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the 100 best films of the last 25 years, so they say
I learned today from ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
soylent_screen that Entertainment Weekly announced their picks for the 100 best films of the last 25 years:
1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
20. The Lion King (1994)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
46. Children of Men (2006)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)
Which means, of course, that I have to bitch about their choices.
Actually I don't think it's all that bad a list. A list of the 100 best films of anything is kind of ridiculous in the first place, so once you get past that it's not bad. Of course I have objections, though. Titanic was cleverly made but was artistically irredeemable. Blue Velvet: very daring in 1986, but kind of passé today. And so on.
If this were my list, these are some of the changes I would make:
The Lion King ----> Beauty And The Beast or The Little Mermaid
Pretty Woman ----> Steel Magnolias: just as maudlin but about a thousand times better written, fills the Julia Roberts quotient, and keeps Richard Gere off the list. What more could you ask for?
Gladiator ----> To Die For. Preserves the Joaquin Phoenix balance. Also: a movie that actually had a script. Bonus!
sex, lies and videotape ----> Traffic. Steven Soderbergh is an excellent director, but s, l and v isn't it. (Runner-up: Ocean's 11, 2001 edition)
Dirty Dancing ----> Ghost. If we absolutely have to have Patrick Swayze on this list, then by god we're going to get Whoopi Goldberg too.
Jerry Maguire ----> Almost Famous but I'd put just about any other Cameron Crowe movie here first, even Vanilla Sky, I swear to God.
Unforgiven ----> Million Dollar Baby. Yes, Unforgiven got rave reviews. It just didn't move me. Suck it. Million Dollar Baby, on the other hand, is an indisputable tour de force.
The Departed ----> The Color of Money. I know I'm the only person in the world who didn't care for The Departed, but look. The list already got the movie Marty should have won for, and it doesn't have a single Paul Newman movie on it. And as far as I'm concerned no list of 100 movies is complete without at least one Paul Newman movie, and I don't care if it's the 100 best movies about construction workers or the 100 best West German apocalypse movies, if there isn't a Paul Newman movie on your list then there is something deeply wrong with your soul.
soylent_screen that Entertainment Weekly announced their picks for the 100 best films of the last 25 years:1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
20. The Lion King (1994)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
46. Children of Men (2006)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)
Which means, of course, that I have to bitch about their choices.
Actually I don't think it's all that bad a list. A list of the 100 best films of anything is kind of ridiculous in the first place, so once you get past that it's not bad. Of course I have objections, though. Titanic was cleverly made but was artistically irredeemable. Blue Velvet: very daring in 1986, but kind of passé today. And so on.
If this were my list, these are some of the changes I would make:
The Lion King ----> Beauty And The Beast or The Little Mermaid
Pretty Woman ----> Steel Magnolias: just as maudlin but about a thousand times better written, fills the Julia Roberts quotient, and keeps Richard Gere off the list. What more could you ask for?
Gladiator ----> To Die For. Preserves the Joaquin Phoenix balance. Also: a movie that actually had a script. Bonus!
sex, lies and videotape ----> Traffic. Steven Soderbergh is an excellent director, but s, l and v isn't it. (Runner-up: Ocean's 11, 2001 edition)
Dirty Dancing ----> Ghost. If we absolutely have to have Patrick Swayze on this list, then by god we're going to get Whoopi Goldberg too.
Jerry Maguire ----> Almost Famous but I'd put just about any other Cameron Crowe movie here first, even Vanilla Sky, I swear to God.
Unforgiven ----> Million Dollar Baby. Yes, Unforgiven got rave reviews. It just didn't move me. Suck it. Million Dollar Baby, on the other hand, is an indisputable tour de force.
The Departed ----> The Color of Money. I know I'm the only person in the world who didn't care for The Departed, but look. The list already got the movie Marty should have won for, and it doesn't have a single Paul Newman movie on it. And as far as I'm concerned no list of 100 movies is complete without at least one Paul Newman movie, and I don't care if it's the 100 best movies about construction workers or the 100 best West German apocalypse movies, if there isn't a Paul Newman movie on your list then there is something deeply wrong with your soul.