Top 41 Movies

12/26/2004

Long in the waiting…I have finally come up with my personal top 41 list of movies, in order, as it is today (Dec. 26th, 2004). There are other movies that I loved and thought were visually stunning or mentally stimulating, but that just didn’t connect with me personally. These are the movies that I’ve quoted, recalled, pondered, and thought more and more about. They’ve impacted my attitudes and thoughts and relationships in some way. They have made me think more deeply about character, acting, art, visuals, humor, social standing, history…and all that good stuff. They have encouraged me to imagine and dream; they have entertained me through some bad illnesses. Some are classics and some are…well, they’re just plain cheesy. But, sometimes even the cheesy movies stay with us and whisper to us and impact us. Obviously, in my young life there are many movies I have not yet experienced, and my current Netflix Queue is over 200. But considering the ones I have seen and the impact they’ve had on me, (without further adieu) here is my top 41.
1. Nashville
2. High Fidelity
3. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
4. Persona
5. Sense and Sensibility
6. Spirited Away
7. Singin’ in the Rain
8. The Jerk
9. Whale Rider
10. Life is Beautiful
11. Mary Poppins
12. Lost in Translation
13. Being John Malkovich
14. Amelie
15. 2001 A Space Odyssey
16. A River Runs Through It
17. Punch-Drunk Love
18. The Pianist
19. American Splendor
20. The Little Princess
21. X-Men
22. The Wizard of Oz
23. Adaptation
24. Strictly Ballroom
25. Legally Blonde
26. Lord of the Rings, Return of the King
27. The Color of Paradise
28. In America
29. Frida
30. Pirates of the Caribbean
31. What Dreams May Come
32. An Ideal Husband
33. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
34. Best in Show
35. Muriel’s Wedding
36. Monsoon Wedding
37. That Thing You Do!
38. Duets
39. Rain Man
40. Knights Tale
41. Grosse Point Blank