This is my second effort of editing my top list from a decade ago. We’re on to movies and I’m making some edits.
Ten years ago, I crafted a list acknowledging movies that influenced my life. Now, I’m curating a list of movies that I’d choose if I could watch nothing else for the next decade. I’m not gonna sugar coat it: there’s a lot of Christopher Nolan on this list and you’ll just have to get over it. He’s the best filmmaker of this generation. I’m betting now that I’m adding his new Odyssey to my top 60 list.
Also, I stopped being a legalist and allowed myself to could some movies/sequels as singular entries.
Children Of Men. Just an absolute masterpiece. Rewatched it recently and still am gob smacked when viewing. Glory. Still a compelling movie. I wish more movie makers tried to retell history like this.
Die Hard. Yes, it’s a Christmas movie.
Tombstone. I still watch this once a year. Can quote about 40% of the movie.
Forrest Gump. It’s flawed, but it was released the year I graduated high school.
Rogue One. In my Top 40 list, I went with The Empire Strikes Back as my Star Wars contribution. To be fair, without the original Star Wars, Rogue One doesn’t work, but Rogue is by far the best Star Wars movie ever made.
The Dark Knight. Nolan changed the comic genre and this is his best effort in the category.
Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part Two. As a pair, this is a couple of hours of enjoyment.
Lord of the Rings. Just take the whole trilogy. I you’ve never watched, you should do so now.
The Truman Show. Jim Carray makes the movie work.
Inception. Nolan starts thinking about time as it relates to the dream state. It sets up his later work.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013). Still holds up. Creative and touching.
Jaws. So much more than a horror/thriller. It’s as old as I am but twice as smart.
2001: A Space Odyssey. This is another piece of art that got better as I aged. It’s crazy that this movie was made when it was.
Shawshank Redemption. I don’t rewatch it that much, but it’s a masterpiece.
Edge of Tomorrow. A creative blend of sci-fi, action, and humor
Avengers Infinity War/End Game. As a singular piece, these movies are a force. I think Marvel has struggled to recapture it’s market simply because these movies were so well done.
Black Panther. If I had to pick any singular Marvel movie, this is the one.
Minority Report. Sci-fi with a philosophical bent.
Dune 1 & Dune 2. I never liked the original Dune. Rewatched it with the daughter before the revival and it felt ridiculous. Now, I’m pretty sure this might surpass LotR as my favorite trilogy of all time.
Tenet. I’m not sure if the pandemic caused people to pan this as much as Nolan’s ambition. But I’m his audience. This movie was made for rewatching.
Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade. We just watched it again a few weeks ago and it’s still amazingly good.
The Big Short. Who would’ve guessed an SNL writer could translate his skills into non-sketch movie making?
Oceans 11 (2001). The cast and pacing make this a treat.
Tommy Boy. I will still laugh at all the jokes I know in this movie.
Tree of Life. Watched it again last year. It’s more an experience than a movie but still transformative.
Jurassic Park. I never would have guessed it would hold up so well over the decades.
The Martian. I’ve never been so emotionally invested in a fictional story.
Hot Fuzz. It's all for the greater good (the greater good).
There Will be Blood. What’s crazy is that this movie is never streaming so I’ve only watched it a couple of times in the last decade. It’s still makes my list.
The Departed. Scorsese’s best effort, but Silence deserves a rewatching.
The Matrix. There were no sequels here. Trust me. Don’t look for them.
The Social Network. The script and the soundtrack transform a boring origin story into a classic.
Arrival. It’s an alien movie that’s not really about aliens.
Kingsman: The Secret Service. They should never have tried a sequel.
Inglorious Bastards. Never would have guessed Tarantino would have evolved so well. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood just misses this list.
Oppenheimer. It’s long. It’s historical. I’d watch it again right now.
Aliens. Sequel supremacy.
Top Gun & Top Gun Maverick. I can’t lie: they nailed the sequel, even decades later. It’s so watchable. You need the original for context, but this movie is sweet nostalgia.
Tropic Thunder. The older I get, the more I appreciate the risks taken in this movie. A different level of humor.
Rocky IV. As I was thinking through the list, I saw this movie while flipping channels and just kept watching. The movie summarizes the 1980s for me. Great soundtrack.
The Batman. The daughter and I have bonded over the Caped Crusader. This is the movie that drew her in.
Mad Max Fury Road. The world creation and style makes this remake surpass the originals
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We’ve already got one.
Full Metal Jacket. It’s a challenging watch but Kubrick shows the horror of war.
The Godfather One and Two. In my 40 list, I just included two. Over the last decade, I came around to liking one better. Since I’m looping in sequels in this list, I was happy to list them both.
O Brother Where Art Thou? Will this one ever go out of style?
Wall-E. Kept me emotionally invested in a digitally animated robot.
Fight Club. Every viewing brings a new Easter Egg.
Interstellar. It’s emerged as my favorite movie of all time. I could teach a class about the movie.
For curiosity’s sake, here are the movies I removed from my Top 40 list. I’d still watch these, but they don’t hold the same place in my heart that they did ten years ago.
V for Vendetta
Field of Dreams
Once
Spaceballs
Zombieland
Gladiator
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The Karate Kid
Dead Poet’s Society
Total Recall