SimbaKing94's Top 50 Favorite Films of All Time Part IV: 20-11

20. Dances With Wolves (1990)
Director: Kevin Costner
Starring: Kevin Costner, Graham Greene, Mary McDonnell 

Here's a fun fact for you guys.  In case you didn't know, I am Native American.  Partially to be precise.  While my people's tribe (the Mohawks) aren't represented in this movie, this is one of the few movies involving Native Americans that  actually gave a valiant attempt to make the culture out to be legitimate and not laden with stereotypes (like SO many other films did).  While I will be one of the first people to admit that I don't really like Kevin Costner (he was being Mel Gibson before it was cool to be Mel Gibson), he does try to immerse himself in the culture.  And while the story doesn't exactly cover anything new, I don't mind it as much as others do.  I think people are too tough on this movie and willign to allow a film like Avatar to get away with too much.  But that's for when I review this one.

19. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Directors: Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale
Starring: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White

Beauty and the Beast is a marvel in filmmaking history.  Nowadays, it's practically commonplace to find an animated film that can touch kids and adults on practically the same emotional level.  But in 1991, with people still on the fence as to whether or not animation was a cinematic art form, Beauty and the Beast brought audiences in in droves.  I've already went in depth enough about how wonderful this film is, so I'll try to be short and to the point.  This film is one of those truly rare Disney movies where both protagonists (Belle and the Beast) have to learn to love each other.  In fact, when they first meet, their hostile towards each other.  But in an age where Disney could do nothing wrong, they crafted one of the most brilliant and amazing love stories ever on screen, and without a single actor appearing on stage.  The songs are splendid, the animation legendary, and the story timeless.  Beauty and the Beast is and will always be one of the only two animated films to deserve Best Picture nominations.

18. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Director: Henry Sellick 
Starring: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, Danny Elfman

Similarly to how a film like Dumbo is simplistic emotional storytelling, The Nightmare Before Christmas is also simplistic in it's storytelling.  It doesn't need to be overly complicated like The Lion King or Up, but it still manages to grab more and more of an audience every year.  I can safely say that I have watched this film at least once a year my entire life, even before it became "the cool" thing to watch.  The stop motion animation is some of the best ever, even though the art has been around since the early days of cinema.  Danny Elfman gives us a rich tapestry of songs that could contend with the best Disney's ever had, and the two main leads are very engaging and keep our interest throughout.  This may be one of the most perfect animated movies ever made, alongside gems like Aladdin and Up.  As quotable as it is jaw dropping, The Nightmare Before Christmas is the single best Christmas movie out there.  Yes.  Let the argument begin!  Mwahahahaha!

17. Schindler's List (1993)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ray Fiennes, Ben Kingsley

But the best film of 1993 is easily Schindler's List.  While The Nightmare Before Chirstmas is probably the most well known, and Jurassic Park was the most successful, Schindler's List was the most thought provoking.  Granted that a film about Jewish life inside Nazi concentration camps would most likely be not as realistic, Spielberg made tried to give his audience the exact feeling of being inside one of Hitler's hell halls, and of the absolutely daring attempt by Oskar Schindler to hide and protect as many Jews from the wrath of the Nazis as possible.  One of the greatest films of all time, Schindler's List is without a doubt the greatest WWII movie ever made.  Even with minimal war scenes, it tells us the other side of the story of World War II.  The darker side, and Spielberg should be forever praised for that.

16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Rhys Davies

From 1973-1989, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg could do no wrong.  Think about it.  We got American Graffiti, Star Wars, Jaws, among others in this era.  Of course, Lucas went on to suck while Spielberg went on to Schindler's List, but Raiders of the Lost Ark will always be the duos best collaboration.  The most basic adventure story that could be written is punctuated by kick ass action, no horribly CGI effects (which sunk Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in my mind), and an evil ass of a villain in Belloq.  Harrison Ford is of course wonderful as always, while we see many other actors and filmmakers begin to set their careers in order.  While not remotely being a flawless film, Raiders of the Lost Ark manages to convey many of the things the old loved when they were kids, and the action and adventure kids love to pretend they are.

15. Batman Begins (2005)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine


 The movie that saved the Batman movie franchise, Batman Begins gives us the origin story of the Caped Crusader as never told before.  Many, myself included, thought Bruce just decided to fight crime in the city after his parents died.  But we see a fully in depth look at how Bruce Wayne became Batman.  We get to see some villains who were previously kept only to the comic books and animated show, such as Dr. Jonathan Crane as Scarecrow and the immortal master of the League of Shadows, R'as Al Ghul.  And like the comic books, the answers aren't exactly clear cut.  Even the ending isn't too overly happy.  While Batman does manage to save Gotham, the crime rate is still drastically high and the police force is just as corrupt as ever.  Bale, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and even Katie Holmes give us some incredible performances outside of just simply retreading characters.  Bale isn't Keaton, and I'm willing to accept that.  And I also firmly believe that this film is the best film of 2005.

14. Blazing Saddles (1974)
Director: Mel Brooks
Starring: Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks was at his best in the 1970's.  Simple an to the point.  And his funniest and most outrageous movie in that era was his take on western movies: Blazing Saddles.  A movie completely unapologetic in it's conception, it takes shots at pretty much whatever Brooks felt like taking shots at, be it 1870's politics, Native Americans, or racial prejudice.  Harvey Korman is a hilarious villain in Hedley Lamarr, while Cleavon Little is one of the funniest parts of any movie, giving us a truly hilarious look at the ways African Americans were treated during Westward Expansion and Reconstruction.  The film I think held the record for most usage of the "N" word in a movie until Django Unchained took that and ran with it.  Blazing Saddles was Brooks at his best.

13. Thank You For Smoking (2006)
Director: Jason Reitman 
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Katie Holmes, J.K. Simmons


Long before he was cleaning the streets of Gotham as Harvey Dent, Aaron Eckhart was out there lobbying for Tobacco companies and their interests in and out of America.  One of the funniest and yet most thought provoking films of the last 20 years, Thank You For Smoking is truly one of the best films to get swept under the rug.  It gives us not as intellegent people the perfect way lawyers think and act in order to make people believe every single word they say.  In Nick Naylor's own words:

"That's the beauty of argument, if you argue correctly, you're never wrong."

A film completely devoid of cliche and otherwise boring things, Thank You For Smoking allows Eckhart to gives us a solid performance for a surprisingly likable douche like Nick Naylor.


12. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness


Some would say that this film ruined the age of dark and gritty movies like The Godfather and The French Connection.  I say, that Star Wars not only saved the age of film making, but saved film making altogether.  Without Star Wars, James Cameron wouldn't have quit his job as a truck driver to make his films, nor would Peter Jackson make Lord of the Rings.  George Lucas brought us into a new age and reexilerated the art of storytelling with his science fiction marvel that still astounds people to this day.  With the coming of Star Wars, the entire world changed.  Movies were no action packed and packed with likable and lovable characters and dark and dramatic villains.  Movies were fun once more.  Thank you Star Wars.  Thank you for everything.

11. Toy Story 2 (1999)
Director: John Lasseter 
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack


People often have the misconception or belief that Finding Nemo was the first truly adult Pixar film.  I would have to respectfully disagree with them on that front.  No other film made or makes me feel more like an adult than Toy Story 2.  Why?  Because it gave us probably the most adult message in any animated film: even though nothing lasts forever, why should someone waste away their happiness thinking about the end?  Woody begins to realize that Andy is growing up, and yet he refuses to give up on his dream to be there when he does.  He forgets how much he means to Andy and how much Andy means to him, and decides to allow things to happen.  What else haven't I already said?  Toy Story 2 is one of the greatest animated films ever made.  Period!