Top 50 Movies of All Time! Part 1: 50 thru 41

Nerding out

50. High Fidelity (2000)

Why? Because if you didn’t know by now, we here at Idle Time live and breathe by this movie. It perfectly captures nerding out over music and movies and making lists.

Best Scene? The Break Up Scenes. We’ve all been there. Some of us more times then we would have liked.

Best Quote?

”What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?” – Rob

49. Bowling For Columbine (2002)

Free Checking? Fuck that, I want a Free Gun!

Why? Whether or not you agree with Micheal Moore’s politics or methods, watching this scathing documentary about gun control in America you can only come away with one conclusion – something is wrong here.

Best Scene? Michael Moore’s attempt to get an interview with film legend and NRA spokesmen, Charlton Heston   succeeds only to be one of the most awkward moments in the documentary. You kinda feel bad for old Moses. Kinda.

Best Quote?

“Well, here’s my first question: Do you think it’s a little dangerous handing out guns at a bank? ” – Michael Moore

48. El Mariachi (1992)

All you need to make a movie (Well, a good script sorta helps too).

Why? Since the start of cinema making a good, successful film was an expensive task. That is until 1992. Almost 100 years later since the first movie was made, Robert Rodriquez shows up with a couple thousand dollars, one 35 mil camera,  asks his friends to act in his movie on the weekends, and breaks the cycle. Now movies are fair game to anyone with talent and a camera – not just a giant bank account.

Best Scene? The “sped” up scenes stand out to me. This was not an artistic choice on the part of Rodriquez – he did it because he was running out of film and that shit wasn’t cheap. So he sped up the scenes thus using less film.

Best Quote? 

“All I wanted was to be a mariachi, like my ancestors. But the city I thought would bring me luck brought only a curse. I lost my guitar, my hand, and her. With this injury, I may never play the guitar again. Without her, I have no love. But with the dog and the weapons, I’m prepared for the future.” – El Mariachi

47. Hard Boiled (1992)

Chow Yun Fat at his most awesome.

Why? This is John Woo’s masterpiece. Before he went “Hollywood” Woo crafted the most action packed action movie of all time with Hard Boiled. There is shit done in this movie that you cannot do in Hollywood because of the insurance problems with the the stunt men. No such problems in Hong Kong though and it shows. The best of the Bullet Ballet films. Fucking relentless till the end.

Best Scene? The whole end scene at the Hospital. It could be one of the longest, uncut, un-edited action sequences ever filmed. Eat your heart out Martin Scorsese.

Best Quote?

You’re really full of shit. The toilet’s over there – Tequila

46. An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Nice Doggy

Why? One of the best horror films ever made contains the best transformation scene ever made. The Oscars came up with  a new category just so they could honor this landmark film and it’s effects. At it’s core it is a film about friendship and the loss of it due to changes life throws our way – you know like, moving to another town, falling in love and losing touch, getting bitten by a werewolf and killing people, those kinda changes.

Best Scene? Come on, duh. Rick Baker is a fucking genius.

Best Quote?

“Have you tried talking to a corpse? It’s boring.”  – Jack

45. Rushmore (1998)

Best dinner ever man

Why? Wes Anderson is a movie loving hipsters dream. Dude hits all the right notes with Rushmore – from the spot on casting of Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray (in a “latter years of his career” defining role),  his ability to make dialog that would feel out-of-place and stiff in other hands come across sincere and true, to his excellent taste in music for the film, Anderson fills this movie with a joy for life and everything in it.

Best Scene? The dinner scene where Max berates the boyfriend of the teacher he has a crush on – “I like your nurses uniform guy. ” “These are O.R scrubs.” “Oh, are they?”

Best Quote?

“Best play ever, man” – Mr. Littlejeans

44. Toy Story (1995)

Huh huh, you said Woody

Why? The movie that spelled the end of traditional animated movies (at least in America). This is the first fully computer generated cartoon and a what a perfect way to start things off. Sure, parts 2 and 3 may be a little bit better, but number 1 kicked it all off so I gotta go with it. Could this be Tom Hanks best roll? A computer generated toy? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing for sure, it is Tim Allen’s best roll, no doubt.

Best Scene? The trip and subsequent adventure inside Planet Pizza is flawless film-making. “The Claw!”

Best Quote?

“One minute you’re defending the whole galaxy, and, suddenly, you find yourself sucking down darjeeling with Marie Antoinette… and her little sister.”  – Buzz

43. Days of Heaven (1978)

The “golden hour” is on display in most of Days of Heaven

Why? An absolutely gorgeous film to behold. Cinema never looked so pretty before Days of Heaven. Terrence Malick takes a light story and infuses it with so much beauty that you are too overwhelmed to notice anything else. This film showed other directors what they were missing in their own works. The “art of film” became just that – art.

Best Scene? The plague of locust that comes down on the ranch and there is a battle at night to fight them off with fire. Malick pauses to film a single locust on a stalk of corn with the fires in the night in the background. Stunning and pretty much what Malick is all about – capturing the moment.

Best Quote?

“Nobody’s perfect. There was never a perfect person around. You just have half-angel and half-devil in you.” – Linda

42. Jurassic Park (1993)

Dude come on, its vision is based on movement! Don’t you know that?

Why? This is “Blockbuster Making 101″ here – but man, what a fucking awesome time I had watching this movie in the theater for the first time. A true roller-coaster of a movie and a shit load of fun.  Jurassic Park has become one of those comfort movies for me – anytime it’s on I gotta watch it. It manages to still thrill me and bring a smile to my face. A fantastic movie and one that ushered in  the CGI Era. Soon, computers would dominate the summer blockbuster and let us watch ANYTHING the filmmakers thought up.

Best Scene? The break out of the T-Rex is still one of the most frightening and truly edge of your seat sequences that Spielberg has ever done.

Best Quote?

“Hold on to your butts.” – Ray Arnold

41. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Freeman and Robbins at their best – in a fucking Stephen King movie?

Why? Who knew the worst named movie ever would be one of the best made movies ever? I love watching this film and knowing that just around the corner is another great scene coming up or awesome line of dialog spoken by Morgan Freeman. “Get busy living, or get busy dying”? Shit, get busy renting this one again on Netflix. A true american classic.

Best Scene? Tons to choose from but I gotta go with the ending. Fuck man, this could be the best ending of any movie ever made. Wonderful.

Best Quote?

“If I hear so much as a mouse fart in here the rest of the night I swear by God and sonny Jesus you will all visit the infirmary. Every last motherfucker in here. ” – Captain Hadley