Top 50 -- 15-11

I just woke up from a 4 hour 'nap.' How awesome am I? Very awesome.

15. A Shot in the Dark (1964) || IMDb
Last Year: 10, down 5

As I said about Dr. Strangelove--Peter Sellers is one of the funniest people ever. Inspector Clouseau is easily one of my favorite characters of all time.

14. Casablanca (1942) || IMDb
Last Year: 13, down 1

There is a reason this movie is consistently ranked among the best movies of all time. I have a theory that if a person does not like Casablanca, they are not worth talking to about movies.

13. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) || IMDb
Last Year: 9, down 4

This play is such a great drama, and even without such great acting, the characters look so real on the page. But in the film we also have Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando--two of the best actors ever--as well as numerous great supporting actors. There is something about this movie, somewhere in the late second act, where everything begins to come together, where the audience can see the ending, the inevitable train wreck, but cannot help being enthralled completely. Another flawless movie.

12. Match Point (2005) || IMDb
Last Year: 41, up 29

Recently I watched Cassandra's Dream, a newer Woody Allen movie, and it felt a lot like Match Point Lite. It lacked the punch of Match Point, the punch 3/4 through the movie that only Woody Allen could get away with; however, what makes this movie so good is not that twist in the plot, but how smooth the rest of the movie flows. A good movie is not just a good twist, but everything before and after it fits seamlessly, and here is a great example.

11. Sunset Blvd. (1950) || IMDb
Last Year: 11, no movement

In the event I am asked who my favorite director is, I unhesitatingly reply Billy Wilder. And it's not just his directing, but his writing/directing. I love a good film noir (okay, and even only decent ones, like Gilda), and Sunset Blvd is among the best. Essays have been written on the greatness of this movie, and I don't feel like typing up my own, so let us be content with this.