These movies are listed in order, at least the top 20. “Breakfast Club” has been my favorite movie for many years, and nothing has come along to dethrone it. Something about that movie resonates deeply with me, maybe because I, in school, was part athlete and part brain, thereby crossing two of the categories this film focuses on.

Top 20 Movies

1. Breakfast Club. Amazing dialogue, amazing characters. I never get tired of it.
2. Last of the Mohicans. It’s the music that really makes it, especially that great ending sequence.
3. Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Peter Jackson did it right. Just an incredible work.
4. Terminator 1. Action doesn’t get any better. Michael Biehn (Kyle Reese) was a high school classmate of mine.
5. The Dirty Dozen. I’ve probably seen this more than any other movie.
6. Field of Dreams. There are 3 or 4 places where I get choked up every time.
7. Bonnie and Clyde. An all-time classic.
8. Die Hard 1. Pure action, like Terminator 1, plus humor, superb dialogue, and a wonderful villain.
9. Ferris Buehler’s Day Off. Pure fun. Impossible to pick out a single favorite part.
10. The Godfather 1 & 2. Both are outstanding. I guess I like the first one better, but you need to take them together.
11. The Outlaw Josey Wales. My all-time favorite western. Loved the drama of that final scene in the saloon.
12. Gladiator. Put Russell Crowe on the map. Pam and I visited the real coliseum, in Rome, a couple months after seeing this movie.
13. Patton. Best war movie ever (though not as addictive as Dirty Dozen or Kelly’s Heroes).
14. Princess Bride. So many great lines which have become part of pop culture. As you wish.
15. Sound of Music. I never get tired of the music or the story.
16. Star Wars. Still the best of the Star Wars movies.
17. Pulp Fiction. This is such an unusual movie, with offbeat performances that grab my attention. That final cafe scene is incredible.
18. Saving Private Ryan. Begins and ends with the best battles scenes you’re bound to see in a movie.
19. The Quick and the Dead. A perfect movie I’ve seen numerous times, with outstanding performances–Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Gene Hackman.
20. The Matrix 1. Something about this movie–the very unique style, the cryptic dialogue–I find very compelling, whether or not anything ultimately makes sense.

Next 20 Movies

1. Braveheart. Mel Gibson’s masterpiece.
2. Kelly’s Heroes. A truly oddball assortment of characters thrown together to make a first-rate war movie.
3. Tremors. A fun monster movie.
4. True Grit. John Wayne at his best. And Glen Campbell’s not bad either.
5. As Good as it Gets. Basically three characters–Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear–with the best dialogue anyone could ask for.
6. Titanic. A love story built into a historical tragedy.
7. The Blues Brothers. Lots and lots of fun, with some really great music thrown in.
8. Schindler’s List. Spielberg’s second masterpiece (after Saving Private Ryan).
9. Independence Day. A rollicking good time. Will Smith is superb.
10. Air Force One. Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman battle it out. A believable, but unbelievable, movie.
11. Airplane. Nothing is funnier than this movie.
12. Speed. Put Sandra Bullock on the map, and didn’t hurt Keanu Reaves either.
13. Unforgiven. Another great western by Clint Eastwood. Gene Hackman always delivers. What an ending!
14. Dead Calm. A very simple movie set in the Pacific Ocean with 3 characters. Nothing is wasted.
15. Legends of the Fall. The epic saga of a family, with Brad Pitt as the tragic centerpiece.
16. Pretty Woman. My favorite guilty pleasure.
17. Silence of the Lambs. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster at their best. Is there a better villain anywhere in movies than Hannibal Lecter?
18. Rocky 1. Sort of a Cinderella story for boxers.
19. Dave. A presidential impersonator becomes president. I just loved this movie. Kevin Kline was a comedic character playing it straight.
20. Aliens. Not as scary as Alien, but a whole lot more mayhem.

Also Rans

1. Payback. A tightly-written piece of roman noir featuring Mel Gibson.
2. All the President’s Men. As a journalist, this story keeps me riveted. Plus, I used to be a Watergate junky.
3. A Few Good Men. Tom Cruse was good, but Jack Nicholson made it work. Loved the drama and dialogue of that final courtroom confrontation.
4. Deliverance. More banjo!
5. The Untouchables. Great performances all around, especially by Sean Connery.
6. Top Gun. Another good Tom Cruse performance. Great music.
7. Sleepless in Seattle. Loved Meg Ryan in this movie. Wonderful final scene.
8. Gettysburg. I love anything having to do with the Civil War. Need more Civil War movies.
9. The Omega Man. Saw this movie in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., as a teen. Scared the tar out of me. The original “I am Legend.”
10. Last Man Standing. A Bruce Willis shoot-em-up.
11. The Green Mile. A slow-paced, character-driven movie, starring Tom Hanks.
12. Open Range. A slow-paced, character-driven western, starring Kevin Costner.
13. You’ve Got Mail. Yet another heart-warming Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan chick flick.
14. 84 Charring Cross Road. A movie for book-lovers.
15. Twilight. The first movie of the foursome was by far the best. Great style.
16. Red Dawn. A teen fantasy movie of taking on “the man.” A guilty pleasure movie.
17. Planet of the Apes. A cheesy classic.
18. Kill Bill. Definitely a guilty pleasure. Like Vol 1 better.
19. Tin Cup. A mindless golf movie starring Kevin Costner.
20. Night of the Comet. Another guilty pleasure. A quirky apocalyptic zombie movie with valley girls.