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I’ve seen many of the classics which predated me (I was born in 1967), but my affection for the movies I grew up with becomes readily apparent. I mean, is anyone going to ever make an argument that Can’t Buy Me Love is a better movie than Citizen Kane? The thing about favorites, though, is that it doesn’t matter if a movie can withstand the scrutiny of Film Analysis 101. It matters if the film, well, matters to you.
Note: I have included several trilogies (the original Star Wars movies, The Lord of the Rings, etc.) as separate entries, but I grouped them together since they work to tell a larger story. Anyway, without further ado, here are my top 100 personal favorite movies:
1. Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
2. Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
3. Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
4. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
5. The World According to Garp (1982)
6. All That Jazz (1979)
7. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
10. Raising Arizona (1987)
11. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
12. Dead Poets Society (1989)
13. The Princess Bride (1987)
14. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
16. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
17. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
18. Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
19. Star Wars – Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
20. Star Wars – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
21. Fast Time at Ridgemont High (1982)
22. Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)
23. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
24. Grease (1978)
25. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
26. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
27. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
28. Angel Heart (1987)
29. The Fisher King (1991)
30. Before Sunrise (1995)
31. And Justice for All (1979)
32. The Breakfast Club (1985)
33. Back to the Future (1985)
34. The Lords of Discipline (1983)
35. A Christmas Story (1983)
36. A Few Good Men (1992)
37. The Untouchables (1987)
38. The Karate Kid (1984)
39. Hook (1991)
40. Ghostbusters (1984)
41. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
42. She’s Having a Baby (1988)
43. The Wall (1982)
44. The Music Never Stopped (2011)
45. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
46. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
47. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
48. Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
49. Star Wars – Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
50. Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
51. Roxanne (1987)
52. Memento (2001)
53. The Sixth Sense (1999)
54. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
55. Unbreakable (2000)
56. Hugo (2011)
57. Joker (2019)
58. Mystic Pizza (1988)
59. No Way Out (1987)
60. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
61. Joe vs. the Volcano (1990)
62. The Usual Suspects (1995)
63. Fearless (1993)
64. Aladdin (1992)
65. Forrest Gump (1994)
66. Cars (2006)
67. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
68. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
69. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
70. Toy Story (1995)
71. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
72. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
73. The Jerk (1979)
74. Excalibur (1981)
75. Peter Pan (2003)
76. The Bad News Bears (1976)
77. The Dark Knight (2008)
78. Split (2017)
79. Pinocchio (1940)
80. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
81. Groundhog Day (1993)
82. Big (1988)
83. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
84. Blade Runner (1982)
85. High Fidelity (2000)
86. After Hours (1985)
87. The Firm (1993)
88. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
89. Dune (1984)
90. Inception (2010)
91. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
92. The Player (1992)
93. Grand Canyon (1992)
94. Diner (1982)
95. Office Space (1999)
96. Pulp Fiction (1994)
97. The Godfather (1972) / The Godfather Part II (1974)
98. Donnie Darko (2001)
99. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
100. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
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Originally posted 7/29/2019; last updated 1/9/2020. | 
