MovieBUFFering's 101 Favorite Movies - 2019

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18

3:10 To Yuma - 2007



"Even bad men love their mommas."
Well this is my favorite Western. Bale and Crowe are awesome in the flick. They have a really awesome chemistry in the film. It's cool to see them gain respect for each other as the film gets going. It just feels like a throw back to when the Westerns were in their hay day. It's a fun story with a lot of engaging characters. I love the Luke Wilson cameo

Ben Foster is really a standout as Crowe's right hand man. He looked like he had a lot of funny playing his character. It's really hard to choose between Bale and Crowe who had the better role. I'd edge it out to Crowe being more memorable but it's close. The end is really the best part about the movie. Bale's character just as balls the size of basketball. It's executed really well. It's just my favorite Western, always enjoy it when it's on. Highly recommend giving it a watch.


Director - James Mangold
Best Performance - Russell Crowe as Ben Wade
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 89%
Factoid - Exactly ten minutes pass in the movie between the clock striking 3:00 and the arrival of the train.
Stock In Countdown - Riser

Memorable Scene
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I came here to do two things, drink some beer and kick some ass, looks like we are almost outta beer - Dazed and Confused

101 Favorite Movies (2019)



Tried watching Dallas Buyers Club after your review, despite my dislike for Jennifer Garner. Not through all of it yet, but it didn't really draw me in at all. I can appreciate the story it's telling though.



Very cool to see the TMNT movies appear awhile back. Tons of nostalgia there. Secret of the Ooze was the first movie I ever watched in theaters. ("Go ninja, go ninja, go!") A little surprised that you included the third one, which I didn't even care for as a kid. Bought a DVD collection of them recently. Looking forward to revisiting them. I know I still love the first one, which I re-watched not that long ago. For a "kid's" movie, it's surprisingly dark.

Also happy to see my favorite movie, Pulp Fiction, make an appearance. 3:10 to Yuma is the movie that got me into westerns. Cool to see it place so high. Wasn't expecting to see Unforgiven show up on here, but it's a masterful film. I was more impressed with McConaughey's performance in Dallas Buyers Club than the movie itself. Hard to believe that was 2019. Feels like just a couple of years ago. Dazed and Confused is one of the premier hang-out movies and another personal favorite. Haven't seen Almost Famous or American Beauty in ages, but I remember both being great movies.

We continue to share a lot of nostalgic favorites, especially when it comes to animation. Home Alone is my favorite Christmas movie; physical pain has rarely been so funny. Some of your favorites have lost their shine for me due to sequel fatigue or because they're always playing on TV. Curse of the Black Pearl and Men in Black fall into that category, as well as several of the comedies to appear on your list, like The Hangover and Meet the Parents. Still enjoy them, just not as much as I once did. Although I'm not a big fan of Life or Win Win (both solid quality, just nothing remarkable, imo), I dig seeing under-the-radar choices like that make people's lists of favorites.

Curious to see how the rest of the top twenty shakes out.
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17

Groundhog Day - 1993



"Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."
Bill freaking Murray. Who doesn't love Bill Murray? I think this movie flaunts Bill at the peak of his powers. He is unfairly charming. It's hard to see another performer being able to basically carry that movie like him. He is insanely likable even when he is not suppose to be at the beginning. I personally think this is his best movie, the one to put in the time capsule to tell people how badass he was.

Also a big shout out has to go to Harold Ramis who cobbled this movie together so confidently. Not sure you can pull off a movie with this many moving parts and make it fit so seamless with out a confident vision of what the movie would look like. Apparently this movie caused a 2 decade rift between Murray and Ramis, you would never know it from the finished product.

It's just a good natured film with lots of laughs and honestly a sweet story. It's just easily rewatchable which is why it's always on tv. He finally gets out of the day becoming a better man and not so self centered. It's just a fun flick I never get tired of, ironically. Depending who you get the information from Murray spent anywhere from 8 to 10 years reliving the same day


Director - Harold Ramis
Best Performance - Bill Murray as Phil Connors
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 96%
Factoid - Bill Murray was bitten by the groundhog twice during shooting. Murray had to have anti rabies injections, because the bites were so severe.
Stock In Countdown - Neutral

Memorable Scene



I've seen parts of Groundhog Day but not enough to make a firm stance about the movie.
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Rather impressed by that. It's on tv everyday lol.
Not for me I think I've seen it listed on TV once.



16

Blade Runner: 2049 - 2017



"Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger."
So a look back to number 97 on this countdown finds the original Blade Runner. Something this movie does which is incredibly rare in cinema history: it makes the original better to me. It's such a shame this movie flopped at the box office because it deserved better. I also was pretty much done with the Oscars after this and Villeneuve didn't get a nod in the Oscars while clearly being the best movie that year. Have a feeling there was some serious politics against it for a variety of reasons.

First all this might be the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. Roger Deakins is a straight G. At least the Academy finally did right by him by giving him an Oscar for this. It's just a damn eyegasm of art. Even if you don't like the movie you have to appreciate how it looks. Gosling is wonderful as a sort of newer version of Ford in the first movie and you can tell Ford really loves being in this world. Don't think he would have came back unless it was done right. Leto is very creepy and I think Ana de Armas is my new cinematic crush. She is breathtaking to me, I hope she gets a lot more work. Sylvia Hoeks is also great as the baddie.

I got to give Villeneuve credit, he made this sequel, imo better than the first one and improved the first one. Seriously it adds depth to the first movie while still being a great solo movie. That's amazing 35 years after the first film came out. Villeneuve is a director I will look out for his projects, can't wait for Dune. This movie is one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had watching a movie the last 5 years or so. It has pushed the median forward to me and that is great. Hopefully it gains traction in the years to come as an absolute classic and an embarrassment that it wasn't nominated for an Oscar.


Director - Denis Villeneuve
Best Performance - Ryan Gosling as Officer K
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 87%
Factoid - According to the documentary Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007), director Ridley Scott had a totally different introduction in mind for Rick Deckard in Blade Runner (1982). In the end, he chose the noodles scene on the street to first show Harrison Ford as an ex-Blade Runner. Thirty-five years later director Denis Villeneuve used that exact unused scene in this film to introduce Ryan Gosling, which became the farm scene with the discovery of the tree.
Stock In Countdown - Riser

Memorable Scene



Very cool to see the TMNT movies appear awhile back. Tons of nostalgia there. Secret of the Ooze was the first movie I ever watched in theaters. ("Go ninja, go ninja, go!") A little surprised that you included the third one, which I didn't even care for as a kid. Bought a DVD collection of them recently. Looking forward to revisiting them. I know I still love the first one, which I re-watched not that long ago. For a "kid's" movie, it's surprisingly dark.

Also happy to see my favorite movie, Pulp Fiction, make an appearance. 3:10 to Yuma is the movie that got me into westerns. Cool to see it place so high. Wasn't expecting to see Unforgiven show up on here, but it's a masterful film. I was more impressed with McConaughey's performance in Dallas Buyers Club than the movie itself. Hard to believe that was 2019. Feels like just a couple of years ago. Dazed and Confused is one of the premier hang-out movies and another personal favorite. Haven't seen Almost Famous or American Beauty in ages, but I remember both being great movies.

We continue to share a lot of nostalgic favorites, especially when it comes to animation. Home Alone is my favorite Christmas movie; physical pain has rarely been so funny. Some of your favorites have lost their shine for me due to sequel fatigue or because they're always playing on TV. Curse of the Black Pearl and Men in Black fall into that category, as well as several of the comedies to appear on your list, like The Hangover and Meet the Parents. Still enjoy them, just not as much as I once did. Although I'm not a big fan of Life or Win Win (both solid quality, just nothing remarkable, imo), I dig seeing under-the-radar choices like that make people's lists of favorites.

Curious to see how the rest of the top twenty shakes out.
Well to me TMNT were my childhood, loved them. All 3 of the first movies were handled with such care for the characters that have been lost with the new incarnations. The practical costumes make such a huge difference. Even if someone doesn't like the first three they have to admit seeing the turtles costumes is pretty damn cool and impressive.

Pulp is a cool film, but I think Inglorious is QT's culmination of his talents coming together to make his best work. Unforgiven is such a ridiculously good film. I had it in the 80s then when and watched it again and said that thing needs moved up. I could see it moving up again if I did this.

Yea I can get that about Dallas Buyer's Club. McConaughey's performance sort of makes the movie, but I don't know I digged the movie too Yea I get your beef with sequel fatigue, I get it too. Wish they would leave it alone unless they are beyond certain they can match or top the first. But to me there is a reason they try to squeeze every drop out of the originals like Black Pearl and Men In Black....because they are freaking awesome. Think I only have one true blockbuster left. But that's pretty much how I judge my favorite movies. If I don't get sick of watching them, which pretty much everyone in my top 20 I never get sick of and most in my top 50.



15

Old School - 2003



"You're my boy Blue!"
So this is my last pure comedy on the countdown I believe and this is my favorite one that always makes me laugh. I suppose it just came out at the right time for me. When it was making it's run on tv and dvd I was basically living the college life. It sort of my generation's Animal House. Just a frat house comedy with a twist of the antagonists being 30 and out of school

So this is Todd Phillips second entry on this countdown (would be 3 if I saw the Joker before I started). As with The Hangover it propelled it's 3 stars to bigger careers. Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell all got shot into leading men in Hollywood to varying degrees, just like Cooper, Zach G and Helms. This is just quintessential Vince Vaughn. This and Wedding Crashers is Vince at his comedic best. This however was Will Ferrell's coming out party in feature films. He felt a little too good at playing Frank His streaking scene always gets a laugh out of me . He was in a lot of small parts in movies before this film but this really launched his film career. One of my favorite comedy performances in movies .

Jeremy Piven is also pretty good as the d*ckhead Dean. I remember I first saw this movie in theaters my sophomore year in high school with my aau basketball team during a break between games. Anyways some of the parents took us to it and were horrified during the vulgar parts . I don't remember really liking it after that but fell in love with it when I had a different perspective on it a few years later. Anyways I just think its a comedy classic, I'm sure it's probably not too popular around here, or maybe it is . But it always freaking amuses me and puts me in a good mood when I see it. My favorite comedy for sure.


Director - Todd Phillips
Best Performance - Will Ferrell as Frank The Tank
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 60%
Factoid - Frank's streaking scene was shot on a city street. As Will Ferrell remembered it, one of the storefronts was a twenty-four-hour gym with Stairmasters and treadmills in the window. "I was rehearsing in a robe, and all these people are in the gym, watching me. I asked one of the Production Assistants, 'Shouldn't we tell them I'm going to be naked?' Sure enough, I dropped my robe and there were shrieks of pure horror. After the first take, nobody was at the window anymore. I took that as a sign of approval."
Stock In Countdown - Neutral

Memorable Scene



Excellent factoid on Old School haha loving the list!



14

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World - 2010



"When I'm around you, I kind of feel like I'm on drugs. Not that I do drugs. Unless you do drugs, in which case I do them all the time. All of them."
This is such a cool underrated unique flick. One of the very few great video game adaptations. Seriously why is it so hard to make a good video game movie? This movie's uniquness is the reason it is so cool. You can just feel Edgar Wright's voice throughout the whole film. He uses the video game level structure to tell his story of Scott going through Ramona's exes. I think it's a brilliant way to lay out the movie especially since he zaps the realism of the story out of it quickly, so you accept the craziness immediately.

Micheal Cera is fine and dandy as the lead, he sort of plays the guy who can't get out of his own way great. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is great as Ramona, she sort of looks just like her. Two Avengers Brie Larson and Chris Evans are in it in small roles pre Marvel. Allison Pill, Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin, Aubrey Plaza and Eli Roth are in it as well, a stellar cast. However my favorite person in the flick is Jason Schwartzman. I wish he was in more main stream stuff he is so damn fun and he looks like he is having fun in this role. (I think he would make a great Riddler.) He isn't in it to long, he is the main bad guy at the end, but I wish he had more screen time.

This movie also has some really damn good music in it. I have a few of the songs on my play list. Some of it is original stuff and some by other bands but it works really damn well in the film. The movie also sort of his a great moral at the end. Teaches you to get some self respect before you can really make someone else happy. I don't know I think it's just a fantastically fun film with great performances and music with a great director behind it. I'd recommend it highly if you like quirky films.


Director - Edgar Wright
Best Performance - Jason Schwartzman as Gideon
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 81%
Factoid - The four cast members that made up the band "Sex Bob-Omb" spent several weeks learning how to play together as a band. Mark Webber, Alison Pill and Johnny Simmons all had to learn their instruments from scratch, while Michael Cera had to "dumb down" his bass playing in order to not outshine his band mates.
Stock In Countdown - Neutral

Memorable Scene (movie scene/music video)



Tried watching Dallas Buyers Club after your review, despite my dislike for Jennifer Garner. Not through all of it yet, but it didn't really draw me in at all. I can appreciate the story it's telling though.
Different strokes for different folks I guess ha. I think it's a great flick, but I can appreciate people who don't like it, I just think MM elevates the whole thing. Truly deserved that Oscar.

Garner went to my Dad's high school in Charleston WV. Years apart of course. But I guess I have to like her because of that lol



13

The Dark Knight - 2008



"Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!"
If I made this list back when this came out it would probably be top 3. It has since dropped because I was 21 when it came out, my movie taste has matured a bit. It is still an amazing flick, probably one of the most impactful in cinema history. It's pretty much my generation's Star Wars I believe. It was the first comic book movie to cross a billion dollars worldwide. Combine this with the original Iron Man, which came out in 2008 as well and you have the arrival of the comic book movie era for better or worse. It also stamped Nolan as probably the best director of his generation. Stamped him as my favorite director thats for sure. 6th Nolan flick on this countdown. I like the guy if you can't tell

If this movie starts with Nolan's ascension it ends with Heath Ledger's preposterously magnificent turn as The Joker. This is probably the easiest time I've had picking best performance. To me it's the best performance I've ever seen on film. It's the only time I can remember my whole life going to the movies and being on the edge of my seat anytime a character/actor comes on the screen. The movie was great but anytime Heath was on screen I legitimately held my breath. He was mesmerizing and completely unpredictable anytime on screen. Even the Academy couldn't ignore it, might have been riots if he didn't win that Oscar. Not enough superlatives to praise Ledger's turn. (There is just something about The Joker that produces unreal performances including Jack and Heath. But Joaquin and Heath will always be compared now. I think it's unfair, they both were stupidly good, but aimed to accomplish different goals. Heath's was far more charming and showy, while Joaquin was far more haunting and contained. Both spectacular.)

The movie itself was crazy good because Nolan grounded it in realism from the first movie and took it up a notch in this one. This is a gangster movie masquerading in a comic book movie. Nolan's penchant for using practical effects really enhances the audience's experience and the movie's quality, people can tell the difference between CGI and practical. Anyways I tell you that to say this, the sequence with him flipping that semi in the streets of Chicago is still one of my favorite action sequences ever. My jaw was on the ground the first time I saw that. And that interrogation scene is iconic. It's just an amazingly entertaining flick.

Only knock I give it over time is it does seem about 15-20 minutes too long. Otherwise it's insanely rewatchable and a classic. It will probably never leave my top 15-20. Also The Dark Knight Rises is a fine blockbuster flick, but I think it is Nolan's weakest film. Think he might have gotten too ambitious with it plus I think he was going incorporate Heath again but had to audible after his death.

Director - Christopher Nolan
Best Performance - Heath Ledger as The Joker
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 94%
Factoid - Heath Ledger directed both homemade videos that The Joker sends to GCN. The first video involving the fake Batman was done under writer, producer, and director Christopher Nolan's supervision. Nolan thought Ledger had done so well with that sequence, he felt there was no need for him to be there when it came time to film the scene where reporter Mike Engel reads The Joker's statement. He put his trust in Ledger and let him do whatever he wanted, ultimately pleased with the result after he'd seen the outcome.
Stock In Countdown - Sinker

Memorable Scene



12

The Truman Show - 1998



"Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"
This movie was 10 years ahead of its time, it was like a prophecy of things to come. I mean I suppose Real World was going on MTV, but this whole movie had incredible foresight on what was to come from reality tv only a few short years later. Feel like this movie should have been made like a decade later. Whoever was responsible for bringing this movie to fruition when they did might actually be a physic. It's obviously hyperbole on what was to come but good lord did they nail it.

I have a lot of Jim Carrey flicks on this countdown but this is his best work to me. There isn't a second on screen you don't believe he isn't Truman trying to figure out what the hell is going on. He was perfectly cast. The cast was amazing as well. Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich and Paul Giamati. You feel completely immersed in this world. There are some truly iconic moments in the movie. The end always gives me goosebumps.

Watching Truman slowly realize he is a part of a TV show that has been his entire life is completely engaging. I think the crazy part about the film is just it's sheer foreshadowing to the reality tv world we live in now. It's an incredible dive into what our entertainment was going look like before it did. The movie has only gotten stronger to me with perspective now. It's more of a case study then a movie, but man is it an entertaining movie.

Director - Pete Weir
Best Performance - Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 94%
Factoid - Ed Harris and Jim Carrey never met during filming.
Stock In Countdown - Sinker

Memorable Scene



12

The Truman Show - 1998



"Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"
This movie was 10 years ahead of its time, it was like a prophecy of things to come. I mean I suppose Real World was going on MTV, but this whole movie had incredible foresight on what was to come from reality tv only a few short years later. Feel like this movie should have been made like a decade later. Whoever was responsible for bringing this movie to fruition when they did might actually be a physic. It's obviously hyperbole on what was to come but good lord did they nail it.

I have a lot of Jim Carrey flicks on this countdown but this is his best work to me. There isn't a second on screen you don't believe he isn't Truman trying to figure out what the hell is going on. He was perfectly cast. The cast was amazing as well. Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich and Paul Giamati. You feel completely immersed in this world. There are some truly iconic moments in the movie. The end always gives me goosebumps.

Watching Truman slowly realize he is a part of a TV show that has been his entire life is completely engaging. I think the crazy part about the film is just it's sheer foreshadowing to the reality tv world we live in now. It's an incredible dive into what our entertainment was going look like before it did. The movie has only gotten stronger to me with perspective now. It's more of a case study then a movie, but man is it an entertaining movie.

Director - Pete Weir
Best Performance - Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 94%
Factoid - Ed Harris and Jim Carrey never met during filming.
Stock In Countdown - Sinker

Memorable Scene
I watched a bit of this on tv the other day and will be checking out the whole thing very soon as it was very good.



Groundhog Day has gotten better with each viewing, although I doubt it'll ever be a personal favorite. Haven't watched Blade Runner 2049 yet since I've only seen the original once and want to revisit it to refresh myself with the story. Old School has plenty of laughs and I'm a fan of the cast, but it's not a movie I've returned to much. Enjoyed Scott Pilgrim vs. The World but only seen it once. It's probably my least favorite Edgar Wright movie. The Truman Show boasts a brilliant premise, but my respect for it is greater than my personal enjoyment.

I think the first two-thirds of The Dark Knight are excellent, but I think it stumbles a bit once Two-Face comes into play. The hyperbolic praise that's heaped on the movie has always made me feel like a curmudgeon. A great movie, no doubt. A game-changer, as you say. The greatest movie ever made as so many fanboys claim? Nah.



Groundhog Day has gotten better with each viewing, although I doubt it'll ever be a personal favorite. Haven't watched Blade Runner 2049 yet since I've only seen the original once and want to revisit it to refresh myself with the story. Old School has plenty of laughs and I'm a fan of the cast, but it's not a movie I've returned to much. Enjoyed Scott Pilgrim vs. The World but only seen it once. It's probably my least favorite Edgar Wright movie. The Truman Show boasts a brilliant premise, but my respect for it is greater than my personal enjoyment.

I think the first two-thirds of The Dark Knight are excellent, but I think it stumbles a bit once Two-Face comes into play. The hyperbolic praise that's heaped on the movie has always made me feel like a curmudgeon. A great movie, no doubt. A game-changer, as you say. The greatest movie ever made as so many fanboys claim? Nah.
Yea Dark Knight feels 15-20 minutes too long. Still that Ledger performance is F*ing iconic.