Stuart Rachels


My 10 Favorite Movies

Day of the Jackal, The (1973)
Fargo (1996)
Fugitive, The (1993)
Godfather, The (1972)
In the Company of Men (1997)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Man on the Moon (1999)
Memento (2000)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Thin Blue Line, The (1988)

11-20:

Dirty Harry (1971)
Eye of the Needle (1981)
George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (2000)
Happy Gilmore (1996)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Munich (2005)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Touching the Void (2003)

If those movies don't sound good, no need to read further.


My 100 Favorite Movies


These movies are listed alphabetically, chronologically, and by genre. At the bottom of the page, I give a runners-up list.

"Favorite" does not mean "best." So, I don't have to worry about whether Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is "better than" Point Break (1991). It's enough that I enjoyed Point Break more. Much more.

I have narrow taste. I like documentaries, comedies, and suspenseful movies with smart dialogue. Some outstanding movies didn't make the cut because no movie of their type could: About a Boy (2002) (romantic comedy), The School of Rock (2003) (kids' movie), The Matrix (1999) (sci-fi), The Last Waltz (1978) (concert film), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) (old movie), Schindler's List (1993) (Holocaust movie), and The Remains of the Day (1993) (Merchant Ivory film).

Affliction (1997)
All the President's Men (1976)
Alpha Dog (2006)
American Movie (1999)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Animal House (1978)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Badder Santa (2003)
Best in Show (2000)
Big Lebowski, The (1998)
Black Dynamite (2009)
Blood Simple (1984)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
Castle, The (1997)
Chinatown (1974)
Day of the Jackal, The (1973)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Dirty Work (1998)
Election (1999)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Evil Under the Sun (1982)
Eye of the Needle (1981)
Fargo (1996)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, The (2003)
French Connection, The (1971)
Fugitive, The (1993)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (2000)
Godfather, The (1972)
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
Hands on a Hard Body: The Documentary (1997)
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Hoosiers (1986)
Hustle & Flow (2005)
In-Laws, The (1979)
In the Company of Men (1997)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
In the Valley of Elah (2007)
Jackie Brown (1997)
King of Comedy, The (1983)
Legally Blonde (2001)
MacArthur (The American Experience) (1999)
Machinist, The (2004)
Man on the Moon (1999)
Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Memento (2000)
Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
Monster (2003)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Munich (2005)
Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)
Muriel's Wedding (1994)
My Kid Could Paint That (2007)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
No End in Sight (2007)
One False Move (1992)
Ordinary People (1980)
Over the Hedge (2006)
Patton (1970)
Piano Teacher, The (2001)
Point Break (1991)
Prestige, The (2006)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Rush Hour (1998)
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000)
Series 7: The Contenders (2001)
Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure (2001)
Simpsons Movie, The (2007)
Slacker (1991)
Sling Blade (1996)
Spanish Prisoner, The (1997)
Squid and the Whale, The (2005)
Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
Station Agent, The (2003)
Taps (1981)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Team America: World Police (2004)
There's Something About Mary (1998)
Thin Blue Line, The (1988)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Times of Harvey Milk, The (1984)
To Die For (1995)
Touching the Void (2003)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Traffic (2000)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
True Romance (1993)
Twilight (1998)
Unfaithful (2002)
Up (2009)
Waterboy, The (1998)
Weather Underground, The (2002)
You Can Count on Me (2000) 








By Year






Patton (1970) 

Dirty Harry (1971) 

French Connection, The (1971) 

Godfather, The (1972) 

Day of the Jackal, The (1973) 

Chinatown (1974) 

All the President's Men (1976) 

Taxi Driver (1976) 

Animal House (1978) 

In-Laws, The (1979) 

Ordinary People (1980) 

Eye of the Needle (1981) 

Taps (1981) 

Evil Under the Sun (1982) 

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) 

King of Comedy, The (1983) 

Blood Simple (1984) 

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 

Times of Harvey Milk, The (1984) 

Prizzi's Honor (1985) 

Hoosiers (1986) 

Raising Arizona (1987) 

Thin Blue Line, The (1988) 

Reversal of Fortune (1990) 

Point Break (1991) 

Slacker (1991) 

One False Move (1992) 

Fugitive, The (1993) 

In the Line of Fire (1993) 

True Romance (1993) 

Muriel's Wedding (1994) 

Pulp Fiction (1994) 

To Die For (1995) 

Fargo (1996) 

Happy Gilmore (1996) 

Sling Blade (1996) 

Affliction (1997) 

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 

Boogie Nights (1997) 

Castle, The (1997) 

Hands on a Hard Body: The Documentary (1997) 

In the Company of Men (1997) 

Jackie Brown (1997) 

Spanish Prisoner, The (1997) 

Big Lebowski, The (1998) 

Dirty Work (1998) 

Rush Hour (1998) 

There's Something About Mary (1998) 

Twilight (1998) 

Waterboy, The (1998) 

American Movie (1999) 

Boys Don't Cry (1999) 

Election (1999) 

Galaxy Quest (1999) 

Man on the Moon (1999) 

MacArthur (The American Experience) (1999) 

Toy Story 2 (1999) 

Best in Show (2000) 

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (2000) 

Memento (2000) 

Me, Myself & Irene (2000) 

Requiem for a Dream (2000) 

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000) 

Traffic (2000) 

You Can Count on Me (2000) 

Legally Blonde (2001) 

Mulholland Dr. (2001) 

Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001) 

Piano Teacher, The (2001) 

Series 7: The Contenders (2001) 

Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure (2001) 

Unfaithful (2002) 

Weather Underground, The (2002) 

Badder Santa (2003) 

Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, The (2003) 

Monster (2003) 

Station Agent, The (2003) 

Touching the Void (2003) 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 

Machinist, The (2004) 

Maria Full of Grace (2004) 

Team America: World Police (2004) 

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) 

Hustle & Flow (2005) 

Munich (2005) 

Squid and the Whale, The (2005) 

Alpha Dog (2006) 

Over the Hedge (2006) 

Prestige, The (2006) 

In the Valley of Elah (2007) 

My Kid Could Paint That (2007) 

No Country for Old Men (2007) 

No End in Sight (2007) 

Simpsons Movie, The (2007) 

Standard Operating Procedure (2008) 

Tropic Thunder (2008) 

Black Dynamite (2009) 

Up (2009) 

Toy Story 3 (2010) 









By Genre









Action Movie: Rush Hour (1998) 




Animated Movies:



Over the Hedge (2006) 

Simpsons Movie, The (2007) 

Toy Story 2 (1999) 

Toy Story 3 (2010) 

Up (2009) 



Biopics:



Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) 

Man on the Moon (1999) 

Patton (1970) 




Comedies:



Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) 

Animal House (1978) 

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 

Badder Santa (2003) 

Best in Show (2000) 

Black Dynamite (2009) 

Castle, The (1997) 

Dirty Work (1998) 

Election (1999) 

Galaxy Quest (1999) 

Happy Gilmore (1996) 

In-Laws, The (1979) 

Legally Blonde (2001) 

Me, Myself & Irene (2000) 

Raising Arizona (1987) 

Series 7: The Contenders (2001) 

Team America: World Police (2004) 

There's Something About Mary (1998) 

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 

Tropic Thunder (2008) 

Waterboy, The (1998) 




Dark Dramas:



Affliction (1997) 

Boys Don't Cry (1999) 

In the Company of Men (1997) 

In the Valley of Elah (2007) 

Monster (2003) 

Ordinary People (1980) 

Piano Teacher, The (2001) 

Requiem for a Dream (2000) 

Squid and the Whale, The (2005) 

Taxi Driver (1976) 



Dramas (not too dark, but no promises):



All the President's Men (1976) 

Alpha Dog (2006) 

Big Lebowski, The (1998) 

Day of the Jackal, The (1973) 

Dirty Harry (1971) 

Eye of the Needle (1981) 

Fargo (1996) 

French Connection, The (1971) 

Fugitive, The (1993) 

In the Line of Fire (1993) 

Jackie Brown (1997) 

Maria Full of Grace (2004) 

Munich (2005) 

No Country for Old Men (2007) 

One False Move (1992) 

Point Break (1991) 

Pulp Fiction (1994) 

Reversal of Fortune (1990) 

Sling Blade (1996) 

Spanish Prisoner, The (1997) 

Taps (1981) 

Traffic (2000) 

True Romance (1993) 

Unfaithful (2002) 



Film Noir:



Blood Simple (1984) 

Chinatown (1974) 

Twilight (1998) 



Odd / Intense / Psychedelic: 



Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 

King of Comedy, The (1983) 

Machinist, The (2004) 

Memento (2000) 

Mulholland Dr. (2001) 

Prestige, The (2006) 



Mob Movies:



Godfather, The (1972) 

Prizzi's Honor (1985) 
 


Documentaries:



American Movie (1999) 

Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, The (2003) 

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (2000) 

Hands on a Hard Body: The Documentary (1997) 

MacArthur (The American Experience) (1999) 

Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001) 

My Kid Could Paint That (2007) 

No End in Sight (2007) 

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000) 

Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure (2001) 

Standard Operating Procedure (2008) 

Thin Blue Line, The (1988) 

Times of Harvey Milk, The (1984) 

Touching the Void (2003) 

Weather Underground, The (2002) 



Mystery: Evil Under the Sun (1982) 



Romantic Comedies:



Slice of Life Movies:



Boogie Nights (1997) 

Hustle & Flow (2005) 

Muriel's Wedding (1994) 

Slacker (1991) 

Station Agent, The (2003) 

To Die For (1995) 

You Can Count on Me (2000) 



Sports Movie: Hoosiers (1986) 



Teen Film: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) 







Runners-Up






About a Boy (2002) 

Adaptation (2002) 

And the Band Played On (1993) 

Adventureland (2009) 

Arthur (1981) 

Being There (1979) 

Black Christmas (a.k.a. Stranger in the House) (1974) 

Blues Brothers, The (1980) 

Brady Bunch Movie, The (1995) 

Casino (1995) 

Chicken Rice War (2000) 

Citizen Ruth (1996) 

Drag Me to Hell (2009) 

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) 

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) 

Falling Down (1993) 

Field of Dreams (1989) 

Fire Down Below (1997) 

First Blood (1982) 

Flirting with Disaster (1996) 

Following (1998) 

Forrest Gump (1994) 

Full Monty, The (1997) 

Goodfellas (1990) 

Heathers (1989) 

Ikiru (1952) 

Incredibles, The (2004) 

Iron Man (2008) 

Jennifer Eight (1992) 

Lives of Others, The (2006) 

Love and Death on Long Island (1997) 

Marathon Man (1976) 

Minority Report (2002) 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 

Murder by Death (1976) 

Mysterious Skin (2004) 

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) 

Nine Queens (2005) 

Payback (1999) 

Return of the Pink Panther, The (1975) 

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 

Remains of the Day, The (1993) 

Rescue Dawn (2007) 

Rumble in the Bronx (1995) 

Schindler's List (1993) 

Shot in the Dark, A (1964) 

Sicko (2007) 

Sixth Sense, The (1999) 

Stuart Saves His Family (1995) 

Super Size Me (2004) 

Terminator, The (1984) 

Thin (2006) 

Thirteen Days (2000) 

Time After Time (1979) 

Tin Men (1987) 

Toy Story (1995) 

Under Siege (1992) 

Verdict, The (1982) 

Waiting for Guffman (1996) 

Wedding Singer, The (1998) 

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) 

When We Were Kings (1996) 

Whispers in the Dark (1992)