35. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
What a great end to a great trilogy…wait…there’s a fourth one, never mind.
Regardless, this is an outstanding action movie that has the thrills and the humor you hope for in an Indiana Jones movie. Harrison Ford is the titular character yet again, this time paired with his father, played by Sean Connery. The two make for an interesting and hilarious duo and a great deal of the enjoyment of the film comes from the two of them interacting.
The story concerns the pursuit of the Holy Grail, though it begins with a flashback to Indy as a teenager, played by River Phoenix. It’s a good action scene to open up the film and shows how Indy became such an adventurer and how he got his image.
The best scene, of course, is the action scene on the tank. The stunt work is great as always, and it’s quite thrilling. That would have been a perfect climax, but like Raiders, the climax turns out to be a supernatural scene involving a religious object. Unlike Raiders, however, this isn’t disappointing at all.
34. On the Waterfront (1954)
On the Waterfront is the best-acted movie I’ve ever seen. It stars Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, and Rod Steiger, all of whom are outstanding.
The film follows Terry Malloy (Brando), a young Hoboken gangster who, through his relationship with the sister of a man he was influential in killing and a local priest, begins to see the wrongs of his way of life. Not only that, but he becomes sort of a hero to the union which was dominated by Johnny Friendly (Cobb).
This is a great and inspirational film about salvation. Brando delivers one of the greatest performances in film history, and won his first of two Academy Awards.
33. Back to the Future (1985)
This seems like one of those movies that literally everyone can enjoy. It has virtually everything: an intriguing and complicated time travel plot, a compelling love story, exciting action, memorable and likable characters, and some excellent humor.
The plot concerns high school student Marty McFly accidentally traveling through time to 1955 where his own mother falls for him. In addition to this, he must get his eccentric friend, Doc, to help him get back to the present.
The script is great and all the cast delivers fine performances. In addition to this, the climactic scene is tension packed and exhilarating. There’s a reason why so many people love this movie.
32. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
This is one of the few movies out there that has a certain magic quality to it. It makes you feel like a kid, yet it’s an entirely mature film. It elicits strong emotions but is not overly sappy; it doesn’t forget that it is telling a narrative.
It’s the story of an alien that is separated from its companions and comes across a young boy. The boy, Elliott, forms a unique bond with the creature. This film is bittersweet, dealing with not just friendship and family, but with loss and loneliness. But the ending concludes it in a way that will make you feel very good inside.
31. 12 Angry Men (1957)
This film, while not completely unrealistic, is an interesting film that shows both the greatness and the flaws in the American judicial system. And because of that, it’s a powerful film.
Following a pretty obvious murder case, a jury decides on whether or not the young man is guilty of killing his father. Eleven say he is and one, Henry Fonda, says he isn’t, merely because the man’s life is in his hands and Fonda doesn’t think they should jump to conclusions.
As Fonda goes on debating, he begins to become more and more convinced that the man is innocent. At first, he annoys the others, but eventually he draws more and more to his side. However, some men are still vehemently against him, seemingly drawing pleasure from sending a man to his death.
When I say it isn’t realistic what I mean is that the jurors do all the work. Almost everything that was brought up in the case (which you do not see) is ignored, and they focus on what wasn’t said. It’s mentioned that the young man’s lawyer sucked but we really don’t know much about the trial.
This film is relentlessly entertaining despite being essentially nothing but dialogue. There are some outstanding performances, particularly by Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. Fonda emerges as a hero and Cobb as a villain. Perhaps it’s a little black-and-white but it works quite well in the movie.
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