ahwell's Top 100 Movies - 2020

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You mean me? Kei's cousin?
I saw this one countless times as a kid. When I rewatched it as an adult, with the better part of a decade passing between viewings, I found that it really held up.
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35. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Well, I thought I would show my Dad a Tarantino he would like, as well as reminding myself that Tarantino really can be a great director. Although I didn't achieve the former (my Dad was not a fan), I can very much confirm the latter. Tarantino is at the top of his game with Inglourious Basterds - everything is notched up to the highest degree, especially the violence and the gore. We as the audience don't care about the excessiveness since, well, you know, its the Nazis getting their faces shot off and having swastikas carved into their foreheads for once - this is Tarantino giving a giant **** you to evil.

And it's a blast like usual. This and Django Unchained cover the most "serious" of any topics Tarantino has done, and for that reason they are arguably the most controversial works he's put out. Inglourious Basterds actually rewrites history however - the ending is a fine fine turn of events, and while yes it is Tarantino's rage fantasy I think he speaks for a lot of us.

To say that Inglourious Basterds, well, glorifies violence is obviously true. It's not Tarantino making a discreet comment about violence from both sides - he, and we, genuinely believe the Nazis got what they deserved. In fact, this shares clear traits with something like the Indiana Jones series. Tarantino simply notches it up so that there is blood shown, but both franchises/movies ensure the Nazis' asses are kicked in the end.

The dialogue is some of Tarantino's best; from the very first scene we are gripped in the intense plot. And THAT FIRST SCENE. Can we take a moment to appreciate how well Tarantino sets up characters and events? When Landa switches to English, cunningly aware that the Jews under the floorboard don't speak it. When he asks for a glass of milk, only for it to appear later in the meeting between Landa and Shosanna. Tarantino meticulously crafts these plot developments and motives, and we already hate Landa from the very first fifteen minutes.

I love how clear and focused the plot is, as compared to the twisting and turning of Pulp Fiction or the mystery of the Hateful Eight. The goal is simple and clear, and the buildup is even better than the climax. The bar scene gets better and better every time - it's practically Tarantino flexing and showing us just how well he can write characters.

Brad Pitt gives his second best performance (Tree of Life, man) as Aldo the Apache - an ignorant, frankly idiot, violence lusting American who I absolutely love. Christoph Waltz steals the show, however, and won an Oscar for a reason. Every scene with him is Gold, and it helps that Tarantino writes in delicious lines. I love to hate him.

So, yes, I could go on and on. Usually I try to talk about a theme or a message with a film, but with Inglourious Basterds or Django Unchained we're along for the ride, and it's a good ride. Thank God for movies like this!

In the end, Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino at his flashiest, best looking, most fun. Pulp Fiction will always remain my favorite at heart, but Inglourious Basterds might just be his masterpiece.
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I would rate IG behind Jackie Brown as his two best films, with maybe Pulp Fiction edging it out. I’d have to watch PF again.
I enjoy QT films, but the man is just a flashier Peckinpah with more wit.



I would rate IG behind Jackie Brown as his two best films, with maybe Pulp Fiction edging it out. I’d have to watch PF again.
I enjoy QT films, but the man is just a flashier Peckinpah with more wit.
Good comparison. And that's probably why I don't like Tarantino's or Peckinpah's films.



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36. The Incredibles (2004)

I liked The Incredibles a lot the first time I saw it in the theater, but I didn't really remember much about it after a while. I've rewatched it a few more times over the years, and every time I rewatch it, I remember why I liked it so much the first time I saw it. It's just so much fun to watch. And I absolutely love Edna Mode. She's easily my favorite character in the movie.
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.


35. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Well, I thought I would show my Dad a Tarantino he would like, as well as reminding myself that Tarantino really can be a great director. Although I didn't achieve the former (my Dad was not a fan), I can very much confirm the latter.

I have to agree with your Dad on this one. I didn't like Inglourious Basterds when I watched it for a HoF a while back.

Maybe you should have him watch The Hateful Eight if he hasn't already seen it. I watched it for the Westerns Countdown, and I thought it was a pretty good movie.



...Maybe you should have him watch The Hateful Eight if he hasn't already seen it. I watched it for the Westerns Countdown, and I thought it was a pretty good movie.
I haven't seen it myself....But it doesn't seem like your type of movie. So what was it about the The Hateful Eight that you liked? Maybe I will watch it sometime.



I haven't seen it myself....But it doesn't seem like your type of movie. So what was it about the The Hateful Eight that you liked? Maybe I will watch it sometime.
I could see you really enjoying 90% of the Hateful Eight... the ending might not be to your liking tho

thanks for the suggestion gbg!!





34. Taxi Driver (1976)

To be lonely is to be angry. Hurt. Expecting something from the world, but you're not sure what. To walk in crowds of thousands of people, and not be recognized; or recognize others. To live your life without anyone noticing.

There's something about living in the city that makes you even more lonely than the wilderness. In the city you're surrounded by lights and people and places. Everything flashes by, it's too big to understand. But you want to do something. To change the world, or maybe just your world. What is it that makes life significant after all? Love (true love)? Self achievement? Praise from others? Fame or fortune? Or a mix of all of those?

I'm not pretending these are the deepest questions and that I'm the first person to think about them. But Taxi Driver really hit me in a time when I loneliness seems to be taking up a whole new definition. I am lonely. I want more. I feel insignificant. Swept up under the city lights.

That kind of throbbing pain is the pulse that plays under every scene in Taxi Driver. Travis is a character that clearly struggles with social interaction. He had an honorable discharge from the military, and now... just drives cars. He must have too much time on his hands. That's dangerous.

What to do with your life? You're making a living. You're doing fine. You have a couple friends. Travis has a simple motivation though. He expressed that he wants to "clean all the scum of the streets". He feels entitled. Not special enough. He's so lonely.

And so it takes on the thriller format as Travis descends into a life of crime and neuroticism. He "goes insane" due to his drive to help a young prostitute - who doesn't even want help! He does "save" her in the end, and it's a happy ending. But we also feel sad that she's back with her family, who she didn't like. Nothing has changed in Travis's life however. He has succeeded in making a name for himself, but to what avail? To make Betsy admire him?

I don't think he knows himself by the end. Perhaps he's satisfied with his life. But by that point, the movie plays like a fever dream, and we can't discern reality from life. Would he really have been praised for killing three men? And wouldn't the police have recognized him from earlier in the rally when he tried to shoot the senator? These are "plot holes" but they're constructed ones. We're meant to think.

The Bernard Hermmann score adds to that beating pulse of loneliness that, creating yet another layer of sorrow to this high anxiety story. It's the Scorsese movie that has made me want to cry the most if that means anything. This one is just so beautiful on it's own level. I know beautiful isn't often a word used to describe Taxi Driver, but I really do think it is



I haven't seen it myself....But it doesn't seem like your type of movie.
I totally thought that too.

How can GBG like such a dark despicable disgusting and heartless hopeless masturbatory piece of insulting movie making.

That sentence reads like irony but I’m seriously curious.... I understand nothing.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Maybe you should have him watch The Hateful Eight if he hasn't already seen it. I watched it for the Westerns Countdown, and I thought it was a pretty good movie.
I haven't seen it myself....But it doesn't seem like your type of movie. So what was it about the The Hateful Eight that you liked? Maybe I will watch it sometime.
I totally thought that too.

How can GBG like such a dark despicable disgusting and heartless hopeless masturbatory piece of insulting movie making.

That sentence reads like irony but I’m seriously curious.... I understand nothing.
It's not really my type of movie because of the violence, but it's a good crime mystery. I just focused on the mystery, tried to ignore the graphic nature of the movie and the violence, and enjoyed the movie for the story.


I could see you really enjoying 90% of the Hateful Eight... the ending might not be to your liking tho

thanks for the suggestion gbg!!
You're welcome.



Do The Right Thing and Taxi Driver are brilliant choices. Especially the latter which is top 10 for me.

Although I've only seen them both once, I can't see the appeal of either The Incredibles or Inglorious Basterds. At least, not that version of it.
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33. Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story was the second Pixar movie I ever saw (Up was the first), and it has just stuck with me ever since. It's one of my favorite animated films ever, certainly in my top ten, and is just a blast to watch in its short running time. In it we get memorable characters, fun bits of dialogue, and an overall adult vibe that put Pixar on the map for becoming the legend that it became. It all started here.

The plot of Toy Story is simple. Woody, the long-time favorite plaything of the young Andy, is suddenly replaced by a new toy, Buzz. Becoming jealous, Woody seeks to wipe out Buzz but ends up getting himself and Buzz into a whole lot of trouble. There is nothing special about the story, but Pixar makes it magical.

The first thing they do right is create great characters. Woody as a character is likable yet flawed, a good person but someone who will clearly develop in the film. That's always a good protagonist archetype. Woody's transition as a character is paced to perfection. For instance, at the beginning, he is seen as a clearly strong leader who has some egotistical issues, especially with giving up the top spot on Andy's favorites. As the story progresses, he at first is cynical of Buzz, the new, and then finally eases into the fact that life moves and changes, and often there is room for everyone.

What does this change symbolize? What does the arrival of Buzz mean to the story and the themes? This has actually been analyzed in many different ways throughout the years. Some see it as Pixar's small statement that CGI (Buzz) is the new, and hand-drawn animation (Woody) is the old, and both can co-exist. Others, like me, see it as simply a message about change and acceptance. Although that is the biggest and most prominent theme of the story, Toy Story has complex inner layers as well.

For instance, Buzz has his own character arch and conflicts. Take the devastating scene where he finds out he is not a real space ranger, and is simply a child's toy like Woody had been telling him all along. He literally has a mid-life crisis... in a kid's movie! Gosh, Pixar already getting dark with their first movie. But seriously, Buzz is struggling with his identity. He doesn't know who he is, why he's here, what his purpose is. And even by the end, there's a dark footnote that Buzz after all realizes you can't just be whatever you want. Sometimes we are here for a purpose, and in Buzz's case, he has to accept that purpose.

Toy Story is certainly one of the most influential animated movies of all time, and I would put it as one of the best of Pixar's films as well. It's way of making kids movies for both kids and adults has never left animated movies since, and it's still of writing and storytelling is still being copied and used today. Besides being influential, it is just a blast of a film that all ages can enjoy and analyze. Take a way a few things (like some of Randy Newman's score and the ugly animation compared to now), and you have a basically perfect film.