A little later than I usually like, but here is my start-of-2022 update to THE LIST, my top 365 movie list that first got me started blogging eight years ago and has been revised every year since. Of course, there are technically more than 365 since I group most film series together, as well as a few other pairs of similar films that equate to a tie. Now added are the 15 films listed in my Blogiversary post that I watched for the first time last year and are listed in bold below. Nothing was able to crack the Top 100 this time around, but you’ll find both high and low rankers, including Blindspots and Oscar winners. As always, these are my personal and subjective favorites that can easily change with time, and I welcome both agreement and disagreement.
Not that I expect anyone to notice, but there was some shuffling of the order for several films already on the list. The biggest rise went to the MCU’s Spider-Man series, thanks to the boost of No Way Home bringing it from #213 to #113, and other risers include Treasure Planet, Doc Hollywood, and To Sir, with Love (RIP Sidney Poitier). In contrast, Rogue One and Cars lost some ground, but the biggest loss was suffered by Dunkirk, falling from #293 right off the list entirely. (Still a great film, just not one I’ve had much inclination to see again.) It’s almost become a joke that I always leave Psycho at #365 every year, so I just decided to raise it up a few spots since it’s clearly not going anywhere.
Finally, it always tears me up inside, but let’s give a special salute to those formerly List-Worthy entries that had to be cut to make room for new blood: Cloak and Dagger, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Peanuts Movie, The Wind Rises, Captain Marvel, Minority Report, The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, A Bug’s Life, and Dunkirk. They will be missed, but they still count as favorites in my book.
The last few months have been a whirlwind, but I’m finally through with interviews and intense studying. With hopefully more time to relax, I should be able to seek out some great old and new films in the coming year and get back to compiling more lists as well. Thanks again to all readers, likers, followers, commenters, and lovers of film and/or poetry! I truly hope and pray 2022 will be a better year overall than the last two, but either way, we’ll always have movies.
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
2. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
3. Forrest Gump (1994)
4. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
5. The Sound of Music (1965)
6. Star Wars Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)
7. Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016)
8. Titanic (1997)
9. Toy Story Series (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019)
10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
11. The Princess Bride (1987)
12. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
13. Groundhog Day (1993)
14. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
15. The Prince of Egypt (1998)
16. You’ve Got Mail (1998)
17. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
18. The Avengers (2012), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Infinity War (2018), and Endgame (2019)
19. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
20. War Horse (2011)
21. The Incredibles (2004) and The Incredibles 2 (2018)
22. Cast Away (2000)
23. Heart and Souls (1993)
24. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006, 2007) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
25. Tarzan (1999)
26. Les Miserables (2012)
27. Ben-Hur (1959)
28. Elizabethtown (2005)
29. Star Trek (2009)
30. The Chronicles of Narnia (2005, 2008, 2010)
31. The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001)
32. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
33. Oliver! (1968)
34. Whisper of the Heart (1995)
35. Spider-Man Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007)
36. The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2004)
37. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
38. Babe (1995)
39. The Blues Brothers (1980)
40. Jurassic Park (1993)
41. 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
42. National Treasure (2004) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
43. Ratatouille (2007)
44. The Fugitive (1993)
45. True Grit (1969, 2010)
46. Evita (1996)
47. The Lion King (1994)
48. Inception (2010)
49. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
50. The Family Man (2000)
51. Chariots of Fire (1981)
52. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
53. Lilies of the Field (1963)
54. Life of Pi (2012)
55. Mary Poppins (1964)
56. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
57. Glory (1989)
58. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
59. The Sixth Sense (1999)
60. Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990)
61. Aliens (1986)
62. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
63. Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
64. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
65. Awakenings (1990)
66. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
67. Paulie (1998)
68. Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
69. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
70. Big (1988)
71. Jumanji (1995)
72. Somewhere in Time (1980)
73. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
74. A Christmas Story (1983)
75. Speed (1994)
76. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
77. Little Women (1994, 2019)
78. 1776 (1972)
79. High School Musical Trilogy (2006, 2007, 2008)
80. Wit (2001)
81. Serenity (2005)
82. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
83. Gone with the Wind (1939)
84. Aladdin (1992)
85. The Greatest Showman (2017)
86. Saints and Soldiers (2003)
87. La La Land (2016)
88. Fantasia (1940)
89. Shadowlands (1993)
90. Hook (1991)
91. Young Frankenstein (1974)
92. The Truman Show (1998)
93. The Ten Commandments (1956)
94. Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005)
95. October Sky (1999)
96. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
97. Holes (2003)
98. The Martian (2015)
99. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
100. About Time (2013)
101. Mr. Church (2016)
102. Taking Chance (2009)
103. Signs (2002)
104. The Blind Side (2009)
105. Star Trek: Generations (1994)
106. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
107. The Santa Clause (1994)
108. Starman (1984)
109. My Fair Lady (1964)
110. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
111. Train to Busan (2016)
112. 1917 (2019)
113. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Far from Home (2019), and No Way Home (2021)
114. On Golden Pond (1981)
115. Brother Bear (2003)
116. WALL-E (2008)
117. The Green Mile (1999)
118. Air Force One (1997)
119. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2013)
120. Shrek 2 (2004)
121. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
122. Star Trek into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016)
123. Big Hero 6 (2014)
124. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
125. The Matrix (1999)
126. The Right Stuff (1983)
127. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
128. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
129. Shuffle (2011)
130. The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005)
131. The Color Purple (1985)
132. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
133. Ready Player One (2018)
134. Shrek (2001)
135. The King’s Speech (2010)
136. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
137. Iron Man Trilogy (2008, 2010, 2013)
138. The Hunger Games series (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
139. Yentl (1983)
140. Men in Black Trilogy (1997, 2002, 2012)
141. Skyfall (2012)
142. The Music Man (1962)
143. Ghostbusters Trilogy (1984, 1989, 2021)
144. Regarding Henry (1991)
145. Alien (1979)
146. The Polar Express (2004)
147. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
148. Julie and Julia (2009)
149. Airplane! (1980)
150. Castle in the Sky (1986)
151. Darkest Hour (2017)
152. Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)
153. Secondhand Lions (2003)
154. A Christmas Carol (any version)
155. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
156. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
157. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
158. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
159. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
160. The Little Mermaid (1989)
161. Die Hard trilogy (1988, 1990, 1995)
162. Soul (2020)
163. Source Code (2011)
164. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
165. Planet of the Apes Trilogy (2011, 2014, 2017)
166. Inside Out (2015)
167. Extraordinary Measures (2010)
168. Overboard (1987)
169. Cinderella (1950) / Cinderella (2015)
170. A League of Their Own (1992)
171. The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)
172. Tangled (2010)
173. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
174. Zootopia (2016)
175. The Untouchables (1987)
176. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
177. Treasure Planet (2002)
178. Ella Enchanted (2004)
179. Splash (1984)
180. Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Monsters University (2013)
181. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
182. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
183. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Vol. 2 (2017)
184. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)
185. Mission: Impossible III (2006), Ghost Protocol (2011), Rogue Nation (2015), and Fallout (2018)
186. Selma (2014)
187. Doc Hollywood (1991)
188. Knives Out (2019)
189. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)
190. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
191. Enchanted (2007)
192. Up (2009)
193. What’s Up, Doc? (1972)
194. Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
195. Wolf Children (2012)
196. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
197. Your Name (2016)
198. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
199. Pocahontas (1995)
200. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
201. Rudy (1993)
202. Mulan (1998)
203. Hidden Figures (2016)
204. As Good As It Gets (1997)
205. King of Thorn (2010)
206. In the Heights (2021)
207. Les Miserables (1998)
208. Spaceballs (1987)
209. My Left Foot (1989)
210. The Way (2010)
211. Labyrinth of Lies (2014)
212. The Prestige (2006)
213. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)
214. Blinded by the Light (2019)
215. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
216. Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
217. Saving Private Ryan (1998) / The Longest Day (1962)
218. To Sir, with Love (1967)
219. Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019)
220. The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012)
221. Harriet (2019)
222. The Father (2020)
223. United 93 (2006)
224. Joyeux Noël (2005)
225. Woman in Gold (2015)
226. Twister (1996)
227. Foul Play (1978)
228. Coco (2017)
229. Funny Girl (1968)
230. Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), and Creed (2015)
231. Hello, Dolly! (1969)
232. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
233. Weathering with You (2019)
234. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
235. April and the Extraordinary World (2015) / Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
236. Déjà Vu (2006)
237. Out of Africa (1985)
238. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
239. The Hobbit Trilogy (2012, 2013, 2014)
240. Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
241. Hoosiers (1986)
242. Gravity (2013)
243. The Great Escape (1963)
244. The Naked Gun (1988)
245. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986)
246. Philadelphia (1993)
247. Raising Arizona (1987)
248. The Jerk (1979)
249. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
250. Ghost (1990)
251. Misery (1990)
252. School of Rock (2003)
253. 42 (2013)
254. Other Daniel Craig Bond films – Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021)
255. Captain Phillips (2013)
256. Vantage Point (2008)
257. Peter Pan (1953)
258. The Terminal (2004)
259. Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980)
260. Eddie the Eagle (2016)
261. Soul Man (1986)
262. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
263. Jane Eyre (1970)
264. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011)
265. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
266. The Girl Who Leapt through Time (2006)
267. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Waterworld (1995)
268. Ride Your Wave (2019)
269. Cloud Atlas (2012)
270. Anastasia (1997)
271. Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)
272. Something the Lord Made (2004)
273. X-Men (2000) and X2: X-Men United (2003)
274. Green Book (2018)
275. Surrogates (2009)
276. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
277. WarGames (1983)
278. Hidden (2015) / A Quiet Place (2018) and Part II (2021)
279. Cars (2006) and Cars 3 (2017)
280. My Girl (1991)
281. Chronesthesia (or Love and Time Travel) (2016)
282. The Ultimate Gift (2006)
283. The Way Back (2010)
284. Memphis Belle (1990)
285. Dances with Wolves (1990)
286. The Terminator (1984)
287. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
288. The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
289. Casablanca (1942)
290. Rain Man (1988) and Dominick and Eugene (1988)
291. One Cut of the Dead (2017)
292. Pinocchio (1940)
293. City Slickers (1991)
294. The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
295. Patema Inverted (2013)
296. Forget Paris (1995)
297. A Silent Voice (2016) / Hear Me (2009)
298. Doctor Strange (2016)
299. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
300. Murphy’s Romance (1985)
301. Shenandoah (1965)
302. The Red Violin (1999)
303. Arrival (2016)
304. A View to a Kill (1985)
305. Wonder Woman (2017)
306. Con Air (1997)
307. Shazam! (2019)
308. Annie (1999)
309. The Elephant Man (1980)
310. The River Wild (1994)
311. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
312. Finding Forrester (2000)
313. Unbreakable (2000)
314. The Big Year (2011)
315. Starter for 10 (2006)
316. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
317. Dave (1993)
318. The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
319. Wayne’s World (1992)
320. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
321. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)
322. Steel Magnolias (1989)
323. Encanto (2021)
324. Mean Girls (2004)
325. Searching (2018)
326. The Nativity Story (2006)
327. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
328. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
329. Please Stand By (2018)
330. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
331. Music and Lyrics (2007)
332. Sister Act (1992)
333. The Abyss (1989)
334. The Breakfast Club (1985)
335. Places in the Heart (1984)
336. Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
337. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
338. Klaus (2019)
339. In Time (2011)
340. Galaxy Quest (1999)
341. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
342. Scrooged (1988)
343. A Monster Calls (2016)
344. Wuthering Heights (1970)
345. News of the World (2020)
346. Coma (1978)
347. Trading Places (1983)
348. Ordinary People (1980) and Rabbit Hole (2010)
349. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
350. Remember the Titans (2000)
351. Seven Samurai (1954) / The Magnificent Seven (1960/2016)
352. Citizen Kane (1941)
353. Psycho (1960)
354. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
355. The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016)
356. Sneakers (1992)
357. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
358. Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)
359. Baby Boom (1987)
360. Chicken Run (2000)
361. Hercules (1997)
362. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
363. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
364. The Last Days (or Los Ultimos Días) (2013)
365. The Majestic (2001)