Favorite Movies
by Anonymous-733 | created - 10 Dec 2013 | updated - 1 day ago | PublicIn 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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1. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When 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.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger
Votes: 59,127 | Gross: $40.90M
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?
2. Ratatouille (2007)
G | 111 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.
Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava | Stars: Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm
Votes: 825,961 | Gross: $206.45M
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. :)
3. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
R | 124 min | Drama
A 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.
Director: Charlie Kaufman | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener
Votes: 98,282 | Gross: $3.08M
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".
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,891,254 | Gross: $28.34M
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.
5. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
G | 86 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi
Votes: 380,725 | Gross: $1.11M
2023, 13
6. Finding Nemo (2003)
G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After 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.
Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 1,114,118 | Gross: $380.84M
2021, 8. Max rank: 6 (2016)
7. Whisper of the Heart (1995)
G | 111 min | Animation, Drama, Family
A love story between a girl who loves reading books, and a boy who has previously checked out all of the library books she chooses.
Director: Yoshifumi Kondô | Stars: Yoko Honna, Issei Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Muroi
Votes: 72,726
2023, 28: I spent literally 20+ minutes crying during this movie. Maybe the most realistic characters in cinema.
8. Toys (1992)
PG-13 | 118 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
When 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.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robin Williams, Michael Gambon, Joan Cusack, Robin Wright
Votes: 33,648 | Gross: $21.45M
2023, 26: Visually stunning, excellent message, everyone gave 100%.
9. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
G | 92 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In 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.
Directors: Pete Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi
Votes: 979,635 | Gross: $289.92M
2024, 6
10. The Lion King (1994)
G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 1,143,302 | Gross: $422.78M
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.
11. Primer (2004)
PG-13 | 77 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Four 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.
Director: Shane Carruth | Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya
Votes: 114,229 | Gross: $0.42M
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.
12. The Incredibles (2004)
PG | 115 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
While trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.
Director: Brad Bird | Stars: Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee
Votes: 809,445 | Gross: $261.44M
2024, 9
13. Speed Racer (2008)
PG | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Young driver, Speed Racer, aspires to be champion of the racing world with the help of his family and his high-tech Mach 5 automobile.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, Christina Ricci, Nicholas Elia
Votes: 78,488 | Gross: $43.95M
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.
14. The Good Dinosaur (2015)
PG | 93 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.
Director: Peter Sohn | Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla, Ryan Teeple
Votes: 127,567 | Gross: $123.09M
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.
15. Toy Story (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.
Director: John Lasseter | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
Votes: 1,069,398 | Gross: $191.80M
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.
16. The Bad Guys (2022)
PG | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
To 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.
Director: Pierre Perifel | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson
Votes: 59,182 | Gross: $97.23M
2022, 27
17. Nightcrawler (2014)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
When 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.
Director: Dan Gilroy | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed
Votes: 605,037 | Gross: $32.38M
2023, 25
18. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During 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.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 850,364 | Gross: $10.06M
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.
19. Holes (2003)
PG | 117 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A wrongfully convicted boy is sent to a brutal desert detention camp where he joins the job of digging holes for some mysterious reason.
Director: Andrew Davis | Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Tim Blake Nelson
Votes: 100,321 | Gross: $67.41M
2024, 8: Holes was once my favorite book and this film is probably better.
20. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A 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.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 946,203 | Gross: $83.01M
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
21. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
R | 138 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Freedom 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.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 631,076 | Gross: $281.49M
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
22. The Running Man (1987)
R | 101 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In 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.
Director: Paul Michael Glaser | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown
Votes: 167,867 | Gross: $38.12M
2023, 26: Robocop has much more to say, but there's never a dull moment here.
23. Invention for Destruction (1958)
Unrated | 83 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
An evil millionaire named Artigas plans to use a super-explosive device to conquer the world from his headquarters inside an enormous volcano.
Director: Karel Zeman | Stars: Lubor Tokos, Arnost Navrátil, Miroslav Holub, Frantisek Slégr
Votes: 2,797
2022, 26: Never seen a movie that looks like this, even The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen from the same director.
24. Memento (2000)
R | 113 min | Mystery, Thriller
A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
Votes: 1,323,817 | Gross: $25.54M
2021, 13(???). Peak rating: ~17
25. Death Becomes Her (1992)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
When a fading actress learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini
Votes: 131,477 | Gross: $58.42M
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.
26. Super Mario Bros. (1993)
PG | 104 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Two 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.
Directors: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton | Stars: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis
Votes: 63,008 | Gross: $20.92M
2023, 28
27. Tim's Vermeer (2013)
PG-13 | 80 min | Documentary, History
Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
Director: Teller | Stars: Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Martin Mull, Philip Steadman
Votes: 8,557 | Gross: $1.66M
2023, 25
28. Prospero's Books (1991)
R | 124 min | Drama, Fantasy
The magician Prospero attempts to stop his daughter's affair with an enemy.
Director: Peter Greenaway | Stars: John Gielgud, Michael Clark, Michel Blanc, Erland Josephson
Votes: 6,725 | Gross: $1.75M
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.
29. Marwencol (2010)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Fantasy
Documentary 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)
Director: Jeff Malmberg | Stars: Mark Hogancamp, Emmanuel Nneji, Edda Hogancamp, Tom Neubauer
Votes: 3,705 | Gross: $0.11M
2022, 27: Feels wrong at a 10 but I can find no flaw.
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