*SPOILER-FREE* Part 5: M | Avengers: Endgame

Movies I watched for the first time: M, 3 Idiots, High and Low, Das Boot

90. M (1931)

• IMDb plot summary: When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.

• Some quick thoughts: This German film is credited with inventing the serial killer genre and police procedural drama, which would alone be merit enough to land a spot on this list. Lang’s terrific direction refuses musical cues, often cutting into pure silence. However, the most striking thing about this film that’s worth seeing isn’t anything related to a serial killer, but everything related to a German society that was about to embrace Nazism. The police raids, the fact that the murderer gets marked on his jacket so he can be pursued, and the escalating manhunt and paranoia all play differently when viewed as an examination of Nazi Germany; the evil lurking below the killer’s friendly surface pales in comparison to the evil lurking below the surface in 1931 Germany, and this film marrying itself to that history ensures its place in history.

• Does it belong? Yes, and top 100 is perfectly appropriate

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 9.4/10

89. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

• IMDb plot summary: When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

• Some quick thoughts: It’s no hot take to suggest that this is one of the best and most important directorial debuts in film history. The independent film wave of the ‘90s was just starting to catch fire, and enter Tarantino’s violent, reference-heavy, dialogue-heavy, smoothly-directed crime thriller to remind us of what movies can do while doing new things with bravado. I think Tarantino’s best work was still ahead of him (maybe only 2 years ahead of him), but this film has lost none of its ferocious power nor its gobsmacking entertainment value.

• Does it belong? Yes – this movie is a perfect encapsulation of a moment in film history, and birthed the career of an all-time great

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 9.1/10

88. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

• IMDb plot summary: After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000.

• Some quick thoughts: This has a case to be the most influential sci-fi movie ever, and one of the most important films ever made in terms of influence on audiences, future generations of filmmakers (I see you Nolan), and critics – it’s the film that caused Roger Ebert to fall in love with movies. It is pure experience, often trading narrative clarity in exchange for immersion in its world and awe at its spectacle. This spectacle isn’t just visually interesting but touches the furthest corners of the brain and heart. Every frame could be iconic in this philosophically elusive work of art that just so happens to be an assembly of moving images with sound. Despite its many imitators, such as Interstellar, there will never be anything like this. All hail Kubrick.

• Does it belong? This ranking is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 9.9/10

87. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

• IMDb plot summary: After a daring mission to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebels dispatch to Endor to destroy the second Death Star. Meanwhile, Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side without falling into the Emperor's trap.

• Some quick thoughts: This movie isn’t one of the Star Wars movies that I like the most – I still stand by the rankings I made last year – but it’s quite the classic. It’s the weakest of the Original Trilogy due to a weak second act, but its final 40 minutes are exciting, emotional, and everything you want out of Star Wars. It’s a great example how to end an all-time iconic trilogy, but unfortunately it's also an example of this franchise's reliance on stories it's already told (they’re making another Death Star!) and the storytelling blunders George Lucas can get himself into when there’s no one around to tell him his ideas need some workshopping.

• Does it belong? Nope, but I’m happy it exists!

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 8/10

86. Good Will Hunting (1997)

• IMDb plot summary: Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

• Some quick thoughts: I really like this movie, I really do – you can find proof of that here. It’s one of the better and more iconic original scripts written by two young friends sharing an apartment hoping to make it big, and contains terrific performances, most notably Robin Williams’. It’s touching drama, great comedy, and one of the easier movies to watch and be moved by that you’ll ever see. It also happens to be my third favorite of its year behind L.A. Confidential and Boogie Nights, and therefore shouldn’t be higher than L.A. and on this list while Boogie Nights isn’t. It sure is great though.

• Does it belong? List-making is as arbitrary as drinking coffee, but it belongs!

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 8.7/10

85. Inglorious Basterds (2009)

• IMDb plot summary: In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.

• Some quick thoughts: Two Tarantino movies in one section? That’s a bingo! I’m a huge fan of this movie, and it served to introduce the new phase of Tarantino’s career following Death Proof and Kill Bill. The first and third “chapters” are among the best moviemaking of its decade, but for me the film really falls apart in its final acts. If the tavern scene were its own movie, it could very well be the best of all time – you heard it here first.

• Does it belong? No, but you won’t hear me say anything truly bad about it

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 8.3/10

84. Hamilton (2020)

• IMDb plot summary: The real life of one of America's foremost founding fathers and first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Captured live on Broadway from the Richard Rodgers Theater with the original Broadway cast.

• Some quick thoughts: Hamilton is a fun show, but there’s only so much you can do to film a live show to make it a movie, which this is a list of. I guess it’s cool that this happened, and that one of the most popular shows in the history of Broadway is just available for people to check out on Disney+, but you can’t replicate the experience of being in a theater for a show. This also isn’t a uniquely cinematic experience, it’s just some different camera angles of a stage production. I hate that it soaked up a whole bunch of Emmy nominations, crowding out attention for The Underground Railroad and Small Axe, two of my favorite projects of the last two years. If we’re allowing a filmed version of a live show to exist on this list, I’d replace it with The Last Waltz. Do you think we could get Scorsese to film a live version of Les Mis?

• Does it belong? Looks like it’s missing its shot

• IMDb User Rating: 8.4/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 6/10

83. Braveheart (1995)

• IMDb plot summary: Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.

• Some quick thoughts: This movie is big, gnarly, physical, impressive, but pretty messy. Weird feelings about Mel Gibson aside, this epic is a little weirdly paced but feels old-fashioned yet immediately timeless; it also won a whole bunch of Oscars. Problem is, I like Heat, The Usual Suspects, Toy Story, and Apollo 13 more than this movie in terms of the year of its release. This is a very standardly plotted film, though I am quite impressed with the production.

• Does it belong? No, but it’s a great example of what they just don’t make anymore

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 8.2/10 – guess I took this movie’s freedom.

82. Amadeus (1984)

• IMDb plot summary: The life, success, and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was insanely jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.

• Some quick thoughts: Contrary to Braveheart, this is a movie that swept the Oscars in a pretty good year – that included the Terminator, among others – that I think holds up and deserves its reputation. This biopic of Mozart is ingeniously framed through the point of view of his relatively ungifted rival, Salieri, confessing how he believes he drove Mozart to his grave. Every aspect of the physical production is only matched by the power of its two lead performances – if you haven’t gotten to see it yet but you’re wary of period pieces like this, it’s well worth your time.

• Does it belong? Absolutely, and it’s near the right spot.

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 8.9/10

81. 3 Idiots (2009)

• IMDb plot summary: Two friends are searching for their long-lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently, even as the rest of the world called them "idiots".

• Some quick thoughts: An interesting premise, strong themes, a cleverly plotted story, and another great anchoring performance by Aamir Khan earns this movie’s place on the list. Its very disparate elements are well-executed, to the point that I wish this movie was three different movies since that’s what it feels like. Like Stars on Earth was far more thematically cohesive, and while I think I prefer it, this film’s thoughts on societal pressures and its emotional punches are far, far better developed and executed. It’s worth noting that all three of the Bollywood films that have appeared on this list to date have featured Aamir Khan challenging social conventions. If you’re looking for a case study in well-executed Bollywood maximalism with an emotional core, you don’t need to look any further than this.

• Does it belong? Sure! There’s plenty of room on this idiot’s list.

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• · Rymer’s Rating: 8.7/10

80. Toy Story (1995)

• IMDb plot summary: A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's room.

• Some quick thoughts: Here’s another game-changing ‘90’s movie that holds up, on its own, beyond just its influence. Sure, the animation here looks a little outdated, but otherwise this movie has remained pretty much perfect. It’s touching, funny, and clever all the way through. As far as its impact is concerned, it essentially launched Pixar who is still reeling in new generations of fans to this day. A few may be better, but none have been more important to history.

• Does it belong? Absolutely, and the top 100 is the right place

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 9.5/10

79. American Beauty (1999)

• IMDb plot summary: A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.

• Some quick thoughts: I think this movie is pretty good, but I don’t think it was the most important of 1999, nor even among the best few; because of this, its big wins at the Academy Awards are usually held against it in consideration. The truth is that while it hasn’t aged all that well – most notably due to its star, Kevin Spacey – it sought to and I believe effectively captured an attitude facing the baby boomer generation at the time; a combination of midlife crises, 20+ years in a career devoid of meaning, and teenage children who they fail to understand. It’s also quite funny, and skillfully directed by Sam Mendes. Some of the plot’s elements are best left in the 90’s, but its main conceit of a grown man’s increasing infatuation with his teenage daughter’s friend is bold and handled better than you would think.

• Does it belong? I don’t believe so, but it doesn’t need to be cast completely asunder.

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 8/10

78. High and Low (1963)

• IMDb plot summary: An executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.

• Some quick thoughts: Kurosawa, man. He can really do it all. This film spends 30-40 minutes as a limited setting chamber drama, an hour as a police procedural, and 20 minutes as a psychological thriller. From beginning to end, Kurosawa injects this film with considerations of social class, obsession, and well-executed senses of suspense and paranoia. I would be remiss if I didn’t also shout out Toshiro Mifune’s performance as Gondo; if I can extend my earlier metaphor of Kurosawa being Japan’s Scorsese, then Mifune was his De Niro. The metaphor fits well, as his range is unbelievable.

• Does it belong? Yes!

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 8.9/10

77. Das Boot (1981)

• IMDb plot summary: The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.

• Some quick thoughts: This is a very accessible all-timer from Wolfgang Peterson that effectively humanizes German soldiers without endorsing Nazism. I watched the 3.5-hour director’s cut and have no idea how the 2.5-hour version works as a film at all; sacrificing any ounce of the suspense, tension, tedium, or handheld camerawork feels almost blasphemous. I think that this film is successful because it’s far more often an effective suspense thriller combined with a timeless “young men at sea with a hardened, mangy dog of a captain” than any kind of historical epic. The air of tragic futility is introduced in the opening titles and hangs heavy in the film whenever the crew gets a radio report of how the war at large is going before ultimately overtaking the narrative at the conclusion – this is crucial to the film’s effectiveness.

• Does it belong? Yes – Peterson’s direction is sublime, and he had a very hard task in humanizing a small piece of the Nazi war machine. He not only succeeds, but creates something that’s as conventionally entertaining as it is important.

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 9.2/10

76. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

• IMDb plot summary: After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.

• Some quick thoughts: Well, here we are. A Marvel movie that isn’t Black Panther in the 100 most important and best movies ever made, according to the users. For the record, I think this movie is pretty good amongst the MCU films, but we should also face the fact that these movies have a ceiling in terms of their quality, meaning, cultural impact, or staying power beyond their contributions to the story of a large franchise. In case you were unaware, The Irishman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Marriage Story, and Little Women are all not on this list and I simply won’t hear anyone try and tell me this movie belongs instead of them.

• Does it belong? Can I snap some of these high reviews out of existence? It’s worth finding out.

• IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10

• Rymer’s Rating: 7.3/10