SimbaKing94's Top 50 Favorite Movies of All Time PART I: 50-41

What constitutes a good film?  What makes a film so bad that it's somehow watchable?  These are age old questions that no one will ever have the answers to.  This is because no matter how you look at it, people are inherently different.  There could be someone who worships Citizen Kane and The Godfather, but find Titanic pretentious and cheesy.  There could be someone who thinks Transformers and The Phantom Menace are works of art, while trolling internet pages all across the web saying The Dark Knight is the most overrated film ever made.  Then, you have the heavy argument over animated films.  You have the pretentious snobs who once enjoyed the exploits of watching Bambi try to talk and Aladdin rub the magic lamp, but look as anything animated as childish.  Then, you could also have the people who think Animation is the only true movie telling art form.  After all, don't all films use some sort of animation?

But when it comes to the internet's constant war over what's viewed as amazing, and what's overrated, and what's awful, we come into uncharted territory.  NO FILM IS PERFECT!  This includes Citizen Kane, Titanic, The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, Dances With Wolves, Up, The Empire Strikes Back, and millions of other films out there that people view as wondrous and perfect.  Critics, fans, and casual moviegoers tend to lump favorite and best into one category.  I, in no sense, think The Lion King is a perfect movie, but it is among my all time favorites.  Best does not result in favorite.  Likewise, a favorite doesn't always equate to be the best of all time.  And this is why I'm posting my Top 50 Favorite Films of All Time sooner rather than later.  Some of these films may be cliche to have on lists, some may surprise you (whether by ranking or by actually showing up on my list), but all are films that when I watch them, I feel a powerful emotion.  Here are the 50 most favorite films of all time by Yours Truly.  I hope you guys enjoy.

50. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen

You may not know it, but I do like stupid comedies.  I tolerate a good number of those stupid Adam Sandler movies and even a few lower brow movies like Scary Movie.  I saw Borat when my Dad first brought it home, and I can plainly say that this movie has the distinction of being the first movie to make me literally pee my pants in laughter.  

I'm not a huge fan of Sacha Baron Cohen.  When put in the right roles, he's hilarious.  When miscast, he's atrocious to sit through.  But here is the perfect example of using a decent funny actor's comedic strengths to full advantage.  The mockumentary of a Kazakh news reporter travelling to America and learning what makes America so great and actually getting to see what America is made of: the jackasses of Brooklyn, gay pride parades, and "chocolate people" (NOT MY WORDS!).  

Borat provides laughs for people of most any age, and is one of the comedic gems of all time.  

49. Batman (1989)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger


I had a hard time picking the movies that should go in my Top 50 Favorites.  After all, there are so many thousands of films to choose from.  And when I first drafted this list, I was stunned to realize that this epic comic book movie marvel didn't make it.  Like with Man of Steel, I first saw Batman through another regime.  This time, unlike Superman, it was through the animated series.  Then, I saw the Christopher Nolan films.  Finally, I saw these ones. 

Batman is among one of the most important films of the last 25 years.  After all, without this film, there would be no dark superhero movies.  There would likely be no X-Men, no Spider Man, and especially no Dark Knight.  Jack Nicholson gives us an electrifying performance as the Joker and despite fan outrage, Michael Keaton is the epitome of what Batman is all about.   There really isn't much else to say than that.  Batman is the best superhero for a reason.  And this movie may very well be the reason.

48. Scarface (1983)
Director: Brian De Palma 
Starring: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfieffer 



Like many of these other older films, I was exposed to Scarface at a very young age.  Seven to be precise.  When my parents separated, my mom was the one who forced us to do schoolwork and play video games like Backyard Baseball and The Sims, while my dad let us play Grand Theft Auto and watch things like Goodfellas and Scarface.  And this film didn't turn me into a cokehead/ violent murderer.  I have been entertained by this movie for a long time, a film that challenges the American Dream of success and allows the sick and inhuman natures of humans to be fully fleshed out in a dark and edgy movie.  A cult movie of unparalleled shock value, Scarface is a rare film that is unapologetic for what it is, what it says and what it means.

47. Spaceballs (1987)
Director: Mel Brooks
Starring: Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, John Candy

In the good old days when movie parodies didn't suck or have anything to do with the Wayans Brothers, we had Mel Brooks satirizing various movie genres.  From westerns with Blazing Saddles to historical pieces in History of the World part 1, Brooks will always be the master of spoofs.  And one of his best spoof films blended the best and most memorable pieces from Star Trek, Star Wars, Blade Runner, among dozens of other science fiction films and references in his hilarious motion picture, Spaceballs.  Like Scarface, this film is unapologetic for what it's spoofing and goes out of it's way to make fun of itself, even going as far as to have the single greatest "Broken 4th Wall" joke in cinematic history.  Combining the humorous talents of Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks, and the late John Candy, Spaceballs has me laughing my ass off every time I watch it.  
46. BASEketball (1998)
Director: David Zucker
Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone

 There are many movies out there that make fun of sporting events and making off color jokes about it all the time.  Adam Sandler has made at least four.  But by far the most over the top and insane is the first motion picture for South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone: BASEketball,  This film is so ridiculous sometimes, that you could replace Coop and Remer with Kyle Broflovski and Eric Cartman.  We even get a couple of funny scenes with well known sports commentators Al Michaels and Bob Costas.  For sports fans with no talents whatsover, it appears that BASEketball is the sport and movie for you.

45. Frozen (2013)
Directors: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad


Okay, I put you in my Top 50!  Now will you leave me alone?  Please?  

The surprise box office smash of 2013 and now most successful animated film of all time still has a place in my Top 50 list, but barely.  What can I possibly say that hasn't been said already?  Idina Menzel is electric as Elsa, the songs are incredible, the animation is the best since The Lion King, and the story is surprisingly effective.  But the place where this film works the most is the sisterly relationship between Anna and Elsa.  A heartwarming story for those with even the coldest hearts.

44. Superman (1978)
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman

The quintessential comic book superhero movie was the first genuine superhero movie released in Hollywood, and still manages to surprise everyone with the special effects, especially when compared to Man of Steel.  Unlike the modern Christopher Nolan films and Christopher Nolan rip off films, Superman is a lighthearted movie about Superman trying to balance his desire to be a true legend and hero while also keeping his promise to his father Jor-El not to interfere with the laws of Earth History.  The Kryptonian superhero manages to find that perfect balance between both worlds, and becomes the great superhero we know and love.  Reeve is the iconic Man of Steel, while Gene Hackman gives a solid performance as criminal mastermind Lex Luthor.  Surprisingly keeping a well balanced amount of audience members, the Richard Donner films seem to never be dying from popular culture, and I'm proud of that.

43. Tron (1982)
Director: Steven Lisberger 
Starring: Jeff Bridges, David Warner, Cindy Morgan

To be perfectly 100% honest with my friends out there, I originally had no interest in seeing this movie, even when playing the world based on it in Kingdom Hearts II.  I only saw this movie once before a year ago when I was actually hung over from a wedding the night prior.  I actually got into the story and the philosophy of the world that Tron created.  I thought the dialogue was similar to A New Hope, in that the people in the universe believe that Users are a religious belief, rather like the Force.  While there weren't that many breakout performances in this film, I can certainly say the true star of Tron was the incredible special effects used to make the movie, which was far too ahead of it's time in 1982 when it first came out.  Nevertheless, Tron is one of my favorite films because it isn't a simple story of good vs evil, but rather a Star Wars like struggle between belief and logic.  

42. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Director: Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

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The last REALLY GOOD Star Wars film and the film that has spawned countless other films that suffer from the same chronic illness, Return of the Jedi is a film that gives us an action packed and surprisingly touching conclusion to a galaxy of characters we've grown to love, sympathize, and even despise along a long and winding road of discovery and adventure.  We see the culmination and climax of Luke Skywalker's journey into adulthood, the last stand of the Rebel Alliance against the evil Galactic Empire, and the final redemption of one of the galaxy's most feared villains.  Despite lagging in many areas, Return of the Jedi is still a solid adventure story that refuses to let it's audience be bored by dumb things, like political meetings.  -_-

41. Spiderman 2
Director: Sam Raimi 
Starring: Tobey McGuire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco




The mid 2000's seemed to finally grasp what Comic Book movies should be about.  We had Batman Begins, which delved deeply into the characterization of exactly what Batman stood for.  Then, we had Spiderman 2, the first and so far only true Spiderman movie that didn't feel the need to have that many cheesy lines and over the top moments, which the other two had plenty of.  While there were some questions about the plot and character motivations, we get to see the struggles of being an overly relied upon superhero that also struggled with keeping in touch with friends, keeping his job at the Daily Bugle, and keeping his college life afloat.  We get to see the personal torment Peter goes through and the ultimate decision he makes to comeback and stop Dr. Octopus (another great villain role), even if it means revealing his identity to his those he cares about.  Full of high thrills, action, romance, and great comedy, Spiderman 2 is one of the finest comic book movies ever made, and a personal fave.