My Top 20 Favorite Movies of All Time

Celebrating my 100th blog posting, I have decided to share a little bit more about myself by coming up with a list of my personal 20 favorite movies of all time. So let's get right into it:

20. Cool Runnings

Seriously, who doesn't love to watch this movie? It is fun, exciting, funny and inspirational. This is one of the most quotable movies ever in my opinion. Not to mention the great John Candy in one of his best roles.

19. Blues Brothers

A classic movie with Tom Arnold and John Belushi. This movie has tons of great music and great musicians. Not to mention that it's funny as hell.

18. Fight Club

Based on a book by Chuck Palahniuk, this movie is a social satire. Mocking corporations and, let's be honest, the stupidity of men and mob mentality. An intense movie with some great performances by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.

17. Back to the Future

This really encompasses the entire trilogy. All three movies are hilarious and, in my opinion, the best roles Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. These movies are classics that I could watch over and over again.

16. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This is by far my favorite Steven Spielberg movie. It is also probably my favorite performance by Richard Dreyfuss. This movie has an amazing story and great performances all around. It is just fun to watch sometimes.

15. Three Amigos

This movie combined the comedic genius minds of Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short. I could quote this movie all day, it is hilarious from start to finish with just the right amount of camp.

14. Watchmen

The best graphic novel of all time was turned into a gorgeous and accurately represented movie by Zack Snyder. This movie is amazing to watch, especially if you are a fan of the graphic novel, as most of the scenes look like they came right out of the book. Great performances all around and an extremely compelling story line. If you haven't seen the Ultimate Cut with the Tales of the Dark Freighter woven back into the story line, do so.

13. Wayne's World

Really the only good SNL skit turned movie ever… Well, Coneheads was pretty good too. But Mike Myers and Dana Carvey were perfect in this movie. This movie is hilarious, easily quotable and set to an amazing soundtrack. Not to mention Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere, Brian Doyle Murphy and Lara Flynn Boyle are great in it as well.

12. Stargate

Roland Emmerich's opus, and by that I mean that it is the only Emmerich movie that lives up to what it's supposed to be. There isn't much action in it, but there doesn't need to be. The story and plot are fantastic and can be enjoyed by sci-fi fanatics and others alike. James Spader and Kurt Russell are fantastic in it as well. Easily one of the best sci-fi movies ever.

11. North by Northwest

I love a good portion of Alfred Hitchcock's movies and while he mostly is known for his horror I feel this suspense movie about mistaken identity is his best. Carey Grant, who is one of my favorite actors of all time, gives an amazing performance in this movie and Eva Marie Saint is wonderful. This is an exciting movie to watch, the story is great and the dialogue is great and witty at times. If you have never seen this movie, go watch it, it's fantastic.

10. The Abyss (Director's Cut)

This is James Cameron at his best, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love The Terminator, True Lies, Avatar and Aliens, but this movie is just so original. Not to mention that, once again, the special effects were ground breaking for its time. I specify the extended Director's Cut because the theatrical cut leaves out so much, including the message the alien entities are trying to make. It is a wonderful movie with a great story and great acting. If you haven't seen it, do so now.

9. O' Brother, Where Art Thou? / The Big Lebowski

I'll start off by saying that I am a huge fan of the Odyssey, it is my favorite story of all time. O' Brother is the most creative and ingenious telling of that story I have ever seen. The Coen brothers really did an amazing job with this movie. Every shot is just beautiful and the movie is loaded with fantastic music. And of course, George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson are amazing in the lead roles and John Goodman has a great part in it too.

The Big Lebowski is a classic. Again, the Coen brothers did an amazing job with this movie. It is absolutely hilarious from start to finish as it is filled with so many great lines. Jeff Bridges gives the best performance of his career in this movie. The rest of the cast is great too and includes John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. This movie has become a cult classic and it is just fun to watch in your bath robe while sipping on a white russian.

8. Iron Man

I love superhero/comic book movies, and this is as good as it gets. Jon Favreau did an amazing job with this movie. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrance Howard are great in it as well. It is just a fun movie to watch. It's exciting and full of action and just the right amount of humor. The best super hero origin movie ever. I can watch this movie over and over.

7. Harvey

A classic movie about a man, Elwood P. Dowd, who is a mild-mannered, pleasant man who just so happens to claim that he is friends with an 6 foot tall invisible rabbit. A classic comedy starring one of my favorite actors, James Stewart, in one of the best performances of his career. Very funny and enjoyable to watch. Speilberg is currently talking about remaking this movie, not sure if it will live up to the original.

6. The Incredibles

I love Pixar's movies, they are all just so amazing. But my personal favorite Pixar movie, and personal favorite animated movie, is the Incredibles. It is a joyous movie that shows a topic I have debated myself, what happens to superheroes when they retire. This movie is a hilarious and heartfelt movie that everybody can enjoy.

5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This movie blew me away when I saw it for the first time. The story is absolutely amazing and every time I watch this movie I am hooked from start to finish. David Fincher did such an amazing job directing this movie. It is absolutely gorgeous. The technical aspects of the movie are amazing as well. Brad Pitt gives the performance of a lifetime as the title character. Cate Blanchett and Taraji P. Henson gave amazing performances as well. This movie is simply one of the best movies ever made, in my opinion.

4. Clerks

I have to admit, this really encompasses all of Kevin Smith's movies; Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks II and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. But it all started with Clerks, Smith's debut into writing and directing. Made for a measly $27 thousand, it is a work of genius. It has some of the best dialogue of any movie out there and it is absolutely hilarious while still maintaining a good story. All of Kevin Smith's movies are loaded with raunchy humor but they also tend to have a ton of heart to them.

3. Star Wars

The classic go to sci-fi movie. This was the movie that started it all, introduced us to so many classic characters. The story is fun and exciting to watch. It has spawned many sequels, some great some bad, but I love them all. This movie is simply fantastic and so much fun to watch, no matter who you are.

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The best John Highes movie ever, in my opinion. It tells a great story about a boy in high school who decides to play hooky with his best friend and his girlfriend. They go on a wild adventure in downtown Chicago, eating at a fancy restaurant, going to an art museum, going to a baseball game, crashing a parade and more. Along the way, the characters learn more about themselves and each other. It is a beautiful story and to top it off, it is extremely funny. Sad thing is, I would ditch school or work and watch this movie, how ironic.

1. Top Gun

I could, and have, watch this movie over and over and over. There is just something so great about. It is loaded with action, drama, romance and humor, everything you could every want from a movie. It is extremely quotable and I could probably recite this movie by heart. It has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are awesome in it. Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt and Michael Ironside are great in it as well. Fun fact, Tim Robbins is in it too, for a brief period. I absolutely love this movie, cannot get enough of it. If I could only keep one movie from my vast collection, this would be it, no questions. It is so much fun to watch with a large group too, like last summer at Film on the Rocks, listening to everybody cheer along with the movie, so much fun.