Craig's Top 50 Movies: Episode 2 - #40 through #31

Since I debuted the first Episode of the Craig's top 50 movies, I have had a few more movies pop into my head that had to make the list at the expense of some other movies who I had to bump out of the top 50, perhaps after I finish the Top 50, I will do an honorable mention for those films which didn't quite crack the list, but were very deserving nominees.


40. Cool Hand Luke - I'm pretty sure that this is the oldest movie that made the top 50. I'm only adding movies that I've actually seen, and this past summer I stumbled upon the opening credits of this movie and decided I'd take a gander at it, since I had heard great things. Let me just say that it was an excellent decision. Paul Newman is so cool in this movie, and it has aged exceptionally gracefully. It was made in 1967, but it is still awesome today. This story of a determined man who refuses to conform is truly a classic, and is incredible. If you've never seen it, do yourself a favor.

39. UHF - Not every movie on my favorite 50 movies list is a great movie in the classical sense. This movie by Weird Al Yankovic is clearly NOT a great movie, and yet it is. Tremendously underrated, it's goofy sense of humor may not be appreciated by all, but it is clearly underrated. It has Michael Richards of Seinfeld fame playing a character even more goofy and bizarre than Cosmo Kramer, and a superb cast of characters and goofy jokes, it holds a special place in my heart due to how much I loved it and Weird Al when I was a teenager. Definitely not a classic, but it makes my top 50 due to it having a lot of spunk, and due to the fact that it is massively entertaining.

38. So I Married an Axe Murderer - While Mike Myers has made some pretty big blockbusters with the likes of his Austin Powers and Wayne's World movies, his best film, in my opinion, is this slightly more subdued comedy about him meeting a woman, falling in love with her, and then wondering if she is going to kill him. It's a lot of fun, and features Myers doing his hilarious Scottish accent shouting, "Heed! Pants! NOW!" This movie makes me happy, and it's fun vibe earns it spot number thirty-eight.

37. Rain Man - Okay, so after a few movies that make it based more on silliness and humor rather than actually being GREAT movies, I'm getting this list back on track with a film that won the Best Picture in 1988. This movie stars Tom Cruise as a guy who's business is falling apart and he is doing all he can to keep it from completely collapsing and Dustin Hoffman as his forgotten brother who suffers from severe autism. This story of Cruise's character rediscovering what is important and falling in love with his brother is entertaining, powerful, humorous and sad at times, but it is truly a great movie. This one can be placed in the top 50 without even a hint of guilt.

36. Michael Clayton - This movie, starring George Clooney as a lawyer who "fixes" things for a large evil corporation is fantastic. It was nominated in the best picture category in 2007, and it deserved to be there. It is a bit of a thriller, but it also gets you very emotionally involved in it's outcome, and it's the rare movie that when it hit it's climax at the end made me want to audibly cheer for what was happening. Any movie that can touch me to the point that I literally want to yell and cheer makes the list, period.

35. Dumb and Dumber - Yes, this is a dumb movie. I know that. However, there are so many scenes in it that are beyond fantastic that it had to be included. Lloyd and Harry dueling with their canes while wearing obnoxious baby blue and orange tuxedoes at a ritzy party in Aspen may NEVER be topped.

34. Office Space - If you have ever worked a job in a cubicle, this movie is required viewing. It is so fantastic that words don't really do it justice. In fact, I may have it too low at number thirty-four.

33. Goodfellas - Since I have never seen The Godfather (Yes, I know that is a crime, but it's true.) This is the best mobster movie I have ever seen. Ray Liotta, Robert Di Niro, and Joe Pesci all turn in unbelievable performances, and this is one of the more gripping movies you will ever see. Landmark stuff, really.

32. The Sixth Sense - One of the creepier situations that I have ever been involved in was me going to see this movie in the theatre. I didn't know how the movie ended, and I made the mistake of going to see it alone. I walked out of that movie theatre and had to talk to a few random people that I didn't know to make sure that I got a response and people could actually see and hear me. On the off chance that someone reading this blog hasn't seen this film and doesn't know the ending of this movie, I will try to avoid spoiling the ending, but suffice to say, don't see it by yourself. This movie wowed me the first time that I saw it, and on the few times I have watched it since, I have still been quite impressed at how good it is, but nothing will top that first time.

31. The Motorcycle Diaries - This movie about Che Guevara is intense, gripping, moving, inspiring, happy, sad, and epic. It's also remarkably good. Not too many movies you can say that about. This movie will make you want to be a better human being, which is pretty high praise for a film. I highly recommend it.