Top 120 Greatest Movies Of All-Time

It is time to settle debates...all of them. I realize many people like movies. But, do you like the right ones? Are you really going to the right flicks or are you just another Titanic lover with little taste in movies? Did you root for Shakespeare in Love when Saving Private Ryan was a superior movie in acting, direction, story, and quality? Well, I am going to give you my top 100 in order of worst to best (and worst means superior to the crap beneath it). You might be asking yourself, though, why does Emile like movies when he rants about celebrities. I like good stories, convincing portrayals, and unique and thought-provoking ideas. That means I don't like Avatar already, or any thing with Jennifer Lopez, or anything that follows the nonsensical formulas of Hollywood. I hate Nicholas Cage (save for a very early flick which is on the list), because he is like Ben Stiller in Zoolander: he has only one look! Thus, to save you from having to think about these things, I am gonna count down with reasons for each choice. Comedies are in because the worst crime ever committed by the film industry was to underestimate, deny oscars to, and generally ignore comedic performances. I would say, not to spoil this, that the performances in Caddyshack by the four main characters are equal to any thespian on broadway...the point: they are truly convincing in their roles, fully embracing, and when you watch them, the actors embody the characters beyond what most of the Gwenyth Paltrow's and Leo DiCraprio's can do. More over writing a great comedy is not easy as demonstrated by the large number of American Pies and Harold and Kumars versus great comedies; it takes a very special genius to write a great piece of satire, to get a director who can truly do it right without being cheesy, and a cast who understand the way it works.

So, feel free to comment, disagree, agree, criticize...whatever...but, I strongly urge you to watch them in the order I present them as the beauty of film will crescendo! So without further ado, here are the first 10:

120. Casablanca. I am not going to pull punches here: I am not a big fan of classic movies because I think (a) too many modern movies are superior, (b) old movies tend to be much cheesier than the best of today, and (c) the dialogue typically is crappy. Just like sports (except for baseball) where athletes today are far superior because of incessant weightlifting, nutrition, and supplements, movies today are just better. It takes time for something to be perfected. So, I start the list with two classics worth watching because they are good movies. Casablanca, the standard Humphrey Bogart movies is not a bad movie. The scenes in the bar are good, but the ending is pretty damn cheesy. If you had never watched movies before, or seen anything with production value, I can understand why this movie would have been considered so epic. But, please...watch it. Enjoy it.

119. Citizen Kane. Now, this is a great movie. I will not even dispute it or attack it, because the story is good, the acting is good, the dialogue is good...and while the editing is that annoying 50's editing, the film absolutely stands up. It is really a critique of the unyielding lust for more and more and more. On the one hand, the most important and powerful people are never satisfied to sit on their laurels. On the other hand, the constant quest for more, for bigger, for better, for newer leads one to their Xanadu...or their lonely fortress. Perhaps an illusion, or perhaps a real psychological and physical state. Regardless, the ending is classic, important, relevant, and beautiful in its simplicity and its power. If you don't watch anything else on this list, watch this. 

118. Alien. The epic Sigourney Weaver flick that not only included the only known woman in the history of society named Sigourney, but it undoubtedly launched a period of bald-headed women who looked good. But, you had to be fighting against evil to truly pull that look off, so Britney, my apologies but cracking up is not a good enough reason. In all seriousness, this movie has an important subtext that challenges the modern version of capitalism. Weaver works for the "Company," hauling ore from planet to planet when her ship gets a strange SOS signal. She and a small crew board a ship upon which they find a very dead alien...because of which Ripley (Weaver) realizes its time to go. She is talked out of it by the science officer, and shit gets out of control. Underlying the entire movie it the lack of ethics displayed by the modern corporation, and more importantly, its true lack of concern for its own employees and perhaps all human life outside of consumers. Ripley and the crew are merely pawns used to acquire a specimen of alien to perhaps harness as a military weapon or for its technologically advanced exoskeleton. It becomes fairly obvious that the mining operation had darker implications. I give this movie 4 out of 5 in general, but I promise you it is worth a watch. Really well acted; dark plot; and deep thoughts.

117. Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sticking with our horror flick run, I nominate this movie as one of the most important horror movies ever, and clearly one you should watch. Filmed in 1973, before the slasher flick genre, this movie maintains a strong sense of realism and true horror as it tackles the truly human problems associated with economic change in capitalist societies. The switch from human labor to the mechanization of factories that had already been occurring for years, but which became much quicker in the '70s, was having unimaginable effects on the most vulnerable peoples in the U.S. The working class, always on the precipice of poverty and starvation, was losing their once valued positions in the American economy. No one seemed to care, because the professional class, the middle-upper class, and other high end classes were protected through wealth (investments; housing equity; etc.). Even today, the most vulnerable group aside from what we call the "underclass," or those peoples who practically don't exist in our government collected statistics, is the working class who no longer get benefits, pensions, or job security. And re-educating a relatively uneducated class is nearly impossible. Anyway...this movie takes place in Texas during the recession of the early '70s when a group of hippie teenagers are driving. They end up stopping near an abandoned house and hanging out there for a bit, when the shit hits the fan. I won't tell you anymore about the movie, but let me quickly discuss the family.

The killers are crazy in any sense of the word. Literally, they represent the mechanization of the cattle slaughtering industry which put tons of people out of work (they mention this a few times I believe, but in passing). The patriarch of the family, or grandpa, is dead...but, kind of alive. He represents the old "contract" between capital and labor. Where a man could earn a living and feed his family...the American dream is on its death knell. The family is run by a matriarch, which represents the fact that families had come to need a woman's efforts equal to her husbands just to survive. The older brother was a sheriff, but a crazy, corrupt, blood thirsty sheriff. Working a job entirely unsuited to his makeup, he abused his authority. Finally, "Leatherface," was insane. No doubts about it. But, why did he wear other people's skin? Was it the shame of being unemployed? Unable to find honest work? Was it because the mechanization of labor had not only dehumanized the work force, but the workers themselves, and the only sense of humanity left was to wear others' masks? You might see this as just a slasher flick, but believe me, it runs much deeper with subtext that is still very relevant today.

116. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Uh oh! My generations' purists are going to be up in alarm over the placement of their beloved movie this high up. Well, get over it. If you do watch these in the order I present them, this will (a) fit nicely after the macabre it follows and (b) will be delightfully playful, if vacuous. I suppose its "low" ranking derives from the improbability of the entire plot: could anyone possibly do what Ferris and his friends do in Chicago in an eight hour or less period? Not likely, right? So, we are left with a relatively good comedy that will tug at the nostalgic feelings of skipping school, playing sick, or just being a teenager and not digging the fact that everything seemed predestined and constraining. His best friend is the superego to Ferris' id. The dilemma we all faced: how much was too much? How do we become an adult when we still want to have fun? Heck, how do we become an adult when social forces like mandatory education have not allowed us to explore being a teen?

115. Love and Death. Ahhh...the first Woody Allen flick of what will be a long line of Allen flicks. For all of you haters of Woody, too bad. His biggest mistake has been to release a movie a year (which is incredible on many levels) because we have all taken for granted his brilliance. The problem is when he peaks, like in Annie Hall, he is untouchable except for, perhaps, Spielberg or Scorsese. When he flops, it isn't a bad movie, but it isn't much to write home about. His typical output, though, is good, benign, witty, but often redundant in his use of 40 year old running jokes. Love and Death is an underestimated farce...the last of his great 70s comedies. It is really nothing more than a vehicle for Diane Keaton and Woody to play with deep, penetrating dialogue in ironic, sarcastic, and absurd ways. A period piece taking place in Russia during the invasion of Napoleon, Woody Allen is the youngest of a set of brothers who go off to fight in the war, while he resists because he is a pacifist/neurotic -- surprise, huh? The humor is based off of his unrequited love for his cousin (Keaton), which eventually becomes requited but with disastrous consequences. This quote, which is an excellent quote, sums the movie up in classic Allen fashion: "To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness." Be warned: it is a lighthearted movie, with some depth, but truly just fun.

114. JFK. Maybe this movie would be higher if it wasn't so damn Oliver Stone-long. A great conspiratorial type movie, with very, very good acting. Kevin Costner, in a surprising dynamic role, plays a lawyer trying to piece together the murder, and keeps finding it is much more complex then he anticipated. I have little else to say, other than political buffs, historical junkies, and those who like good performances should watch this.

113. Broken Flowers. It is always strange to see someone transition from doing one type of role/acting to another. Bill Murray, who I love as a comedian, made this transition in the more popular Lost in Translation...which will not be on this list because I really think Scarlett is not very good, and I think this movie is better and so are his other flicks. An obscure movie, Broken Flowers is about an older life-long bachelor trying to piece together the meaning of life (loosely based on Don Juan). He goes on a wild goose chase, which I am sure you can grasp the meaning of, in search of his elusive youth. His ex-girlfriends are all supremely talented actresses in their roles, and Murray plays the perfect older guy going through a mid-life crisis, but staying calm. The music is exceptional, and while I rarely push music as a key to selling a flick, the music is excellent...and about as obscure as the movie itself. I will admit you may not like it the first time, but as with the other movies on this list, I will always let you know when a movie may need repeated viewings. The ending, which may appear anti-climactic, could not have happened any other way; it bucks Hollywood nonsensical trends towards unrealistic endings, and gives us the most real, true ending to a story that almost drives you crazy.

112. Pan's Labyrinth. The only foreign flick on the list...and a good one to boot. From a Spanish director, this is the classic "Children's Fantasy which is Actually Much Darker, Scarier, and Adult." Great movie! Takes place during the resistance of Franco's fascist regime, I believe during the Spanish Civil War, but I admit my Spanish history is limited. A child is locked in this violent, horrible adult world, when she discovers a half-demon, half-bull type of creature who tells her she is really a princess and must perform these tasks to return. Filled with children 'coming-of-age' tales, imaginary flights of fantasy, and very dark events. It is a great movie for so many reasons.

111. The Outlaw Josie Wales. I will not push too may Westerns as they tend to be played out. But, I will not lie: the whole vigilante brings justice theme fires me up. This is, in my opinion, the best of Clint Eastwood's old westerns. Not the Leone spaghetti westerns with the Man With No Name, but better and less cheesy. Nothing to say about this because it is predictable, formulaic, and awesome! If you like a good outsider brings justice the old biblical way, this one is for you.

110. Castaway. I dislike most long movies. Castaway was really, really long. But, who else could have pulled it off, right? The plot was unique, fascinating, and under most circumstances would have failed to work. Tom Hanks, though, does succeed very well. The ending leaves much to be desired, but the build up is so great and the slow pace is necessary to really chronicle the evolution Hanks underwent on the island. If you've never seen it, watch this movie. It is really a good movie, with a good heart, and some superb acting. It is not a top 100 movie, but I cannot deny its power. And, I will add, the use of silence is so much better than the din of shitty dialogue that Hollywood produces regularly.