Starting the new countdown of my 50 favorite movies. Introduction and the list from last year can be found here.

I hate, hate the concept of honorable mention(s), so I'll just jump right into it.

50. Sabrina (1954) || IMDb
Last year: N/A

People will notice a lot of movies Billy Wilder directed on this countdown, and here's the first. With a cast like Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden, it's hard to go wrong. Hepburn is charming (as always), and once she comes back from Paris, she's irresistable. I wish comedies these days relied on charm and character motivation instead of terrible, frustrating coincidences.

49. Fargo (1996) || IMDb
Last year: N/A

This one just barely missed the countdown last year. I like some of the other Coen brothers' movies, but this is definitely their best. The way each character gives so much in their subtle actions, how everything escalates and spins out of control--except Frances McDormand, who stays calm and collected, even when she sees a body being shoved into a wood chipper. McDormand is the only constant in the scenes where we're constantly shown seemingly endless snow stretching out of sight, every character struggling with loneliness and uncertainty. The depressing reality of this movie is what makes it so great.

48. My Cousin Vinny (1992) || IMDb
Last year: 46, down 2

The first comedy (well, Sabrina is pretty comical, but...) on the list. I've seen this movie probably ten times, and it never gets old. Of course, Marisa Tomei is amazing, but Joe Pesci's misunderstandings and blatant resent for the South is the highlight.

47. The Shining (1980) || IMDb
Last year: 43, down 4

Kubrick does horror. Jack Nicholson is pretty awesome in any role, but he seems right at home as the crazed dad stuck in isolation. And I still love the scene where he axes the guy in the chest.

46. Shakespeare in Love (1998) || IMDb
Last year: 49, up 3

Since I'm an English major I'm a bit partial to Shakespeare. The comedy in this movie is great, especially Geoffrey Rush. One of my favorite lines:

[talking about Marlowe's death]

Ned: A quarrel about the bill.

Philip Henslowe: The bill! Ah, vanity, vanity!

Ned: Not the billing--the BILL!


And that's it for today. Tomorrow comes 45-41. With three new additions, what got bumpd up and what got cut? Okay... we can all do without the cliffhanger ending. Check back tomorrow.