Last year I started a personal hall of fame for my favorite movies. A podcast I listen to called Filmspotting might consider it to be my own personal pantheon. Whatever you want to call it, I basically took 10 of my personal favorite films and inducted them to be considered the best of the best. Each year I plan to include ten more movies that I consider to be the best of the best.
Reflecting on the films I selected last year, I realized I listed them with no context of why they are my ten favorite. Since it was the first year I had ever done this sort of thing, it really didn't have any sort of format or rules with the inductions. So this year I decided in addition to the second top ten movies I would be inducting, I would also include short write-ups of why they are my favorites. I will include the original 10 from last year as well so they can get their own summary of greatness.
Here are the original inductees into my hall of fame:
The Godfather (1972) - This is my ultimate number one film of all time. It is the one that would go to a deserted island with me, the one I can put in at any time for any reason, and the one that will always be easily accessible for viewing on all types of medium. While The Godfather Part II continues the story of the Corleone family and shows its patriarchs violent rise to become the Godfather, the first film intimately introduces us to the characters and puts on display the inner-workings of a crime family. The countless accolades for The Godfather include three Academy Award wins, eight more nominations, seven Golden Globe nominations with five wins, five BAFTA nominations with one win, and a Grammy. The film is ranked at the top of innumerable lists and has sealed a legacy in pop culture with its unforgettable quotes and cinematic influence.
Casablanca (1942) - The winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, Casablanca has become a legendary film due to its flawless characters and memorable dialogue. Shot in sequence due to only half the script being complete at the start of filming, the movie reunites The Maltese Falcon stars Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre with Ingrid Bergman, Claude Raines, and Paul Henreid. While not a true film noir, the movie does implement many of director Michael Curitz's lighting and camera styles to give it a brooding tone. Casablanca expertly combines elements of romance, drama, suspense, and humor resulting in a classic for audiences of both sexes and all ages. Due to its wide audience appeal, the film finds itself on countless lists of great films. Along with the three Oscars it received, it was nominated in another five categories. In its first year of induction, the National Film Registry included Casablanca amongst the films deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The Writers Guild of America deemed the screenplay the best of all time. AFI repeatedly have selected Casablanca to its 100 Years lists, including 100 Movies, 100 Thrills, 100 Passions, 100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Songs, 100 Quotes (with six lines making it on the list), 100 Cheers, and 100 Movies Anniversary.
From Russia with Love (1963) - The film before Goldfinger, From Russia with Love is a true spy movie. Its utilization of fewer gadgets lets Bond use his wits rather than an Omega watch with built-in laser. There are twists and turns throughout the film that begins during the first Bond pre-title sequence where our hero is hunted down by a homicidal assassin named Donald "Red" Grant. From Russia with Love is adored by nearly all who view it, mixing humor, action, sexuality, and fun into a seamless adventure with suave Sean Connery carrying the picture the entire way.
Citizen Kane (1941) - Six sentences isn’t enough to extol the litany of great things Orson Welles’s directorial debut provided the history of cinema. A few of the innovations Citizen Kane provided for the film industry include narrative techniques, cinematography, camera angles, use of shadow and light, and experimentation with editing and sound. To be blunt, it completely changed the way movies were watched. A critical darling when first released, the movie did not do well at the box office, but since then it has frequently topped Best Of lists, including AFI’s 100 Movies and 100 Movies Anniversary lists, Sight & Sound, Editorial Jaguar, FIAF Centenary List, France Critics Top 10, Cahiers du cinéma 100 films pour une cinémathèque idéal, Kinovedcheskie Russia Top 10, Romanian Critics Top 10, Time Out Magazine Greatest Films, and Village Voice 100 Greatest Films. Citizen Kane was among the National Film Registry’s inaugural group in 1989. It received nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography, but ended up winning only in the Best Original Screenplay category.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - Moving performances, epic landscapes, and a mesmerizing score are all the things that make David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia an ambitious and masterful picture. Lean is able to take a bleak and savage place like the desert and romanticize it through the camera lens, creating a remarkable and beautiful backdrop to the story of World War I British army officer T.E. Lawrence, who helped mobilize a guerilla-style Arab revolt against the Ottoman Turkish rule. Although the historical accuracy is hotly debated, both in terms of events and representations of Lawrence, the film was an immediate success and has been fawned over for decades. Lawrence of Arabia is constantly among the top of lists touting the best in cinema, including the American Film Institute ranking it fifth, seventh, and first among its 100 Movies, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, and 10 Top 10 Epic lists. Other AFI lists the film is included in are 100 Thrills, 100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Scores, and 100 Cheers. In 1991, the Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. It received 10 Oscar nominations and won seven, including Best Picture and Best Director. The BAFTAs and Golden Globes also recognized its greatness, bestowing nine wins and another two nomination to the picture.
Back to the Future (1985) - Created on the premise of whether the screenwriter would have befriended his father had they attended the same high school, Back to the Future became the biggest hit of the year and led to a trilogy, animated television series, theme park ride, and several video games. Marty McFly travels back in time, unintentionally altering his would-be parents love story and working with his scientist friend to return to his own time. The film was universally praised for its acting and balanced storyline between dramatic tension, science fiction, and comedy. Back to the Future won an Academy Award for sound editing and received three other Oscar nominations. The movie also won Saturn and Hugo awards for Best Science Fiction Film and Best Dramatic Presentation. It was nominated for another two Saturn awards, five BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes. The success was so large, even President Ronald Regan mentioned the movie in his 1986 State of the Union address. Among the many other praise it has received, Back to the Future has been included in Best Of lists in Entertainment Weekly, Empire, The New York Times, and Total Film. It was also among the AFI 10 Top 10 in science fiction. The film was included in the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2007.
King Kong (1933) - Being filmed nearly 80 years ago, shooting in black-and-white, and use of stop-motion animation, this monster adventure film still stands up today as an exciting story with sentiment running throughout. Not the first movie to follow a formula of having a scientist or explorer test a theory in some strange, new land only to discover a monstrous aberration, with its solid casting, impressive animation, and striking soundtrack, King Kong is now a legendary Hollywood icon with unforgettable scenes at the top of the Empire State Building and battling a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Among the many accolades, AFI included it among its 100 Movies, 100 Thrills, 100 Passions, 100 Quotes, 100 Film Scores, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, and 10 Top 10 Fantasy lists. In 1991, King Kong was preserved by the Library of Congress in its National Film Registry.
The Great Dictator (1940) - In Charlie Chaplin’s first true “talkie,” the legendary filmmaker wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the first major motion picture to satirize Nazism and Adolph Hitler, resulting in a masterpiece of film. The Great Dictator was also Chaplin’s greatest financial success. The film’s out-of-character plea regarding war and oppression is one of the most moving moments this form of art has ever captured on celluloid. It was winless in five categories at the Academy Awards, losing in Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Outstanding Production. The Library of Congress included The Great Dictator in its 1997 class to the National Film Registry. It was ranked at 37 on AFI’s 100 Laughs list.
Jaws (1975) - Movies need all of its parts to be spectacular. The acting, screenplay, music, cinematography, and effects all have to mesh fluidly. Another ingredient that sets the tone is the tagline, and Jaws had a great one: Don’t go in the water. Steven Spielberg’s classic about a shark terrorizing a beach town became a watermark moment in Hollywood as it started what has become the summer blockbuster season. Jaws became the most successful motion picture of all time financially, being beaten two years later by Star Wars. In 2001, it was included by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry and in 2006 the screenplay was ranked 63rd best of all time by the Writers Guild of America. Winning three Academy Awards, it lost Best Picture to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Along with winning the Oscar, John Williams’ haunting theme also won the Grammy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe awards for best score. It received other nominations at the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Director’s Guild of America, and Writers Guild of America ceremonies. The American Film Institute included it at number 48 on its 100 Years list, 56 on its 10th Anniversary list, and many other sources have ranked it among the 50 and 100 greatest films of all time. It was also among AFI’s 100 Quotes, 100 Thrills and 100 Heroes and Villains lists.
Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Acclaimed for intense and graphic sequences of war violence, including the opening scene that depicts soldiers storming Omaha Beach on D-day, Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan is an epic story detailing the horrors of war that surrounded a small group of men searching for a single man in all of German-occupied France. Its depiction of warfare was so realistic, there are reports of World War II veterans walking out of the film rather than suffer the memories Speilberg was able to recall through his photography. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winning five awards and resulting in Spielberg garnering his second Best Director award. However, the movie's lack of a Best Picture win puts it on the losing side in one of the greatest upsets in Academy history. Other award ceremonies recognizing the picture were the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, Saturn Awards, and Grammys. Saving Private Ryan was celebrated among critics and earned significant returns at the box office. The American Film Institute included the picture among its 100 Thrills, 100 Cheers, 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition, and 10 Top 10 Epics lists.
And now we move into the induction of our next 10 films for Matt's personal hall of fame. Here are numbers 11 through 20 of my personal favorite movies.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Fashioned after the idea of bringing a modern-day form of 1930s and 40s serials to moviegoers in the 80s, Indiana Jones was introduced to audiences to overwhelming praise. Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest grossing film of the year and remains one of the highest grossing films of all time. It is deemed a classic in the action-adventure category and nearly universally praised by critics. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards including best picture, winning four and receiving a fifth special award for sound effects editing. The film received three BAFTA nominations. It also won a Grammy and People’s Choice Award. Director Steven Spielberg was nominated for his work at the Golden Globes. Due to the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a prequel, two sequels, a television series, books, comics, and video games were spawned. AFI included the movie among the top 100 Films, 100 Films 10th Anniversary, and Top 10 Thrills and Indiana Jones its second greatest hero on the 100 Heroes and Villains list. Empire magazine considers Raiders of the Lost Ark to be the second greatest movie, bested only by The Godfather. In 1999, it was included in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.
The Godfather Part II (1974) - One of the most distinguishing accolades bestowed upon the Godfather series is that The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are the only film and its sequel to win the Oscar for Best Picture. This is the continuation of the Corleone family as Michael attempts to legitimize the family business. It is balanced by the prequel story of a young Vito Corleone and his rise to power. The Godfather: Part II is as highly regarded as its predecessor, it is considered an influential piece of cinema history, especially in the crime/gangster genre. Financially, it was the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year, making $193 million on a $13 million budget. Among its numerous accolades, The Godfather: Part II was featured on Sight and Sound’s list of the ten greatest films of all time in 1992 and 2002, is ranked seventh on Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, and is first on TV Guide’s 1998 list of the 50 Greatest Movies of All Time on TV and Video. Pacino’s performance also garnered great praise throughout the film industry and media. In total, it received 19 Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations, winning in seven categories. It has also made five of AFI’s Top 100 lists.
North by Northwest (1959) - My personal favorite of all of Hitchcock’s films, North by Northwest is also one of his most critically favored among the innocent man on the run stories. Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason give commanding performances in this stylish thriller with a finale set amongst one of America’s most historic monuments. Ranking at 98 in Empire magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Films of All Time, North by Northwest is considered a masterpiece in filmmaking for its themes of deception, mistaken identity, and moral relativism. The movie was nominated for three Academy Awards and won a 1960 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. In 1995, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Among AFI movie lists, North by Northwest ranked among its 100 Movies, 100 Thrills, 100 Movies Anniversary, and 10 Top 10 Mystery lists.
Alien (1979) - Trapped in the confines of a space craft as a monstrous extraterrestrial life form terrorizes the crew, Alien delivered on every level as a great science fiction, horror, suspense, and/or action movie. The film works for all types of moviegoers, ranging from the slow-paced thriller types to gore-fest enthusiasts. The original in a long-running series introduced various aspects of the alien creature, including the egg, facehugger, chestburster, and fully grown alien. Alien won the Academy Award for Visual Effects and was also nominated for Best Art Direction. It won three Saturn Awards in Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction, and Best Supporting Actress, and was also nominated in four other categories. It received five BAFTA nominations and won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Jerry Goldsmith's score received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - This is a phenomenal movie that improved upon what its predecessor had begun. The story continues the struggles of the Jedi-led rebellion against the Dark Side Empire, with Luke studying and training under Master Yoda. Initially received to mixed reviews, the appreciation and esteem for this film has grown over the years and is now considered to be not only the best in the series, but one of the greatest movies of all time. It was the highest grossing movie of its year and, adjusted for inflation, as of 2012 it is at number 12 on the all-time domestic box office records list. The Empire Strikes Back won an Academy Award for sound mixing as well as a Special Achievement Award for visual effects and two other nominations were received. John Williams’ score won Grammy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards and two other BAFTA nominations were included for best sound and production design. The film also received four Saturn Awards and a Hugo Award. Darth Vader was ranked the third greatest villain on the AFI 100 Heroes and Villains list. In 2010, the film was included in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”
Die Hard (1988) - Cited as the summer blockbuster lone gunman, shoot-‘em-up action movie all subsequent action movies have been compared with, Die Hard has stood the test of time as a gripping thrill ride filled with violent exploits and comedic one-liners. Turning Bruce Willis into a movie star, the film follows New York detective John McClane as he singlehandedly attempts to stop a group of terrorists in a Los Angeles high-rise. The movie was a financial success and most critics loved the tense storyline and humorous performance Willis was able to give, despite his character being in such a dangerous situation. Die Hard received four Academy Award nominations and Michael Kamen’s score earned him an award win. The movie ranked at 39 on AFI’s 100 Thrills list and Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber came in at 46 on the 100 Heroes and Villains list. McClane, Gruber, the hero’s catchphrase, and the movie in general have also made countless other lists regarding the greatest aspects of film in history.
Forrest Gump (1994) - Second guessing an Academy Award winning best picture is nothing new and there are not many movies that have won the top Oscar as emotionally gratifying as Forrest Gump, but for some reason there are several moviegoers who find the fictional biographical tale that covers multiple newsworthy moments in American history across numerous decades so trite. Along with the Best Picture win, the film was also awarded an Oscar for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing. It also received seven Golden Globe nominations, winning in three categories, along with numerous other accolades were bestowed upon the movie at the People's Choice Awards, Saturn Awards, and Young Artist Awards. With powerful performances, a top-selling soundtrack, and symbolism laced throughout Forrest Gump, the real standout achievement of the movie are the special effects that incorporated Tom Hanks' character into real-life archive footage. The AFI included the film in its 100 Movies, 100 Movies 10th Anniversary, 100 Quotes, and 100 Cheers lists and the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2001.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Initially receiving a tepid reception from audiences and barely making its money back on the initial box office run, Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption has since grown to become an exemplary case in storytelling and acting. The story, based on a novella from Stephen King, is about a banker named Andy Dufresne, imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover, befriends a fellow inmate and becomes the warden's personal treasurer in a money laundering scheme. The Shawshank Redemption received seven Academy Awrds nominations, but went home empty-handed. It did win two Golden Globes and received nominations at the Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, and American Society of Cinematographers award ceremonies. AFI ignored the film in its initial 100 Movies list, but upon review for the 10th Anniversary Edition it ranked at 72. It was also included in AFI's 10 Cheers list. Readers of Empire magazine ranked the film as the best film of the 1990s and IMDb users have listed the movie as the greatest of all time as of this writing.
Goodfellas (1990) - Americans have always had a fascination for the mafia and Martin Scorsese's inside look into the criminal fraternity is the greatest since Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather films in the 1970s. Goodfellas follows the rise and fall of Lucchese family foot soldier Henry Hill and his associates. The film is based on Hill's biography Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family by Nicholas Pileggi. The film received overwhelming positive feedback and was named the best movie of the year by several film critics, including Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, and Peter Travers. Earning six Academy Award, five Golden Globe, and seven BAFTA nominations, the movie received six wins total. It also received a myriad of nominations and wins at other award ceremonies. Publicatons including Sight and Sound, Time, Empire, Total Film, and Premiere rated Goodfellas among the best films of all time and inspired the creation of HBO's The Sopranos. It ranked 94th and 92nd on AFI's 100 Movies and 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition lists, respectively, and ranked second on AFI's 10 Top 10 Gangster films. In 2000, it was included in the National Film Registry.
Gone with the Wind (1939) - An epic that rivals all epic films, producer David O. Selznick and director Victor Fleming made a movie that garnered 10 Academy Awards, a record at the time, and won the Best Picture Oscar in a year that is considered the greatest individual season of filmmaking ever that included such nominees as Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, and Wuthering Heights. The movie premiere was such a big event, it was shown at the end of a three-day climax of festivities in Atlanta, which included a parade of limousines featuring stars from the film, false antebellum fronts on stores and homes, and a costume ball. Becoming the highest-grossing film of all time and holding the position until 1966, Gone With the Wind was the longest running American sound film made up to that point, coming in at 3 hours 44 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. When inflation is taken into account, it still holds the record for most money earned in theaters. The AFI listed it fourth on its 100 Movies and 10 To 10 Epic, second on its 100 Passions and 100 Film Scores, first, 31st, and 59th, on its 100 Quotes, 43rd on its 100 Cheers, and sixth on its 100 Movies Anniversary lists. This classic was among the inaugural films to be deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.
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