Ah yes, the first of many planned sequels. Hopefully my $0 budget can sustain us through the end of the list…
11. Cast Away (2000)
Self-isolating before it was cool, Tom Hanks stars in the definitive entry in the niche subgenre of person-stranded-alone movies. The film doesn’t stop at exploring the physical and mental tolls of being isolated on a desert island; it makes a concerted effort to remind us of the simple joys in life. We’re entertained by Hank’s ingenious survival skills, but we’re emotionally invested in his highs and lows that, if we’re being honest, we all feel in our everyday lives, just to a less heightened degree.
12. Citizen Kane (1941)
It’s been called “the greatest movie of all time,” “the most influential movie ever,” and “a must-watch for all aspiring filmmakers,” but don’t let such lofty labels scare you off from a movie that is altogether accessible. Citizen Kane follows its titular character, Charles Foster Kane, through his life, from modest beginnings to a newspaper emperor. Orson Welles commands the screen and breaths life into a man full of pride, greed, and *maybe some regret?*. Oh, and the camera techniques and novel editing choices broke new cinematic ground, if you care about that sort of thing.
13. The Dark Knight (2008)
If Batman Begins perfected the comic book movie, then The Dark Knight transcended it. More of a crime thriller than a conventional “beat up the bad guy” plot, we follow the most iconic comic book villain of all time, Heath Ledger’s Joker, on his quest to destroy Gotham’s two symbols of peace: Batman and district attorney Harvey Dent. The insane cat-and-mouse game causes both our heroes and we the audience to ask, what motivates us to true heroism? Thrilling, scary, and thought-provoking, The Dark Knight will stay with you long after the credits roll.
14. Dunkirk (2017)
When I think of the first time I saw Dunkirk, one word comes to mind: visceral. I wasn’t just watching someone run from a bomb raid, I was running. I wasn’t just watching a dog fight, I was in the cockpit. This World War II epic follows nameless soldiers in 3 different settings as they all work together in attempt to evacuate nearly 400,000 men trapped on the beach of Dunkirk. The increasingly claustrophobic setting and a musical score that evokes the ticking of a watch provide a true sense of terror and urgency that help us empathize with the plight of our protagonists. Come for the triumph in filmmaking, stay for the triumph of the human spirit.
15. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow feels like a movie that should have been a huge success, that should have blown up the box office, but it wasn’t, and didn’t. Due to a poor marketing campaign and odd premise, many skipped this sci fi action thrill ride, and it’s a crying shame. We follow Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a victim of circumstance who finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. Oh, and that day just so happens to be a full-blown alien invasion. Cruise and Emily Blunt lead a bombastic, witty, and surprisingly funny adventure as they seek to reverse their fortunes and stop the alien takeover. If my description sounds like an amalgamation of several things you’ve seen before, it is, but the execution is so fresh and enjoyable that it becomes something that is entirely its own thing.
16. Elf (2003)
Christmas comedies come in all shapes and sizes, this one being in the form of a 6 foot three man child, and it might just be the funniest of them all. Elf follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human raised by North Pole elves, now on a quest to find his real father. The sheer number of jokes and gags makes for an easy annual rewatch, and Will Ferrell was born to play the immature, optimistic, and oh-so-loveable man-elf. The third act’s conventional tugs at the heartstrings also play surprisingly well, reminding us to treat every day like Christmas.
17. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Ah, Wes Anderson. The local bookshop of movie directors. His obsession with symmetry, oddball characters, and meta humor are all woven together to create a delightfully eclectic style, and in Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson finds the perfect medium for his sensibilities: stop-motion animation. Focusing on a collection of anthropomorphized creatures, led by the titular Mr. Fox, the film takes a much more mature approach to the tried and true theme of “being true to yourself,” as a father, mother, and son navigate personal and relational identity crises. Half comedy, half storybook adventure, Fantastic Mr. Fox is sure to unleash the (civilized) beast within.
18. The Farewell (2019)
Coming together as a family can be tough, but doing so with family that lives on the other side of the globe proves to be a herculean task in The Farewell. Young New Yorker Billi (Awkwafina) finds herself in a conflict of culture clash when the rest of her family refuses to tell her grandmother that she (the grandma) has terminal cancer, as is customary in China. This touching dramedy follows Billi’s journey to China and her attempts to say goodbye without saying, well, goodbye. It’ll make you think, it’ll make you laugh, and it might even make you shed a tear.
19. Finding Nemo (2003)
*Jerry Seinfeld voice* What’s the deal with Pixar and helping someone find his way back home? First Buzz in Toy Story, then Boo in Monsters, Inc., and now Nemo in Finding Nemo. Still the funniest Pixar movie to date, clownfish Marlin and his friend Dory race across the ocean to find Marlin’s son Nemo, who was taken by reef divers. Though it may not seem like it by today’s standards, Finding Nemo’s water scenery was revolutionary in the early days of digital animation, cementing Pixar as the premiere animation studio. Is it a comedy, a touching father-son story, or a buddy road trip flick? Yes, yes, and yes.
20. Franchise Spotlight: The Star Wars Original Trilogy
“For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire.” Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: a New Hope (1977)
From an independent film to an overnight sensation, Star Wars has captured the imagination of every generation since its release in 1977. But what is it about Star Wars that makes it special? Why has it endured?
It certainly doesn’t break new ground story-wise. The hero’s journey dates back to at least Greek mythology. Ideas of a unifying force and its balance have been around in Eastern philosophy for even longer. It has revolutionary special effects, but so have other films before and after it. The creative sci fi world draws inspiration from Buck Rogers and others. And likable heroes and evil villains certainly weren’t novel storytelling concepts.
Maybe it’s not one of these elements, but all of them packaged together in a way that brings out our child-like wonder and sense of adventure. Maybe mixing together all of the borrowed elements, like ingredients in a master chef’s recipe, combined to bring us something brand new. Whatever the reasons may be, these 3 films will always hold a special place in my movie-loving heart.
Watch Order: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Thanks for reading! Do you have any thoughts on the list so far? Comment below! Part 3 of the list will be up around this time tomorrow. Until then, may the force be with you.
The(o)nly Movie Blog 