Category Explanation

I broke up my favorite movies into sub-categories because it was way to hard to compare almost 400 against one another without splitting them into similar groupings. Many of the movies could've gone into multiple categories but I put each one into the category that seemed most logical to me. Here are the categories and my explanation for each:

Action / Adventure:
This category includes movies in which the characters are moving throughout most of the movie. Car chases, battles, sci-fi... that kind of thing.

Family / Drama / Documentary:
These movies are focused on the telling of a story and are usually full of word heavy, low-action shots. Not all of these are family movies so be careful! I also included several documentaries, including a few about rock bands.

Mystery / Thriller:
This category is made for the plot twist, seat-edge, keep-you-guessing style of movie. Some are scary or startling, some are not.

Comedy:
Movies that are meant to be funny first and foremost.

Romantic Comedy:
Comedies where the central plot revolves around a man and a woman falling in love and the hilarity that ensues.

Animated:
Full-length animated movies.

PS. If you think I missed a glaringly obvious movie that should be on one of my lists, please leave a comment and let me know.

My Favorite Drama / Family / Documentary movies

Here are my favorite family / drama / documentary movies in order:

1. O Brother, Where art Thou?
2. Passion Of The Christ
3. Schindler’s List
4. Big Fish
5. A Family Thing
6. Finding Forrester
7. Stranger Than Fiction
8. Nativity Story
9. I Am Sam
10. Amazing Grace
11. Saving Private Ryan
12. King Of California
13. Forrest Gump
14. Hotel Rwanda
15. One Night With The King
16. A Christmas Story
17. Akeelah And The Bee
18. Labyrinth
19. Amistad
20. Young At Heart
21. Dead Poets Society
22. Once
23. Awakenings
24. Million Dollar Baby
25. Good Will Hunting
26. The Cast Away
27. Benny And Joon
28. Drugstore Cowboy
29. The Defiant Ones
30. Freedom Writers
31. The Bucket List
32. Chaos Theory
33. Dan In Real Life
34. Field Of Dreams
35. Hurricane
36. The Mission
37. Finding Neverland
38. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
39. Apollo 13
40. Bridge To Terabithia
41. LA Story
42. Hook
43. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
44. Edward Scissorhands
45. Dances With Wolves
46. A Beautiful Mind
47. Blow
48. Into The Wild
49. Eight Below
50. Facing The Giants
51. How To Eat Fried Worms
52. It’s A Wonderful Life
53. Spanglish
54. Masada
55. The Motorcycle Diaries
56. Flyboys
57. Miracle On 34th Street
58. The Namesake
59. Pay It Forward
60. March Of The Penguins
61. The Pursuit Of Happyness
62. White Christmas
63. Faith Of Our Fathers
64. Big
65. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
66. The Who – The Kids Are Alright
67. In Good Company
68. Glory Road
69. Three Dog Night – Tennessee Symphony
70. Remember The Titans
71. Invincible
72. Lightning In A Bottle
73. The Parent Trap
74. Lemony Snicket’s Series Of Unfortunate Events
75. We Are Marshall
76. Pump Up The Volume
77. Charlie Wilson’s War
78. Broadcast News
79. Matilda

My Favorite Action / Adventure Movies

Here are my favorite Action / Adventure movies in order:

1. Braveheart
2. Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
3. Holes
4. Indiana Jones – The Last Crusade
5. Indiana Jones – Raiders Of The Lost Ark
6. Pirates of the Caribbean – Black Pearl
7. Secondhand Lions
8. The Princess Bride
9. The Count Of Monte Christo
10. Master and Commander
11. The Boondock Saints
12. The Patriot
13. Rob Roy
14. Gladiator
15. 300
16. The Last Samurai
17. National Treasure
18. The Chronicles Of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe
19. Jurassic Park
20. Indiana Jones – Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
21. Kingdom Of Heaven
22. The Mummy
23. Once Upon A Time In Mexico
24. The Matrix
25. Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest
26. Troy
27. Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End
28. Robin Hood – Prince Of Thieves
29. The Mask Of Zorro
30. The Spiderwick Chronicles
31. Glory
32. Kill Bill – Volume 1
33. Journey To The Center Of The Earth
34. King Arthur
35. Reign Of Fire
36. The Man In The Iron Mask
37. A Bridge Too Far
38. Enemy Of The State
39. Kill Bill – Volume 2
40. The Fifth Element
41. Blood Diamond
42. 3:10 To Yuma
43. National Treasure 2 – Book Of Secrets
44. The Italian Job
45. The Legend Of Zorro
46. Gone In Sixty Seconds
47. The Three Musketeers
48. Con Air
49. Catch Me If You Can
50. Shooter
51. Hidalgo
52. Spider Man
53. The Great Escape
54. Ronin
55. Batman Begins
56. Long Kiss Goodnight
57. Despardo (El Mariachi)
58. The Postman
59. The Poseidon Adventure
60. X-Men
61. Young Guns
62. Crimson Tide
63. Spiderman 3
64. James Bond - Casino Royale
65. The Chronicles Of Narnia – Prince Caspian
66. Curse Of The Golden Flower
67. Apocalypto
68. Die Hard
69. The Rock
70. Last King Of Scotland
71. The Fastest Indian
72. Stardust
73. Romancing The Stone
74. Armageddon
75. Back To The Future
76. Goonies
77. Joan Of Arc
78. James Bond - Goldeneye
79. The Dirty Dozen
80. Shanghai Noon
81. Wild Wild West
82. The Bounty
83. Broken Arrow
84. James Bond - Tomorrow Never Dies
85. Grosse Point Blank
86. The Brothers Grimm
87. Shanghai Knights
88. Jumanji
89. Westworld
90. Face-Off

My Favorite Romantic Comedies

Here are my favorite romatic comedies in order.

1. Say Anything
2. Waitress
3. Music And Lyrics
4. Juno
5. When Harry Met Sally
6. The Wedding Singer
7. Sleepless In Seattle
8. 50 First Dates
9. While You Were Sleeping
10. Meet The Parents
11. Mamas Boy
12. Housesitter
13. Something About Mary
14. Along Came Polly
15. No Reservations
16. Love Actually

My Favorite Mystery / Thriller Movies

Here are my favorite mystery / thriller movies in order:

1. The Usual Suspects
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Fight Club
4. Sling Blade
5. Pulp Fiction
6. Fried Green Tomatoes
7. Flatliners
8. Les Miserables
9. Memento
10. Mystic River
11. Crash
12. I Robot
13. The Sixth Sense
14. The Green Mile
15. In Bruges
16. Witness
17. The Seventh Sign
18. The Prestige
19. Enemy At The Gates
20. Flawless
21. Silence Of The Lambs
22. The Illusionist
23. Stand By Me
24. LA Confidential
25. Cape Fear
26. Angel Heart
27. No Country For Old Men
28. The Departed
29. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
30. A Time To Kill
31. Se7en
32. Unforgiven
33. The Fugitive
34. The Bourne Identity
35. Minority Report
36. Delores Claiborne
37. Sneakers
38. Secret Window
39. True Romance
40. The Score
41. Kiss The Girls
42. The Pelican Brief
43. Fallen
44. The Firm
45. Inside Man
46. Ocean’s Eleven
47. Wild Things
48. Sleepers
49. Backdraft
50. Along Came A Spider
51. Timeline
52. The Fisher King
53. Nick Of Time
54. Four Brothers
55. We Own The Night
56. Vantage Point
57. Inside Man
58. Foxy Brown
59. Seraphim Falls
60. Pan’s Labyrinth
61. Matchstick Men
62. Identity
63. The River Wild
64. Copycat
65. Reservoir Dogs
66. Frequency
67. Being John Malkovich
68. The Bourne Ultimatum
69. Goodfellas
70. The Bourne Supremacy
71. American Gangster
72. Perfect Stranger
73. Hunt For Red October
74. Entrapment
75. The Chamber
76. A Simple Plan
77. The Presidio
78. Premonition
79. The Negotiator
80. Stir Of Echoes
81. Apocalypse Now
82. Repo Man
83. Ocean’s Twelve
84. Runaway Jury
85. Ocean’s Thirteen
86. Deliverance
87. The Rookie
88. Heathers
89. Swordfish
90. The Net

My Favorite Comedies

Here are my favorite comdies to date, ranked in order:

1. Top Secret!
2. Office Space
3. Naked Gun
4. Wayne’s World
5. Monty Python And The Holy Grail
6. A Mighty Wind
7. Elf
8. Airplane
9. National Lampoon’s Vacation
10. Dumb And Dumber
11. Napoleon Dynamite
12. Austin Powers – International Man Of Mystery
13. Big Trouble
14. Me, Myself, And Irene
15. Best In Show
16. RV
17. Brian Regan – Standing Up
18. Jim Gaffigan – Beyond The Pale
19. Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy
20. Happy Gilmore
21. The Mask
22. Evan Almighty
23. Kicking And Screaming
24. Bruce Almighty
25. School Of Rock
26. Ace Ventura – Pet Detective
27. The Man With Two Brains
28. This Is Spinal Tap
29. Hot Fuzz
30. Weird Science
31. Blazing Saddles
32. Tommy Boy
33. Old School
34. Anger Management
35. Raising Arizona
36. Planes, Trains, And Automobiles
37. Liar Liar
38. Fun With Dick And Jane
39. High Fidelity
40. A Fish Called Wanda
41. Caddyshack
42. The Jerk
43. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
44. Billy Madison
45. Without A Paddle
46. Shaun Of The Dead
47. I Married An Axe Murderer
48. Austin Powers – The Spy Who Shagged Me
49. Austin Powers – Goldmember
50. National Lampoon’s European Vacation
51. Jerry Seinfeld – I’m Telling You For The Last Time
52. Better Off Dead
53. Hot Shots
54. Blades Of Glory
55. Big Daddy
56. Rat Race
57. We're No Angels
58. The Ref
59. Click
60. Robin Hood: Men In Tights
61. Beverly Hills Ninja
62. Night At The Museum
63. Steve Martin – A Wild And Crazy Guy
64. Black Sheep
65. Summer School
66. Fletch
67. Wild Hogs
68. Bill Cosby – Himself
69. Breakfast Club
70. City Slickers
71. Waterboy
72. Talladaga Nights
73. Scrooged
74. Mr. Deeds
75. Grumpy Old Men
76. Innerspace
77. Analyze This
78. National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation
79. Throw Momma From The Train
80. Uncle Buck
81. Easy Money
82. National Lampoon’s Animal House
83. Spies Like Us
84. Blues Brothers
85. Young Frankenstein
86. Taxi
87. Groundhog Day
88. Let's Do It Again
89. Back To School
90. Revenge Of The Nerds
91. Opportunity Knocks

My Top 25 Animated Movies

Here are my 25 favorite full-length animated movies, including my Royce-rating (1 to 10):

1. Jungle Book (10)
2. Shrek (10)
3. Jonah – Veggie Tales (10)
4. Cars (9)
5. Monsters, Inc. (9)
6. Wallace and Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (9)
7. Flushed Away (8)
8. Wallace & Gromit – A Close Shave (8)
9. Hoodwinked (7)
10. The Incredibles (7)
11. Ratatouille (7)
12. The Emperor’s New Groove (6)
13. Toy Story (6)
14. Madagascar (6)
15. Shrek 2 (6)
16. Finding Nemo (6)
17. The Lion King (6)
18. Shrek 3 (5)
19. Fern Gulley (5)
20. The Prince Of Egypt (5)
21. A Bug’s Life (5)
22. Iron Giant (5)
23. Bee Movie (5)
24. Alladin (4)
25. The Fox And The Hound (4)

The last few would've scored higher if they weren't so predictable. Curious George almost made the list but it just wasn't very funny or clever - just very cute (which is why Fox and the Hound dropped so far). The Grinch Who Stole Christmas almost made it too but I've seen it so many times that it is boring to me now.

TV Shows

Here are my...

Top 10 Favorite TV Shows of All Time:
1. Arrested Development
2. The Office
3. Scrubs
4. Corner Gas
5. Police Squad
6. Freaks and Geeks
7. My Name Is Earl
8. The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones
9. Iron Chef America
10. Bob Newhart

Top 10 TV Shows (if calculated by number of hours I’ve invested):
1. Brady Bunch
2. Happy Days
3. Gilligan’s Island
4. Three’s Company
5. Love Boat
6. The Nanny
7. Scooby Doo
8. Dukes Of Hazard
9. Cheers
10. Full House

Top 5 Reality Shows:
1. Next Food Network Star
2. Kid Nation
3. Next Iron Chef
4. American Idol
5. Survivor

Of course these lists do not include sports events, which makes up the bulk of my TV viewing life. In fact, if the Blazers are on TV, they are top priority. Monday Night Football comes in 2nd.

At some point, I may review my top 10 favorite TV shows. Stay tuned for more…

Top Secret!

Rating: 10
Genre: Comedy

This is one of the great Zucker Brothers spoof movies. It came out in 1984 (after Airplane and the Police Squad series, but before Naked Gun). It mocks spy movies, 50s rock and roll, European high society, WWII Germany, etc.

As for the plot, it follows Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer), an American rock star who gets caught in the middle of a foreign espionage debacle when he meets a young woman whose father is being held captive by the Germans. The father is a scientist who is working on a top secret project (hence the name of the movie) and the Germans hope to use it to take over the world.

This movie has some of the funniest gag-lines and plays on words of any movie… ever!
Knee slapping goodness like this... “Thanks for the phony dog poo.” “What phony dog poo?” HAHA HAHAHA!! Plus, any movie that starts out with a music video of Skeet Surfin’ can’t miss in my book.

If you like movies like Airplane, Naked Gun, or Hot Shots, you should watch this movie.

Young At Heart

Rating: 7
Genre: Documentary

This documentary is a look at the singing group Young At Heart. Young At Heart are a group made of elderly (70+) folks who tour Europe and America singing rock and roll songs. Their take on David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Clash, Coldplay, James Brown, etc. is both hilarious and poignant.

Lyrics tend take on a whole new meaning when delivered by this age group, and the gravity of impending and recent death of its members adds a weightiness and depth to songs while contrasting with the spirit they each have to live life to the fullest as long as they can.

The groups manager and song leader is a very determined, patient, and compassionate man named Bob Cilman. He keeps the group on track and pushes them for their best effort while maintaining a genuine caring attitude and thoughtfulness toward each of them.

The personalities of the members are funny and quaint, spunky and sad, somber and hopeful. I hope I am this full of thought when I am their age.

The highlight of the movie, for me, comes when the group performs at a local prison and conveys hope and relief to a group of men who society has forgotten. The prisoners’ mid-show tears and post-show hugs prove that their one-time lapse in judgment does not invalidate their humaness. One of the most inspiring pieces I’ve ever watched.

A couple segments in the movie were not that great, however, including the poor decision to go with Sonic Youth’s Schizophrenia, a song that contains the B word and did not seem very appropriate to sing to audiences that include children. Also, there were a few minor mentions of sex, which may be a reality in that age group but a reality that I don’t think I need to know about until I learn it for myself.

Overall, I liked this movie and agree with the movie's theme: singing youthful songs is a great way for old people to stay… young at heart.

Caddyshack

Rating: 7
Genre: Comedy

Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, and a mechanical gopher star in this 1980 comedy about life and golf at a country club. To me, Chevy Chase elevates this movie to classic status. If you just watch his eyebrow movements alone you will bust up laughing.

Rodney Dangerfield (Al Cvervik) is a rich doctor who does not come from a long line of wealth like Ted Knight’s character (Judge Smails) does. Their contrast in taste and etiquette are a great sub-plot to the movie.

Bill Murray plays Carl, the groundskeeper, who seems like he spent far too much of his time in Vietnam in the poppy fields and subsequently has less of an IQ than a gopher. He does have some great one-liners though and his 'me vs. vermin' mentality hits close to home for me since I spent countless hours trying to rid our yard in Oregon City of gophers.

This movie also has a good soundtrack, including the only good Journey song ever made, Any Way You Want It, Kenny Loggins’ I’m Allright, and a great synthesized horn tune by Hilly Michaels called Something On Your Mind (plays when Rodney Dangerfield is wreaking havoc at the Yacht Club).

Brian Doyle-Murray plays the part of Lou Loomis, head caddy. You may know him as Noah Vanderhoff (owner of Noah’s Arcade) from Wayne’s World. Turns out that he and Harold Ramis co-wrote Caddyshack.

One of the best gags in film history is the Baby Ruth floating in the pool. If you like physical, cornball comedy, this movie ranks among the best.

Here are some great quotes from Caddyshack:

• "Oh, this your wife, huh? A lovely lady. Hey baby, you must've been something before electricity."
  
• " … I mean, he's been club champion for three years running and I'm no slouch myself…. Don't sell yourself short Judge, you're a tremendous slouch."
  
• "This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it."
  
• "In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, gopher'."
  
• "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!"
  
• "A flute without holes, is not a flute. A donut without a hole, is a Danish."
  
• "I was born to love you / I was born to lick your face / I was born to rub you / but you were born to rub me first /... What do you say we take this out on the patio?"
  
• "You're rather attractive for a beautiful girl with a great body."
  
• "Whoa, did somebody step on a duck?"
  
• "You'll get nothing, and like it."
  
• "My uncle says you've got a screw loose." "Your uncle molests collies."
  
• "My enemy, my foe, is an animal. In order to conquer the animal, I have to learn to think like an animal. And, whenever possible, to look like one. I've gotta get inside this guy's pelt and crawl around for a few days."

Holes

Rating: 10
Genre: Adventure / Family

This movie came very close to making my all-time top 5 list. Shia LeBeouf plays Stanley Yelnats (the 4th) AKA Caveman in this masterfully done tale of teenage delinquents.

Wrongfully accused and sent to a work camp for boys, Stanley befriends Hector Zeroni (Zero), a homeless boy from the same neighborhood he came from. The boys at Camp Green Lake are forced to dig holes all day for the camp warden, who's secretly looking for the treasure of stage-coach robber Kissin' Kate Barlow. The plot follows a duel path of Stanley's experience and the experience of Kissin' Kate Barlow (and her chance meeting with Stanley's great-great-great grandfather).

The story keeps you guessing and has some hilarious lines and the suspense of deadly poisonous spotted lizards to keep you on edge. It, like Shawshank Redemption, is a story of the redemption of someone wrongly accused. Plus, the part of Stanley's dad is played by Henry Winkler - AAAAYY!!! - so of course it's a great movie!! It also has Jon Voigt, Sigourney Weaver, Tim Blake Nelson, Eartha Kitt, Patrica Arquette, and Siobhan Fallon Hogan. Great casting job!!!

Here are some great quotes from the movie:

"I ain't on stupid pills!"
"Yeah, my no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, that's who it is."
"I can fix that."
"It smells like puke from a mule been 'ruminating on asparagus for two weeks."
"Everyone in my family names their son Stanley, 'cause it's Yelnats backwards. It's this little... tradition."
"You take a bad boy, make him dig holes all day in the hot sun, it turns him into a good boy. That's our philosophy here at camp green lake."

My Top 5 Movies of All Time

I will eventually try to rate (1 to 10 scale) and comment on every movie I watch, but I wanted to start off with the best of the best...

1. Braveheart:
Rating: 10
Genre: Action

This epic movie captures my love for medieval Europe and served to further boost my passion for the strategy of historic military battles. The swordplay and era-specific costumes are phenomenal. The struggle of the social classes appeals to my humanitarian side and the love story gets me every time (I'll never look at a thistle flower the same!). Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan) is so evil that you begin to feel evil (he makes you want to throw him out a window). Also, the movie is full of timeless and deep lines that give you chills, such as:

• "Every man dies, not every man really lives."
• "Not the archers.... Arrows cost money. Use up the Irish. The dead cost nothing."
• "I know you can fight. But it's our wits that make us men. "
• "Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it."
• "It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom."
• "I am William Wallace!.... fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!"

Bloody historical battles reenacted, passion, compassion, good vs. evil, poor vs. rich, sweeping scenery, foreign accents, unpredictability, men who talk to and rely on God... Yep, this movie has all of the necessary elements that make for the ultimate movie.

2. O Brother, Where Art Thou:
Rating: 10
Genre: Adventure / Comedy

A re-telling of The Odyssey set in midwestern America during the Great Depression of the 1930's, this movie is part comedy, part drama, and part social commentary. It is one of those movies that raises the bar for all movies to come. Everett's (George Clooney) intellectual meanderings are hilarious and smack soundly against the southern drawl of the two men who share his shackles. All of the actors and actresses, and especially the 3 main characters, were cast perfectly. The Cohen Brothers script is matchless in wit, the only negative being that they needlessly use the Lord's name in vain. The southern bluegrass/gospel/blues soundtrack parralels the movie in quality.

Some of my favorite quotes:

• "You two're just dumber'n a bag of hammers."
• "We're in a tight spot!"
• "It's a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart."
• "Them syreens did this to Pete. They loved him up and turned him into a horny toad."
• "Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!"
• "You ain't no kind of man if you ain't got land."
• "Mrs. Hogwallop up and R-U-N-N-O-F-T."
• "Care for some gopher?... No thank you, Delmar, one third of a gopher would only arouse my appetite without bedding it down.... Oh, you can have the whole thing. Me and Pete already had one apiece. We ran across a whole gopher village."
• "What'd the devil give you for your soul, Tommy?... Well, he taught me to play this here guitar real good.... Oh son, for that you sold your everlasting soul?... Well, I wasn't usin' it."
• "C'mon in boys, the water is fine."

3. Lord of The Rings Trilogy:
Rating: 10
Genre: Action / Adventure

This is technically 3 movies but they go hand-in-hand so I am lumping them all together for my list. A journey through a fantastic world with characters both likeable and relateable. The books are better of course, but the essence of the books are portrayed so well by director Peter Jackson that none can fault the final product. The scenery and CGI in this movie are tops.

The struggle between good and evil shows in a large and an individual scale. Tolkien's storytelling puts you in the soul of the adventurers and sweep you away from this world into that one, all the while revealing to us the subtle truths and contradictions we all experience in life.

The battles are amazing and the hugeness of the landscape and flurry of emotions of the is off the charts. The depth of the charcters and the attention to detail make this the ultimate fantasy epic.

In my opinion, this is the ultimate epic movie series. As for those who would argue for Star Wars instead... I say Star Wars is shallow and trite in comparison. Tolkien stories are the best. Period. Can't wait for the Hobbit!

4. The Usual Suspects:
Rating: 10
Genre: Mystery / Thriller

No other movie keeps you guessing like this one. There are others movies, like Memento and Pulp Fiction, that use a similar style of editing to keep you in suspense, but the actors and script of Usual Suspects are superior. Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, and Kevin Pollack all play mercenaries in search of a huge pay-off... but at what cost? This is one of those movies that blows you away at the very end of the movie so much that you have to watch it again immediately.


5. The Shawshank Redemption:
Rating: 10
Genre: Drama

Since I have been redeemed myself, I am a sucker for the whole concept of redemption. This movie is a classic tale of righting wrongs. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins deliver this gripping story of empathy and conviction in gritty realism. The suspense and cleverness, along with the yearning for freedom this movie creates makes this an all-time great.

Rounding out my top 10 are: Holes, Office Space, Top Secret, Naked Gun, Passion of the Christ