BlueHighwind's 188 Favorite Films Ever

 400 Posts, WOO!!!

Usually when people list things, they come up with a mentally pleasing number like ten, fifty, one-hundred, two-hundred, some kind of multiple of five, even better if it ends in a zero.  This is because we have a decimal number system, we love base ten.  Among people today, base-ten is not universal, but its clearly overwhelmingly popular, being the numerical system of choice for the Europeans, the Arabs the Chinese, and the Indians, and that pretty much covers all the most dominant civilizations on this planet.  When humans have five fingers on each hand, ten altogether, it feels like things are divinely inspired to be in groups of ten or five.  Ten Commandments, for example.  Unfortunately, I'm an entirely irrational person, so despite my efforts, I could not find a way to make a list in anything more or less than 188.  Sorry about that.

I've never tried to compile a list of everyone of my favorite movies.  Mostly because it was a deeply daunting task that would require a great deal of work.  And I hate work.  I've seen roughly sixteen quadrillion movies over the course of my twenty-one years, so that means a basic list of Top 5 or Top 10 or even Top 100 simply would not be able to cover every single that encompasses the true width and breath of all of my favorite movies.  What exactly do I mean by my favorite movies?  Just exactly that, movies that are somewhat artistically interesting, or especially scary, funny, insane, or exciting.  Especially movies that are entirely unlike anything I've seen before.  If you're bringing out a bright new interesting style or narrative device or just showing off incredible kung-fu, you'll probably end up on this list.  These are the movies that left me awed, its that simple.  So since I've seen sixteen quadrillion films, that means we have movies from all around the world, and a couple of films older than my grandparents.  Still, however, the main nuclear is American films from the last three decades, because I'm an American whose only existed in roughly that timeframe.  What more do you want from me?

Now obviously, this list isn't your list.  And it isn't the American Film Insitute's list.  I'm not going to put anything on this list just because some stuffy French film professor tells me that Terry Malice is the most brilliant filmmaker since Georges Melies, while he contemptuously blows cigarette smoke into my stupid American face.  And I'm not taking anything off the list because Roger Ebert gave it a thumb's down.  I don't care who said what about what, and that does double if they said "Tree of Life" was a great movie.  I don't care what award it got, or how many stars the Daily News gave it.  The numbering system is only the vaguest representation of my personal preference, nobody needs to get angry because I said "Troll 2" is a better movie than "Gladiator".  I did spend a week picking out these titles and working over which ones actually belong on the list.  I do not want to spend another week deciding if in fact "Freaked" should go into position 171 or 172.  Obviously, Number 1 is the best, 188 is the worst, but that doesn't mean any of these movies are any less awesome.

If your favorite movie didn't make the list, don't feel embarrassed to call me a moron for not including it.  This is a work in progress.  I still haven't seen every movie ever made, and I probably won't be truly satisfied with this list until we hit 500 entires.

I've included the year of release, the director's name, the country of origin, and genre.  Further information can be found at your local IMDB or Wikipedia or your big brother who knows everything about movies.

1. The Star Wars Trilogy*
- Star Wars - 1977 - George Lucas - United States - SciFi Fantasy
- The Empire Strikes Back - 1980 - Irvin Kershner - United States - SciFi Fantasy
- Return of the Jedi -1983 - Richard Marquand - United States - SciFi Fantasy
2. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - 1971 - Mel Stuart - United States - Musical
3. WALL•E - 2008 - Andrew Stanton - United States - SciFi Animation
4. The Shining - 1980 - Stanley Kubrick - United States - Psychological Horror
5. The Departed - 2006 - Martin Scorsese - United States - Crime Thriller
6. The Lion King - 1994 - Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff - United States - Disney Animation
7. The Big Lebowski - 1998 - Coen Brothers - United States - Comedy
8. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- The Fellowship of the Ring - 2001 - Peter Jackson - United States - High Fantasy
- The Two Towers - 2001 - Peter Jackson - United States - High Fantasy
- The Return of the King - 2001 - Peter Jackson - United States - High Fantasy
9. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (l buono, il brutto, il cattivo) - 1966 - Sergio Leone - Italy - Western
10. Pulp Fiction - 1994 - Quentin Tarantino - United States - Crime
11. Toy Story Trilogy
- Toy Story - 1995 - John Lasseter - United States - Animated Comedy/Drama
- Toy Story 2 - 1999 - John Lasseter - United States - Animated Comedy/Drama
- Toy Story 3 - 2010 - John Lasseter - United States - Animated Comedy/Drama
12. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) - 2001 - Hayao Miyazaki - Japan - Animated Fantasy
13. Jurassic Park - 1993 - Steven Speilberg - United States - Monster Movie
14. Fight Club - 1999 - David Fincher - United States - Black Comedy/Drama/Thriller/Anti-Modernist Postmodern Something or Other
15. The Matrix - 1999 - Wachowski Siblings - United States - SciFi Action
16. Blade Runner - 1982 - Ridley Scott - United States - SciFi Action Dram
17. Batman Returns - 1993 - Tim Burton - United States - Superhero
18. Brazil - 1986 - Terry Gilliam - United Kingdom - Dystopian Black Comedy/Drama
19. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - 2010 - Edgar Wright - United States - Action Comedy
20. The Dark Knight - 2008 - Master Christopher Nolan - United States - Superhero
21. Finding Nemo - 2003 - Andrew Stanton - United States - Animated Drama/Comedy
22. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - 1996 - Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise - United States - Disney Animation
23. Coraline - 2009 - Henry Selick - United States - Animated Dark Fantasy
24. Goodfellas - 1990 - Martin Scorsese - United States - Crime Drama
25. Kill Bill
- Kill Bill Vol. 1 - 2003 - Quentin Tarantino - United States - Action
- Bill Bill Vol. 2 - 2004 - Quentin Tarantino - United States - Action
26. The Fly - 1986 - David Cronenberg - United States - SciFi Horror
27. The End of Evangelion (Shin Seiki Evangerion Gekijō-ban: Air/Magokoro o, Kimi ni) - 1997 - Hideaki Anno - Japan - Weird Anime
28. Natural Born Killers - 1994 - Oliver Stone - United States - Crime Adventure
29. Once - 2006 - John Carney - Ireland - Musical
30. Gremlins
- Gremlins - 1984 - Joe Dante - United States - Horror Comedy
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch - Joe Dante - United States - Comedy Horror

Germlins

31. The Little Mermaid - 1989 - Ron Clements, John Musker - United States - Disney Animation
32. Howl's Moving Castle (Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) - 2003 - Hayao Miyazaki - Japan - Animated Fantasy
33. Halloween - 1978 - John Carpenter - United States - Slasher Horror
34. Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) - 1968 - Sergio Leone - Western
35. The Thing - 1982 - John Carpenter - United States - Horror
36. Head - 1968 - Bob Rafelson - United States - ?????
37. Dawn of the Dead - 1978 - George A. Romero - United States - Horror
38. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o Kakeru Shōjo) - 2008 - Mamoru Hosoda - Japan - Animated SciFi Romance
39. The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993 - Henry Selick - United States - Animated Dark Comedy Musical
40. Batman Begins - 2005 - Master Christopher Nolan - United States - Superhero
41. Memento - 2000 - Master Christopher Nolan - United States - Psychological Thriller
42. Naked Lunch - 1991 - David Cronenberg - United States - What the fuck did I just watch?
43. Scarface - 1983 - Brian De Palma - United States - Crime Drama
44. Rosemary's Baby - 1968 - Roman Polanski - United States - Satanic Horror
45. Casino - 1995 - Martin Scorsese - United States - Crime Drama
46. Troll 2 - 1990 - David Floyd (AKA: Claudio Fragasso) - Italy/US - Unintentional Comedy
47. Gladiator - 2000 - Ridley Scott - United States - Epic Drama
48. The Shawshank Redemption - 1994 - Frank Darabont - United States Drama
49. Aliens - 1986 - James Cameron - United States - SciFi Action
50. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - 2003 - Gore Verbinski - Action Adventure
51. Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) - 2006 - Guillermo del Toro - Mexico - Dark Fantasy
52. House of 1000 Corpses - 2003 - Rob Zombie - United States - Exploitation Horror
53. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 2004 - Michael Gondry - United States - SciFi Romance
54. Beetlejuice - 1988 - Tim Burton - United States - Dark Comedy
55. A Clockwork Orange - 1971 - Stanley Kubrick - United States - Dystopian Crime SciFi
56. Drive - 2011 - Nicolas Winding Refn - United States - Crime Thriller
57. Pi - 1998 - Darren Aronofsky - United States - United States - Surreal Thriller
58. Moonstruck - 1987 - Norman Jewison - United States - Romance
59. Reservoir Dogs - 1992 - Quentin Tarantino - United States - Crime
60. Battle Royale (Batoru Rowaiaru) - 2000 - Kinji Fukasaku - Japan - Thriller

 Battle Royale

61. Lawrence of Arabia - 1962 - David Lean - United Kingdom - Epic Film
62. Lilo & Stitch - 2002 - Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois - United States - Disney Animation
63. National Lampoon's Animal House - 1978 - John Landis - United States - Comedy
64. Monty Python and The Holy Grail - 1975 - Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones - United Kingdom - Comedy
65. The Mummy - 1999 - Stephen Sommers - United States - Horror Adventure
66. Spaceballs - 1987 - Mel Brooks - United States - Comedy
67. Godzilla 2000 (Gojira Nisen: Mireniamu) - 1999 - Takao Okawara - Japan - Giant Monster Movie
68. Heavy Metal - 1981 - Gerald Potterton - Canada - Animated Fantasy with lots of tits
69. Alien - 1971 - Ridley Scott - United States - SciFi Monster Movie
70. Independence Day - 1997 - Roland Emmerich - United States - SciFi Action
71. Moon - 2009 - Duncan Jones - United Kingdom - SciFi Drama
72. In Bruges - 2008 - Martin McDonagh - United Kingdom - Black Comedy/Drama
73. Apocalypse Now - 1979 - Francis Ford Coppola - United States - War Drama
74. eXistenZ - 1999 - David Cronenberg - Canada - SciFi Horror
75. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 1964 - Stanley Kubrick - United States - Black Comedy
76. Return of the Living Dead - 1985 - Dan O'Bannon - United States - Horror Comedy
77. 28 Days Later - 2002 - Danny Boyle - United Kingdom - Horror
78. Macross Plus (Makurosu Purasu) - 1994 - Shoji Kawamori, Shinichiro Watanabe - Japan - SciFi Anime
79. Unforgiven - 1992 - Clint Eastwood - United States - Western
80. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika) - 1984 - Hayao Miyazaki - Japan - Animated Fantasy
81. The Bridge on the River Kwai - 1957 - David Lean - United Kingdom - War Epic Drama
82. I Married a Strange Person! - 1997 - Bill Plytom - United States - Animated Mindfuck
83. Henry V - 1989 - Kenneth Branagh - United Kingdom - Shakespeare
84. The Prophesy - 1995 - Gregory Widen - United States - Biblical Horror
85. The Hitcher - 1986 - Robert Harmon - United States - Horror Thriller
86. The Secret of Kells - 2009 - Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey - Ireland/France/Belgium - Animated Adventure
87. Blue Velvet - 1986 - David Lynch - United States - Mystery Thriller
88. The Incredibles - 2004 - Brad Bird - United States - Animated Action Comedy
89. The Raid: Redemption (Serbuan maut) - 2011 Gareth Evans - Indonesia - BADASS
90. There Will Be Blood - 2007 - Paul Thomas Anderson - United States - Drama

There Will Be Blood

91. The Evil Dead - 1981 - Sam Raimi - United States - Horror
92. The Talented Mr. Ripley - 1999 - Anthony Minghella - United States - Psychological Thriller
93. Children of Men - 2006 - Alfonso Cauron - United States/United Kingdom - Dystopian Action
94. Videodrome - 1983 - David Cronenberg - Canada - SciFi Horror
95. House (Hausu) - 1977 - Nobuhiko Obayashi - Japan - Experimental Horror
96. Dead Alive (Brain Dead) - 1992 - Peter Jackson - New Zealand - Horror
97. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - 1998 - Terry Gilliam - United States - Gonzo
98. Glenngarry Glen Ross - 1992 - David Mamet - United States - Drama
99. Candyman - 1992 - Bernard Rose - United States - Horror
100. Requiem for a Dream - 2000 - Darren Aronofsky - United States - Horror Drama
101. Night of the Living Dead - 1968 - George A. Romero - United States - Horror
102. Lock, Stock, and Two Barrels - 1998 - Guy Ritchie - United Kingdom - Crime
103. America Psycho - 2000 - Mary Harron - United States - DIE YUPPIE SCUM!
104. Crash - 2004 - Paul Haggis - United States - Oscar Bait
105. Day of the Dead - 1985 - George A. Romero - United States - Horror
106. High Noon - 1952 - Fred Zimmerman - United States - Western
107. Kung-Pow! Enter the Fist - 2002 - Steve Oederick - United States - Kung-Fu Comedy
108. Little Miss Sunshine - 2006 - Johnathan Dayton, Valerie Faris - United States - Dramedy
109. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - 2004 - Wes Anderson - United States - Dramedy
110. Army of Darkness - 1992 - Sam Raimi - United States - Comedy Horror
111. Duck, You Sucker! (Giù la testa) - 1971 - Sergio Leone - Italy - Western
112. Airplane!
- Airplane! - 1980 - Jim Abrahams, Zucker Bros - United States - Comedy
- Airplane II: The Sequel - Ken Finkleman - United States - Comedy
113. Clerks - 1994 - Kevin Smith - United States - Comedy
114. Casablanca - 1942 - Micheal Curtiz - United States - Romance
115. The Guard - 2011 - John Michael McDonagh - Ireland - Black Comedy
116. Carlito's Way - 1993 - Brian DePalma - United States - Crime Drama
117. The Last Circus (Balada triste de trompeta) - 2010 - Álex de la Iglesia - Spain - Gothic Dramedy
118. Black Swan - 2010 - Darren Aronofsky - United States - Psychological Horror
119. Tron - 1982 - Steven Lisberger - United States - SciFi Adventure
120. The Prestige - 2006 - Master Christopher Nolan - United States - Mystery Thriller

The Prestige

121. Se7en - 1995 - David Fincher - United States - Mystery Thriller
122. The Silence of the Lambs - 1991 - Johnathan Demme - United States - Thriller
123. Sin City - 2005 - Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller - United States - Crime
124. Deep Rising - 1998 - Stephen Sommers - United States - Action Monster Movie
125. Frankenstein
- Frankenstein - 1931 - JamesWhale - United States - Horror
- Bride of Frankenstein - 1935 - James Whales - United States - Horror
126. King Kong - 1933 - Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack - United States - Monster Movie
127. Before Sunrise - 1995 - Richard Linklater - United States - Romance
128. The Godfather Trilogy
- The Godfather - 1972 - Francis Ford Coppola - United States -  Crime Drama
- The Godfather Part II - 1974 - Francis Ford Coppola - United States - Crime Drama
- The Godfather Part III - 1990 - Francis Ford Coppola - United States - Crime Drama
129. True Romance - 1993 - Tony Scott - United States - Crime
130. Saving Private Ryan - 1998 - Steven Speilberg - United States - War
131. The Producers - 1968 - Mel Brooks - United States - Comedy
132. Chinatown - 1974 - Roman Polanski - United States - Neo-Noir
133. The Usual Suspects - 1995 - Bryan Singer - United States - Crime Mystery
134. Gone With the Wind - 1939 - Victor Fleming - United States - Epic
135. The Queen - 2006 - Stephen Frears - United States - Drama
136. Jesus Christ Superstar - 1973 - Norman Jewison - United States - Biblical Musical
137. Freaks - 1932 - Tod Browning - United States - Horror
138. Jacob's Ladder - 1990 - Adrian Lyne - United States - Horror
139. Altered States - 1980 - Ken Russell - United States - SciFi Horror
140. Starship Troopers - 1997 - Paul Verhoeven - United States - SciFi Action
141. Castle in the Sky - (Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta) - 1986 - Hayao Miyazaki - Japan - Animated Fantasy
142. A Nightmare on Elm Street - 1984 - Wes Craven - United States - Horror
143. Rocky - 1976 - John G. Avildsen - United States - Sports Drama
144. Hellraiser - 1987 - Clive Barker - United States - Horror
145. Slumdog Millionaire - 2008 - Danny Boyle - United Kingdom - Drama
146. Message from Space (Uchū kara no Messēji) - 1978 - Kinji Fukasaku - Japan - SciFi Fantasy
147. Where the Wild Things Are - 2009 - Spike Jonze - United States - Dark Fantasy
148. Downfall (Der Untergang) - 2004 - Oliver Hirschbeigel - Germany - War Drama
149. Sleeping Beauty - 1959 - Clyde Geronimi, Les Clark, Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reitherman - United States - Disney Animation
150. Hercules - 1983 - Luigi Cozzi - Italy - Fantasy

 Hercules

151. Inception - 2010 - Master Christopher Nolan - United States/United Kingdom - SciFi Action
152. Up in the Air - 2009 - Jason Reitman - United States - Drama
153. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaijū Sōkōgeki) - 2001 - Shuseke Kaneko - Japan - Giant Monster Movie
154. Session 9 - 2001 - Brad Anderson - United States - Horror
155. Manos: The Hands of Fate (MST3K episode) - 1966 - Harold P. Warren - United States - Horror(?)
156. Being John Malcovich - 1999 - Spike Jonze - United States - Black Comedy
157. Big Fish - 2003 - Tim Burton - United States - Fantasy
158. The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 1975 - Jim Sharmon - United States - Transexual Musical
159. Showgirls - 1995 - Paul Verhoeven - United States - Satirical Porn(??), you'll have to ask Paul, because I have no idea
160. Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein - 1948 - Charles Barton - United States - Comedy
161. SLC Punk! - 1999 - James Merendino - United States - Punk Comedy
162. From Dusk Till Dawn - 1996 - Robert Rodriguez - United States - Crime... then Horror
163. Sukiyaki Western Django** (Sukiyaki Uesutan Jango) - 2007 - Takeshi Miike - Japan - Samurai Western
164. Pee-wee's Big Adventure - 1985 - Tim Burton - United States - Comedy
165. Big Trouble in Little China - 1986 - John Carpenter - United States - Comedy Kung-Fu
166. Deep Blue Sea - 1999 - Renny Harlin - United States - Monster Movie
167. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - 1977 - Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery - United States - Winnie the Pooh
168. An American Werewolf in London - 1981 - John Landis - United States - Horror
169. Patton - 1970 - Franklin J. Schaffner - United States - War Drama
170. Snatch - 2000 - Guy Ritchie - United Kingdom - Crime
171. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro) - 1979 - Hayao Miyazaki - Japan - Animated Crime Adventure
172. Freaked - 1993 - Alex Winter, Tom Stern - United States - Comedy
173. The Toxic Avenger - 1984 - Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz - United States - Horror Comedy
174. Flesh + Blood - 1985 - Paul Verhoeven - United States - Medieval Action Romance
175. 3:10 To Yuma - 2007 - James Mangold - United States - Western
176. Adaptation - 2002 - Spike Jonze - United States - Postmodern Drama
177. The Black Hole - 1979 - Gary Nelson - United States - SciFi Fantasy
178. Near Dark - 1987 - Kathryn Bigalow - United States - Horror Western
179. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - 2009 - Terry Gilliam - United Kingdom - Fantasy
180. American History X - 1998 - Tom Kaye - United States - Drama

American History X

181. O Brother, Where Art Thou? - 2000 - Coen Brothers - United States - Comedy Musical
182. Ray - 2004 - Taylor Hackford - United States - Drama
183. Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight - 1995 - Ernest P. Dickerson, Gilbert Adler - United States - Comedy
184. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Gekijōban Kaubōi Bibappu: Tengoku no Tobira) - 2001 - Shinichiro Watanabe - Japan - Action Anime
185. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! - 1988 - David Zucker - United States - Comedy
186. Amazon Women on the Moon - 1987 - Joe Dante - United States - ?????
187. The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Joheun nom nabbeun nom isanghan nom) - 2008 - Kim Ji-woon - South Korea - Western
188. The People Under the Stairs - 1991 - Wes Craven - United States - Horror


(PHEW! Longest post ever!)

Any questions?

I guess I'll update this next year, when I'm sure I'll have seen many more movies that deserve a spot on the list.  Until then, Merry Batman Week.


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* There are a few series that I've listed as just one entry.  Because it would be a pain in the ass to split them up.  My logic being:  if they're all one continuous story, they belong together.  If I felt the sequels were different enough to warrant special consideration, I listed them separate.  Star Wars, to me, is just one giant movie, I wouldn't dare watch just "Empire Strikes Back", without seeing "Star Wars" or "Return of the Jedi".  It just feels wrong.  The Prequels, however, are all of obviously inferior quality, feel different to me, so they're listed separately.  In fact, they're not on this list at all.

** I just watched this movie last night!