Favorite Movies
In order. The year of my most recent viewing and the age at which I first saw each movie are both listed. This may help determine the role that my nostalgia plays in the rankings.
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- DirectorTim BurtonStarsPaul ReubensElizabeth DailyMark HoltonWhen eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.2023, 7(???). I could make a case for others being #1 but pee wee is just a delight. 2022: Little "deep" message, but tons of fun and still makes me laugh harder than any other movie. Tim Burton's alt-50s kitsch carries the movie along with the writing, the impossible performances (how are B characters this on-point?), and the Elfman soundtrack. I don't feel the clouds parting and saying "THIS IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE", but when in recent memory have I felt this good about a movie?
- DirectorBrad BirdJan PinkavaStarsBrad GarrettLou RomanoPatton OswaltA rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.2022, 12: Even after 2 years away, I still don't feel the same about Ratatouille as before. A conceptually perfect film that coincides with all of my interests. Maybe being more open about my life makes the sneaking around plot less interesting?
2020 review: It's getting harder to keep this at #1. It's incredible, but I've seen it probably 10 times by now. It's my #1 for now, but I can imagine it dropping a few slots.
Old review: Powerful message which is told in a great way. Beautiful environments and a funny script. Was #2 on this list in the year after I saw "Synecdoche, New York", but I adore Ratatouille so much that it couldn't stay down forever. :) - DirectorCharlie KaufmanStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanSamantha MortonMichelle WilliamsA theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.2020, 19: Like Ratatouille, I'd be fine with this dropping some slots. It is fantastic, but some of the magic left me during the rewatch.
Finding Nemo, Forrest Gump, and The Lion King are plausible candidates for the top five at this point.
2015, 19: Wonderful. It is about art, death, love, illness, and time. We see the main character's life at important stages, but to him and to the audience much of his life is unknown. The movie's triumph is its combination of literal facts with metaphorical events in order to describe certain feelings.
The reality of the film is not the reality we experience. It is much weirder, but real enough to be relatable. The differences between the film and the real world initially seem humorous, but as the film deviates further from reality, the implications of its world become clear.
If we were watching through the eyes of a neutral third-party, "Synecdoche, New York" could happen in real life. Although the main character cannot separate his delusions from his life, the film is far more than a series of hallucinations.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is able to enjoy ambiguity in movies. It is from one of the co-writers of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". - DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.2021, 13(???): #Shawtake: Still a top 5, but I took a few minutes trying to see if I should move it down. I wouldn't change a scene. The warden looking through andy's tunnel, as well as andy smiling in the rain, are beautiful. "Andy Dufrene, who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side" is still one of my favorite quotes.
the most difficult part of rating this movie is how deceptively simple it is. there are like 3 major plot moments and the rest of it is just showing how characters and the prison operate. but the themes it deals with are universal:- the humanity within us all
- the cruelty of evil systems
- banality of evil
- routines, time, being left behind by society
- getting revenge on evil people
on this watch, i was really struck by how impossible it is today. maybe you could never invent a person by mail, but i bet you could do a lot by mail back in the 40s-60s. before facial recognition and license plate readers, we had a freedom we may never get back.
i've seen it 4-6 times and i could almost set my watch by all the events i know are coming. i'm still enraptured which is a really good sign. Passed my No Phone Checks with flying colors. - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsHitoshi TakagiNoriko HidakaChika SakamotoWhen two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.2023, 13
- DirectorAndrew StantonLee UnkrichStarsAlbert BrooksEllen DeGeneresAlexander GouldAfter his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.2021, 8. Max rank: 6 (2016)
- DirectorYoshifumi KondôStarsYoko HonnaIssei TakahashiTakashi TachibanaA love story between a girl who loves reading books, and a boy who has previously checked out all of the library books she chooses.2023, 28: I spent literally 20+ minutes crying during this movie. Maybe the most realistic characters in cinema.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobin WilliamsMichael GambonJoan CusackWhen Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toys forever.2023, 26: Visually stunning, excellent message, everyone gave 100%.
- DirectorPete DocterDavid SilvermanLee UnkrichStarsBilly CrystalJohn GoodmanMary GibbsIn order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.2024, 6
- DirectorRoger AllersRob MinkoffStarsMatthew BroderickJeremy IronsJames Earl JonesLion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.2023, 3(?): IRL vibes were off on my rewatch. Every frame of this is gorgeous. 2020: The only movie thus far to be exiled from this list, only to return years later. The Lion King is the sum total of human existence. It dares to imagine, to dream, to find beauty and color in the natural world, to break into song, to have sorrow and grow from it. In my estimation, this is the movie I've seen the most, and it provides a comfort I will probably never grow tired of.
- DirectorShane CarruthStarsShane CarruthDavid SullivanCasey GoodenFour friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.2024, 18: Incredible. I watched it twice over the span of a few days because its story is told so well. View count: 10. A record for movies I first saw as an adult.
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsCraig T. NelsonSamuel L. JacksonHolly HunterWhile trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.2024, 9
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsEmile HirschMatthew FoxChristina RicciYoung driver, Speed Racer, aspires to be champion of the racing world with the help of his family and his high-tech Mach 5 automobile.2022, 20: 2020 update: I've seen Speed Racer 5 times in 4 years. I saw it 3 times in 13 months. It's such a different, fun, exciting movie that it's hard to stay away. The fact that my opinion hasn't cooled is a strong sign it belongs here, probably even up a few spots. I'm tentatively putting it above The Game and below Primer, but I could see it going up or down about 5 spots. It's been so long since I've seen most of these that I don't know how I feel about them anymore. Former ranking: 18 (2019).
Original: What makes Speed Racer fantastic is its constant ambition. It's one of the most colorful movies I have seen. Speed Racer is encouraging because the high-budget, high-quality special effects are unimportant for its artistic statement. Speed Racer would still blow you away even if it were made in someone's garage. It takes money to have a 3D-rendered racecar leave a radioactive, red light trail. It takes art to decide the car should leave a trail in the first place. - DirectorPeter SohnStarsJeffrey WrightFrances McDormandMaleah Nipay-PadillaIn a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.2022, 26: This movie is doing incredibly advanced, interesting things in a seemingly basic plot framework. There are brilliant times they convey Arlo's anxiety and PTSD without spelling it out. This is a movie about anxiety that never uses the word "anxiety". This is one of, if not the high watermark of combining child-level storytelling with adult themes. It's also shockingly dark, with plenty of deaths and threats thereof. They drive home the ruthlessness of the environment as a contrast to Arlo's home. The visuals are still a knockout 6 years later. Not only that, the aesthetics are carrying the visuals. Stylistically, there are tons of sunsets, reflections, lighting through plants, and wide vistas.
2016, 20: Went from 8/10, 9/10, to 10/10 over the course of three viewings. Max rank: 6ish. - DirectorJohn LasseterStarsTom HanksTim AllenDon RicklesA cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.2022, 2-3: I cannot place Toy Story within this list. I could make a case for it being better/worse than any one item. I've loved Toy Story my whole life, but on the rewatch I was struck by it. Perfect screenplay, composition, lighting with a strong message that is shown, not told.
A masterpiece and a work of genius.
Act 1 setup
Act 2 inversion
Act 3 putting together everything from acts 1 and 2
Monsters Inc does this too, where act 3 is just a showoff of what's possible in the rich world. - DirectorPierre PerifelStarsSam RockwellMarc MaronAwkwafinaTo avoid prison, a gang of notorious animal criminals pretends to seek being rehabilitated, only for their leader to realize that he genuinely wants to change his ways.2022, 27
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonWhen Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.2023, 25
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.2023, 7(?). The platonic ideal of a movie. (English dub)
2015 review: Everything is great. But the original script was for 3 hours and it shows. This movie is jam-packed with plot and as such, I can't appreciate it as much as My Neighbor Totoro. I also had Spirited Away on VHS so I've probably seen it at least 20 times. Maybe that's part of it. - DirectorAndrew DavisStarsShia LaBeoufSigourney WeaverJon VoightA wrongfully convicted boy is sent to a brutal desert detention camp where he joins the job of digging holes for some mysterious reason.2024, 8: Holes was once my favorite book and this film is probably better.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.2024, 8? 6? 12 at the latest. Seen it more than almost any movie on here.
Flawless script, execution, characters, visual placement, interplay between scenes and concepts. Tons of in jokes you don't see on watch 1.
This snapshot of 88 is fascinating:
Japanese world dominance
Women at work
Women role in household
Terrorism and what it means pre WTC bombing, pre Oklahoma city, pre 9/11
Latin American immigrants
Police shootings
Argyle and Black culture
The technology - DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossFreedom fighters Neo, Trinity and Morpheus continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation.2021, 7: Saw this once in theaters and don't remember loving it or even liking it. Too much talking for a 7 year old. Fast forward 19 years. I've seen Patrick (H) Willems' video on it a few times and I just saw Matrix 1 so I could follow the plot. I love all the fights (better than the lobby in 1) and the philosophizing. Worst scene is probably the Merovingian and even he is fun, though creepy. Watch the Final Flight of the Osiris first, it's great.
https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/12/18660107/the-matrix-movies-sequels-video-games-comics-reloaded - DirectorPaul Michael GlaserStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerMaria Conchita AlonsoYaphet KottoIn a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.2023, 26: Robocop has much more to say, but there's never a dull moment here.
- DirectorKarel ZemanStarsLubor TokosArnost NavrátilMiroslav HolubAn evil millionaire named Artigas plans to use a super-explosive device to conquer the world from his headquarters inside an enormous volcano.2022, 26: Never seen a movie that looks like this, even The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen from the same director.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.2021, 13(???). Peak rating: ~17
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMeryl StreepBruce WillisGoldie HawnWhen a fading actress learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.2023, 28: Okay maybe this isn't a 10. I was sick while watching. But the mirror work alone adds 4 stars, and the production design adds 3 stars. The last 3 stars are because it's a good movie.
- DirectorAnnabel JankelRocky MortonStarsBob HoskinsJohn LeguizamoDennis HopperTwo Brooklyn plumbers, Mario and Luigi, must travel to another dimension to rescue a princess from the evil dictator King Koopa and stop him from taking over the world.2023, 28
- DirectorTellerStarsTim JenisonPenn JilletteMartin MullInventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.2023, 25
- DirectorPeter GreenawayStarsJohn GielgudMichael ClarkMichel BlancThe magician Prospero attempts to stop his daughter's affair with an enemy.2022, 25: Honorable mention down here. Both times I've watched this I've been near-asleep by halfway through. The second time I watched, I intentionally waited for a day I was super tired. There's a magic dream logic to the movie that I worry would not work well when fully awake. The script sounds beautiful on the ears even when I barely understand it (because it's middle English?). I adore what this movie is going for.
- DirectorJeff MalmbergStarsMark HogancampEmmanuel NnejiEdda HogancampDocumentary about Mark Hogancamp. After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard. Inspired the movie Welcome to Marwen (2018)2022, 27: Feels wrong at a 10 but I can find no flaw.