My 100 favorite movies from the past 25 years

So there’s been a good amount of chatter since Entertainment Weekly released its list issue, featuring the best of everything entertainment related in the past 25 years. Much like Paul Wall, it indeed has the whole Internet going nuts. And much like the short-lived “People’s Champ,” it’s largely stupid. The merits of the lists have been argued in deep philosophical fashion by many. My buddy over at Check the FIen Print wrote about the "Best 100 films of the best 25 years" quite eloquently.

I don’t do eloquence, unless it’s particularly self-serving. However, I do have an affinity for lists, so I made my own, for no other reason than to spend time to do something else when I should be studying technical editing.

For this list, I didn’t base the rankings on any great importance and impact on the history of film since 1983. These are just based on what I enjoyed.

So, Jesse Ducker's 100 favorite films from the last 25 years:

1. Goodfellas
2. Do the Right Thing
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Miller’s Crossing
6. Midnight Run
7. Shawshank Redemption
8. Three Kings
9. City of God
10. Back to the Future
11. Ran
12. Dark City
13. Blood Simple
14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
15. Hoop Dreams
16. Fresh
17. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
18. City of Hope
19. Princess Monoke
20. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
21. Schindler’s List
22. Dazed and Confused
23. Before Sunrise
24. Quiz Show
25. Reservoir Dogs
26. Platoon
27. LA Confidential
28. Lone Star
29. Deep Cover
30. Se7en
31. Raising Arizona
32. Untouchables
33. Menace to Society
34. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
35. Memento
36. Big Lebowski
37. Ghostbusters
38. Saving Private Ryan
39. Crimes and Misdemeanors
40. The Usual Suspects
41. Finding Nemo
42. The Incredibles
43. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
44. This is Spinal Tap
45. Casino
46. Children of Men
47. In the Name of the Father
48. A Fish Called Wanda
49. Short Cuts
50. Toy Story
51. The Lion King
52. Kingpin
53. Out of Sight
54. Searching For Bobby Fischer
55. True Romance
56. Beverly Hills Cop
57. Bullets Over Broadway
58. Coming to America
59. Malcolm X
60. Heat
61. Monsters Inc.
62. Aliens
63. Fight Club
64. Say Anything
65. Black Hawk Down
66. No Country For Old Men
67. Unforgiven
68. Boogie Nights
69. Full Metal Jacket
70. Terminator 2
71. Pan’s Labrynth
72. Terminator
73. Princess Bride
74. Silence of the Lambs
75. Rushmore
76. Toy Story 2
77. Royal Tennenbaums
78. The Departed
79. Trading Places
80. Purple Rain
81. Trainspotting
82. Traffic
83. The Fugitive
84. The Big Night
85. The Limey
86. Fletch
87. Carlito’s Way
88. Donnie Brasco
89. Collateral
90. Batman Begins
91. 28 Days Later
92. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
93. Amelie
94. Heavenly Creatures
95. Die Hard
96. Old Boy
97. Dead Man Walking
98. Jackie Brown
99. Master and Commander
100. Silverado



And here’s another 20 movies I couldn’t fit it but felt like listing anyway, in no particular order.

Nixon
Being John Malkovich
Ghost World
Casualties of War
Minority Report
Good Will Hunting
Sixteen Candles
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Big Trouble in Little China
Breakfast Club
Hunt for Red October
Crimson Tide
Unbreakable
Sexy Beast
Bring Out the Dead
Bugsy
JFK
Layer Cake
The Inside Man
Battle Royale
Infernal Affairs