My Top 100 Movies -- 90-86

It's been a while now -- longer than I'd planned -- since my last post counting down my 100 favorite movies, but it's still a "project" I'm pursing. So, without further ado...

90. Toy Story 2. I've raved before about the amazing third installment of the Toy Story series, but the second film is wonderful too. Character is king in this touching tale, not just the indelible creations returning from the first movie, but the new characters added in this sequel. The montage in which we see Jessie's abandonment by her former owner stood as the most deeply emotional sequence Pixar had ever put to film until Up and its heart-tugging opening came along years later. The jokes are funny, the vocal performances top notch.

89. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I praised this movie fairly recently on the blog, so I'll point you to my last review rather than go on about the film some more. (Though I easily could.)

88. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Those of you who recall my earlier mention of The Fellowship of the Ring will realize that that makes this third film my favorite of the trilogy. Some people complain about the length of this final chapter, and about its "multiple endings." (And I agree, to the extent that I think the credits should roll when all the people of Minas Tirith are kneeling in respect to the Hobbits.) But for me, The Return of the King contains all of the most emotionally impactful scenes in the trilogy: Sam's tearful defense of Frodo; Pippin being forced to sing for a callous king as people are slaughtered in a nearby battle; and that aforementioned moment where Aragorn leads a tribute to the Hobbits. The emotions of this film are strong and true, and transcend the adventure (however compelling) of the other two films.

87. Airplane! A relentlessly funny movie. You didn't laugh at one joke? Don't worry, the next will be around in about three seconds. This movie casts a long shadow, inspiring most of the parody movies made even to this day, and being often quoted by anyone who claims to like movies. The pitch perfect, deadpan performances of Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, and more (most of them known as sternly serious actors before this) seal the deal. I can't see this movie ever getting old or tired.

86. October Sky. I'll confess that it's been some time since I've watched this film, and my memory of it is less than crystal clear. (Indeed, this is one of the handful of films that delayed me "publishing" my top movie list for month after month; I'd always meant to get back around to watching this again to place it accurately.) But I do remember this as a touching coming of age story. It centers around a fascination with and love of space, which effectively aims it squarely at me. And it featured great performances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, and Laura Dern. Random factoid: this movie was actually the first one I ever purchased on DVD (and I still own that copy).