Sugar's Top 21 favorite movies,
by sugarish | created - 20 May 2011 | updated - 05 Jun 2011 | Publicof Thousands, for repeat viewing. They are not in order since I consider them all the best. Does anyone agree?
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1. Murder, He Says (1945)
Passed | 91 min | Comedy, Mystery
Professional pollster Pete Marshall gets more than he bargained for when he heads deep into the Ozarks to investigate the disappearances of several of his colleagues.
Director: George Marshall | Stars: Fred MacMurray, Helen Walker, Marjorie Main, Jean Heather
Votes: 2,022
Funniest slapstick in my lifetime. also the source of the theme song, with lyrics, used on NPRs all things considered.
2. The 39 Steps (1935)
Approved | 86 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle
Votes: 61,470
Action/mystery/romance with genuine charm. For me, one of Hitchcock's very best.
3. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Not Rated | 118 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
A Brooklyn writer of books on the futility of marriage risks his reputation after he decides to tie the knot. Things get even more complicated when he learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are habitual murderers.
Director: Frank Capra | Stars: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson
Votes: 74,932
Comic horror movie. I watch it every Halloween, and lots of times in between. Superb cast. Cary Grant nails hysteria.
4. The African Queen (1951)
PG | 105 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull
Votes: 84,246 | Gross: $0.54M
Bogart and Hepburn at their best in horrific situations.
5. The Legend (1993)
R | 100 min | Action, Comedy, History
This Hong Kong martial-arts extravaganza tells of evil emperors and true love. The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. ... See full summary »
Director: Corey Yuen | Stars: Jet Li, Josephine Siao, Michelle Reis, Wenzhuo Zhao
Votes: 8,285
Comedy, action, choreography. Mom is the real hero. Hilarious. Great plot. I watch both legend movies every month for great laughs. They don't get old.
6. The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk 2 (1993)
R | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The Cantonese hero Fong Sai Yuk becomes involved in the secret brotherhood "The Red Flower", who are trying to overthrow the Manchurian emperor and re-establishing the Ming dynasty. The ... See full summary »
Director: Corey Yuen | Stars: Jet Li, Josephine Siao, Adam Cheng, Michelle Reis
Votes: 4,659
Continuing the comedy, action, choreography with Mom still the best ally. Hilarious. Both 'Legend's are well written.
7. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 949,121 | Gross: $78.90M
Hooked me on SciFi. Entire series great. Ties with Predator for best monster. The ship was a marvel.
8. Predator (1987)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo
Votes: 454,191 | Gross: $59.74M
A tie with 'Alien' for best monster. The invisible special effects terrific. The action spectacular.
9. Deja Vu (2006)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
After a ferry is bombed in New Orleans, an A.T.F. agent joins a unique investigation using experimental surveillance technology to find the bomber, but soon finds himself becoming obsessed with one of the victims.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Val Kilmer
Votes: 327,306 | Gross: $64.04M
Scary idea, all of time being accessible. Endearing love story angle in this mystery. I cared about all the characters.
10. Lethal Weapon (1987)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan
Votes: 276,097 | Gross: $65.21M
Entire series is terrific...great plots and action with fully developed characters.
11. 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: 944,247 | Gross: $83.01M
Love the whole series, especially the John McClane, honorable cop, character. Great plots with lots of action.
12. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
Director: Stephen Chow | Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Siu-Lung Leung
Votes: 150,691 | Gross: $17.11M
WOW! musical/action/comedy/drama/romance...fun well done.
13. Hot Fuzz (2007)
R | 121 min | Action, Comedy, Mystery
An overachieving London police sergeant is transferred to a village where the easygoing officers object to his fervor for regulations, all while a string of grisly murders strikes the town.
Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy
Votes: 534,892 | Gross: $23.64M
A perfect cop goes Rambo and saves a village. Hilarious.
14. Strictly Ballroom (1992)
PG | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A maverick dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter, Pat Thomson
Votes: 29,379 | Gross: $11.74M
Funny. Wonderful visual musical romance. Watch the documentary featurette after the film for interviews with real contestants.
15. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
PG | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When a shopping mall is taken over by a gang of organized crooks, it's up to a mild-mannered security guard to save the day.
Director: Steve Carr | Stars: Kevin James, Keir O'Donnell, Jayma Mays, Raini Rodriguez
Votes: 117,321 | Gross: $20.82M
Who couldn't love Paul Blart. Nothing snarky. Wonderful clever action, and comic action, and a sweet love story.
16. Blast from the Past (1999)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A naive man comes out into the world after spending 35 years in a nuclear fallout shelter.
Director: Hugh Wilson | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek
Votes: 71,599 | Gross: $26.49M
Great plot, well thought out and executed. Endearingly sweet.
17. The Nude Bomb (1980)
PG | 94 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Maxwell Smart is recalled to duty to help fight a villian who threatens to detonate a weapon that destroys clothing.
Director: Clive Donner | Stars: Don Adams, Andrea Howard, Sylvia Kristel, Rhonda Fleming
Votes: 3,548 | Gross: $14.66M
Smart perfection. True to the real 'Get Smart' tv show...over the top of the wall.
18. Moon (2009)
R | 97 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.
Director: Duncan Jones | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott, Rosie Shaw
Votes: 376,441 | Gross: $5.01M
Wonderful set, believable characters. Thoughtful plot, leaves you thinking.
19. Sunshine (2007)
R | 107 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis
Votes: 267,101 | Gross: $3.68M
Left me wondering how I would react to the situation.
20. Babe (1995)
G | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Gentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?
Director: Chris Noonan | Stars: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Christine Cavanaugh, Miriam Margolyes
Votes: 134,014 | Gross: $66.60M
Totally suspended my disbelief. A tale of following a dream.
21. The Thing from Another World (1951)
Approved | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.
Directors: Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks | Stars: Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, James Arness, Robert Cornthwaite
Votes: 33,311
I love this intelligent sci fi I remembered seeing on tv 40+ years ago. Black and white and 1951 minimal special effects.
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