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Happy New Year! It took a little longer than I anticipated, but here at last is the update for my Top 365 Movie List, the one that started it all back in 2014 as I counted down one a day. As I said in my 6th Blogiversary post, only 20 films I saw in 2019 made the cut, and you can see the additions in bold below.
However, through the magic of cheating on my part, only ten films actually got painfully booted off the list. This is thanks to the sheer number of sequels, such as Toy Story 4, Avengers: Endgame, and The Rise of Skywalker, as well as my tendency to group similar films together, such as pairing The Longest Day with Saving Private Ryan and The Magnificent Seven (both versions) with its originator Seven Samurai. Aside from the three series sequels I mentioned, nothing was able to crack the Top 100, though Mr. Church came close at #101, and most of the other additions were relegated to the latter half of the List. The main tweak to the Top 100 was an eight-place rise for The Avengers and its equals, which was bolstered by the satisfying conclusion that was Endgame.
I don’t want to forget those former favorites that fell off the List but still deserve recognition: Silverado (1985), Harrison Bergeron (1995), The Judge (2014), Amazing Grace (2006), War of the Worlds (2005), The Quick and the Dead (1987), Sheffey (1977), Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Beginnings and Eternal (2012), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), and Lady and the Tramp (1955).
Only the hawk-sighted would notice, but there were some rises and falls among the films already on the List. Spider-Man: Homecoming was the biggest gainer thanks to its pairing with Far from Home, jumping from #288 to #210, whereas The Nativity Story was the biggest loser, dropping from #165 to #310, likely suffering from lower rewatchability, as did United 93 (falling from #158 to #206).
All this is strictly personal preference, list mania, and total favoritism on my part, which obviously changes over the years, so you’re welcome to disagree or, better yet, suggest a film I may not have seen that you think deserves placement here. This is a living List that is meant to change over time, and I can’t wait to see what films 2020 will offer up to potentially join their celebrated brethren here on my humble blog (even if it sadly means taking some off to make room).
Here’s to another year with Rhyme and Reason!
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
- Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
- Forrest Gump (1994)
- It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
- The Sound of Music (1965)
- Star Wars Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)
- Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016)
- Titanic (1997)
- Toy Story Series (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- The Princess Bride (1987)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Groundhog Day (1993)
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- The Prince of Egypt (1998)
- You’ve Got Mail (1998)
- The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- The Avengers (2012), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Infinity War (2018), and Endgame (2019)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- War Horse (2011)
- The Incredibles (2004) and The Incredibles 2 (2018)
- Cast Away (2000)
- Heart and Souls (1993)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006, 2007) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
- Tarzan (1999)
- Les Miserables (2012)
- Ben-Hur (1959)
- Star Trek (2009)
- The Chronicles of Narnia (2005, 2008, 2010)
- The Family Man (2000)
- The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001)
- Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
- Oliver! (1968)
- Whisper of the Heart (1995)
- Spider-Man Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007)
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2004)
- Elizabethtown (2005)
- Doctor Zhivago (1965)
- Chariots of Fire (1981)
- Babe (1995)
- The Blues Brothers (1980)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
- National Treasure (2004)
- Ratatouille (2007)
- The Fugitive (1993)
- True Grit (1969, 2010)
- Evita (1996)
- The Lion King (1994)
- Inception (2010)
- When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- Lilies of the Field (1963)
- Life of Pi (2012)
- Mary Poppins (1964)
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
- Glory (1989)
- Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
- The Sixth Sense (1999)
- Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990)
- Aliens (1986)
- Life Is Beautiful (1997)
- Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
- The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
- Awakenings (1990)
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- Paulie (1998)
- Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
- Big (1988)
- Jumanji (1995)
- Somewhere in Time (1980)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
- A Christmas Story (1983)
- Speed (1994)
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
- 1776 (1972)
- High School Musical Trilogy (2006, 2007, 2008)
- Wit (2001)
- Serenity (2005)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Gone with the Wind (1939)
- Aladdin (1992)
- The Greatest Showman (2017)
- Saints and Soldiers (2003)
- La La Land (2016)
- Fantasia (1940)
- Shadowlands (1993)
- Hook (1991)
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
- The Truman Show (1998)
- The Ten Commandments (1956)
- Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005)
- October Sky (1999)
- Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
- Holes (2003)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- The Martian (2015)
- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
- About Time (2013)
- Mr. Church (2016)
- Taking Chance (2009)
- Star Trek into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016)
- Signs (2002)
- The Blind Side (2009)
- Star Trek: Generations (1994)
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
- The Santa Clause (1994)
- Starman (1984)
- My Fair Lady (1964)
- The Passion of the Christ (2004)
- Train to Busan (2016)
- On Golden Pond (1981)
- Brother Bear (2003)
- WALL-E (2008)
- The Green Mile (1999)
- Air Force One (1997)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2013)
- Shrek 2 (2004)
- Big Hero 6 (2014)
- Iron Man Trilogy (2008, 2010, 2013)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
- The Matrix (1999)
- Ghostbusters II (1989)
- The Right Stuff (1983)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- Shuffle (2011)
- The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005)
- The Color Purple (1985)
- Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
- Ready Player One (2018)
- Shrek (2001)
- Inside Out (2015)
- The King’s Speech (2010)
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
- The Hunger Games series (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
- Yentl (1983)
- Men in Black Trilogy (1997, 2002, 2012)
- Skyfall (2012)
- The Music Man (1962)
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Regarding Henry (1991)
- Alien (1979)
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
- The Polar Express (2004)
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
- Julie and Julia (2009)
- Airplane! (1980)
- Darkest Hour (2017)
- Secondhand Lions (2003)
- A Christmas Carol (any version)
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
- The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Die Hard trilogy (1988, 1990, 1995)
- Castle in the Sky (1986)
- Source Code (2011)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
- Planet of the Apes Trilogy (2011, 2014, 2017)
- Extraordinary Measures (2010)
- Overboard (1987)
- Cinderella (1950) / Cinderella (2015)
- A League of Their Own (1992)
- The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)
- Tangled (2010)
- Zootopia (2016)
- The Untouchables (1987)
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
- Ella Enchanted (2004)
- Splash (1984)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Monsters University (2013)
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
- The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
- Enchanted (2007)
- Up (2009)
- Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
- What’s Up, Doc? (1972)
- Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Wolf Children (2012)
- Jojo Rabbit (2019)
- Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
- Pocahontas (1995)
- Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
- Rudy (1993)
- Mulan (1998)
- Your Name (2016)
- Hidden Figures (2016)
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Vol. 2 (2017)
- Labyrinth of Lies (2014)
- Treasure Planet (2002)
- Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)
- Mission: Impossible III (2006), Ghost Protocol (2011), Rogue Nation (2015), and Fallout (2018)
- Selma (2014)
- As Good As It Gets (1997)
- King of Thorn (2010)
- Les Miserables (1998)
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
- Spaceballs (1987)
- The Way (2010)
- The Prestige (2006)
- United 93 (2006)
- Déjà Vu (2006)
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)
- Doc Hollywood (1991)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Far from Home (2019)
- Blinded by the Light (2019)
- Foul Play (1978)
- Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998) / The Longest Day (1962)
- Frozen (2013)
- The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012)
- Woman in Gold (2015)
- Twister (1996)
- Coco (2017)
- Funny Girl (1968)
- Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), and Creed (2015)
- Hello, Dolly! (1969)
- Joyeux Noël (2005)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
- To Sir, with Love (1967)
- April and the Extraordinary World (2015) / Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
- Out of Africa (1985)
- Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
- The Hobbit Trilogy (2012, 2013, 2014)
- Cars (2006) and Cars 3 (2017)
- Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
- Hoosiers (1986)
- Gravity (2013)
- The Great Escape (1963)
- The Naked Gun (1988)
- Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986)
- Soul Man (1986)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- Raising Arizona (1987)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
- Ghost (1990)
- Misery (1990)
- Captain Phillips (2013)
- School of Rock (2003)
- Something the Lord Made (2004)
- Vantage Point (2008)
- Peter Pan (1953)
- The Terminal (2004)
- Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
- Jane Eyre (1970)
- Casablanca (1942)
- Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011)
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
- The Girl Who Leapt through Time (2006)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Waterworld (1995)
- Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008)
- Annie (1999)
- The Elephant Man (1980)
- Cloud Atlas (2012)
- Anastasia (1997)
- X-Men (2000) and X2: X-Men United (2003)
- Green Book (2018)
- Surrogates (2009)
- Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
- WarGames (1983)
- My Girl (1991)
- Chronesthesia (or Love and Time Travel) (2016)
- The Ultimate Gift (2006)
- The Way Back (2010)
- Memphis Belle (1990)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Dances with Wolves (1990)
- The Terminator (1984)
- The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
- The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
- Rain Man (1988) and Dominick and Eugene (1988)
- Pinocchio (1940)
- City Slickers (1991)
- The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
- Patema Inverted (2013)
- Forget Paris (1995)
- Eddie the Eagle (2016)
- A Silent Voice (2016) / Hear Me (2009)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
- Dunkirk (2017)
- Murphy’s Romance (1985)
- Shenandoah (1965)
- The Red Violin (1999)
- Arrival (2016)
- Bridge of Spies (2015)
- Hidden (2015) and A Quiet Place (2018)
- A View to a Kill (1985) along with most other Bond films I’ve seen, including Spectre (2015)
- Wonder Woman (2017)
- Con Air (1997)
- Shazam! (2019)
- The River Wild (1994)
- A Beautiful Mind (2001)
- Finding Forrester (2000)
- Unbreakable (2000)
- Starter for 10 (2006)
- Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
- The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
- Wayne’s World (1992)
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
- The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)
- Steel Magnolias (1989)
- Searching (2018)
- The Nativity Story (2006)
- Dancer in the Dark (2000)
- Please Stand By (2018)
- The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
- Have a Little Faith (2011)
- Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
- Music and Lyrics (2007)
- Sister Act (1992)
- The Abyss (1989)
- The Breakfast Club (1985)
- Places in the Heart (1984)
- Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
- Klaus (2019)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
- In Time (2011)
- Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Galaxy Quest (1999)
- Minority Report (2002)
- Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
- Scrooged (1988)
- A Monster Calls (2016)
- Wuthering Heights (1970)
- Coma (1978)
- The Peanuts Movie (2015)
- Trading Places (1983)
- Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
- Seven Samurai (1954) / The Magnificent Seven (1960/2016)
- Citizen Kane (1941)
- The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
- The Majestic (2001)
- The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
- Serendipity (2001)
- The Others (2001)
- Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)
- Baby Boom (1987)
- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2003)
- The Wind Rises (2013)
- Lion (2016)
- Ordinary People (1980) and Rabbit Hole (2010)
- The Last Days (or Los Ultimos Días) (2013)
- Cloak and Dagger (1984)
- Chicken Run (2000)
- Sneakers (1992)
- Marriage Story (2019)
- The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and Paper Towns (2015)
- Hercules (1997)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
- Dave (1993)
- Psycho (1960)
- A Bug’s Life (1998)
- Time of Eve (2010)
Rhyme and Reason 
great list as always… btw, why is the Indiana Jones trilogy split up while most films series are kept together?
It probably is a little arbitrary. I defend it because the Indiana Jones movies are more like separate adventures than an overarching plot, and I like some more than others. Thanks for commenting, Rob!