top 50 movies (20-11)

Interesting sidenote: IMDB (which is where I'm getting a lot of my information here) has Plot Keywords for every movie. Yesterday, I learned the the Plot Keywords for Fight Club include homoeroticism, immaturity, and young girl. I wonder how often Andy stumbles onto the IMDB page for Fight Club during his typical Google searches. Hmmm...

On to the list...

20. Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: To ruin a western town, a corrupt political boss appoints a black sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
PERFORMERS: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mel Brooks (Gov. William J. LePetomaine)
INTERESTING FACTS: The role of Bart was intended for Richard Pryor, but Brooks couldn't get a studio to finance it because of the controversial nature of Pryor's stand-up act...John Wayne was offered a part in the movie; he said, "Naw, I can't do a movie like that. But I'll be first in line to see it"...According to Brooks, while they were shooting the movie, Wilder insisted that Brooks do his (Wilder's) movie idea next; the idea was for Young Frankenstein
BEST SCENE: Mongo cold-cocking the horse.
BEST LINE: "Excuse me while I whip this out."

19. The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup.
PERFORMERS: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kevin Pollak (Todd Hockney)
INTERESTING FACTS: The line-up scene was supposed to be a serious scene, but after a full day of shooting, the actors couldn't keep a straight face; Singer was angry at the time, but ended up using the funniest take...Al Pacino turned down the role of Agent Kujan because of scheduling conflicts; he says this is the film he regrets turning down the most...In an IMDB poll, the film was voted to have the best plot twist, edging out The Sixth Sense and The Crying Game
BEST SCENE: The final scene.
BEST LINE: "Keaton always said, 'I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him.' Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze."

18. The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly grandfather).
PERFORMERS: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Wallace Shawn (Vizzini)
INTERESTING FACTS: William Goldman (the author) tried to get the movie made in the 1970's, and his first choice for the part of Fezzik was an up-and-coming actor named Arnold Schwarzenegger...During filming, Andre the Giant had serious back problems and, ironically, couldn't lift anything; Penn was attached to wires in the scene where she jumps from the balcony into his arms...The ROUS's were played by small people in rat suits
BEST SCENE: Wesley chasing Vizzini, Fezzik, and Montoya. "Inconceivable!"
BEST LINE: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

17. A Time to Kill (Joel Schumacher, 1996)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
PERFORMERS: Matthew McConaughey, Sanrda Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kevin Spacey (Rufus Buckley)
INTERESTING FACTS: Donald Sutherland thought that his character should be more of a radical drunk (as he is in the book), but Schumacher thought it would make his character too comical...McConaughey was originally cast in Keifer Sutherland's role, but asked Schumacher for a private screen test and won the part of Jake Brigance...Kevin Costner was considered for the role of Brigance, but wanted complete control of the project (to which John Grisham, the author, objected)
BEST SCENE: Jake's closing statement.
BEST LINE: "Yes, they deserved to die, and I hope they burn in hell!"

16. Crash (Paul Haggis, 2005)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters.
PERFORMERS: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Ryan Phillipe (Tom Hansen)
INTERESTING FACTS: First Best Picture winner to win fewer than 4 total Oscars since Rocky in 1976 (Crash won 3)...The role of the TV director was offered to Forest Whitaker, but he turned it down to finish filming First Daughter (which, incidentally, did not win a Best Picture Oscar)...During an argument, Thandie Newton's character tells Terrence Howard's character that the closest he's ever been to being black was watching The Cosby Show; Howard's first acting job was on The Cosby Show when he was 19.
BEST SCENE: Officer Ryan pulling Christine Thayer out of the car at the end.
BEST LINE: "It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."

15. Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
PERFORMERS: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Anthony Heald (Dr. Frederick Chilton)
INTERESTING FACTS: Hopkins described the voice of Dr. Lecter as "a combination of Truman Capote and Katherine Hepburn"...The film was the third to win the Academy Award Grand Slam (Hopkins's performance was the shortest to ever win Best Actor)..."A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti" was #21 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Movie Lines of All-Time
BEST SCENE: When Clarice meets Dr. Lecter for the first time.
BEST LINE: "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

14. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.
PERFORMERS: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: John McIntire (Sheriff Chambers)
INTERESTING FACTS: After he bought the rights to the novel, Hitchcock bought up as many copies of the book as he could to try to keep the ending a secret...The blood in the shower scene was Bosco chocolate syrup...Hitchock was so pleased with the score of the movie that he doubled the compoer Bernard Herrman's salary; Hitchcock later said that "33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music"
BEST SCENE: The shower scene.
BEST LINE: "Well if the woman up there is Mrs. Bates, who's that woman buried out in Greenlawn Cemetery?"

13. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
PERFORMERS: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Eric Stoltz (Lance)
INTERESTING FACTS: Most of Jackson's famous quote from the Bible is actually made up...Vincent Vega (Travolta) is the brother of Vic Vega, played by Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs...When asked what was in the briefcase, Quentin Tarantino has said, "Whatever the viewer wants it to be"
BEST SCENE: Vincent and Jules in the car.
BEST LINE: "That's a pretty f***ing good milkshake. I don't know if it's worth five dollars but it's pretty f***ing good."

12. Hoosiers (David Anspaugh, 1986)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.
PERFORMERS: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Dennis Hopper (Shooter)
INTERESTING FACTS: The announcer for the final game in the movie was the actual announcer from the 1954 game on which the movie is based...The actor who played Jimmy Chitwood was the only player on the Hickory team not to play high school basketball in real life...For the scene in which Shooter walks onto the court drunk, Hopper asked for ten seconds' notice before they would yell action so he could spin around in circles to get himself dizzy
BEST SCENE: "I love you guys."
BEST LINE: "I'll make it."

11. Caddyshack (Harold Ramis, 1980)
IMDB PLOT OUTLINE: An exclusive golf course has to deal with a brash new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
PERFORMERS: Rodney Dangerfield, Michael O'Keefe, Bill Murray
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Chevy Chase (Ty Webb)
INTERESTING FACTS: The Ty/Carl scene was not in the original script, but was written during filming when Ramis realized that he did not have a scene with his two biggest stars..."Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" (92) and "So I got that going for me, which is nice" (49) were both on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Movie Lines of All-Time...Brian Doyle-Murray (who plays Lou) is Bill Murray's brother and the co-writer of the screenplay
BEST SCENE: Ty Webb and Lacey Underall.
BEST LINE: Nine-way tie between "A flute without holes is not a flute. A donut without holes is a Danish," "You don't have to go to college. This isn't Russia. Is this Russia? This isn't Russia," "Just be the ball, be the ball, be the ball," "Thank you very little," "You'll get nothing and like it," "I christen thee the flying WASP," "Your uncle molests collies," "That's what they said about Son of Sam," and "I heard this place is restricted, Wang, so don't tell 'em you're Jewish, okay?"

Later gators.