch of plot holes in there if you don't bother to do research about the missing scenes, but I love it nonetheless because it gave us the best on-screen wedding ever.
    • The visuals are EPIC WIN.
    • I'm virtually alone in this, but I think Dead Man's Chest is even better than Curse of the Black Pearl: it's such a dizzyingly fast-paced romp that throws in so much awesome it's impossible to make sense of. I think my main beef with At World's End was that it did try and make a coherent storyline out of the second movie rather than just expand on the first and second. Case in point? Black Pearl had werewolf skeleton pirates. Dead Man's Chest had sea-creature pirates. At World's End should have had: bird pirates.
      • Seconded on, er, the second. They took everything that worked in the first film and distilled it. Or subverted it.
      • No offence to any fans of Clash of the Titans, but Liam Neeson could take a few lessons from Davy Jones on how to REALLY release a Kraken!
    • And as long as we're on the subject of Bill Nighy and Johnny Depp, Nighy is WICKED AWESOME and Depp is my favorite actor of ALL TIME. He almost never gives a boring performance, he deftly--perfectly--balances professionalism and whimsy, and he is so good he can make the craziest schemes (like drawing inspiration from Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew to play a pirate) work SPECTACULARLY.
  • Scary Movie 3 is almost as good as Airplane!, damnit. All the other movie-movies suck (well, I admit Scary Movie 1 was hilariously bad), but SM3 is just plain good. The script is great, the actors do great jobs and except for the 8 Mile parody, the jokes worked. Please see this one part of the series before declaring it beyond redemption.
    • Speaking of Airplane!! - I saw it for the first time after having known every joke in it for years. I'd actually performed in a ripoff of the "What's our vector, Victor?" bit. And I still laughed myself sick.
    • As for the first Scary Movie, I legitimately enjoyed it (probably because I like the Wayans Brothers, yes, even their WB Sitcom). The second one wasn't very amusing to me.
    • The opening to Scary Movie 2 is one of the funniest bits ever recorded.
  • Back to The Future is truly a classic film. Just the fact that a sci-fi teen comedy got an Oscar nomination for its writing says a lot about its quality. It's also been added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress and made it onto IMDb's "Top 250" list. (Out of Africa, the winner of Best Picture that year, has yet to receive either honor. Just saying.) The sequels are also good, but don't measure up to this gem.
    • I'll say. My sister and I watched it so often that our dad half-joked that we were going to wear out the videotape.
    • That's what DVD is for. The whole series is just ultra-win. It's the only film before or since that has actually had a Timey-Wimey Ball make sense. And if the theme doesn't grab you, you're deaf.
    • I never saw the Back to the Future movies when I was younger or as I grew and my friend recently made me watch the movies. I have no idea what I've done in my life before finally seeing them. They are just fantastic.
  • Casablanca, anyone? The acting, story, and songs are amazing, and if Seltzerberg makes a "Classic Movie" that rips off Casablanca, they'd probably do this:
    • Make "As Time Goes By" a rap number (since Sam is African American) with lots of swearing, pop culture "references", and have some celebrity we don't care a lick about have a make-out session with Sam. I shudder at the thought of it. Someone needs to stop them. Let's see what I have: Three mallets, a rifle, a bow and arrow set, and a few katanas. Get your weapons, rendezvous, and stop them forever! I declare myself general. Anywho, while we're planning La Resistance, let's list a few other awful changes they would make to this movie. I started you guys off. Go! Oh, SWEET! I found a power ring!
  • The Indiana Jones movies are uniformly awesome. They are the perfect movie trilogy, and the best thing George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford have ever done (and I include Star Wars there). And the only reason I leave the fourth one out is because I haven't actually had the time to get around to seeing it.
    • Damn right. Raiders is a genuine classic, Temple of Doom is darkly hilarious and really damn scary sometimes, and The Last Crusade is pretty much my favourite movie ever.
    • Uniformly great. Yes, even the fourth one, which really NEEDS MORE LOVE--although I concede it's not as good as the other three.
  • The American Godzilla movie kicks ass. It's funny, has good computer animation and a romantic subplot that isn't half as annoying as the ones in most disaster/action movies. Maybe my liking is because I've never seen one of the Japanese Godzilla movies, but I believe that just gives me the ability to view this film objectively.
    • Seconded. It isn't a world beater but it is damn entertaining all the same.
    • Thirded. And this one is from a fan of the original Godzilla films. "Zilla" may not live up to Godzilla Classic, but it was still a pretty fun film. Plus, it had Jean Reno as a badass French commando. That alone is a lot of awesome points right there. It only got better with the Animated Adaptation, Godzilla: The Series, where Godzilla Jr. acted far closer to Godzilla Classic.
  • Hot Fuzz just gets better and better every time I see it. Hilarious, with many lampshades hung in the best possible way that just makes it even more badass.
    • The cast! Cate Blanchett (eyes and voice only!), Peter Jackson (ho! ho! ho! * stab* ), Timothy Dalton...
    • It should be studied in screenwriting classes. For the greater good. ("SHUT IT!")
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey took storytelling itself to a whole new level, and is the single most impressive accomplishment in the history of special effects, still holding up flawlessly in their realism despite being made in nineteen-sixty-fucking-eight!
  • Kingpin is bar-none, the funniest movie I have ever seen barring Caddyshack.
  • Just about everything Jim Henson put his hands on is gold, but I gotta give love to two of the coolest fantasy movies ever, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Gorgeous visuals, unique creatures, and just plain fun to watch. Bonus points to the latter for the use of an extremely bishy David Bowie.
  • No, really, Labyrinth deserves its own entry. Music = top notch! 14-year-old Jennifer Connelly? (Playing 15-year-old Sarah, no Dawson Casting here.) Amazing! UST with a rock star-style Fae King who is doing everything for you?...heh A chivalrous fox-knight with a loud mouth and ego? Truly, Jim Henson has ascended to the realms of the gods.
    • To paraphrase the ending, I have found that every now and again in my life I need this movie. I initially saw it when I was 10, came back to it at a low point in my life at 16, and it sort of sustained me over what might have been a rougher patch of time otherwise. As I write, I'm 32, and it still captivates me.
  • Spirited Away is the most beautiful movie ever made. The art is gorgeous and the story will play your heartstrings like a champion harpist. It's so good, I watched it right after having four impacted wisdom teeth out and forgot I was ever in pain.
    • I would argue that Howl's Moving Castle is even better. It's such an amazingly beautiful film, both visually and substance-wise. The whimsy, the magic, the action, the romance: a very easy movie to fall in love with.
    • Scenery Porn, anyone? Miyazaki is a genius, no matter what movie you watch. It's a pity so few people in the US (I can only speak for my home country) know who he is.
  • I came to love Peter Sellers because of his work in the movie Being There, and the fight he fought to make that film. For all of Sellers' flaws as a person, I steadfastly refuse to believe the man who played Chance the gardener didn't have some good in him. It helps that everyone else in front of and behind the cameras was on top of their game - why can't new-millennium comedies be this gorgeously photographed?
  • Woody Allen had lots of great films in the 70s, but Annie Hall is just in a class by itself. It's one of those movies that gets better and better with age, with some of the best dialogue and wit ever written for the screen. It rings so true like very few movies do about love and relationships that it's final scenes always make me tear up even though it's hardly a Tear Jerker... it just feels like it gets everything right. It's also just plain laugh out loud funny. Now I gotta watch it again... la di da, la di da...
    • Anyone who agrees with Bill Maher that people only pretend to find Woody Allen funny out of pretentiousness, I challenge them to watch Annie Hall without bursting out--several times--into helpless peals of quite involuntary laughter themselves!
  • Life of Brian is the most hilarious movie I've ever seen. You haven't lived until you've watched the stoning scene. Or heard about what the Romans have done for their poor, oppressed, suffering people. Or met Biggus Dickus. Or learned how you can become an instant Messiah without even trying. Or discovered that even a very funny movie can contain some pretty good social commentary without detracting in any way from the laughs.
    • Seconded. People may quote Holy Grail until the cows come home, but Life of Brian is THE best Python movie, period.
    • My personal favourite is The Meaning Of Life. Solely because it doesn't suffer from the over-quotation problem at all, unlike Grail and Brian... Oh, and the hilarious jokes, awesome acting and good music help a lot.
    • Okay, fine. Holy Grail gets quoted a bit more than is really necessary. There's a reason for that, dammit! I still remember when I first saw it and am fairly certain that nothing has ever made me laugh harder in my entire life. Every second there's another joke. Without a doubt it is one of the greatest comedies of all time.
    • Let's just leave it simply that the Python films are all great, including Live at the Hollywood Bowl. If you don't find the sketch from Meaning of Life with John Cleese as the Grim Reaper drop dead hysterical, you are officially not a human being.
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show isn't just So Bad It's Good. It's actually one of the best 1970s musicals period, with cool characters and songs that kept fans coming back for more to the point the whole Audience Participation element emerged. As giddy as the full AP showings still are, it deserves to be appreciated on its own merits. (I also think the semi-sequel Shock Treatment is underrated - the songs are just as much fun and even a bit wittier than the original's.)
    • Second! It really is fun to just watch on its own (though the AP midnight shows are certainly a treat) My obsession with it may ebb and flow but it will always have a place in my heart.
  • Pan's Labyrinth is gorgeously deep, and I'm not usually one to use "deep" as a qualitative statement. And as for Mercedes - pure awesome.
    • Most things made by Guillermo del Toro really, save for a few bad seeds here and there (and even those are arguably still quite good to watch, like the second Hellboy movie)
  • I have to say...whatever its flaws, and I'm sure people will list plenty, the film version The Da Vinci Code is made of utter win for two reasons: A) Ian McKellen, and B) The Crowning Music Of Awesome at the film's end. That is all.
    • This.
    • My grandmother sent me a copy of this one, I have to say it never lets up on the thrills and spills. Everyone has their own moments and no one falls flat (Figuratively anyhow, I don't recall if anyone does literally :)).
  • The purists can complain all they want, but that doesn't stop the V for Vendetta movie from being made of win and one of my favorite films.
    • FUCK the purists. V for Vendetta is so made of win that it may as well have its own spot on the periodic table of elements ("victorium").
  • I managed to avoid the hype for months, I have little faith in sequels, and only after I saw the last trailer and later noted the rave reviews was I interested in seeing The Dark Knight. I joined the crowds that Friday opening night, but was still expecting just a good superhero film. I wound up seeing the movie a total of nine times in theatres, reading classic Batman comics for the first time just to explore the filmmakers' inspirations, and becoming a Heath Ledger fan. Sensational.
    • The Dark Knight is a masterpiece. The soundtrack, the characters, the setting, the contrasting moralities, it's simply brilliant. You know what? The movie deserves to be hyped. Period.
    • The Dark Knight trailer has the most effective use of Never Trust a Trailer I have ever seen. Here... we... go!
    • God, I love that movie. I have no doubt that if it wasn't for Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, it wouldn't have been such a awesome movie.
    • Not to leave out Batman Begins! I want to get a sex change so that I can have both of these movies' lovechildren.
    • I find it to be an absolute shame that Batman Returns is so constantly overlooked. After not watching it in years, I picked up my copy about a year ago and popped it in. And I have to say that The Dark Knight is the only live action Batman movie that is better than this one. Michelle Pfieffer's performance as Catwoman ALONE makes the movie ridiculously good. But add to that a truly tragic story of the Penguin, along with a hammy bastard villain played by Christopher Walken, and the always awesome Michael Keaton as Batman, and you've got probably one of the darkest, most satisfying tragedies this side of the cowl.
    • Batman '89 is my standard by which all comic book movies are judged. Everything about it from the the acting to the gorgeous style, to the Joker's murderously funny dialogue make this not just a great comic movie, but one of the greatest movies of all time. I actually prefers it to The Dark Knight for feeling more like a "Batman" movie. So what if doesn't strive for realism? Its source materiel isn't very realistic either! Finally, let's not forget, because of it and Batman Returns, we got Batman: The Animated Series, the greatest animated show of all time.
    • I was hesitant to see The Dark Knight, loving the 1989 Batman by Tim Burton. Still couldn't help but check it out and I loved it just as much. I concur also Batman Returns is also amazing in its own right.
  • Two tragically underrated movies, both just as good as their book versions, both written by William Goldman, both beginning with the letters "Ma", and two of my all-time favorites: Marathon Man, and Magic. The former is one of the most confusing (yet not distractingly so) thrillers I can think of, rife with historical subtext and dark suspense. The latter is a simple but chilling mix of dementia and romance. These are the films that likely pushed me to the state of cinemaphilia I thrive in now :) .
  • How can you have a Sugar Wiki without Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? The songs are lovely, the characters are endearing and/or hilarious, the script has some of the best Parental Bonus / Serious Business humor around...and that's all before you get to the factory itself. Then it proceeds to take all that to the next level and adds Scenery Porn, Nightmare Fuel, and a heartwarming finale, with Gene Wilder's amazing performance as Wonka bringing it all together.
    • And Tim Burton's version managed to be an Alternate Interpretation of the story that didn't suck, mainly because it wasn't intended to be a remake and was more true to the book. Yeah, they took a few liberties with Wonka, but I personally prefer this movie's ending where Wonka realizes the importance of family.
  • Hopefully, in a couple of decades from now, The Descent is going to be regarded as a horror classic. It's got a group of realistic, totally badass characters, great character development, the boring set and lack of budget didn't prevent them doing some great cinematography almost completely via beautiful lighting -- I have a real thing for good lighting, btw -- and it's so scary some people just won't go in a cave anymore after seeing it. To make it that little bit more frightening, according to my science teacher the basic concept of the crawlers [tribe of cavemen who stayed in that cave and evolved] is sound, so there's a possibility they could actually exist somewhere. How cool is that?
  • Danny the Dog was way, way better than it had to be. It could have been a generic, reasonably well-done beat-'em-up, but every action-movie trope was infused with meaning. I hadn't thought of Jet Li as having impressive acting chops before this, but wow.
  • Hedwig and The Angry Inch is easily one of the best film musicals ever (the stage show being awesome as well), and hell one of the few dramatic film musicals that really gets it right. Full of Fridge Brilliance that makes it better and better each time I watch it, and the songs are amazing and pure awesome on their own. It's truly deserves to be recognized not just as a cult classic but as a brilliant piece of film making.
  • I don't care what anyone says, Napoleon Dynamite is frikkin hilarious. Yes, there's no real plot, and it did get quoted to death, but there are still so many gut bustingly hilarious moments. It's one of the best examples of the humor of the pathetic and mundane, such that I lost count how many times I rewound the scene where the tape says "Welcome to D-Kwon's Dance Grooves! Are you ready to get your groove on?" and Napoleon responds "Yes"
  • Iron Man isn't on the list yet? Aw, c'mon! My favorite comic book adaptation yet. It has its own page on Crowning Moment O Awesome for a reason.
    • You can't even list the reasons why that movie rocks--it just does. They did an amazing job with it.
    • My 4 year old sister loves Iron Man and the first two Spider-Man movies. I loved them as well. She also loves the Fantastic Four Movies and the Hulk, I just love superhero movies.
    • My boyfriend told me to shut up about it after we saw it together. Just so, so awesome. Words cannot convey my love for that movie. "Yeah, I can fly."
    • And the sequel is oodles of fun too. One thing that makes these films so good is their cheerful down-to-earthiness -- who says you have to be Darker and Edgier to be realistic and serious-minded? From Pepper Potts discovering the icky downside of changing Tony's arc reactor to his bantering with his robot helpers, from his appearance before the Senate subcommittee hitting YouTube to the weaselly antics of Justin Hammer, from an inspired take on Mr. Alt Disney to a doughnut binge, the films are as memorable for their small moments as their crash-and-bash action.
    • Agreed, it always saddens me when people bash the sequel. I love it inordinately for paying so much attention to its source material. Watching it captures everything I love about reading a comic and I consider it the most comic-booky film I've ever seen. The cast are all excellent and it embraces the inherent silliness of the comic medium without also abandoning realism. You think synthesisng a new element in your basement is impossible? Not to Tony Stark.
  • There's a film in German set before the fall of the Berlin Wall called The Lives of Others. It was good. It was very good. A strict Stasi officer bugging an artist's home slowly warms and becomes an actual human being. What a Bittersweet Ending.
    • Apparently, the guy who played the Stasi officer lived a lot of it.
    • Good? Very good? It's a frigging masterpiece, one of the best films I've ever seen. Making an article for it right now.
  • The Big Lebowski is the greatest comedy ever. Everything about it is perfect: the acting, the writing, the music, the cinematography, everything. I can watch it a bunch of times, and never get tired of it.
    • Try watching it and tell me something in the film you disliked. I cannot find a single shot, a single second and let alone a single scene I disliked. The film is just fantastic from start to end. Everything is memorable. Just hearing a sentence from that film makes me warm inside, it's great.
  • The collective movies of Werner Herzog are so great that it is almost painful. From the triumph of the human spirit that is Fitzcarraldo and to the self-destruction of Woyzeck or Aguirre, the Wrath of God. His version of Nosferatu is the best straight adaptation of Dracula ever made. His fairly recent documentary, Grizzly Man, is just the beginning of some mainstream success and Thank God! I'll be able to drag the non-believers into his beautiful world yet!
  • The Thirteenth Warrior is a movie that does Demythtification right in an incredibly awesome way. A Spaniard pretending to be an Arab joins some Vikings to fight cavemen, and it's an adaptation of Beowulf. Much better than that more recent, really damned mediocre effort of a movie.
  • The X-Men film basically started the modern trend of comic movies done right. And, dude, could they have picked anyone better for Professor X than Patrick Stewart?
    • The second one is my favorite. You can't get any better than exploding police cars.
    • Not to mention Nightcrawler. Plus, nobody can do a better Wolverine than Hugh Jackman. Nobody.
  • OK, yes, Manos: The Hands of Fate is one of the worst movies ever made. But you know what? The underlying plot isn't all that bad. And the ending is legitimately creepy. Not surprisingly creepy. Actually creepy. I would totally watch a modern re-make, taken seriously, starring legit actors.
    • Thank you! I have said the exact same thing that you said to my mom and sister, and they both don't agree. I am proud to own a DVD copy of the film, and I have watched the film at least thrice. Torgo has to be one of the greatest tragic villains, or heroes, considering that Mike is a total jerk. I really feel bad for Torgo. He was just a normal man, who was forced into a life of service to a despotic master. When I see Torgo rubbing on Debbie, I know it's creepy, but at the same time, I feel bad, because The Master won't let Torgo have a wife, and life without love is truly tragic. Poor guy... ends up dying in a very... vague manner.
  • Take with it what you will, but besides the The Lord of the Rings movies, I found the Chronicles of Narnia movies stunning. Sure, the second movie has a fair number of Narmy moments, and the romance was unnecessary, but it was still beautiful. In both, besides the fact that Aslan is a Crystal Dragon Jesus, the special effects are gorgeous, the acting is not as wooden as everyone likes to pretend it is (what, was Peter supposed to sob when he killed the wolf?), and the scenery is fantastic. It also helps that they stayed 90% true to LWW, making some changes for the better.
    • Seconded. It is one of the best adaptations in terms of keeping true to the best bits of the book and changing the less-than-great parts. VDT in particular made great changes from the book. And the acting (considering they're kids) is pretty damn good.
  • Don't shoot me or anything, but I quite enjoyed the Twilight movie more than I expected to. Not only do the director and writer cut out all the unnecessary Wangsting and constant talk of how beautiful the vampires are, but they seemed to make the movie their own. A fluffy representation, if that's really what the books are anyways. Legions of fans may be pissed, but you can't make a movie exactly the way the fans want it.
    • Don't be ashamed, I adore Twilight, although less as a substantial film and more as an easy-to-mock masterpiece of cheese and absurdity. And it is still a significant improvement on the book in terms of, well, cheese and absurdity.
  • Across the Universe is a fantastic film in so many ways. In particular, the music and accompanying sequences. And the ending, which could have been something entirely different considering the historical context, but instead went down a route that seemed really quite fitting with the overall feel of the Beatles.
  • The 1993 version of The Secret Garden is not only an excellent adaptation of the book, but it stands - and beautifully, at that - on its own. The cinematography and sets are Gothic, and stunningly, austerely perfect. The child actors are real and not in the least bit cutesified in their portrayals, and more than anything the entire thing weaves together a combination of heartbreaking loneliness and the healing power of love and friendship. It's a genuinely heartwarming movie, with plenty of emotional and downright terrifying moments sprinkled through the narrative. While it has a few flaws, it's still an amazing movie and by far the best movie version out there.
  • I'm a yankee doodle dandy- yankee doodle do or die! I haven't even seen the movie, but I can not stop watching the dancing on YouTube. James Cagney is the man.
  • I love Edward Scissorhands. Such a beautiful film.
    • Seconded. Just try to tear me away from the TV set if I'm channel-flipping and I hit this one during the final 10 minutes.
    • Anything by Tim Burton. He really puts heart into his movies, it's like watching the beauty of his little world through a window.
      • ^^ Ditto. It's become so trendy now to bash Burton. Welcome to die, bashers!
  • The Prestige. Victorian times! Stage magicians! Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale being hot! I guess I may be biased because I'm so keen on, err, the above, but even without those, you have the intricate, clever plot, with at least one twist at the end that's really amazing, if the other one is a little bit dodgy. The perfect kind of twist, because when you watch the film a second (or third, or fourth, or... seventh) time, it really does change the way you see certain events. Oh, and Michael Caine and David Bowie reminding us all why old people are AWESOME.
    • Seconded so heartily. I cried at that big reveal, because it was the first time in my life that I hadn't a single clue that a twist was coming.
    • Old? Nah, man; the word is experienced.
    • While I'm kinda biased because of the male leads Twin. Christian. Bales.)(, it really was a fantastic movie. Christopher Nolan proves once again how amazing he is. <3
    • I can't agree more, I adore how this film unashamedly shifts genres and twists its characters into such fascinating, but tragic people. Watching it a second time really made me appreciate how well the twist really works and I would be lying if I said I didn't find Olivia captivating to the point where I missed some things first time round.
  • I am again showing my true colours as a blatant fanboy (and feeling slight guilt in the process), but no Alien or Aliens? The former belongs in the canon of great horror films, and the second is the awesomest action film ever made, and Ellen Ripley is the first and awesomest Action Girl to appear on the screen...
    • Aliens is, to me, the ultimate proof that you can have an awesome action movie with a happy ending. (Provided you ignore all successive Alien movies, but still...) And it's indeed wonderful to have an Action Girl protagonist, breakin' up all the norm.
  • If you remember the fall of the Berlin Wall (or if you're just a history nut), Goodbye Lenin is utterly hysterical. Hunting down the old generic groceries in a sea of shiny new imports, all the people who "go away on vacation" - can I just say that, after years of hearing that phrase used as an indication that someone's either abandoned their child or been taken to a death camp, it is so nice to hear it used in a pleasant context?
  • Velvet Goldmine is the single most beautiful movie I have ever seen. The cinematography, set design, costumes, makeup, actors, post-production, soundtrack, dialogue, everything. Watching it is a freaking experience.
  • Magnolia is for me the best movie ever made. It's like a plot that is impossible to describe, and it's a challenging 3 hours, but the plot, the characters, the acting, everything makes it more than worthy of watching the movie. Tom Cruise's best role ever.

Respect the cock! Tame the cunt!

  • Office Space. The minutes after he has his fears and worries hypnotized aways are some of the greatest and most inspirational of any movie I have seen.
  • Blades of Glory. There's some pretty hilarious dialogue in there and great throw away lines, a gem among the category it's in of usually "stupid" comedies. It makes Jon Heder and Will Ferrell look so pretty - I've never been able to watch a movie so many times!
  • The Spider-Man movies. Released in the 2000s, no superhero had ever been so relatable, and any movie with such long times without any action as Spider-Man 2 that still kept my attention is to be commended.
    • Spider-Man 2 is one of the best superhero movies ever made.
  • Serenity managed to take a pitifully short run on TV to the big screen without alienating fans or scaring away new ones while being pure awesome with the coolest soundtrack I've heard in a while and having one of the most engaging plots I have ever encountered. And Serenity introduced her to the world of Firefly.
    • As someone who was a fan of the show from the beginning, before the movie came out, I wholehearted concur!
    • River Tam's fight scenes in that movie need special mention for being simultaneously beautiful, elegant, graceful, and incredibly badass. You can really see the dance training in there, and it's awesome.
  • I can't ever recall being more emotionally involved in a movie than I was when I first saw Into the Wild. Just the whole thing is fantastic on so many levels and they managed to make a true story so cathartic and so meaningful and they hardly could have picked a better story to do it with. Bravo.
  • Ed Wood. Possibly Tim Burton's greatest work. About one of the worst directors ever. But made using such love and admiration for the So Bad It's Good quality of them. Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi is fantastic, with everything from him getting mad at a fan and delivering the super hammy lines to when he checks himself into rehab.
  • Both The Godfather and Apocalypse Now seems to be rather obvious choices, but there is a reason they are among the Top #250 of IMDB, The Godfather being second. It is just THAT good.
    • Not just on IMDB. Both the American Film Institute and the magazine Sight & Sound rated it second (after Citizen Kane). When I saw it the first time, I was stunned. After seeing the film, I just felt amazed by it.
  • Any other Robert Altman fans out there in Troperland? When asked what my favorite movie is, after some struggling, I've found that my answer is Mc Cabe & Mrs. Miller. A genius deconstruction of The Western (which I'll admit is a genre I have a weird attachment to) that is beautifully filmed in an unpretentious way... plus, Leonard Cohen!
  • It's the second dumbest comedy movie ever, but in an absolutely fantastic way. Ladies and gentlemen, Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted 'Theodore' Logan!
    • EXCELLENT!! * Air Guitar*
    • I wholeheartedly agree, and would like to add that I loved the sequel just as much, because it is the absolute best parody of The Seventh Seal I have ever seen. "Um... best two out of three."
      • I love the sequel SO MUCH MORE than the first one! It's faster, it's funnier, and THAT ENDING SONG with the montage about Bill and Ted making the world a better place? Admit it, you were waving a pretend lighter and cheering in your living room. I know I was.
  • Not sure how this page got this far without mention of the 80's classic Ghostbusters, what with the awesome backpack, cool car, and great acting by Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and yes, Ernie Hudson as well and by the supporting cast as well, and of course, the earworm of a theme.
  • For something that gets so much hate, Doomsday was the most entertaining two hours I've had all year. I don't give a shite that it's derivative, that was kind of the point, and I love its random shifts in setting, from furistic dystopian England to punk city to a medieval castle. I love how much work was put into the details of each society, I love that they use prosthetics instead of CGI, I love its bloody, gritty, dirty style, I love that it favours hand-to-hand combat over guns, I love how realistic they made beating up a huge guy in full plate armour, I love the off-the-wall insane car chase, and most of all, I love the cannibal humour. Doomsday stole my heart with cannibalism, y'all!
    • Seconded so goddamn much. My friend and I stumbles upon Doomsday one afternoon when there was nothing else on TV. Round about when we got to the cannibal stripper poledancing musical number scene, my buddy declared, "this is the best worst movie ever!"
  • Mulholland Drive is (along with Eraserhead) the ultimate Lynch movie. I won't bother trying to describe it. From the terror behind Winkies, to one of the funniest botched assassination scenes ever filmed, to really hot lesbians, this film has it all!
    • I (who created the MD page in the first place) could go on for ages about how I love Mulholland Drive . . . Masterpiece. Genius. A work of art that's simply Naomi Twattselicious!
    • Don't even get me started on how much I love Lynch....
  • The Princess Bride is not up here? Inconceivable!
    • I was just rallying herself for such a proclamation. A film as wonderful as this deserves more love!
    • Best. Sword fight. EVER.
  • Dead Poets Society. "Oh Captain my Captain." Enough said.
    • It made me want to be a teacher. That film was moving in every way.
  • My favorite Jim Carrey performance/film is the one no one expects: Man on the Moon, the Andy Kaufman Biopic. Yes, a lot of it recreates material from Kaufman's stage/TV acts, but also carefully supplies the context they unfolded in and makes it clear just how much he risked, lost, and gained in both his professional and personal life. It's a Tear Jerker, it's hilarious, the music's great, it was the catalyst for my becoming a Kaufman fan - and Carrey is magnificent.
  • If I could, then I would gladly make love to Withnail and I. The lines are still hilarious, no matter how many times they get quoted, the characters are all so lovingly played that they become sympathetic, the Leitmotif of "Withnail's Theme" is gorgeous and the ending is just one big Tear Jerker.
  • Fight Club. Visceral, raw, subversive, darkly funny, and pun intended, packs a helluva punch when it ends. Easily David Fincher's best work and one of Brad Pitt's best performances to date.
    • Not to mention how it's probably the best example of how to do intrusive narration correctly. I talked to some friends about it, and they agreed that the movie would suck without Edward Norton as the Deadpan Snarker.
      • Best of all, it doesn't pander to it's audience. It doesn't wait for you to catch up, or slowly explain things so that you can understand. It refuses to be anything less than brilliant, and it practically forces you to watch it again. Out of the dozens of times I've seen it, it never gets old, and it's my favorite film.
    • More than any other film based on a book that I've seen it feels like a book brought to life, mostly from the unspeakably well written and literary voice-over narration. Hot damn I love this movie!
  • The Red Dragon, the Prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, is the best-made thriller ever. The suspence, the drama, the characters, everything about it is top notch. Not only does it live up to the expectations SotL set up, but it surpasses them.
    • It's in some ways better than The Silence of the Lambs. Take a moment to let the enormity of that sink in....
  • No matter how many times I see it, I still find myself holding my breath during the last ten minutes of WarGames.
  • The new Star Trek movie rocks my world. The Enterprise is gorgeous, the humor works, the characterizations shine, the music is jawdroppingly awesome, and I think I'm in love with Uhura. If that isn't enough to convince you, well then.... "fencing".
    • Speaking of humour, I, who don't really like Star Trek, was sold the minute I saw that Simon Pegg was going to be in it (and it's an odd-numbered Star Trek film, heh).
      • On the other hand, its working title was Star Trek 0 and zero is even.
  • Speed Racer is about twenty different kinds of awesome, and is completely underrated. Anyone who dislikes it is obviously thinking about it way too hard and can't just sit back and enjoy the ride.
    • Ohhhh yes, Speed Racer is delicious candy. With John Goodman beating up ninjas and honestly exhilirating race scenes.
    • The Wachowskis talked about how they would run home from school to watch the cartoon. The movie is one big thank you and love letter to the series.
    • To put this in perspective to people wondering why Speed Racer is awesome, lets put it this way: At the end of the final race Speed's card has its tires dripping tar onto the race track, due to how fast he drove during the last part of the race. Let me repeat that, the TIRES are MELTING from the speed.
  • Glory will leave you speechless. It's that good a movie. Nay, it's that good and experience.
  • Stand by Me has to be one of the best nostalgia coming-of-age films ever. It was funny and heartfelt... but managed to avoid any sugary sweetness and sentimentality, presented the 50's in an honest kind of way, never said anything about growing up being bad, and had very natural-acting actors. And Kiefer Sutherland is supremely creepy.
  • Of all the movies I like, The Blues Brothers has to be the one that is the most fun. If fun were an element, this movie would be on the Periodic Table.
    • Zee women, how much for zee women?
  • And as long as we're on John Landis, An American Werewolf in London is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the best werewolf film of all time. There aren't even any close contenders.
  • Alfred Hitchcock. North by Northwest is damn near perfect. Cary Grant manages to make bewilderment look suave, Eva Marie Saint is foxiness on legs, and James Mason is a mirror-smooth, snarkalicious Big Bad. And don't even get me started on the music, the cropduster, the drunken joyride, or Mount Rushmore...
    • Rear Window is, so far as I know, the *pinnacle* of suspenseful cinematic pacing.
  • The Shawshank Redemption - Beautifully written, adapted, acted and narrated. You will never care so much about a bunch of jailbirds by the end of this film. It's rare to cry at a moment in a movie when no character on-screen is crying, but... "Brooks was here." And the music, oh God! After they dropped the anvil on my head, I took it off and lovingly caressed it while I fell asleep that night.
  • Jaws. It made so many people afraid to go swimming without showing more than some fins for over an hour and a half, and it happened all by one of the most fortunate accidents in film history.
    • The Indianapolis speech is probably the single best example of verbal storytelling in any movie.
  • And speaking of Spielburg's work, Jurassic Park. That CGI is amazing, the raptors are genuinely frightening(because there are places you can hide from a T-rex, but raptors can learn to open the door to your shelter and then walk through the door and disembowel you), and the end makes you want to punch the air and cheer.
    • Jurassic Park is the high point of special effects. Animatronics brushed up with CGI create dinosaurs that actually look like they are about to climb off the screen, something all the CGI-fests made in the last 15 years have failed to do.
  • The Seven Samurai : It's Akira Kurosawa, folks. There's a good reason everything he's ever made has been ripped off again and again.
    • It's four hours long and is engaging, emotional, intense, and funny the entire way. Crowning Movie of Awesome.
    • Watch that then watch The Magnificent Seven for good measure. (the movie anyway) It was the first rip off. Slightly less awesome fights, but it's easily made up with Eli Wallach as Calvera. Does he seem like a nerdy Jew from New York to you? For that matter, why do you love the villain so much?
  • Yojimbo: Another repeatedly copied Akira Kurosawa film. You probably saw it as A Fist Full of Dollars. Only the hero brings a sword to a gunfight and wins!
  • Henry Selick may have been out of the spotlight for a while, but Coraline was definitely worth all the waiting.
    • I am sure that I am in the very slim minority, but as a fan of the book, I think that Coraline is the Best.Movie.Ever. You are free to throw bricks at me now.
      • Fear not the bricks, dear troper. You're not alone. Actually, it seems a lot of the book's fans still regard the movie rather highly, running anywhere from "a good movie with some flaws caused by changes" to "better than the book." Even as a fan of the book herself, I am not ashamed to admit that I actually prefers the movie.
    • Imagine adapting a book which is, though excellent, is too short to be adapted into a feature film and has a somewhat off-putting premise. Imagine making a stop-motion film in an era where CGI is largely regarded as more practical and the results tend to net more profit, and with a relatively new, small-name company with not a single feature film to its name. Imagine shooting said movie in 3D, despite obvious technical limitations and the common perception that 3D movies are gimmicky amusement park rides. There is so much that they could have screwed up, and yet they did everything right. The movie was absolutely the most atmospheric, dreamy yet strangely real and believable work of fiction I have ever seen. Its characters feel more lifelike than even live-action characters have any right to be, and the subtle, patient narrative is nothing short of genius. The writing, voice acting, editing, cinematography, music, and special effects all work in perfect conjunction to create a story world that feels alive. And in case you're not quite patient enough to read through all of the above:

Movie starts. Life = changed.

  • Shoot'Em Up. A party of mayhem and violence that cannot be topped.
    • Not even by Doomsday and Crank: High Voltage?
    • Shoot'Em Up is another So Bad It's Good movie. When the movie opens with a man delivering a baby with one hand while killing dozens of men with a gun in the other, you know you're in for a bit of a cheese-fest. As long as you go into it knowing it's going to be completely unrealistic, this is actually a pretty good movie.
    • Does it count if it's all intentional?
  • Dark City. But be sure to watch the director's cut, Executive Meddling gutted what makes it so great.
  • Last Action Hero was and is underrated. It's a wonderful sendup of Action movie tropes and cliches, and a lot of the film is prime fodder for subject matter for books on determinism, fatalism, Free Will and all of that.
  • Anything directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Anything. Be it Chungking Express or Fallen Angels or In the Mood for Love or Happy Together or Days of Being Wild or even Ashes of Time. His films are all so excellent, especially when combined with the cinematography of Christopher Doyle. His use of music is unmatched.
  • District 9.
    • It's one of the best, if not straight up THE best movie that it has ever been my pleasure to view. I'm not even a sci-fi chick, normally. But this'n got me five times in the theater, and it's now the number one thing on my Christmas list. I love this movie and everything about it. The ending is fab. I've heard a lot of people complain about the ending. "It's too sad/ambiguous/downer/open etc." So what?! It's not a happy ending, no, but it's not neccissarily a sad one. It's an ending, and a damn good one. What also gets me every time is the thought that it's Sharlto Copley's first-ever serious acting gig. You'd never know it at first glance. The man's amazing, and I see a bright future for him on the silver screen (and he's not too hard on the eyes, either!). Guh.
    • The effects were so well-done I stopped seeing them as effects after a few minutes. The alien weapons were right; whoever designed them put together the perfect mix of unearthly sci-fi-ness and gritty realism. The action sequences in the last third were a gorgeous payoff to all of the character development in the first part... and it had interesting things to say about the What Measure Is a Non-Cute? and Mighty Whitey tropes.
  • Oh my god I love The Fifth Element so much. It's Questing, World-Saving cliche in the best way, it uses Used Future to its fullest, it's wild and out there but not without human grounding, Leeloo is a badass, Korben and Ruby are funny as all get out, Gary Oldman delivers a ridiculous but appropriate over-the-top performance, and the worldbuilding is wildly innovative. And if that all doesn't sell you, it's ludicrously quotable.
  • No Country for Old Men is stubbornly staying in my "Favorite Movie of All Time" slot. I don't know what it is, but between the performances (Javier Bardem so deserved that Oscar, I'm sorry), the setting (gohgous landscapes), and the characters, she can't help but watch the darn thing over and over and over again. It's art, pure and simple.
    • Let's just keep it short but sweet and say the Coen brothers are just God's gift to filmmaking in general.
  • Sling Blade is one of the best lesser-known films from the late '90s. Mm-hmm.
  • The African Queen so totally deserves to be on Rotten Tomatoes best films of all time list. There's something truly unique and captivating about the entire premise.
    • Seconded so hard. Good God, has Katharine Hepburn been any better? I submit that the answer is no. And yes, she has seen Adam's Rib and Little Women.
  • Clerks. There's barely any plot, a grand total of maybe six minutes of footage was taken outside that conviencence store, it looks like it was shot on a camcorder and then digitally edited to look worse, it's vulgar as all hell, and the actors were all complete amateurs. And it's probably the best independent film of the past twenty years. Many people praise Smith for the endless effort that went into it, but those people would've also would've praised him if the film had turned out to be complete shit. The writing and acting was absolutely amazing.
    • Seconded. I was at a point in my life when I had grown so disenchanted with everything when I discovered "Clerks" and realised that I was just like Dante. Brian O'Halloran may not be a traditionally attractive actor, but his portrayal of the character was just so damn relatable that it was impossible not to like him and root for him, despite -- or perhaps even because of -- all his flaws. And while the rest of the View Askew series is great, the character of Dante and his chemistry with Randal is why I return to "Clerks" over and over again. And can you think of a better way to end the series than the awesome hilarity that was "Clerks II"?
      • Clerks II does more than just show us how far Dante and Randal have come in twelve years, it shows us just how far everyone has come. O'Halloran and Anderson were never bad actors, in fact they were incredibly impressive for amateurs, but watch Randal's "The Reason You Suck" Speech and tell me, with a straight face, that he would've been able to pull off the jail scene in 1993. Tell me David Klien would've been able to shoot that dance sequence, even with a decent budget. Moreover, Mewes has sobered up once and for all and boy oh boy does it show. And look how wooden Smith is as Silent Bob in Clerks compared to his facial expressions in this movie. But moreover, the fucking script. Clerks was phenomenal, but the plot! The characterization! The story arced more than just curved! Every line was loaded with emotion, every shot told a story, check out that montage! This movie is hilarious, heartwrenching, and awesome in all the right places. Dante and Randal went from public-pool deep to Olympic-pool deep and it felt totally believable. This movie is the epitome of the Day in the Life comedy and even in light of Apatow and The Hangover stands out in my mind as the greatest comedy of the 2000s. It's the Life of Brian to Clerks's Holy Grail, and I love it.
  • I readily acknowledge that the 2009 Astro Boy film is far from perfect. But I still love every minute of is save the more Anvilicious political parody and those damned RRF 'bots. The film is beautiful to look at, the score is wonderful, and it's just all around sweet, cute, and fun. (And speaking as a longtime fan of the original, there's one moment I've been waiting for for years...)
    • Yeah, it's Tenma realizing he loves Astro for who he is, rather than continuing to toss him aside for being unlike Toby. I'm a sucker for that.
  • A Christmas Story. It is honestly, to me, the second best Christmas movie ever made. It's a classic, who doesn't think "you'll shoot your eye out" when they see a BB gun? And the leg lamp... the movie just has too many good qualities to list. It never gets old. Never.
  • The Lord of the Rings trilogy is my favorite movie series ever. They have their flaws, yes, but I can never get tired of them no matter how many times I watch them. The acting, the music, the scenery, everything is just brilliant. Heck, I don't even care that the last one ends about 4 times. They're just amazing.
    • Amen to that! I hate the books, but those three movies are my all-time favorites.
    • They were definitely the most epic movies of all time. Seriously, I cried multiple times in the series, especially in the third. Needless to say, I haven't stopped thinking about them for a few weeks, and wish I was old enough to see them when they came out...
    • My entire family agrees on one thing: There is only one "best film ever", and that's the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
    • That's not even half of it, not to me. I've been a fan of the books since 1992, and lemme tell ya: Before 2001, LotR was "unfilmable". Not just because of the special effects. It was too long, too complex, too old-fashioned, and too well-loved by too-fanatical a fanbase, one that would surely lynch anybody who dared change anything in their beloved book. If the movie did stay faithful, the average moviegoing public would be bored to tears by the end of the first act - or so it was believed. There was no way on Earth "LotR: the Movie" was going to work. EXCEPT IT DID. I dare anyone to name a movie that better translated the heart and soul of a novel to the glory of the silver screen. It is better than it ever should have been, and it is stunning.
    • I saw the first movie when I was nine. I would have read the books first if I'd known of their existence, but since I didn't the films imprinted themselves into my mind. The fact that I've been an obsessee since then speaks for how good they are.
    • Never, perhaps, has there been a better example of a storybook world brought to life on the silver screen. Gorgeous, grand, majestic.
    • Agreed. I was completely in awe when I watched the movies (I read the books first) and Return of the King is one of the only movies that has ever made me cry. I do not cry easily about anything, especially movies, but by the Tear Jerker ending, I was sobbing to the point that I could barely breathe.
  • Die Hard didn't quite re-invent the wheel in terms of action movies, but in a time when most action heroes just went around with giant machine guns and shot people, John McClane was a witty, urbane New York cop who went through hell, matching snark-for-snark with Alan Rickman - Alan Rickman - all along the way. And he was best known then as the guy who did wine commercials!
    • DIE HARD. BEST. CHRISTMAS. MOVIE. EVER!!!
  • The original Highlander is just cheesy brilliance. Christopher Lambert does pretty well for a guy who didn't even speak English then, Sean Connery provides a great mentor and Clancy Brown as the Kurgan is probably the only bad guy other than the Joker to successfully be both ludicrously hammy and highly menacing. The awesome soundtrack helps very much as well.
    • The most wonderfully grand and over-the-top-and-cliched-in-a-VERY-good-way film I've ever seen, perhaps.
  • Avatar, freaking Avatar! Say what you want about the all-too familiar story, but no film since The Lord of the Rings has such enveloped me into a whole new world and given a grade-A thrill ride for all the senses than this. James Cameron is a genius, and 20th Century Fox has finally redeemed itself for a while.
    • Amen. Sure, the script was cheesy and the plot's been reused a few times, but it doesn't put a damper on the enjoyment factor. It was completely mindblowing, Pandora was incredibly well-realized, and I actually cared about the plot and characters.
    • I wish the internet would shut up and learn to appreciate such a masterpiece for what it was. It just won't stop!
  • Agora. So what if Christians bitch around, its still an awesome story, and we needed some accurate portrayals of Christianity on film anyway. Besides, I was too distracted by the nice looks of the main characters to note any aesop...
  • Shawn of The Dead is king! In a culture where slasher films have villians for protagonists and horror movies cater more to audience sadism than the desire to be scared shitless, I thought I'd never love a non-Asian horror movie again. But Shawn of The Dead hearkens back to what made the classics great, has awesome jokes, a much appreciated Spaced reunion, horror movie call-backs in spades, amazing writing, directing and acting, and it does something horror movies in the west hadn't done in decades: you love and identify with the heroes, so you're actually tense when you watch it, scared when the zombies come out, and sad when characters die. The scene where Ed gets bitten was horrifying for me, because I was frankly hadn't prepared myself for the eventuality. David you see coming, but not Ed. It was also far more subtle than other western horror movies. A lot of the tension is built by things that aren't inherently scary, but make you put it together in your head, like when Shawn goes into the mini mart the second time and he slips on something on the floor that you can't see. * shudder*
    • Seconded.
  • Zombieland was suprizingly amazing. Once again, a rare western horror film in that you care about the heroes, rather than just see them as fuel for sadistic violence.
  • Evil Dead II. This film is made of win. To start with you have Bruce Campbell. Second of all you have Bruce Campbell. But the film itself manages to be scary, funny and action packed. While the first one took itself a bit too seriously and the third was too goofy at times, the second was spot on. The camera-work here is also amazing, it really enchances the mood. There's just one way to describe it: Groovy.
  • Shutter Island. God, I love Leonardo DiCaprio. And the whole movie just totally swallowed me up. I'm not at all familiar with psycological thrillers so to me, the movie was awesome.
  • Metropolis has a crazy plot, confused message, ridiculous mixed-up symbolism, over-the-top Expressionist-style acting, and it's still the most amazing goddamn thing I have ever seen. That movie completely pulls me in every time. Using fairly primitive methods (relying mostly on models, mirrors, and double-exposure) the director and crew created a completely realistic, believable futuristic city that formed the basis of most sci-fi settings to this day. All the actors are great, but a special shout-out has to go to the 18-year-old Brigitte Helm being able to create two clearly-distinguishable characters in her very first film (especially considering that Fritz Lang put her through constant hell on set). Basically, this movie IS science fiction. ...Oh, and did I mention the robot?
    • Agree on Brigitte Helm. The way she switches between a sweet Maria to the manic copy that throws herself so much that her speech, despite being in a silent film, still came out as epic and rousing.
    • As epic and engrossing as it gets.
  • Streets of Fire. An awesome soundtrack, awesome sets, good guys, bad guys, and explosions... Hard to go wrong!
  • Listen up you jive suckas, no movie this millenium is funnier than Black Dynamite! A wonderful Affectionate Parody that manages to be completely over the top yet recreates the look of blaxpoitation so spot on, there is nothing not awesome and hilarious and quotable about this movie. No knowledge of the genre is necessary to love it, but there are injokes and references aplenty for those who do.
  • Inglourious Basterds. Every scene is either emotionally thrilling and intriguing or just jam-packed with Crazy Awesome: from the incredibly intense interrogations of the twistedly grandiose Jew Hunter Hans Landa, to the jailbreak of consummate anti-Nazi turncoat badass Hugo Stiglitz, to the raw delight of watching every Nazi big shot get taunted by a very vengeful orphan on a huge movie screen as they scramble before the all-consuming fire of her design. And, to top it all off, the hard-knuckle Basterds manage to pump Hitler full of lead before the entire theater crumbles, thoroughly rewriting history for the better. Inglourious Basterds is the masterpiece of all guilty pleasures.
    • Who says it has to be a Guilty Pleasure? It was a great movie--it was tightly written with probably the most intense dialogue I've ever seen in a film. You forgot the Bear Jew and his awesome baseball bat. I found myself rooting for all sides: Shosanna, the Basterds, and Landa. It has some excellent parodies of the World War Two film genre, like Lt. Aldo Raine as mocking the typical John-Wayne-ish leaderly type, and Lt. Archie Hicox with his wonderfully over-the-top Stiff Upper Lip. Overall this film is just plain fun.
    • Inglourious Basterds was one of the best films of the decade. It has everything you could possibly want in a movie. If, as many have cynically assumed, the final line, "You know what? I think this just might be my masterpiece!" was Tarantino speaking to us, it is one of the few occasions in history in which a boast like that is not only justified but downright understated.
  • Signs. I don't care about the damn water weakness; this ain't Pokémon. Until we meet aliens, who's to say how they would even think? Plenty of things humans do, while irrational from a certain way, makes it's own sense when viewed from our standpoint. Oh yeah, the movie was awesome for being a contained, scary alien invasion film with more than just ray guns and anal probes. Not a single explosion. Yet sometimes it felt like you were on the edge of your seat. It was about family as much as anything else.
  • Unbreakable is the best thing M. Night Shymalan has ever made. While his penchant for twist endings is now a joke, this one was so well-done and so well-acted by Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson that it gives me chills every time.
  • Not a damn Carpenter film on this list? Well i will say big trouble in little china was the business. It combined the east with the west perfectlty and all we get nowadays is obnoxious rapper teaming up with martial artists. This was the pinacle however where the fight scenes are still of the wall and the comedy hits its mark.
    • John Carpenter is one of the best directors of all time, and so underrated that nobody even knows he's won an Oscar. If the Oscars were worth their own weight in pig shit then he would have won at least five or ten. Does it get more awesome than The Thing?
  • They live is a good movie with its over the top fights, B movie throwbacks and plot crazy enough to hold your interest. Oh and the plot can change in less time than a (insert random pop diva) changes outfits in a gig.
  • Street fighter. Yes I know its got haters but its a damn funny movie. It follows every cliche in a way that suspends all disbelief. A movie so quotable the script has probably been pasted word for word all over the internet. Year after destructoid and others take the time to share on the amusement. Its like the comedy that keeps on joking.
  • Blade is awesome. He IS the definition of badass. Every line, fight scene and plan is just up there.
  • Phonebooth. A film made by the near run away name of joel schumacher. Despite being on a limited location. The concept and interaction never lets up. Of course a film with jack bauer as a vigilante would be awesome.
  • My girlfriend implored him to watch The Hangover. I dismissed repeatedly as a stupid 'frat-boy' comedy. Her repeated entreaties finally convinced me to give the movie a chance. I haven't stopped laughing since. "You are literally TOO DUMB to insult.".
  • Blazing Saddles. Yes. It was my grandfather's favorite movie, so naturally I got indoctrinated. And the more classic westerns you watch, the funnier it gets.
    • The only movie I've ever seen whose comedy is infallible. Not one bum joke in the whole damn thing. Not one!
    • IT'S TWUE!!! IT'S TWUE!!!
  • How to Train Your Dragon. I do not like watching movies, thinking them tedious. But even though I enjoyed the book, I love the movie even more. The soundtrack, the characters, the Heartwarming Moment when Hiccup and Toothless first bond and then adding my favourite Love Trope: Slap Slap Kiss with a Hot Amazon Tsundere! And Hiccup. What can I say about him? He is, literally, the cutest thing I have ever seen. Squee!
    • A resounding yes from me as well! It's amazing how a kid's movie has a subtle tolerance message within it, but it is all around sweet and enjoyable. The flying scenes give a great sense of movement, and there are some nice little details too, such as carvings around weapons or houses. The development between Stoick and Hiccup is great, Hiccup and Astrid may be a love interest for the heck of it but they're still innocently charming, and the friendship... Oh, the friendship. Toothless and Hiccup have possibly the most pure and sweet and beautiful relationship in recent film.
  • Defendor. After the movie I just had to smile and was in some bizarre happy state. The movie is brilliant. Not much else to say about it.
  • Kick-Ass is Exactly What It Says on the Tin .
  • Nine. Come on! Living sentinent ragdolls fighting against a giant killer machine to preserve life = awesomesauce.
    • To add to that, and properly gush: Yeah, I'll agree that the movie's far from perfect, but I don't care! I found myself strangely liking the characters, the visuals were great and showed that the designers and animators really cared for their work despite their limitations (judging by interviews and commentary, the movie had budget issues and had to be kept to a 80-minute runtime), and the part I like the most is that the entire thing isn't dialogue heavy. Most of the characters are seen through their body language or changes in their expressions, which is the point of a visual form. The actors do give a lot to their roles (Christopher Plummer as 1, and John C. Reilly as 5 being personal highlights), but it's the animators that are the real stars of the show. The machines look amazing, and I could study them for hours and still find something new about the way they're made that I didn't notice before. And don't even get me started on the environments. It's a shame that not many will pay attention to the post-apocalyptic background, but there's a real sense of humanity once being there, walking along the streets and working and creating things. Oh, and did we mention the adorable character designs and awesome giant A.I yet? Because those are also awesome.
    • Designs? What about the awesome characters? True that you don't get to see much of any of them once things go to hell, but even from that much they feel solid (and if any of them seem pigeonholed by their traits, it actually eventually makes sense), especially in their dynamics - they probably are a pretty good representation of what it'd be like if a person divided the facets of their soul into nine people indeed - and there's a good chance you'll have at least one particular favorite (2 for me, a very Cool Old Guy without needing to be a Badass). Never mind the plot's weak points, the movie's one of my favorites for the world and characters.
  • MacGruber. It's so hilarious and over-the-top that you can't help but laugh at the sheer insanity. Plus it's directed by one-third of The Lonely Island trio, so that's a bonus!
  • Thanks to A Clockwork Orange, I will never watch movies or listen to "Singing in the Rain" the same way again. Malcolm Mcdowell and Stanley Kubrick were robbed of their Oscars for that movie!
    • Kubrick in general is the shit. The fanboys can whine all they want about the adaptation of The Shining, but you'll notice that's usually the only argument anyone even tries to make against it.
  • My ex boyfriend did not like the Marx Brothers' masterpiece Duck Soup. While it cannot be said that this was the only reason the relationship ended, it would be incorrect to say it was not a factor.
    • Good on ya. That movie is absolutely hilarious.
    • Anyone who doesn't like the Marx Brothers probably doesn't deserve you. The state room scene from A Night at the Opera is probably the single best scene in film history.
    • I would like to say that I feel Go West and At The Circus don't get enough love. They are just as amazing as the more well known Marx Brothers films. Particularly this scene from Go West.
  • I don't care what popular opinion is. Seltzer and Friedberg are hilarious. Meet the Spartans and Superhero Movie both almost had me in tears with laughter. It's just plain funny.
  • In my mind, Pulp Fiction is Quentin Tarantino's best work. The entire movie is so well written, casted, acted, directed, and produced. The movie has some of the best dialogue, and in my opinion, the chapter "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife" is the greatest part of the movie.
    • The movie is fun incarnate distilled into a physical form on celluloid.
  • I consider The Usual Suspects one of the greatest films of all time. A brilliantly executed plot with great performances, especially from Kevin Spacey, and perhaps the best ending of any film I've seen resulted in my watching it more times than any other film. Don't forget about Rashomon, the 1950 Akira Kurosawa film that also did a great job with the Rashomon Effect.
  • Osmosis Jones. I mean, really, we need more people like me to spread the love. I found it interesting how parts of the human body can represent a city, such as the brain for city hall, the kidneys for waste management, etc. Plus, the characters were funny and well-drawn, especially Ozzy.
  • Hi. My name is Master TMO and ... and ... * clears throat* ... I liked Doom. It's not a movie about real people on Mars, it's a video game caught on film, from the character names and personalities to the Boss Fights and how the creatures got easier to kill the farther into the movie (levels) you got.
  • Wes Anderson is my hero, and The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore changed my life. I love how Wes's film bring out the beauty inside the most flawed of all of us.
    • Rushmore is a rather forgotten or overlooked film. Is there no justice??
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It's arguably my favorite movie, and my favorite book on top of that. Jack Nicholson. Just... Jack Nicholson.
  • Top Gun. Highly quotable, brilliant flying sequences, and one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever...it is made of awesome.
  • The 1979 film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky is in my top ten films. It has the strongest plot and characterization, and the most beautiful cinematography and music, of the Tarkosvky films. It provokes intense contemplation and meditation and really makes viewers think about the film. If I had to see only one Russian film, it would be Stalker.
  • No Inception yet? Shame on you! While most cetainly not quotable or funny, it's perfectly paced and is one of the few films in the "sequel/adaptation mess" that makes you think, "Oh crap, the antagonist might be right!"
    • I concur. There will never be anything else quite like Joseph Gordon-Levitt fighting mooks in shifting gravity.
    • A few hours after I watched this film, I was in a daze. The next day, I couldn't shut up about it. If that happens to me, you know that it's the mark of an incredible movie. Oh, and not quotable or funny?

Arthur: "If you say don't think about elephants, what do you think about?"
Eames (to Arthur): "You musn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling."
Arthur: "Give me a kiss."
(They kiss)
Ariadne: "Um, they're still looking."
Arthur: "Oh well, it was worth a shot."

    • Hands down the film of the year. The shot of the city folding in on itself like a giant burrito is awesomeness itself.
  • I feel that I should mention Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. That movie was so great! It had a truck-load of tropes and possibly even more references to all things I loved! It was just purely an epic of epic epicness.
    • Seconded. I read the comics a few days before the movie came to theaters and I loved them, so I immediately had to see the movie. To this day, I have seen it five times and I still can't get enough of it! It just never gets old. Hell, me and my friends still crack up at the "I gotta pee on her!" line.
    • Third-ed. I am in lesbians with this series.
  • Cameron Crowe's masterpiece Almost Famous hits all the right notes, with interesting and believable characters, brilliant music, and some truly heartbreaking scenes. It's probably the most perfect film I've ever seen, and always leaves me feeling absurdly happy. Kate Hudson's character Penny Lane is adorable, too.
  • I'm really pissed that The Social Network hasn't gotten any notice at all on this site, as it's passed up for titles I frankly think are trash. And it's sad that it would have never made it to this page because it isn't a dumb movie with a gimmick, so thank god I exist. But, anyway, when I was watching it, I was bored, and when I got out of it, I thought it was good, and when I thought about it more, it was excellent. The direction is great, every shot is unique & sets the mood, the acting is stellar & contains some of the best performances of the year, and the script feels fast & natural, as each character feels unique with the script & loads of little details are in there. Each character is multi-layered, even characters with smaller parts like Christy Lee has a some good amount of depth. The movie itself is brillant, as it lets us ponder about, the coming of the internet and who we are in society. I plan to see it again on DVD, just so I can get all the details of the script. The fact that no-one will second this because "it's a movie about Facebook, derp!", is stupid. It's not just a movie about Facebook, that's calling Network "just about TV'. It's about the coming of the internet as a whole, and the part it plays in our everyday life. I plan to a Entry Pimp for this movie, it's that good. Oh, and Trent Reznor's soundtrack. The soundtrack showed me just how much music can add to a scene.
    • Seconded, seconded, Mother of God, seconded. There is not a single thing about that movie I did not like, so saying what I did like would take up too much space. It ties with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World for my favorite movie of all time.
  • I just saw Franklyn, and it's one of the best movies I've seen. At first i saw it as a sort of guilty pleasure; gratuitous coat/mask coolness, with little to no justification. Then the pieces started falling together, and.. Well, unlike apparently everyone else who has seen the movie, I think the plot was good too.
  • Wow. Wow. The page has already gotten this long and no mention of Citizen Kane? Yeah, you can whine about Hype Backlash all you want, but there's a reason the critics say it's the greatest film of all time. It pioneered techniques now ubiquitous in film, it has great story, great acting, great music, great everything, and it isn't afraid to let the audience figure things out for their selves. I have watched it several times and I still finds things she never noticed before.
    • What is so often overlooked or forgotten due to the film's overfamiliarity is that it is a wonderfully weird little movie, an unforgettably unique visual and tonal experience. It's awesome.
  • Ginger Snaps. Absolutely wonderful little Canadian Coming of Age/Sibling Rivalry/Werewolf movie. It manages to go from terrifying to hilarious to heart-breaking again and again, and instead of the mix of pathos being confused or diluting any emotions, it just enhances them and makes the film so, so real. Amazing.
  • "Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?" Take America's two most popular holidays, "pop 'em in a boiling pot," and you get The Nightmare Before Christmas, one of the most unique movies ever made. Jack Skellington is perhaps one of the most unique characters to ever grace the silver screen. Born(?) into a world devoted to fear and terror, he longs for something more. And after trying everything else he can think of, he discovered everything he felt he was missing was just outside his front door. The stop-motion animation is downright amazing, and the songs and soundtrack are outstanding.
  • The Expendables basically combined every element that I loved from action movies into one film. Not only that, but it was much funnier than I expected, and one of the few movies that I have seen multiple times in theaters. As soon as it was announced, I knew that I was going to go see it, and it did not disappoint. It's pretty much pure testosterone from beginning to end, and I loved every single minute of it.
  • The Matrix. No, I'm not talking about those damnable sequels, I'm talking about THE FUCKING MATRIX! The cyberpunk technology, the philosophical underpinnings, the martial arts, the ability to have things programmed into your brain while in a virtual world, the gunfights, that crazy "Bullet Time" thing, Morpheus, Neo, Agent Smith... I loved EVERYTHING about this movie! Hell, I even loved Keanu Reeves' acting because it actually fit the situation for once! If they hadn't killed off this film's fanbase with the sequels, it would still have a huge cult following to this day.
    • Your mileage DEFINITELY varies on this one, as ALL three films are my all time favourites! I never understood the hate for the sequels since I love them just as much as the first one. From the action sequences to the philosophy, from the plot to the visual style, I'm absolutely in love with the entire trilogy and everything related. So great!
  • The Thief and the Cobbler. No, not that butchered musical crap with Matthew Broderick put out by Miramax, I'm talking the Recobbled Cut. I have never felt so deeply amazed at an animated film than with the Recobbled Cut. It's such a shame that poor Richard Williams was screwed over, because the film would've been brilliant! Yeah, there are some really dumb stuff in the movie, but once you look past all of that, and look at it as a labor of love, you can tell that decades of hard work really paid off.
  • Tron: Legacy. At first, it seemed like a risky proposition - after all, Tron had barely been mentioned for decades, and computer literacy is a lot higher these days than it was when the first film came out; there was a serious risk of the whole thing just coming off silly. But it didn't; the characters were handled well, the graphics were beautiful even without the 3D, and all in all just a great movie. Special mention for Quorra, whom Olivia Wilde handled magnificently.
  • Yeesh, with all the Nolan fanboys around you'd figure Memento and The Prestige would have made it onto here by now. But seriously, Memento is effing brilliant, for elevating what could have been a gimmicky plot device (The story's told backwards!) into a vital part of the story, not to mention great acting and visuals all around. And it truly boggles me that The Prestige doesn't get more love. I mean, you've got Batman, Wolverine, David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, Gollum, Black Widow, AND Michael Caine all in Gorgeous Period Dress doing magic. And badass lightning effects. Add that to a narrative so layered it makes Inception look positively flat, gorgeous visuals and truly heartbreaking acting (seriously, any idiots who say that Nolan's films are "cold" needs to sit their ass down and watch the third act) and you've got, fittingly enough, cinematic magic.
  • David Lean's 1947 adaptation of Great Expectations is the. best. movie. I've. ever. seen. And as far as I can remember the only perfect movie I've ever seen. Which means that by definition it could never be topped, only equaled at best. That is all. And speaking of David Lean masterpieces, the desert scenery from Lawrence of Arabia is the closest to a religious experience I've ever come watching a movie. I do not mean that figuratively.
  • The BBC made-for-TV movies of the Miss Marple novels are the epitome of TV movies. The absolute pinnacle. They're almost uniformly extremely well adapted, they're shot with gorgeous scenery and sets that make me jealous I've never been to England, and Joan Hickson IS Miss Marple. Holy shit do these films hold up!
  • Barry Lyndon is enthralling. It's more than three hours long, but if you have the time and patience for it, it will blow your mind seven times over. It might look like dull Scenery Porn, but the images really are unbelievably beautiful. And the story is truly magnificent. It saddens me that so few people have seen this. So, to paraphrase Mr. Show, see the shit out of it!
  • I can't get enough of Superbad. Once my dad let me watch it for the first time in Fall of 2010, I have watched it over and over ever since. It's such a naughty and funny movie! My favorite character is Evan (but Seth and Fogell are cool too). I'm pretty much in love with Evan.
  • The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is pure awesome. It'll make you laugh, cheer, and cry. And then laugh some more.
  • I would like to say a few things about The Red Violin. This extraordinary movie is notable for many reasons, such as completely avoiding Translation Convention, fake accents and nationalities and many more interesting technical qualities. But, first and foremost, it is the best constructed movie I've ever seen. All of the story's segments from the past enrich the interwoven present-day scene, which becomes more comprehensible and fascinating as you know more about the violin's history. The story depicts many different times, countries and ethnicities while reserving the unreal feeling we always get when faced with perfection - both in-universe as the characters meet the violin, and out, as we meet the movie. The actors do a wonderful job, playing their type (Jason Flemyng) or completely against it (Samuel Jackson). None of the characters are simplified, over-sexualized (which is a trap filmmakers really like to fall into), and they brilliantly convey the clash between human's petty, imperfect little nature when confronted with the ideal immortality of the instrument. And not a single scene takes place in the US, which is really, really original.

Thank you.

  • Uh, hello? The Harry Potter movies! I am a huge fan of the books, and whilst the films don't always live up to the books, it is still refreshing to find a great book-to-movie adaption. Plus, in some places the movie expands on the books, which is great.
    • Seconded. Despite the large amount of book material the movies leave out, they have their own unique charm, and sometimes make changes from the books that are for the better. Plus they have a truly AMAZING cast and a beautiful score.
  • Steven Spielberg's 1941 is a very entertaining war farce from the writers of Back to The Future. The film with a comedic All-Star Cast harkens as an excellent film version of Saturday Night Live. Though Spielberg does look back on it with regret and the Bobs seldom mention it aside from it being their stepping stone to their eventual box office gold with BTTF, this is among Spielberg's most creative of his early works.
  • The 2005 remake of King Kong. It took a classic and reworked and expanded it better than could be expected. Its action sequences/CGI is fantastic and there are a surprising number of funny and heartwarming moments.
  • Magical Legend of the Leprechauns will always be my favourite childhood film. Just hearing a song from it or seeing even one scene never fails to bring a huge smile to my face. I used to watch it at least once a week from when I was 8-12 until the tape wore out and I never got sick of it. And it's still wonderful now at 18, despite (or perhaps because of) its high levels of narm and cheese.
  • Liar Liar is hands down the funniest Jim Carrey film. (though I'll admit Bruce Almighty is close) The blue pen and the speeding ticket scenes never stops being hilarious.
  • The Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Movie. One of the greatest kids movies of all time and it still entertains me as an adult.
  • Some of the Scooby Doo movies were surprisingly good, particularly Scooby Doo and the Boo Brothers and Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School. They were two of my favourite movies as a child and I still love them.
  • Tangled is possibly Disney's best animated feature yet--and that's saying something, coming from someone who's grown up with Disney films her whole life. In fact, I almost wish it had come out when I was a kid so I could have grown up with it. "I See The Light" is a beautiful song on its own, but the scene that accompanies it is breathtakingly gorgeous...it still makes me tear up when I see it. The animation is stunning--the attention to detail is incredible, with each individual blade of grass and strand of hair and everything. The plot is lighthearted and wonderful, the characters very lovable, excellent villain, perfect happy ending--I left that theater feeling so incredibly happy. I felt like a child again.
  • Stardust: I've never read the book, but the movie was EXCELLENT. The characters were great, the humor was just right, and the story was really fun and exciting.
  • Anybody else LOVE Newsies as a kid? One of my favorite movie musicals!
  • I saw Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as a movie before I ever knew any of the play--and though fans of the musical complain of changes, and Johhny and Helena's subpar singing, I found it to be an excellent film.
  • Anastasia will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart, no matter how old I am. I ADORE the characters, and the score is so much fun...I still know every word!
  • Love Actually is literally the greatest romantic comedy ever...excellent characters, excellent weaving of the storylines...just really excellent.
  • The 1953 sci-fi movie Them! is literally my favorite film of all time. It is excellently written, well directed, has enjoyable characters, is incredibly suspenseful, and even though the effects themselves are kind of outdated, the designs for the ants look quite frightening.
  • Blade Runner, especially the Final Cut. The overall feel and tone of this movie is just amazing. Not to mention Rutger Hauer's fantastic monologue and an awesome ending.
  • The entire RoboCop trilogy. The physical epitome of justice and badass in one and an awesomely heroic score (yes, even Robocop 2) has made me a fan of Robo. In a world compiled of psychotic, cold, and unfeeling machines there's still only one who will do what's right. For Great Justice.
  • Usually, I despise movie adaptations of books I love. However, two adaptations to the big screen actually make me happy about the outcomes. One is Harry Potter, but that's already been mentioned. The other one is none other than Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Debatably, these movies are better than the books, because they have more heart, and they show the middle-school hero Greg in a different, more flawed light than he portrays himself in his journal. Besides all that, they're hysterical. Special mention should be given to Greg's counterparts, two of the funniest and best-developed characters in the films, in my humble opinion: the Gentle Giant best friend Rowley (who ends up getting all the fame and glory in the end of the first film) and the Big Brother Bully Rodrick (who turns out to be a Jerk with a Heart of Gold in the second film).
  • Catwoman takes the cake. Its wholly ridiculous, over-the-top, and shamelessly deviated. But I have a lot of fun watching it when I do. Take it as a total B-movie, because that's exactly what it feels like.
  • The Spirit is a utterly bizarre movie that has a serious case of What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs? made by the equally bizarre mind of Frank Miller. But its totally out there(in a good way) and I feel it doesn't always get a fair shake because it deviated so heavily from the source material(though it wouldn't be the first, second or third to do so). It's deadpan characters who always seem to be having fun, especially The Octopus. Acres of Chewing the Scenery, just as much Fetish Fuel, and it allows you not to think too hard about about the inane brilliance of it all.
  • ANY PIXAR FILM EVER. No, literally. (Ok, I haven't seen Cars 2, but all the others.) How does a studio make that many good movies in a row?
  • Does the Clash of the Titans remake have plot holes? Sure. Does it get many parts of the original myth wrong? Yeah. Does that keep it from being a very entertaining film? Hell no.
  • C.R.A.Z.Y.. It's the best Coming Out Story I have ever seen. The writing, acting, cinematography, and music are flawless. It's both hilarious and heart-wrenching, but if that wasn't enough there's a tasteful amount of Fan Service by men and women alike.
  • What about Downfall? Awesome character portrayal. And God, all those Gag Dub parodies are hilairious.
  • The Japanese Godzilla too. Awesome monsters and epic (if not funny) battles. Godzilla is one of the many reasons behind my love for Japanese Kaiju (and anime) along with Zone Fighter, Gamera, and Ultraman.
  • The Lorax, say what you will about how it's not faithful to the book. Personally....I enjoyed it, The story,the characters(exept O-hare) and even then O-hare was a great and funny villain. Once-ler will make you feel sorry for him, he's adorable, the romance between Ted and Audrey is adorable, and the Lorax himself is an awsome character, and Danny Devito did an amazing job...I could go on and on about how much I love this movie
  • No love for Amelie? This movie is my absolute favorite. I call it my "happy place" movie because even thinking about it lightens my mood. It's just a sweet romantic comedy with likeable characters and great humor. The fact that it's French carries a certain appeal to this Francophile.
  • Kung Fu Panda 2 has to be tied with How to Train Your Dragon for best animated Dreamworks movie for me. For someone that didn't reall care about the first movie, I had really low expectations, but I was absolutely blown away by the stylistic animation, voice acting, story and character development. Not to mention the bad-ass villain, heartwarming moments and perfectly choreographed action sequences. I'm honestly sad that it was robbed from an Oscar by Rango.
  • The Marvel Cinematic Universe: It's like Uatu The Watcher stretched forth his hand, summoned everyone who loves Marvel superheroes, gave them blank checks and said, "Show us your dreams."
    • Iron Man: Robert Downey, Jr. plays himself as a Gadgeteer Genius who builds a suit of Powered Armor IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS! and goes on a rampage of terrorist Curb Stomping. Cue the Black Sabbath.
    • Thor: Ahem. "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." The Epic story of an Old Testament God becoming a New Testament God.
    • Captain America: The First Avenger is a well-produced movie propelled by the strength of our titular hero. Whether he's standing up to himself against big, bad bullies or fighting the forces of HYDRA as the ultimate Super Soldier, Steve Rogers/Captain America takes the cake as the best superhero of 2011. Add to that gush-worthy supporting characters, a kick-ass musical score, and rip-roaring action evocative of 1940s adventure serials and you've got one of the best comic book movies ever made.
      • And it was all just buildup for the real story: The Avengers. Every character has been introduced, and now they all shine under the direction of the single geekiest man in Hollywood; Joss Whedon. Alan Silvestri's score is peanut butter to all that chocolate. The result is already being hailed as one of the best movies of all time.
  • The Warriors. Can 8 guys, leaderless, unarmed, make it from the Bronx to Coney, 28 miles of "the most dangerous city in America," via subway, with every cop and gang-kid in the city looking for them? OH YEAH. Great lighting, great editing, wonderful use of deep-focus cinematography, and even some great dialogue and performance. Sure the realism is on the level of the 60's Batman show. It all still works. "You Warriors are good. Real good." "The best."
  • The King and the Mockingbird . I looked it up on this wiki and was stunned to find so little said about it. Disappointed, in fact. Such a beautiful movie in the smoothness of its animation and intricate detail of its backgrounds, wandering story and dreamy atmosphere. It was in Development Hell for decades (and for a time even longer than The Thief and the Cobbler ), but it really paid off, known as a classic in French animation and the Magnum Opus of animator Paul Grimault. Of course, in parts it does not make sense, but even if you think of it too much, it won't detract from the beauty of it. Also, it's a movie involving a lonely king, a witty mockingbird, a shepherdess, a chimney sweep, and a giant robot.
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