MCritic85's Top 20 Movies of All-Time
by mcritic85 | created - 25 May 2013 | updated - 25 May 2013 | PublicThis my personal Top 20 selection to share my personal interest. This is NOT my critical opinion. Brief commentary on the top 10 entries.
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1. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
PG | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala, while Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee
Votes: 758,878 | Gross: $310.68M
I have a personal connection with the story of Star Wars, and my personality tends to connect to the character of Anakin. The journey you see Anakin beginning and the struggles he has I truly can relate to, which makes this # 1 on my list.
2. Gladiator (2000)
R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Votes: 1,620,015 | Gross: $187.71M
A great heroic film that shows the true meaning of leadership and how powerful and influential being a leader is.
3. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,091,302 | Gross: $75.60M
Again a great epic and heroic film. Mel Gibson does a pheonominal job conveying the impact of standing for a cause that's bigger than you regardless of the number of people you have.
4. The Usual Suspects (1995)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin
Votes: 1,145,334 | Gross: $23.34M
One of Kevin Spacey's classics. This movie was a pioneer in the 90's for suspense action. The story of Keysor Soze will forever be remembered after seeing this movie.
5. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,798,869 | Gross: $100.13M
If you've have seen this yet, I would make it a priority TODAY and watch it. This film is the last of a remnant of films that represent all-around good film-making, from the story-line to the action. You see a rising Brad Pitt in the making, and yet another epic performance by Kevin Spacey.
6. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,550,666 | Gross: $292.58M
Arguably Leonardo DiCaprio's best film ever. The film other than Dark Knight that put Christopher Nolan on the map. You will have to watch this film at least twice. Still til this day, I can watch this film and get something new from it. The definition of an epic film.
7. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,257,233 | Gross: $46.84M
My favorite mob movie. All stellar performances my DeNiro, Liotta, and Pesci. Ton of action from start to finish, with it's timely moments of comedy. Quoted by actual mobsters that Goodfellas was their life in a film.
8. August Rush (2007)
PG | 114 min | Drama, Music
A musically gifted orphan, Evan, runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parents. On his journey, he's taken under the wing of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater.
Director: Kirsten Sheridan | Stars: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard
Votes: 111,099 | Gross: $31.66M
Truly a personal favorite. I'm a musician at heart, and I connected to the boy's story and his connection to music. Most college students that are music majors have seen this. It's great to watch with your family. WARNING: It's a tear jerker. Jonathan Rhys Meyers gives an amazing musical performance, with honorable accompaniment by Terrance Howard and Robin Williams.
9. Good Will Hunting (1997)
R | 126 min | Drama, Romance
Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 1,067,879 | Gross: $138.43M
The film that shinned the light on up and coming actor and writers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck at that time. This film is powerful, because it shows what happens when someone is willing to care. The perfect antidote for hard callused hearts is care. We're all wanting someone to care, and this film proves that. Great for mentoring.
10. The Book of Eli (2010)
R | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Gary Oldman
Votes: 339,333 | Gross: $94.84M
In all honesty, I wanted the #10 selection to say Any movie by Denzel Washington. Denzel has more than proven himself as the #1 leading actor in film-making to date. Some have called him the "Michael Jordan" of acting, because of his ability to make those working around or with him better. He's the only actor that critics have said that he's has NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER made a bad film (which no one else holds that streak). If were to use IMDb's rating system, then I would say all of his films are 7 and above, period.
11. 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: 2,888,517 | Gross: $28.34M
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
PG-13 | 201 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,979,068 | Gross: $377.85M
13. The Avengers (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 1,459,280 | Gross: $623.28M
14. The Patriot (2000)
R | 165 min | Action, Drama, History
Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs
Votes: 293,476 | Gross: $113.33M
15. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,052,971 | Gross: $171.48M
16. The Devil's Advocate (1997)
R | 144 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
An exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.
Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones
Votes: 401,865 | Gross: $60.98M
17. The Green Mile (1999)
R | 189 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt
Votes: 1,407,281 | Gross: $136.80M
18. 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: 1,322,814 | Gross: $25.54M
19. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 986,922 | Gross: $170.74M
20. Gran Torino (2008)
R | 116 min | Drama
After a Hmong teenager tries to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, a disgruntled, prejudiced Korean War veteran seeks to redeem both the boy and himself.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Christopher Carley, Ahney Her
Votes: 814,948 | Gross: $148.10M
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