1. African Queen (1951)
I think Bogart and Hepburn are great—real chemistry.
Best quote:Charlie Allnut (Bogart):I don’t know why the Germans would want this God-forsaken place.
Rose Sayer (Hepburn): God has not forsaken this place, Mr. Allnut, as my brother’s presence here bears witness.
2. Amadeus (1984)
We watched this once a long time ago when Engineer Husband and I were not too long married. He was somewhat embarrassed by how crude Mozart was in the movie because, as I remember it, Husband’s dad, a Baptist preacher, was watching the movie with us. Anyway, the movie isn’t biographical; I doubt Mozart was exactly as crude, rude and socially unacceptable as the movie portrays him to be (or he may have been worse). It’s about jealousy and second-rate talent recognizing genius and being content with the gifts God has given each of us (or not as the case may be).
3. Apollo 13 (1995)
This one is on here for Husband’s sake–and because I know people who were actually there when the events in the movie happened.
4. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
I love Cary Grant, and this movie is black comedy at its best.
Quote:Insanity runs in my family… It practically gallops.
Another: Mortimer Brewster: Aunt Abby, how can I believe you? There are twelve bodies in the cellar and you admit you poisoned them!
Aunt Abby Brewster: Yes, I did. But you don’t think I’d stoop to telling a fib!
One more: Reverend Harper: Have you ever tried to persuade him that he wasn’t Teddy Roosevelt?
Abby Brewster: Oh, no.
Martha Brewster: Oh, he’s so happy being Teddy Roosevelt.
Abby Brewster: Oh… Do you remember, Martha, once, a long time ago, we thought if he’d be George Washington, it would be a change for him, and we suggested it.
Martha Brewster: And do you know what happened? He just stayed under his bed for days and wouldn’t be anybody.
5. Back to the Future (1985)
Funny movie. It still works for me although I’m sure some of the jokes are already rather dated. Anybody want to make a movie where some guy goes back to the seventies?
6. Beauty and the Beast (1991, Disney)
I just like this fairy tale, and Beauty as a bookworm, and Mrs. Potts the teaspot with the voice of Angela Lansbury.
7. Becket (1964)
“King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pious cleric loyal to Rome and the Church, he will appoint his old drinking and wenching buddy, Thomas Becket, technically a deacon of the church, to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously and provides abler opposition to Henry than his predecessors were able to do. This leads to the famous question, “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?” With Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.
8. Ben Hur (1959)
Guys watch it for the chariot race–which I’ll admit always keeps me on the edge of my seat. However, I think the story is great, and Charlton Heston is a great actor.
9. Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
It’s about war and heroism and absurdity, and I can stilll hum the theme song. (Unfortunately, I can’t whistle.)
10.Brigadoon (1954)
I think I like this one partly because of Gene Kelly, partly because it takes place in Scotland, and partly because Eldest Daughter was in a local production of Brigadoon a couple of years ago.
11. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
“In this screwball comedy, heiress Susan is determined to catch a stuffy zoologist and uses her pet leopard, Baby, to help get his attention. The elements of this farce include a yappy terrier who steals and buries an irreplaceable fossilized bone, a pompous big game hunter, a rich old aunt, a jealous fiancee, and a case of mistaken identity involving a second, and vicious, leopard.” Fun with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
12. Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
You’re probably wondering how this veryseventies movie made the list. Chalk it up to nostalgia. I saw this movie when I was in high school and loved it so much I had to learn how to play the theme song on my flute. It’s sort of a hippie. flower child movie, but the cinematography (Franco Zefferelli) is beautiful. And it’s a good story.
13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Paul Newman and Robert Redford star as the famous outlaws. This one is probably dated, too, but who cares? “Raindrops are falling on my head . . .”
14. Camelot (1967)
“In short, there’s simply not / a more congenial spot / for happily ever aftering than here in Camelot.”
I simply refuse to think that this movie has anything to with JFK; King Arthur is much more interesting than the Kennedys.
15. Casablanca (1942)
So it’s on everybody’s list. I like it, too.“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
16. Charade (1963)
You have to imagine Audrey Hepbrn and Cary Grant doing this dialog. I’m not sure anyone else could pull it off–even if my kids do say that Grant is old in this movie.
Regina Lampert: I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn’t possibly meet anyone else.
Peter Joshua: Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know
Peter Joshua: So you think *I’m* the murderer? What do I have to do to convince you that I’m not, be the next victim?
Regina Lampert: Well that would be a start.
17. Chariots of Fire (1981)
Chariots is absolutely the most inspiring movie about standing firm for what one believes that I’ve ever seen.
Eric Liddell: I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure
18. A Christmas Carol (1984)
With George C. Scott. I like this version best. George C. makes a very concvincing Scrooge, and my children call the Ghost of Christmas To Come “Mr. Nice Guy” in an attempt to make him seem less scary.
19. Cinderella (1950, Disney)
Beter than Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. Cinderella is the classic girls’ fairy story, and every girl should believe that “someday my prince will come.”
20.Dead Poets’Society (1989)
Carpe diem! This film has ‘issues’ as Dancer Daughter would say. The professor in the movie does have a bad influence on the boys, leading at least one of them to make a disastrous decision when he can’t handle the consequences of that decision. But the offspring like it, and I like Robin Williams–and Nwanda.
21. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
This movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1989, and Jessica Tandy won Best Actress. It’s about the friendship between an elderly Southern Jewish lady and her black chauffer. Organizer Daughter says it’s extremely boring, but I like old people and relationship movies.
22. Emma (1996)
Jane Austen is the best novelist ever, and even though I don’t care much for Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam is good as Mr. Knightly. We watched this one at a homeschool moms retreat last year, and all the moms enjoyed it.
23. Fantasia (1940)
Classic Disney. Surely, just about anyone in North America who hears the music to “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” thinks of Mickey Mouse and his broom.
24. Father Goose (1964)
Another Cary Grant movie, this time with Leslie Caron on a deserted Pacific island during WW 2.
25. Father of the Bride (1950)
Spencer Tracy makes a better father than Steve Martin, more twinkle-in-the-eye. And Elizabeth Taylor is beautiful as usual.
26. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Anyone who isn’t a LOTR fan by now just doesn’t get it, and I probably can’t explain it. Suffice it to say that Peter Jackson and all the cast and crew of all three movies deserved all the Oscars they won and then some. If you think the movies are good (and they are), the books are even better. Frodo lives!
27. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Tevye the Jewish milkman talks to God and tries to understand his wife Golde and looks for husbands for his six daughters. Unfortunately, the world is changing, and the dependable things in Tevye’s life are becoming few and far between.
Perchik: Money is the world’s curse.
Tevye: May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover.
Tevye: As the good book says ‘Each shall seek his own kind’. In other words a bird may love a fish but where would they build a home together?
28. Finding Nemo (2002)
I’m Dory. “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming . . .”
29. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
Jessica Tandy again, in a nursing home sharing her memories with Kathy Lee Bates. It’s kind of a mystery, reminiscence, Southern, chick flick with zero romance, sort of feminist.
30. Funny Girl (1968)
I can’t stand Barbra Streisand, and I love her singing and acting. In fact, there are at least three Barbra Streisand movies on this list, and in one of them she doesn’t even sing much. In this one she does sing, and she plays an insecure Jewish actress who becomes rich and famous but never can quite believe the the Ugly Duckling has turned into a Swan.
31. Gettysburg (1993)
Is there anything sadder in all of history than Pickett’s charge at Gettyburg? It’s Aristotelian tragedy in the middle of an essentially tragic war.
32. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Classic. “I’ll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day.” “I don’t know nothing about birthin’ no babies, Miz Scarlett.” “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” You just have to get the accent right.
33. The Great Escape (1963)
Steve McQueen is great as the American Cooler King. The rest of the cast is wonderful, too. This one is supposed to be based on a true story.
34. Harvey (1950)
Jimmy Stewart plays a lovable eccentric with a friend named Harvey, a very tall rabbit that no one else can see.
35. Hello Dolly (1969)
As I said before, I like Barbra Streisand in movies. This musical is one of the great Broadway musicals of all time, and Streisand is bold and brassy and funny as the matchmaker who wants a match for herself.
36. Henry V ( 1989)
Kenneth Branaugh’s masterpiece. Henry V is inspiring, has great music, and even makes me laugh.
37. The Hiding Place (1975)
Jeanette Clift George is the director of AD Players here in Houston, and she stars in this movie as Corrie Ten Boom, a middle-aged Dutch Christian who is caught hiding Jews in her home during the Nazi occupation of Holland. It’s an inspirational movie from a Christian worldview.
38. Homeward Bound (1993)
Everybody has to like at least one dog movie–even me, even though real dogs are not my best friends. I’ll take the ones on the screen and enjoy this story of faithful pets making their way back to their masters.
39. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
Oscar WIlde was a mess, but he was funny. This story is so much fun and so ridiculous.
Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.
40.It Happened One Night (1934)
Clark Gable is a reporter in this romantic comedy about a run-away rich girl.
41. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
The best comedy ever made. My children used to have passages from this movie memorized. This dialog was their favorite:
Benjy Benjamin: Now look! We’ve figured it seventeen different ways, and each time we figured it, it was no good, because no matter how we figured it, somebody don’t like the way we figured it! So now, there’s only one way to figure it. And that is, every man, including the old bag, for himself!
Ding Bell: So good luck and may the best man win!
Benjy Benjamin: Except you lady, may you just drop dead!
42. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
This one is my children’s least favorite movie and my husband’s favorite. I think he identifies with Jimmy Stewart, the man who never got to live his dreams but found out that he did have a wonderful life.
43. The King and I (1956)
I really enjoy all the Siamese children and the wives and, of course, Yul Brynner as the king of Thailand. “Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera. . .”
44. Life Is Beautiful (1997 La vita e bella)
This movie is strange. It’s in Italian with subtitles; it’s about a Jewish man and his son and his wife being placed into a concentration camp during World War II. However, it’s sort of a comedy or maybe a tragicomedy. Anyway, it’s very moving and bittersweet.
45. Lillies of the Field (1963)
I love the nuns and Sidney Poitier as their hired man. This is a wonderful movie about faith and determination and the meeting of three cultures—Black American, German Catholic, and Mexican American. They all manage to somehow, by the grace of God, build something wonderful in the middle of the desert.
46. The Lion in Winter (1968)
This one is a solid historical drama, and I like Katherine Hepburn. Try it as a double feature with Becket since both movies are about Henry II. Peter O’Toole plays Henry II in both movies.
47. Little Women (1994)
A good modern version of Louisa May Alcott’s classic story. There’s an older version with Hepburn as Jo, but I like this one even if it is ever so slightly feminist.
48. The Longest Day (1962)
Hollywood’s version of D-Day. Although it’s a little bit dated, this movie presents a pretty good picture of what happened to at least some soldiers on D-Day. Unlike Saving Private Ryan, which I thought was pointless, The Longest Day doesn’t try to be profound. It’s just your garden variety Hollywood epic with lots of big name stars and memorable little vignetttes of things that actually happened on D-Day.
49. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
We just watched this one several months ago, and I thought it was great. The offspring were not impressed. I thought Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner were both excellent even though I learned in watching the special features on the DVD that McQueen kept trying to steal scenes because he thought he should have been THE STAR. The funny thing was, after being told, I could see McQueen trying to take over scene after scene. This is the story of a Mexican village that hires seven gunslingers to teach them to defend their village from the local desperado. It’s one of the few westerns on this list, and I told the children that it was an “existential western.” It’s based on a Japanese movie,The Seven Samurai.
50. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Detective Sam Spade, another existential hero, gets involved in the search for a valuable statue. Spade has his own code of conduct and his own way of dealing with whatever life dishes out. Humphrey Bogart is the quintessential tough guy detective.
51. Mary Poppins (1964)
Supercalifrigilisticexpialidocious. Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews are a great comedic team in this Disney-made story of magic, chimneysweeps, kites, bankers, and a very special nanny.
Mr. Banks: Just a moment, Mary Poppins. What is the meaning of this outrage?
Mary Poppins: I beg your pardon?
Mr. Banks: Will you be good enough to explain all this?
Mary Poppins: First of all I would like to make one thing perfectly clear.
Mr. Banks: Yes?
Mary Poppins: I never explain anything.
52. A Man For All Seasons (1966)
Sir Thomas More vs. Henry VIII. This historical movie portrays an epic battle of the wills, and I’m generally fascinated by the life and times of Henry VIII. I also like English history in general. (Eldest Daughter, however, absolutely abhors Sir Thomas More and wouldn’t watch any movie that portrays him!)
The Duke of Norfolk: Oh confound all this. I’m not a scholar, I don’t know whether the marriage was lawful or not but dammit, Thomas, look at these names! Why can’t you do as I did and come with us, for fellowship!
Sir Thomas More: And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?
53. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and director John Ford. This mystery/western is one of the best of the genre.
54. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Jimmy Stewart again, this time with Doris Day in an Alfred Hitchcock mystery set in Morrocco. And Doris sings her classic Que Sera, Sera at the climax of the movie.
55. The Miracle Worker (1962)
Anne Bancroft plays Teacher Annie Sullivan, and a young Patty Duke plays Helen Keller. The scene in which Helen recognizes her first words at the water pump is classic-worth the whole movie.
56. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Jimmy Stewart teams with director Frank Capra this time to make this film about political corruption and political courage.
58. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this Shakespeare adaptation with Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, and Michael Keaton. And they’re all great. The skinny-dippng scene at the beginning is not indicative of the rest of the movie. One later scene later does get a little “hot and heavy,” but the movie is definitely worth the blips. The reparte between Benedick and Beatrice is so memorable that you may find yourself quoting Shakespeare in spite of yourself. Enjoy.
59. Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
This version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one of our family favorites for Christmas with Kermit and Miss Piggy and all the Muppets and Michael Caine as Scrooge
60. The Music Man (1962)
76 trombones lead the big parade; Professor Harold Hill can charm the money out of an Ioway skeptic; and who can resist lyrics like these:
Marian Paroo: Do you think that I’d allow a common masher – ? Now, really, mama. I have my standards where men are concerned and I have no intention…
Mrs. Paroo: I know all about your standards and if you don’t mind my sayin’ so there’s not a man alive who could hope to measure up to that blend of Paul Bunyan, Saint Pat, and Noah Webster you’ve concocted for yourself out of your Irish imagination, your Iowa stubbornness, and your li’berry full of books!
61. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
I really liked this movie. I think I identify our big sometimes embarrassing, sometimes endearing, family with the Greek family in the movie. I would like to have a “clean films” version of the movie because, of course, the “gods of Hollywood” had to stick in the obligatory “sex before marriage” scene. Nevertheless, I really loved the fact that Ian knew that he was not just marrying a girl but also her family.
62. My Fair Lady (1964)
Of course, the ending is unsatisfactory. Why does Eliza go back to that conceited Henry Higgins? And Rex Harrison can’t even sing–just speaks his lyrics. Nevertheless, the songs and the acting and the story of a flowergirl who becomes a lady are all delightful enough to make up for any flaws.
63. North by Northwest (1959)
Hitchcock and Cary Grant again, a great combination. IMDB says that Jimmy Stewart wanted the role, but Hitchcock thought he was too old. See, children, Cary Grant isn’t old at all!
64. Notorious (1946)
O.K., I like Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. I think Grant makes a dashing hero as he runs upstairs to rescue Bergman, the damsel in distress. I’m just a sucker for suspense and romance put together.
65. Oklahoma (1955)
The first great movie musical. Yes, it’s pretty corny, but the songs are great anyway. And I can’t resist the humor of “Poor Jud Is Dead.” “It’s summer and we’re running out of ice.”
66. Oliver! (1968)
Another great movie musical, and Dickens is one of my favorite authors. Jack WIld plays an engaging Artful Dodger, and Mark Lester is so cute as Oliver. I also think Oliver Reed is a great actor. (I once saw Oliver Reed in a film about Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and to this day I picture Rossetti looking a lot like OR)
67. Ordinary People (1980)
This one is more serious. Pair it with Dead Poet’s Society; both of them are about boys from affluent families trying to grow up and coping with dysfunctional families. Mary Tyler Moore gives a great performance, and so does Timothy Hutton as the boy who feels responsible for his older brother’s death.
68. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn again. I’ve learned one thing from making this list. I had no idea I was so obsessed with Cary Grant. I must have just about every one of his movies on this list. I wonder why? I do know Philadelphia Story is funny and even poignant at times. KH plays a rich spoiled heiress who doesn’t realize that she’s still in love with her ex-husband even as she’s about to marry someone else.
69. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2002)
Wow! I didn’t expect this movie to be any good when the kids told me about it, and the plot does get a little thin at times. However, Johnny Depp is one funny actor.
Jack Sparrow: “I think we’ve all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.”
OR Jack Sparrow, again:”Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It’s the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they’re going to do something incredibly… stupid.”
One more:
Jack Sparrow: No. Not good. Stop. Not good. What are you doing? You’ve burned all the food, the shade, the RUM.
Elizabeth: Yes, the rum is gone.
Jack Sparrow: Why is the rum gone?
Elizabeth: One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire royal navy is out looking for me; do you really think that there is EVEN the slightest chance that they won’t see it?
Jack Sparrow: But why is the rum gone?
70. Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1996)
This isn’t really a movie, but rather a BBC mini-series, However, it’s one of our family favorites. Colin Firth makes a great Darcy. Jane Austen wrote a great book.
71. Prince of Egypt (1998)
In spite of the vague “spirituallty” and a few distortions of fact, I thought this movie was very well done. I was quite impressed with the chariot race at the beginning, and for the most part, the film was both reverent and dramatically compelling. Not just for kids.
72. The Princess Bride (1987)
Again not just for kids. A grandfather reads his grandson a story, and the viewer gets to enjoy a movie full of great dialog, memorable characters, and “true love.”
The Grandson: A book?
Grandpa: That’s right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today I’m gonna read it to you.
The Grandson: Has it got any sports in it?
Grandpa: Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…
The Grandson: Doesn’t sound too bad. I’ll try to stay awake.
Grandpa: Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.
73. Rear Window (1954)
We just watched this Alfred Hitchcock classic again about a month ago, and I remembered how much I like Jimmy Stewart and how beautiful Grace Kelly was.
74. Rebecca (1940)
Another Alfred Hitchcock title. I’ve already blogged about Rebecca and about Daphne du Maurier here.
75. Return of the King (2003)
I think I may have put this movie on the list before I even saw it. Either you love Tolkien, the books and the movies, or you don’t see what all the fuss is about. So what else is there to say–except how could any one resist falling in love with all four of the hobbits and Aragorn, too. However, Sam is definitely the hero of the story.
76. The Right Stuff (1983)
I don’t know how historically accurate this movie is (based on the book by Tom Wolfe). Nevertheless, with a husband who works for NASA and loves all things space, I had to put this one on the list. And I think the John Glenn portayed by Ed Harris in this movie is both endearing and heroic.
77. Roman Holiday (1953)
Audrey Hepburn is a princess who escapes her duties for a day and meets up with an American reporter for an adventurous exploration of Rome. It’s fun, romantic, and sad.
78. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
The director of this version of Shakespeare’s play is Franco Zeffirelli, and therefore the sets and costumes are lush and beautiful I saw this movie when I was a teenager, and I still think of the actors in Zeffirelli’s movie whenever I read Romeo and Juliet.
79. Sabrina (1954)
This one is better than than the 1995 remake because the 1954 version has Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. We “chicks” like chick flicks.
80. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet make a nice pair of sisters with contrasting personalities–the elder very sensible, the younger emotional in the extreme. Again, you can’t go wrong with Jane Austen as long as you just stick to the story pretty much as written.
81. The Shawshank Redemption (R) (1994)
Andy Dufresne is in prison for the murder of his wife, but his 20 year sentence doesn’t mean his life is over. Andy has a plan. There’s lots of bad language in this film, but it’s set in a prison for Pete’s sake. The screenplay is based on a short story by Stephen King. Not for kids.
82. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor sing and dance their way into film history. Everybody should watch Gene Kelly sing and dance in the rain at least once.
83. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White was the first feature length animated film Disney made (83 minutes, to be exact). Can you name all seven dwarves? And why did Disney misspell dwarves?
84. Sleepless in Seattle
Nora Ephron writes a funny screenplay, and Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are endearing. It’s another chick flick, but the guys might just sneak a look and find themselves enjoying it, too.
85. Sommersby
This movie got generally poor reviews, but I thought it was wonderful Richard Gere (Jack Sommersby) comes home to his wife Laurel (Jodie Foster) after the Civil War, and he is a changed man. He changes the community, too, and brings hope, but eventually the community must decide whether they will believe in the hope and in the man.
86. Sound of Music (1965)
Classic, pure classic.
87. Spiderman (2002)
“Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can.” The boy is cute, the girl is too pouty-lipped, and the villain looks just like one of Eldest Daughter’s professors at Baylor.
88. Stand and Deliver. Warning: Inspirational teacher movie. If you don’t like inspirational teacher movies, stay away. I happen to like the ones that are as well done as this one.
89.Star Wars (1977)
Ignore the New Age mumbo-jumbo, and just enjoy the adventure. Brown Bear Daughter used to quote Star Wars when she was three years old.
Semicolon Family: What does Princess Leia say?
BB Daughter: I’d wather kiss a wookie.
Semicolon Family: What does Luke Skywalker say?
BB Daughter: Oh, no, dat’s impossible!
Semicolon Family: What does Darth Vader say?
BB Daughter: Yuke, come to the dawk side!
Semicolon Family What does Han Solo say?
BB Daughter: I have a bad feeling about this.
90. The Sting (1973)
Paul Newman and Robert Redford team up to pull the big con on a well-deserving target.
91. The Ten Commandments (1956)
Biblical epic directed by Cecil B. DeMille. I prefer Prince of Egypt, but no one should miss Charlton Moses.
92. The Terminal(2004) Tom Hanks stars as a foreigner who gets stuck in an airport when there’s a coup in his home nation, and he becomes a man without a country.
93. That Thing You Do! (1996)
Tom Hanks directs and and has a small role in this film about a one-hit rock band called the Oneders (WON-ders) and their meteoric rise to fame. This one is so good because it’s a rare occurrence these days, a film for teenagers and adults that’s clean and fun.
94. The Three Musketeers (1973)
Get the old one. It does have a seventies flavor, but it also has Oliver Reed, Michael York, Richard Chamberlain. Raquel Welch threatens to spill out of her clothing throughout the movie but never does. If you’ve ever read the book, you know this movie boasts a plot full of adventure.
95. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Harper Lee wrote the Pulitzer prize winning novel; Horton Foote wrote the screenplay. Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a small town Southern lawyer who must defend a client on a rape charge. The story is really about Atticus’s children, Scout and Jem, and how they learn about racism, poverty, and the strength of their own father.
96. Toy Story (1995)
Toys come to life, and the cowboy toy (Tom Hanks) is jealous of the new astronaut toy, Buzz Lightyear. Loads of animated fun for all ages.
97. The Truman Show (1998)
This movie is one of the few that is entertaining and profound at the same time. Jim Carrey plays an insurance adjustor who discovers that his entire life is just a reality TV show. However, this movie came before reality TV took over the airwaves.
98. The Two Towers (2002)
Arguably the best of the trilogy, this movie continues the saga begun in The Fellowship of the Ring. If you haven’t sen all three movies in this set, do so immediately.
99. Vertigo (1958)
Not my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie, mostly because Kim Novak annoys me. However, it has an intriguing plot, and it has Jimmy Stewart. I only wish Stewart had the sense to hook up with Barbara Bel Geddes instead of Kim Novak, but then we wouldn’t have a movie.
100. The Way We Were (1973)
Maybe it’s just nostalgia now, but I loved this movie when I first saw it, and I still do. Robert Redford plays Hubbell Gardner, a “Golden Boy” for whom everything comes too easilly. Barbra Streisand is a poor Jewish communist who cares too much about everything: politics, truth, and Hubbell. They get together because opposites do attract, but the attraction can’t last. Tragic love story.
101. West Side Story (1961)
A musical version of Romeo and Juliet transferred to New York City in the 1950’s. Leonard Bernstein wrote the music, and Natlaie Wood makes a beautiful Maria (Juliet). Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1962 as well as numerous other awards, this movie deserved them all.
102. What’s Up, Doc (1972)
Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal are hilariously funny in this Peter Bogdanovich screwball comedy. It has mixed up luggage, spies, stolen jewelry, a chase scene through Chinatown in San Francisco, and lots of funny characters. Madeleine Kahn is especially good as O’Neal’s annoyingly funny fiance.
103. White Christmas (1954)
Semicolon Family’s favorite Christmas movie ever. We watch this one every December, and we laugh at all the same ol jokes.
Phil Davis: When what’s left of you gets around to what’s left to be gotten, what’s left to be gotten won’t be worth getting, whatever it is you’ve got left.
Phil Davis: I want you to get married. I want you to have nine children. And if you only spend five minutes a day with each kid, that’s forty-five minutes, and I’d at least have time to go out and get a massage or something.
Phil Davis: How can a guy that ugly have the nerve to have sisters?
Bob Wallace: Very brave parenting.
Bob Wallace: Miss Haynes, if you’re ever under a falling building and someone offers to pick you up and carry you to safety, don’t think, don’t pause, don’t hesitate for a moment, just spit in his eye.
Betty Haynes: What did that mean?
Bob Wallace: It means we’re going to Vermont.
104. The Winslow Boy (1999)
This story is about honor, and justice, and loyalty, and the pursuit of justice. It’s also about the attraction between an unlikely pair, a conservative barrister and a suffragette. The screenplay and direction are by David Mamet, famous playwright.
105. Wuthering Heights (1939)
Finally, this black and white adaptation of Emily Bronte’s novel stars Merle Oberon as Cathy and Sir Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff. Doomed lovers are bound to one another even in death on the moors of Yorkshire.
Ellen : Well, if Master Edgar and his charms and money and parties mean Heaven to you, what’s to keep you from taking your place among the Linton angels.
Cathy: I don’t think I belong in Heaven, Ellen. I dreamt once that I was there. I dreamt I went to Heaven, and that Heaven didn’t seem to be my home. And I broke my heart with weeping to come back to Earth. And the angels were so angry they flung me out into the middle of the heap, on top of Wuthering Heights. And I woke up sobbing with joy. That’s it, Ellen. I have no more business marrying Edgar Linton than I have of being in Heaven. But Ellen, Ellen, what can I do?
Ellen: You’re thinking of Heathcliff.
Cathy: Who else? He’s sunk so low. He seems to take pleasure in being mean and brutal. And yet, he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. And Linton’s is as different as frost from fire…Ellen, I am Heathcliff.
Added after the initial list was alphabetized:
106. Napoleon Dynamite. (2004) You’ll either love it or hate it. I love it; my kids hate it and can’t believe I would recommend it. My suggestion is that you think of it as an episodic cartoon strip instead of movie with a totally coherent, linear plot. It actually was conceived as a comic strip first, and it works better if you think of it that way.
107. On the Waterfront. (1954) THis movie made me decide that Brando does have a certain appeal. He plays a tough guy, but he’s a bum with a heart. I can see why this movie won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Christians who talk about “taking back Hollywood” and making Christian-themed movies need to take a look at this 1954 sermon on film about courage and repentance and redemption and standing against evil.
