42) The Great Escape
This is one of the few movies on this list that I've only seen in its entirety once. But, I have to marvel at how much of an impression it made that first time. It has a brilliant cast headed up by Steve McQueen, with a special nod to one of my favorites, James Garner.
43) The Fugitive
Here's an example of how not to make a movie. Having practically no script when filming started, Andrew Davis et. al. (a list including screenwriters David Twohy and Jeb Stuart, Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones) pretty much made this one up on the fly. This is an example of what happens when you hire the right people. The actors from top to bottom are superb. The editors (all 6 of them) deserved their Oscar Nominations.
44) The Matrix
Well, here's what happens when you aren't allowed to make your adolescent "Big Story" all at once. You must chop it down and hone it, refine it, make all the things you wanted to say in three films fit into one... and do it well. Lucas did it with the original Star Wars, and the Wachowski brothers should have just stopped here. This movie might have made it farther up the list had they not done the two ridiculously inept sequels.
45) The Road Warrior
The mythologizing of Max began (and unfortunately did not end) here. George Miller's insanely hyper direction and sparce production values created an entire genre of films. Mel Gibson is forever Max to me, because of this movie and his total of 27 lines of dialogue. Never has a man done more with less and carried every scene of a movie.
46) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Paul Dini and Bruce Timm should be enshrined in Comic Book Heaven (TM) for being the only people (outside of Bob Kane) to truly understand Batman, and more importantly, his villains. This is the only Batman film worth watching more than once (and only the first two live actioners were even passable). Compare the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) from this film to that unfunny travesty put on by Jack Nicholson and you will understand. This is the crowning achievement of Warner Bros. Animation from the past 20 years.
47) Pitch Black
I don't know who was originally responsibile for the strong moral focus of this film, be it the Wheat brothers or David Twohy, and frankly I don't care. This is one of those films that should have been frightfully awful and derivative, but turns out quite the opposite. The title is a metaphor for the states of the souls of the leads, Caroline, Riddick and Johns, and into this crucible of an Aliens-style ripoff, salvation is attained for some. Another film marred by a sequel (of sorts) that went in a completely wrong direction, which is a grand shame because Riddick could have been the best anti-hero since Clint's The Man with No Name.
48) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
Tom Stoppard adapted his own play to film quite well, and his lack of experience as a director did not detract enough from the source material's greatness. This film is a delight to watch. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth are an absolute scream as the central characters who have no idea why they even exist.
49) The Sixth Sense
An absolutely heart-breaking study in the inability of people to communicate with each other. Haley Joel Osmet is rivetting as Cole, the boy who can see ghosts, and his journey to maturity is really compelling. There's this twist at the end that deepens with every viewing. You may have heard about it.
50) Schindler's List
My frustration with the final two B&W scenes in this film notwithstanding this is a truly powerful and devastating portrait of human triumph in the face of monstrous collective evil. Ralph Fiennes is just vile as Goeth, simply because he is so believable.
The second half eventually:
Ta,
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