34. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

A "classic"! ...and one I had actually seen in school. It is fine. The Boo Radley stuff is....handled somehow more weirdly in this movie than I remember in the book. The kids are fine for kids, but the only reason to watch this is Gregory Peck. Thoroughly watchable, but not revelatory for me.


33. High Noon (1952)

This was good! By far my favorite western on the list. Some actual tension, some actual characters...its definitely of its time and there are some problematic elements, but it is a thoroughly watchable movie. Recommend it if you're interested!

Related Note: Reading the wiki on this one really solidifies in my mind exactly how big of an asshole John Wayne was.


32. The Godfather, Part II (1974)

SKIPPED! I have not seen any of The Godfather movies and it didn't make sense to watch this one FIRST, so I'll have a lil addendum when we get The Godfather, Part I later on the list at #3.


31. Annie Hall (1977)

Eugh. This was my first Woody Allen film and.....this is another one where it is just hard for me to appreciate it beyond "I'm sure this was really fresh and new for its time". It is fine, but mostly I did not like it...and I honestly couldn't tell you if it's because of the film itself or the lens through which I was watching it as a modern viewer.....but I did not like it and I was mostly frustrated watching it. Bleh.


30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Pretty watchable, but moments in this are kinda insane....some iconic bits that I knew, but didn't know where from...also a BEHEADING. Was not my favorite and probably could have been tweaked to be much better, but I can't complain too much because jfc this is from 1948! Damn! Considering that it is surprisingly good.


29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

GUH. I find that Frank Capra makes very competent but exceedingly simplistic and saccharine movies...this is fine I guess. If you think about anything or the implications thereof for more than like a second it falls apart, but okay....but what kills me is that outside of his work with Hitchcock I just cannot STAND Jimmy Stewart's delivery of...everything. It's an aggressively and overbearingly fake earnestness that just...it is insufferable to listen to, every word oozes with this sanctimonious righteousness...ESPECIALLY in Mr. Smith here. Eugh. I will get to it later, but I liked both It's a Wonderful Life and It Happened One Night better.

Even in the cartoon madhouse universe we now occupy, this film is cartoonishly simplistic in its plot. Maybe I'm harshing on this movie a bit too much but like......ugh. Naive political movie made me mad. I had seen this before in school and do not remember it making me quite so angry fwiw.


28. Apocalypse Now (1979)

I thought I had seen this film in class (lol), but I had actually seen all but the final act...which goes on forever. Still, pretty good. 1970's continue to be a strange time for film, but worth a watch if you haven't seen it.


27. Bonnie And Clyde (1967)

Legitimately unsure why this is here. The list tells me it may have something to do with the mixing of genres but uh, okay. It was fine! Competent. A little weird! As I've mentioned before, movies from the late 60's/all of the 70's have proved to be a bit odd to me. Like they haven't quite figured out how to do x, y, or z, but they're gonna try to anyway to mixed and often awkward results. Is this avant-garde?


26. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

This is still good. Have seen it in school before, it is still very iconic. I think the trick is to just not let Kubrick have any women on screen...the one in this film is not handled great either (and yes, within the context), but her screen time is mercifully short. Overall I think it holds up.


25. E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

I had seen this as a kid once, but barely remembered it. It's....fine. I dunno...how am I supposed to feel about this movie? I don't have any nostalgia for it and it's special effects are impressive for...the before-I-was-born times. They definitely took a risk in many ways with the alien design, will give them that. Score is iconic, lots of moments are iconic...just overall it's fine.


24. Raging Bull (1980)

I think that I don't really like boxing movies. :/
Also, I am a broken record and The Wolf of Wall Street is Scorseses magnum opus. All others pale in its presence. Is it my fault that he just made a way better film years after this list was published? No. Is it my fault he keeps revisiting these themes and happened to do it to perfection in Wolf? No.
This concludes this unpaid advertisement, we hope that you'll watch The Wolf of Wall Street.
(this movie was fine)


23. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

I liked it! Besides a vague build up in my mind because of its reputation and knowledge that it is hella NOIR, I didn't really know anything about it...and I quite liked it. There is some weird characterization but honestly......I still kinda dug it. Worth a watch on its own!


22. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Hm. I wanted to like it and I didn't not like it....there were things I liked. The beginning and ending were both extremely frustrating. The in-between was intermittently good. Some bits were even really good! The visualization is definitely iconic and worthy of praise...and it didn't even make me mad like past films have lmao. Worth putting on in the background and tuning in for certain parts.


21. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Hm. Overall I liked it and I was surprised at it in some ways, but it was more uplifting that I think the book was (?) and tbh it is kind of depressing that this was made in 1940 and America is still fucked up in similar ways. :/
...and this is how bad the WHITE people had it ffs.
Eugh. I dunno. A competent film with fine performances, thoroughly watchable, but also kind of just...unsure how to feel about it.


20. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

I had seen this before for some reason...it's good. It's a little strange to me that its so high on the list, but it's fine. Not much to add.


19. Chinatown (1974)

Oy, this is what makes me think I just legit didn't like Annie Hall. This was my first Roman Polanski film and even though I have the lens of a modern viewer, I had no problem watching this film. It's fine. I'm sure the fact that it's not semi-autobiographical helps, but the fact that it has a better story is probably the real reason.
Anyway, Jack Nicholson as a detective is kinda weird and I never quite got over it, but it was still a good movie.


18. Psycho (1960)

Actually really liked it! I didn't know anything except that someone gets stabbed in a shower and there's a show called Bates Motel...I was a little afraid he'd pull some bullshit with the mom stuff, but lo-and-behold there is a corpse at the end and everything. Watch it!


17. The African Queen (1951)

This was dumb and indulgent, but whatever. Its fine. I barely remember it to be honest though. >>


16. All About Eve (1950)

I LOVED THIS INSANE MOVIE. Watch it!!!
The plot is insane though. I just loved the insufferably smug and stone-cold theatre critic lmao. Bette Davis is also really great! The cast and characters are a ton of fun...everyone has just the right amount of venom and eccentricity for my liking.


15. Star Wars (1977)

I'll be honest, my bf and I have both seen this one so much we just kinda put it on and watched for fun....hard for me to watch it critically haha. Still a good watch.


14. Some Like It Hot (1959)

Why is this so high on the list???? For a late-50's cross-dressing comedy, it is good....but like....what lmao. Monroe is iconic in it and she's good, but just a bit odd to me that it's so high. I laughed pretty hard at the "Friends of Italian Opera" convention though. It's okay.


13. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

I actually enjoyed this! I was dreading it a bit, as all I knew was it was 100000 hours long and that Ron Swanson likes it....and also the Colbert-Branson Trainwreck Interview promo (am I the only person who remembers this?).
Suffers from old movie over-indulgence at points (the jungle scenes.....my god we GET IT), but is otherwise really good! Recommend it to anyone interested!


12. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Did I like this more than All About Eve? I dunno...I liked both of them in different ways. I probably liked Eve a bit more because of the array of characters that really swept me up, but this one is fun too. The setting is so cool and very Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to me. Plot is obviously a little crazy, but I identify with total weirdos so I love a movie about total weirdos.


11. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

Like said earlier, enjoyed this more than Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...I hadn't seen this before despite it being a "classic" they play every year. It spent a surprisingly small amount of time exploring the world "without" Jimmy Stewart (a better world if you ask me har har)...and I was kind of angry with the ending? Like c'mon I know this has to be a feel-good Capra joint, but christ...he got the money and all, but that doesn't change that he still lived a life completely unlike that which he had clearly always wanted up til the end! He never got to travel, never got to escape the bank...I know he's at "peace" with his place, but like...this is not a triumphant ending it is a sad picture of a man settling for the life he ended up with while his younger brother actually got to live the life he wanted. :/

Also we barely get anything with the kids before he's just screaming at them which I thought was kinda funny lol...maybe add in like one scene where we see how he normally is with his 20 children before you have him flip out at them. Also also: his wife is way too good for him, he is such a fucking jerk when he visits her at her mom's house and she does ALL OF THE NICE STUFF FOR HIM. Jimmy Stewart you are a monster!


Next up: 10. Singin' In The Rain! ...and the rest of the top 10!
We're actually up to On the Waterfront (#8), but I want to keep the top 10 together in a single post.

Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“If Beale Streat Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Glenn Close (“The Wife”)
Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”)
Nicole Kidman (“Destroyer”)
Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Rosamund Pike (“A Private War”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”)
Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”)
Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)
John David Washington (“BlacKkKlansman”)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Vice”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”)
Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”)
Charlize Theron (“Tully”)
Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale (“Vice”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”)
Robert Redford (“The Old Man & the Gun”)
John C. Reilly (“Stan & Ollie”)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Amy Adams (“Vice”)
Claire Foy (“First Man”)
Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Emma Stone (“The Favourite”)
Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”)
Timothee Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”)
Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Sam Rockwell (“Vice”)

Best Motion Picture – Animated
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
“Capernaum”
“Girl”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma”
“Shoplifters”

Best Director – Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”)
Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)


Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”)
Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”)


Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Marco Beltrami (“A Quiet Place”)
Alexandre Desplat (“Isle of Dogs”)
Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”)
Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”)
Marc Shaiman (“Mary Poppins Returns”)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“All the Stars” (“Black Panther”)
“Girl in the Movies” (“Dumplin’”)
“Requiem For a Private War” (“A Private War”)
“Revelation’ (“Boy Erased”)
“Shallow” (“A Star Is Born”)


Best Television Series – Drama
“The Americans”
“Bodyguard”
“Homecoming”
“Killing Eve”
“Pose”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe (“Outlander”)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)
Julia Roberts (“Homecoming”)
Keri Russell (“The Americans”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Stephan James (“Homecoming”)
Richard Madden (“Bodyguard”)
Billy Porter (“Pose”)
Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”)

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“Barry” (HBO)
“The Good Place” (NBC)
“Kidding” (Showtime)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”)
Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”)
Alison Brie (“Glow”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Sasha Baron Cohen (“Who Is America?”)
Jim Carrey (“Kidding”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)
Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)
Bill Hader (“Barry”)


Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“The Alienist” (TNT)
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)
“Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
“Sharp Objects” (HBO)
“A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”)
Patricia Arquette (“Escape at Dannemora”)
Connie Britton (“Dirty John”)
Laura Dern (“The Tale”)
Regina King (“Seven Seconds”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Antonio Banderas (“Genius: Picasso”)
Daniel Bruhl (“The Alienist”)
Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Benedict Cumberbatch (“Patrick Melrose”)
Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alex Bornstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects”)
Penelope Cruz (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)
Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Edgar Ramirez (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”)
Henry Winkler (“Barry”)