Top 100 Movies: Part 8

My Top 100 Movies list continues with several more picks for my list.

40: Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai was the first subtitled foreign language film that I had watched and my first Japanese film, so the movie took me by complete surprise by how engrossing the film turned out to be. Akira Kurosawa is a truly amazing director that has influenced many films and filmmakers in the west, including George Lucas. The story of Seven Samurai has been remade and homaged far too many times to count in various forms of media like the aforementioned Magnificent Seven, but you can never top the original.

39: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is by a fan, for the fans, as it perfectly captures the mixture of lighthearted humor and dark drama that is the hallmark of the Spider-Man comics. Some of you might be surprised by how high the film is on my list, and I am even surprising myself a bit as well, but it truly delivers almost everything that I wanted to see in a Spider-Man film.
Andrew Garfield demonstrates yet again why he is the definitive Spider-Man, as he finally gets to be the wisecracking hero that we all know and love from the comics.
Honestly, the hate and negative reviews for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is mostly mind boggling to me. Although, the film certainly has some shortcomings, and, in a way, it is a guilty pleasure to a certain degree, because I admit that it might be overrated on my list.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

38: The Outlaw Josey Wales

One of Clint Eastwood’s early directorial efforts, The Outlaw Josey Wales is my favorite western of all-time. The film is different type of western than what has come before or since. If you are a western fan and have not seen The Outlaw Josey Wales, do yourself a favor and go watch it, you will not regret it.

The Outlaw Josey Wales Review

37: X-Men: First Class

After two disappointing X-Men films, Matthew Vaughn revitalized the X-Men franchise with First Class. While continuity issues can cause confusion, X-Men: First Class worked so well on so many levels. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy owned the roles of Magneto and Xavier, excellently, plus a little Jennifer Lawrence never hurts.

X-Men: First Class Review.

36: Spider-Man

Spider-Man is the film that turned me into a comic book fan. While the first X-Men movie and Burton’s Batman movies gave me an interest in the superhero genre as a kid, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man turned that interest into the obsession that it is today. Today, however, a lot of people dislike Tobey Maguire’s portrayal on the character. Aside from a few corny and dated parts, the movie holds up just as well today as it did more than a decade ago. Despite the critical praise, I honestly cannot understand the hate the movie receives from the general public.

Spider-Man (2002) Review.

35: North by Northwest

Alfred Hitchcock’s virtually invented the action thriller genre with North by Northwest. The film was so far ahead of its time in 1959 that its influence can be seen in many of today’s films. However, few, if any, have done it better than this masterpiece of cinematic brilliance.
North by Northwest Review.

34: Die Hard

Die Hard is one of the most influential action movies of all-time, and it remains one of the best. While some modern viewers might view Die Hard as clichéd, it invented many of what are now considered clichés. At the time, only Indiana Jones was a better pure action hero than John McClane, and Bruce Willis brought an everyman quality to the role that made the character relatable compared to most action heroes from the era. 

Die Hard Review.

33: Casino Royale

Daniel Craig's reboot of the classic franchise with a dark and damaged James Bond could have easily been disastrous; fortunately however, it turned out to be one of the best Bond movies yet. While I did not even like the movie the first time I watched it, having re-watched it several times, Casino Royale is undoubtedly one of my favorites. It revitalized the Bond franchise and made it relevant for the modern era. 

Casino Royale (21st Bond movie) Review.

32: Kara no Kyōkai: A Study in Murder – Part 2

My favorite and final film in the Kara no Kyōkai series, A Study in Murder – Part 2, gives the viewers the answers we wanted. Everything about the film is brilliantly suspenseful, intense, and mysterious, and the animation is simply the best ever as far as I am concerned. There could not have been a better conclusion to one of the best film series ever made.

31: Rear Window

Rear Window is, hand down, the most suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat film I have ever seen! In fact, it is the film that expanded my view of what suspense is and how it can be used to brilliant effect, so it should be no surprise that it was made by none other than the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. In terms of pure direction and filmmaking quality, few films rival Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

Rear Window Review

Please check back tomorrow for my review of Seven Samurai, and let me know what you think of my picks in the comments below.

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