60. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. When I watched this movie for the second time, the night before going to see Part 2 in theaters, I was really struck by just how much I loved it. Yes, it's an incomplete narrative with the conclusion left for the second part, but what's wholly complete are the strong emotions throughout the film. From the opening moments of Hermione erasing her parents' memories for their own sake, to the final moments that make you feel true sorrow for freaking Dobby of all characters, the movie is full of hefty, emotional scenes. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint give their most nuanced and layered performances of the entire film series. I love the darkness and despair that permeate this film. (Though perhaps in part because it's incomplete, it's not my favorite Harry Potter film.)
59. Noises Off. Playwright Michael Frayn created a masterpiece when he wrote the British farce Noises Off. When performed well with precision timing and comically gifted actors, I think you'll never spend a funnier night at the theater. Admittedly, that brilliant play loses something in its transition to another medium, film. But it also gains an incredible cast in Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, Marilu Henner, Nicolette Sheridan, Denholm Elliott, Mark Linn-Baker, and Julie Hagerty. It's possible my love of theater in general -- and fond memory of attempting this play in high school -- causes me to love this movie more than it objectively deserves. But this isn't a list of what might objectively be argued as the best 100 movies of all time. It's my favorite 100 movies. And this movie will make me laugh out loud, uncontrollably, every time. Comic genius.
58. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. This is one of the most fantastic documentaries ever made, because it manages to elicit all the drama and emotion of a constructed narrative -- and does it over, of all things, watching people play a video game. (Donkey Kong.) The movie has heroes, villains, moments of soaring victory and sobering defeat. And, in a message close to my own heart, it shows that "fun and games" isn't always fun and games.
57. There's Something About Mary. I'll never forget the experience of seeing this movie in the theater. The shocked outburst of the opening "franks and beans" scene. The inability to hear a single word of dialogue over the roar of the "hair gel" scene. The Farrelly brothers caught something in this movie a cut above their other efforts, and Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, and Matt Dillon (along with a fantastic supporting cast) are part of what made that happen. I'm sure this is a movie that can only diminish in repeat viewings, but I still love it enough to give it a spot on my list.
56. Zombieland. This movie really does have it all. Yes, it's hysterically funny... but it also has sympathetic and believable characters, and even a few genuinely good scares too. There's never been a better cameo appearance in a film than the one here. The four main actors are all superb -- Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. Originally, the writers had planned this as a TV series, then converted it to a movie when they were unable to sell it. After the creative crater The Walking Dead fell into after its stellar first season, I find myself wishing that maybe this had been the zombie show to make it to television instead. But of course, then I'd be deprived of one of my favorite 100 films.
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