MovieBUFFering's 101 Favorite Movies - 2019

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Love The Departed. I don't like Rush Hour and didn't care for Office Space or Jumanji. I haven't seen Hoosiers and don't think I've ever heard of Wind River.
Highly recommend checking out Wind River.
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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)



60

Guardians Of The Galaxy - 2014



"I am Groot"
Not going see a ton of Marvel movies on this countdown. I enjoy most of them but I am kind of burnt out on them lately. However Endgame was fun/sad. The first Guardians however is just entertainment at it's most peak fun. This was a home run by Marvel and I still think their best non Avengers movie by a pretty considerable margin. It just has so many fun characters packed into the film and they all bring their own punch to the story. It was one of the only times I left a movie theater feeling like I just had a ton of fun. And fun is the best word to describe it as you can tell I've already used it too much

Everyone really shines in the main cast but this turned Pratt into a bonafide leading man. He just oozes charisma. It's hard to picture anyone else playing Star Lord now. The 2nd film was fine and had it's moments as well as pushing Star Lord and Gamora's story forward but never reached the heights of the first to me. Some of the bits just fell completely flat where in the first one all the laughs felt earned. It's still a fun and quality follow up but just never quite touched the magic of the first one.

Interesting to see how Gunn does with the 3rd one after being fired and brought back. He should rescue that mess of "film" Suicide Squad. But if I am feeling down I usually throw Guardians on to pick my spirits up. Love it.

Director - James Gunn
Best Performance - Chris Pratt as Peter Quill aka Star Lord
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 91%
Factoid - James Gunn stated that Chris Pratt's audition was so good, he was prepared to offer him the role, even if Pratt did not lose weight, or get in shape in time. Gunn joked that he was willing to CGI a six-pack on Pratt's body. However, Pratt asked Gunn to give him six months to lose fifty pounds, and he ended up losing sixty.
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Memorable Scene



List Review


101. Super Troopers
100. Arrival
99. Social Network
98. Bowfinger
97. Blade Runner
96. Napoleon Dynamite
95. Full Metal Jacket
94. Looper
93. Animal House
92. Gladiator
91. Moneyball
90. Austin Powers
89. Spotlight
88. Inside Out
87. The Jerk
86. Titanic
85. Mystic River
84. Naked Gun Trilogy
83. Back To The Future
82. True Grit
81. Anchorman
80. Saving Private Ryan
79. Inside Man
78. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
77. Interstellar
76. Creed
75. The Big Lebowski
74. Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
73. Superbad
72. Goodfellas
71. Gone Baby Gone
70. Jerry McGuire
69. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
68. Memento
67. Dumb and Dumber
66. Hoosiers
65. Rush Hour
64. The Departed
63. Office Space
62. Jumanji
61. Wind River
60. Guardians Of The Galaxy

Countdown Stats

Most Frequent Actors - Matt Damon (4)
Most Frequent Director- Ridley Scott (2), David Fincher (2), Christopher Nolan (2), Martin Scorsese (2), Coen Brothers (2)
Films By Decade
1970s - Two
1980s - Five
1990s - Eleven
2000s - Eleven
2010s - Thirteen

Honorable Mentions (Just Missed Countdown)






59

Insomnia - 2002



"This guy crossed the line and didn't even blink."
Shocker! Another Nolan film. I think this is definitely his must under appreciated and underrated movies he has done. He did this movie after his coming out party that was Memento. Story goes Soderbergh was looking for someone to direct Insomnia and after seeing Memento he knew he had his man and championed for Nolan to direct to the studio. That studio turned out to be Warner Brothers who have worked with Nolan on every movie since. To me Insomnia being his most underrated movie it also might be his most important. WB liked how he handled the film and the results so much and built up enough trust they handed the Batman franchise over to Nolan and the rest as they say is history. No Insomnia and we probably don't get Nolan's Batman or Inception, Interstellar, Prestige etc. The relationship has been fruitful to both WB and Nolan.

As far as the movie itself I think I appreciate it even more now, even though I haven't seen it in awhile, because I struggle with insomnia now. If I went to Alaska while it was day during the night I might literally die. Al Pacino plays a cop who is from LA but is escaping his past by taking a job investigating a murder in Alaska. He struggles with adapting to the light during the night in Alaska and starts to break down. It's like his problems catch up with him in the form of no sleep, can't out run them. Pacino plays the tormented cop well but I think Robin Williams is the most memorable as the really mentally disturbed murder suspect. Williams vs Pacino is a lot of fun to watch. The log chase scene down below is really memorable scene to me. Swank is also in the film and does fine. Three Academy winners in the film Oh and Nolan really shows off Alaska's beauty and unforgiving nature to outsiders. Movie foreshadows Nolan's strength for psychological movies.

I will always think this film doesn't get enough love in Nolan's filmography. I think if he would have made it after the batman films Pacino and Williams would have both got nominated easy with the clout Nolan has now. Hell I think one of them would have won. I need to catch up on this flick again soon.

Director - Christopher Nolan
Best Performance - Robin Williams as Walter Finch
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 92%
Factoid - As of 2017, this is the only film directed by Christopher Nolan in which Nolan does not have an official writing credit - even though he wrote the final draft of the screenplay himself
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Memorable Scene



A shame that Taxi Driver and Logan only made it as honorable mentions. Taxi Driver is top-five material for me and Logan is in the discussion for best superhero film.

Our tastes continue to align the most within the comedy genre. Perhaps that's not surprising since we're the same age, although it's a little interesting that some of these, like Dumb & Dumber, took awhile to grow on you. Jim Carrey was my comedic hero for several years in the 90's. Most of his films from that era haven't held up well for me, but Dumb & Dumber has never stopped being funny to me. I've always loved Rush Hour, as well. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker had perfect chemistry. Never knew about its relation to the creation of Rotten Tomatoes. If true, that's pretty cool.

I like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang enough to own the DVD, but haven't felt the desire to watch it in a long time. Also really enjoy Office Space, although I've only seen it once. I remember you posted earlier that you don't care much for King of the Hill, even though you're a big fan of Mike Judge. I'd recommend revisiting the show sometime, as I think it's the best thing Judge has done. Like you, I wasn't a fan of it when I was younger. I'm confident that you'd appreciate the humor much more as an adult.

I'm not a Nolan mark, so neither Memento or Insomnia are favorites, although I think both are good films. Hoosiers is one of the best basketball films. Love The Departed, was underwhelmed by Wind River. Used to own Jumanji on VHS and watched it plenty as a kid, but it was never a favorite and it hasn't aged well, imo. I prefer the soft reboot with The Rock. Also prefer Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 over the first one.
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A shame that Taxi Driver and Logan only made it as honorable mentions. Taxi Driver is top-five material for me and Logan is in the discussion for best superhero film.

Our tastes continue to align the most within the comedy genre. Perhaps that's not surprising since we're the same age, although it's a little interesting that some of these, like Dumb & Dumber, took awhile to grow on you. Jim Carrey was my comedic hero for several years in the 90's. Most of his films from that era haven't held up well for me, but Dumb & Dumber has never stopped being funny to me. I've always loved Rush Hour, as well. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker had perfect chemistry. Never knew about its relation to the creation of Rotten Tomatoes. If true, that's pretty cool.

I like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang enough to own the DVD, but haven't felt the desire to watch it in a long time. Also really enjoy Office Space, although I've only seen it once. I remember you posted earlier that you don't care much for King of the Hill, even though you're a big fan of Mike Judge. I'd recommend revisiting the show sometime, as I think it's the best thing Judge has done. Like you, I wasn't a fan of it when I was younger. I'm confident that you'd appreciate the humor much more as an adult.

I'm not a Nolan mark, so neither Memento or Insomnia are favorites, although I think both are good films. Hoosiers is one of the best basketball films. Love The Departed, was underwhelmed by Wind River. Used to own Jumanji on VHS and watched it plenty as a kid, but it was never a favorite and it hasn't aged well, imo. I prefer the soft reboot with The Rock. Also prefer Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 over the first one.
I am definitely a Nolan mark.



58

Little Giants - 1994



"So the guys at the morgue can identify the bodies."
This is by no means a cinematic masterpiece but some movies from your childhood come with you into adulthood . This is one of them. The movie just makes me smile even now. Seems like the early to mid 90s these kids sports movies were at their peak. Had this, the Mighty Ducks series, Sandlot etc. I always thought this one was the best though. It just has a charm to it that, at least to me, is hard to dislike. Feel like all the kids did a really good job. Of course Icebox was the most memorable character. They might give this chick an Oscar now for breaking down gender barriers in movies/sports . Ed O'Neill and Rick Moranis were rock solid and believable as rival brothers.

The movie just felt genuine. Felt like I was one of these kids just wanting to play sports and fit in. Making the Cowboys the bad guys was a stroke of genius back in the mid 90s, they were winning everything . Anyways I've always enjoyed this movie, probably not for everyone but it was and continues to be right up my alley. :shurg"

Director - Duwayne Dunham and Brain Levant
Best Performance - Shawna Waldron as Becky "Icebox" O'Shea
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 36%
Factoid - This movie was inspired by an early 1990s McDonald's ad about Pee-Wee Football that ran during the Super Bowl. The day after it aired, Steven Spielberg liked it so much that he called up the ad's creator, James Ferguson, and hired him to write the script.
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Memorable Scene



57

Django Unchained - 2012



"Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, now you have my attention."
Well Tarantino finally makes an appearance. I am sort of hot and cold on Tarantino's flicks but there is no denying his talent. He has a refreshingly original voice in a sea of unoriginal ideas and movies today. Anyone who writes and directs their own material get an automatic bump up in my respect for their talent and man can he write dialogue. Guy just has an ear for it. He can make the most mundane conversations entertaining as all hell. No different in this movie. He improves character and actors with his dialogue alone.

The whole cast is great per usual in a Tarantino film. Jamie Foxx is just fine as Django. Christoph Waltz is great as the bounty hunting dentist . I see why Tarantino loves him he is just suited for his writing. However, to me the two standouts in this film are Leo as Clavin Candie and Samuel L Jackson as Steven. Waltz was great but I think Leo and Sam were unforgettable in their roles, especially Leo. Waltz won the Oscar for best supporting actor but I think Sam and Leo should have been nominated over him. Leo's turn was charismatically evil and memorable as hell. Waltz was basically just playing a heighten version of himself, but what do I know.

The movie has all of Tarantino's trademarks: great dialogue, lots of blood, pushing the envelope and tons of entertainment. It might be higher but, even with Tarantino's entertaining writing, it's still a hard watch. There is only so long you can watch a movie about slavery and just not feel good about it after. The rewatchability is just not as high because of that, at least to me. Still its pushing top 50 on this countdown so it is a great flick.

Director - Quentin Tarantino
Best Performance - Leonardo DiCaprio as Clavin Candie
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 87%
Factoid - When Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) smashes his hand on the dinner table, DiCaprio accidentally crushed a small stemmed glass with his palm and really began to bleed. He ignored it, stayed in character, and continued with the scene. Quentin Tarantino was so impressed that he used this take in the final print, and when he called cut, the room erupted in a standing ovation. DiCaprio's hand was bandaged, and he suggested the idea of smearing blood onto the face of Kerry Washington. Tarantino and Washington both liked this, so Tarantino got some fake blood together.
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Memorable Scene



Love Django Unchained and absolutely agree that both DiCaprio and Jackson outshined Waltz in the film and should have gotten the Oscar nomination over him.



[center]58
Little Giants - 1994





This is by no means a cinematic masterpiece but some movies from your childhood come with you into adulthood . This is one of them. The movie just makes me smile even now. Seems like the early to mid 90s these kids sports movies were at their peak. Had this, the Mighty Ducks series, Sandlot etc. I always thought this one was the best though. It just has a charm to it that, at least to me, is hard to dislike. Feel like all the kids did a really good job. Of course Icebox was the most memorable character. They might give this chick an Oscar now for breaking down gender barriers in movies/sports . Ed O'Neill and Rick Moranis were rock solid and believable as rival brothers.

The movie just felt genuine. Felt like I was one of these kids just wanting to play sports and fit in. Making the Cowboys the bad guys was a stroke of genius back in the mid 90s, they were winning everything . Anyways I've always enjoyed this movie, probably not for everyone but it was and continues to be right up my alley. :shurg"

Director - Duwayne Dunham and Brain Levant
Best Performance - Shawna Waldron as Becky "Icebox" O'Shea
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 36%
Factoid - This movie was inspired by an early 1990s McDonald's ad about Pee-Wee Football that ran during the Super Bowl. The day after it aired, Steven Spielberg liked it so much that he called up the ad's creator, James Ferguson, and hired him to write the script.
Stock In Countdown - Sinker

Memorable Scene
Not many people mention or talk about this wonderful kids sports movie. For its just as good as Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks



True, Winslet and DiCaprio are much smaller..
I am cracking up that this has divulged into a debate about Kate and Leo's Titanic ending. My buddy refuses to watch it because he says there was enough room on that board for Leo too He makes such a big stink about it, it's great.



Not many people mention or talk about this wonderful kids sports movie. For its just as good as Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks
I agree. I was shocked it only had 36% on RT and only like 60% audience score. Think it deserves a bit more #respeck on it's name then that. Hell it's even aged well for the woke crowd who want to see girls do guy things. Oh well, I'll enjoy the hell out of it whenever I see it.

Also if you haven't run the Annexation of Puerto Rico in a back yard football game you have never lived.



56

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - 1989



"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f*cking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assh*les this side of the nuthouse."
"You serious Clark?" that line always gets me every time. Randy Quaid is so damn good in these movies . My dad always loved the scene down below when Chevy Chase tries to get the lights to turn on. It's probably all to relatable to him . I think that's what makes this movie so enduring, it's relatable. Everyone has tried to have a great holiday with crazy family members and even with the best intentions it can be a sh*t show. Maybe not to the degree in the movie but it happens. That's what these Vacation movies did so well when they were at their peak, they related to the average family.

It's also great to watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the small neighbor's role pre super stardom. She probably ended up being the most famous person from the movie, even Chevy Chase. She has looked great for a long time, I don't think age attacks her the same as everyone else (well despite that bout with cancer.). This movie definitely always gets watched at least once around xmas time. There are about 4 or 5 xmas movies that are must watches around the hoildays and this is in that rotation for me.

Director - Jeremiah S. Chechik
Best Performance - Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie
Rotten Tomatoes Score - 65%
Factoid - After failing to get the Christmas lights to work one last time, Clark Griswold takes his frustration out on the plastic decorations in the front yard. Chevy Chase actually broke his pinky finger while punching Santa Claus. He resorts to kicking and clubbing the decorations after that. The film kept rolling, and the take was used.
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Memorable Scene



I am cracking up that this has divulged into a debate about Kate and Leo's Titanic ending. My buddy refuses to watch it because he says there was enough room on that board for Leo too He makes such a big stink about it, it's great.
hi-five at your buddy If it was any other director I probably would have let it slide but it's James 'Science' Cameron, very cool of him to participate in the mythbusters episode tho.