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a great movie?

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Favorite Movies of All Time!
(for the time being!)

some day, I may list my favorite John Wayne movies or Marx Brothers movies. I'm not sure why none of them are on this list. I'm also stunned that only one WWII movie is on the list.

1) King Kong (1933)
Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Victor Wong
Directed by: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
My Personal favorite!

While some consider it a horror movie, I've always seen it as a terrific action/adventure. The plot is summed up in few words. Nature/action film maker goes looking for his next big game for his next movie but is told by studio execs his movies would be twice as good if there was a love interest so he brings along a blond.

The funny thing is Cooper, was actually told this after making nature documentaries.

There is no doubt younger movie goers are will enjoy Peter Jackson's remake more. However real movie buffs will understand the historical importance of the original.

Rated: 8.0 out of 10 at IMDB

Want to read my take on the 2005 King Kong? See: Kong Kong 1933 vs.2005

2) Shrek (2001)
Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson

2a) Shrek 2 (2004)
Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury

2b) Shrek the Third (2007)
Directed by: Chris Miller, Raman Hui (co-director)

Shrek is by far my favorite animated movie of all time, regardless of the type of animation used. It is simple a great story. The characters are wonderfully developed, the story is funny, yet touching, and they draw you in.

At one moment you think Donkey (Eddie Murphy) is stealing the show, but then Shrek (Mike Myers) is once again the top dog in the humor department. Even the damsel in distress, (can you consider Kung-fu Master a damsel in distress) Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) is a riot.

Then comes along Shrek 2 and you have Puss-N-Boots (Antonio Banderas) and the whole troupe is off on a whirlwind adventure.

Shrek the 3rd was is not as good as the other two but still has its moments.

Shrek: Rated: 8.1 out of 10 at IMDB

Shrek 2: Rated: 7.7 out of 10 at IMDB

Shrek 2: Rated: 6.3 out of 10 at IMDB

3)High Road to China (1983)
Directed by: Brian G. Hutton
Starring: Tom Selleck, Bess Armstrong, Jack Weston, Wilford Brimley

Yeah buddy, give me a movie with a biplane and I'm going to watch it. I really love this movie. I like the comedy, I like the action, I like the feel of it. There are few rough spots but I can forgive 'em.

This was originally listed as one of my Guilty Pleasures but after a recent screening of it, I realize that it deserves better than that in spite of its low rating.

Rated: 5.5out of 10 at IMDB

4) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Starring: Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell
Directed by: Elia Kazan

Tear jerker story about a girl growing up in Brooklyn tenement, post World War I. Her father is the alcoholic optimist, her mother the realist, and she is a dreamer.

Rated: 7.6 out of 10 at IMDB

5) Sahara (1943)
Starring:Humphrey Bogart
Directed by: Zoltan Korda

Probably the best of the WWII propaganda movies. No doubt Humphrey Bogart as Sgt. Joe Gunn makes the difference. The story is about an American Tank crew that gets separated during the Battle of Alamein in North Africa. They stumble across a hodge podge of British and Commonwealth forces and then continue the battle against the Nazis, even eventually getting an Italian POW to take their side!

with each passing year, movies such as Sahara lose their importance on American Society. World War II has almost become a forgotten war in America's class rooms. As such much of the meaningfulness of this movie is lost on younger viewers.

Rated: 7.4 out of 10 at IMDB

6) The Princess Bride (1987)
Starring: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright
directed By: Rob Reiner

One of the greatest swashbucklers ever made. Witty, charming, and funny all at the same time.

Rated: 8.2 out of 10 at IMDB

7) Matilda (1996)
Starring: Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz
Directed by: Danny DeVito

Funny movie about a girl who is very special, full of some the greatest make believe characters ever created. It is based on the book by Roald Dahl. A great movie for the whole family.

Rated: 6.5 out of 10 at IMD

8) Maltese Falcon (1941)
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet.
Directed by: John Huston

This is what Private-Eye movies should be. It's what dreams are made of. how can you argue with a movie that features a Webley-Fosbery Automatic-Revolver! Forget Casablanca, this is the best Bogart around!

This movie is said to have launched the film noir movement in American film. You can still see elements of the Maltese Falcon in such current movies as Sin City, China Town, and any Bruce Willis detective movie.

Rated: 8.4 out of 10 at IMDB

9) Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe
Directed by: Michael Mann

If you love the book, you're going to hate this movie. Were talking heroes and villains and love story to boot, all set during the French and Indians Wars. Spectacular scenery, lots of action and bigger than life heroes and some interesting twists during the siege. This is a case where I actually like the remake better than previous version, even the Henry Fonda version

Rated: 7.5 out of 10 at IMDB

10) Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
Starring: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams
Directed by:Jack Arnold

Probably the best of all the rubber suit monster movies. Originally done in 3D, the swimming sequences and the story line are great. The acting is better than average for an old teen-monster movie. despite being a B&W movie, it holds up well compared to today's bugged eyed monster movies.

Rated: 6.6 out of 10 at IMDB

11) Young Frankenstein (1974)
Directed by: Mel Brooks
Starring:Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr

Some would go with Blazing Saddles, but for me the best of the Mel Brooks comedies is Young Frankenstein. I like that the movie doesn't fall apart at the end. The casting was terrific.

Rated: 8.0 out of 10 at IMDB

12) Wizard of Oz (1939)
Directed by: Victor Fleming
Starring: Judy Garland

This is one of those movies you get hooked on as a kid and it seems you can never grow out of. The Wizard of Oz is an addiction. It is an American film icon. By the way, no one died or committed suicide while filming the movie.

By the way, I don't consider Return to Oz a sequel to this movie. It is just a different movie based on other Oz books. To say Return to Oz is a sequel to this movie is to say foolishness.

Rated: 8.3 out of 10 at IMDB

13) Ghost Busters (1984)
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson

Even there names were great.

The sequel pulls the original down quite a bit in my list but the first is just that much fun. Heck I even enjoyed the cartoon series. Who wouldn't want a positron collider strapped to their back. The scene where Ray tells Peter "I've worked in the private sector. They expect results!" is worth the price of a rental.

Rated: 7.5 out of 10 at IMDB

14) The Blues Brothers(1980)
Directed by: John Landis
Starring: Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Carrie Fischer

They're on a mission from God.

Rated: 7.7 out of 10 at IMDB

15) The Patriot (2000)
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger

The movie is not highly rated by IMDB but I think this is because #1 it is a Mel Gibson movie, and #2 it is a movie about the Revolutionary War that portray the people fighting that war as "Patriots" The movie says it is okay to be proud of your country and be willing to fight and die for a cause. such a noble cause is frowned upon by Hollywood and movie critics.

Rated: 6.7 out of 10 at IMDB

Movies that just might make it on the list!

**) We Were Soldiers (2002)
Directed by: Randall Wallace
Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott

I'm not quite sure is this is going to be one of those movies I'd recommend everyone see at least once or if it will be a favorite of all time. It's just too new. The violence is quite graphic. It has been panned by some critics because it doesn't come right out and condemn the Vietnam War as a mistake. this is unfair.

Rated: 7.7 out of 10 at IMDB

**) Animal House(1978)
Directed by: John Landis
Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson

I've seen Animal house so many times, it is hard not to put it in the top 10. I know it is in my top 25

Rated: 7.5 out of 10 at IMDB

**) Metropolis (1927)
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Starring: Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Brigitte Helm

One of the greatest silent movies ever made, a futuristic vision of a world of slave labor in a totalitarian state. The cinematography is breathtaking. The movie was ahead of its time.

Rated: 8.4 out of 10 at IMDB

**) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

The sequels pull the first movie down below the line. This is especially true of "At World's End". While the movies are fun, they seem to lose some of their luster. Too much glitter and not enough substance.

Rated: 8.0 out of 10 at IMDB

**) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen

Hard to argue with this movie showing up on anyone list. It redefined the action/adventure.

Had it not been for Temple of Doom it would be within my top 15 movies.The Last Crusade was a vast improvement over Temple of Doom but I'm still not sure I want to list these movies among my favorite

Rated: 8.6 out of 10 at IMDB

**) M (1931)
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Starring: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke

The words haunting and disturbing come to mind when I think of this psychological thriller . It really isn't a watch it once kind of movie as it a watch it when someone mentions it in passing. A child molester/killer is on the loose in Berlin, Germany and the police are helpless. Eventually even the criminal class are trying to catch him. The movie will leave you haunted.

Rated: 8.5 out of 10 at IMDB

**) Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Pat O' Brien, and the Deadend Kids
Directed by: Michael Curtiz

One of the best gangster movies ever. you get both Cagney and Bogart.

Rated: 7.7 out of 10 at IMDB