Top 100 Films: 20-11

20. Big Trouble in Little China (1986, dir. John Carpenter)
From 1978 to 1988, John Carpenter may have been the finest filmmaker in America. During that span he directed 9 films, including Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Christine, Starman, and They Live. One of his most under appreciated films from that time was Big Trouble in Little China, a fantastic and thrilling action comedy. Set in the magical underworld of San Francisco Chinatown, this is the most exuberantly creative film of Carpenter’s career. Kurt Russell is hilarious as the clumsily heroic—and I think iconic—Jack Burton.

19. Braveheart (2006, dir. Mel Gibson)
I don't know if Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite, although there is a certainly a preponderance of evidence that indicates as much. It's quite possible that if I ever met Mel Gibson we would get into a violent argument over politics and the crude religiosity of Passion of the Christ. But I do one for certain... Mel Gibson is capable of being one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. His 1995 film Braveheart is the most outstanding historical epic of the last 25 years. It's one of the single-most propulsive,moving, and powerfully made films I've ever seen.

18. The Thing (1982, dir. John Carpenter)
... And we're back to John Carpenter. If you haven't noticed, I'm an incredible fan of Carpenter's work, and I think his best film is The Thing. This nerve-shatteringly tense film sets the standard for paranoid horror.

17. Saving Private Ryan (1998, dir. Steven Spielberg)
Although some may disagree, I think this is Steven Spielberg's last great film. In fact, I would even suggest that Steven Spielberg's post-Saving Private Ryan filmography has largely been inconsistent. A.I., though visually stunning, was plagued by a dense structure that made the film's attempts at a meaningful thematic examination of humanity and technology fall flat. I found Minority Report to be a competent thriller but nothing more (I say competent, but at times I found the film to painfully conventional). His best film since Saving Private Ryan may be Catch Me if You Can, which is wonderfully entertaining but never strikes me as exceptional. The Terminal was sappy and forgettable; War of the Worlds was dazzling in many ways, but contrived in others. Even the highly acclaimed Munich faltered under the weight of its political and philosophical indecisiveness. And Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, well... it's just bad. Saving Private Ryan, on the hand, is GREAT. Not only is it one of the most distinctive, involved, and visceral visual experiences in modern cinema, but it is also one of the most thought-provoking war films ever made. Few films depict the effects war on the human psyche as poignantly as Saving Private Ryan.

16. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
I sincerely wish Stanley Kubrick had lived long enough (and made films fast enough) to make a movie in every genre, because if there's one thing Dr. Strangelove proves it's that Stanley Kubrick could do anything he wanted as a filmmaker. In 1964, he made one of the most incisive and dangerously funny comedies ever with Dr. Strangelove. Quite simply, this film is nearly perfect.

15. In the Bedroom (2001, dir. Todd Field)
I think this is one of the most emotionally hard-hitting films ever made. All of the performances are fantastic, but in particular Tom Wilkinson's turn as the mild-mannered doctor grieving the loss of son is one of the best male performances IN CINEMA HISTORY.

14. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986, dir. Woody Allen)
For as wonderfully rich and funny as Woody Allen's work is, no one can accuse him of being an optimist, which is why it may be unfair for me to pick his most life-affirming film as my favorite. But I don't care. I love Hannah and Her Sisters. It's one of the funniest, most intelligent, and most human films I've ever seen.

13. Psycho (1960, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
I don't care what anyone says... Psycho scares me. It's a stunningly well-crafted and psychologically disturbing horror film that is absolutely one of Hitchcock's best.

12. Fright Night (1985, dir. Tom Holland)
I know... no one ever says that Fright Night is one of the best films of all time (I certainly know it's not on the Criterion Collection's short list). Truthfully, no one ever says it's simply one of the best horror films of all time. All I know is I could watch this movie over and over (I know because I have) and still love every minute of it, that and also happen to think that it's brilliantly imaginative and well-stylized.

11. Unforgiven (1992, dir. Clint Eastwood)
Fuck The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly... when it comes to westerns give me Unforgiven any day of the week (just to clarify, I don't dislike The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I was just saying that for emphasis). Eastwood's haunting and beautifully made film expresses the tragedy of violence better than anything I've seen.