Life Moves Fast: If You Don't Look Around. ... Movie Greats 51-100

By Mark Pukalo

There is quite a bit of variety and plenty of quality in the next 50 films on my list of my favorites in movie history.

These are films I have watched at least a half dozen times or even in double figures. There is a large group of comedies, some classics, music-related films, thought-provoking stories, stunning documentaries and a few that brought me to tears.

The most emotion happened in scenes at the top of buildings in "Across the Universe" and "Sleepless in Seattle." Yes, Jim Sturgess, all you need is love. Yes, Meg Ryan, it was always him.

You have the biting political satire of "Bulworth" and "Don't Look Up," the goofy with "Airplane!" "Best in Show," "Mallrats" "Sixteen Candles," and "Theater Camp," along with the comedic stories of "Wedding Crashers," Guardians of the Galaxy," and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

"Bowling for Columbine" and "Hoop Dreams" are two of the best documentaries of all time while "Once," "Sing Street," and "The Commitments" are musical masterpieces.

Then, you have the classics like "2001: A Space Odyssey," Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi" "The Godfather II," "Malcolm X," "The Breakfast Club," and "Seabiscuit."

Next up will be the top 50. But these 50 films are amazing.

THE MIDDLE 50

Across the Universe - A young Irishman named Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to America to find his US serviceman father and meets a diverse group of people, including the love of his life (Evan Rachel Wood). Director Julie Taymor's unique musical drama is told through Beatles songs and with a backdrop of the Vietnam War in the 1960s. While it veers off course a few times, it produces one of the best endings in movie history.

Airplane! - The wacky comedy parody still draws the same amount of laughs as it did when it first hit the big screen in 1980. Julie Hagerty and Robert Hays play the lead roles, but the automatic pilot steals the show. Kareem Abdul Jabbar puts forth his finest movie performance while Leslie Nielsen is hilarious with every line or facial expression as the doctor, and don't call him Shirley.

Apollo 13 - Tom Hanks plays astronaut Jim Lovell in the true story of a 1970 mission to the moon that had to be aborted, and the daring route home. One of director Ron Howard's strongest efforts was masterfully detailed and filled with tension, especially on re-entry, and earned a Best Picture nomination in 1995. "Houston, we have a problem."

Armageddon - No, you probably couldn't land a spacecraft on an asteroid, drill a hole, load a nuclear weapon in there and split it perfectly in two. But, heck, who cares? It's a movie and it is fun from start to finish as Bruce Willis leads a motley crew to try and save the world. The ending is quite emotional and Liv Tyler's pouting face gets me every time. "Permission to shake the hand of the daughter of the bravest man I've ever met." Tears.

Avengers: End Game - Yeah, it's Marvel and it's about cartoonish superheroes, but this three-hour action film had more heart than most of the similar movies put together. It begins with our heroes splintered and beaten, and ends with an uprising to remember. The last scene is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Beautiful Girls - Willie Conway (Timothy Hutton) is going through a period of life issues when he decides to leave NYC to go home to the small Massachusetts town where he grew up. He meets an adorable 12-year-old Natalie Portman and Uma Thurman - two angels who both solve his problems in a way. It is a sweet, authentic and humorous story about relationships and small-town friendships that last forever.

Best in Show - Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest co-wrote this hilarious mockumentary of a national dog show with some crazy characters. The late Fred Willard makes the film go with his goofy commentary on the show and Levy shows off his two left feet, literally. Parker Posey also shines as the neurotic owner of a beautiful competitor in the show.

BlacKkKlansman - Director Spike Lee's powerful film based on the true story of a black cop, who infiltrates the KKK over the phone in Colorado. John David Washington is brilliant as the real Ron Stallworth and Flip (Adam Driver) shines as the fake Stallworth with the white supremacist fools.

The Bourne Identity - The first and best of the spy drama series with Matt Damon playing brainwashed soldier Jason Bourne, who must be eliminated after his black ops mission fails. Damon befriends a beautiful German woman (Franka Potente) and he uses his special talents to evade the bad guys. Bourne apologizing to the Neski girl is amazing scene.

Bowling for Columbine - While director Michael Moore can be polarizing and push the envelope at times, his portrayal of our country's baffling gun culture in his 2002 film was right on target. The Academy Award-winning documentary is chilling, sad - and occasionally humorous - as he tries to find answers to why many Americans live in constant fear for no reason. The Columbine footage is heartbreaking and shock rocker Marilyn Manson is one of the most sane people interviewed.

The Breakfast Club - John Hughes directed this memorable high school movie from 1985 about a group of five teenagers who spend Saturday detention together and form unlikely friendships. Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez were apparently nicknamed the "Brat Pack," at the time.

Bulworth - Warren Beatty plays a burned-out California Senator (Jay Bulworth) who has planned to stage his own murder, but he changes his mind after meeting a young Halle Berry and discovering his talent for rap music. Bulworth finds his soul when he realizes honesty is the best policy. Wouldn't it be nice if politicians could all do that?

The Commitments - A young music fanatic Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) puts together a soul band with some diverse characters to play on the north side of Dublin. Imelda Quirke (Angeline Bell) and Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle) grace the screen as part of the Commit-ettes and Joey "The Lips" Fagan (Johnny Murphy) gives the group cred. Joey says when the band breaks up abruptly, "Sure, we could have been famous and made albums and stuff. But that would have been predictable. This way, it's poetic."

Dances With Wolves - Kevin Costner starred and directed the beautiful and emotional 1990 film about a disconnected Union Army lieutenant who befriends an Indian tribe while alone on the American frontier. The movie won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and re-invigorated the Western genre. It is still a lesson in how people with different cultures can live together in peace, if effort is made. And what about the Tatanka?!

The Descendants - George Clooney produces his best career performance as a man dealing with an emotional roller coaster in Alexander Payne's film. Clooney's wife, who he finds out was cheating on him, is on her death bed after a boating accident.  Meanwhile, he must make a decision about whether to sell his large family's beautiful stretch of ocean land on Hawaii and deal with two young daughters. Shailene Woodley is outstanding as Clooney's oldest daughter.

Don't Look Up - It pains me that Bernie Bro leader David Sirota co-wrote this with Adam McKay, but I fully enjoyed the political and cultural satire. The scary thing is that this could happen if we have to endure another four years with Trump or someone like him (DeSantis) in the White House. The ensemble cast is brilliant, led by JenLaw.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Cameron Crowe wrote this 1982 classic California high school comedy which touched on many different issues while making us laugh. Sean Penn was Spicoli while Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold and, yes, the great Phoebe Cates, were outstanding. Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Don Henley and others contribute to a strong soundtrack as well.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Crafty Ferris (Matthew Broderick) skips school and sets off on a strange, fun journey through Chicago with his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and best buddy (Alan Ruck) in another great John Hughes film. "Life moves fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

The Godfather Part II - No doubt the greatest sequel - and prequel - in movie history, isn't it? You can make a case that it may be better than the original, but it is hard to match the intrigue and power of director Francis Ford Coppola's first epic film. This story moves from Italy to New York to Nevada to Cuba and all points in between, but ends on the Lake with poor Fredo.

Guardians of the Galaxy - The 2014 film from Marvel Studios is an action/comedy romp with a motley crew of superheroes, led by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). Bradley Cooper provides the voice for the cheeky raccoon-like character Rocket, whose buddy "Groot" steals the film. It's just a load of fun and the sequel is almost as good.

The Hangover - The first and, by far, the best installment of the series follows a group of friends who take their bachelor party to Vegas where chaos reigns. A tiger, Mike Tyson, a stripper with a baby, a stolen police car, a satchel, a stun gun and a chicken (still haven't figured that one out) are all part of the fun. The "wolf pack" retraces their steps to try and find the lost groom.

The Hate U Give - Black Lives (do) Matter. This film does not scream that, but the sentiment is clear and it shows the temptations and the impossible decisions minority youths in the inner city have to make. I truly believe this movie should be watched and discussed in schools. Let's talk about how we treat each other and how the police can deal with minorities and situations better.

Hoop Dreams - The amazing 1994 documentary follows the journeys of William Gates and Arthur Agee - two African American youths recruited to play at a private, catholic school near Chicago to play basketball. It was originally supposed to be just a 30-minute short on PBS and it grew into a classic. Hard to beat as the best sports documentary of all time.

The Hunger Games - The first of four in the trilogy of adapted novels from Suzanne Collins is based in a post-apocalyptic society of the haves and have nots. Jennifer Lawrence shines as the heroic Katniss, who volunteers in the last-person-standing brutal contest in place of her younger sister. While the sequels are solid, the debut of the series was shocking, powerful and heartwarming.

Into the Wild - Sean Penn's gripping 2007 film follows the journey of Chris McCandless, who leaves his family and a normal life to travel across the country without a car on his way to the Alaskan wilderness. Emile Hirsch is outstanding as McCandless and Hal Holbrook earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination as one of the people he meets along the way. You go through many different emotions through this film and there's some great Eddie Vedder music as background.

Jerry Maguire - Cameron Crowe's 1996 romantic comedy stars Tom Cruise as a sports agent trying to do the right thing in a profession that has gone off the rails. Renee Zellweger is brilliant as the accountant that follows him out the door of his agency and makes him a better man. Cuba Gooding Jr. won Best Supporting Actor basically for one of the most iconic scenes of all time when he asks Cruise to "Show me the money!"

Magnolia - Paul Thomas Anderson's three-hour epic film pieces together several intertwining stories, primarily about the relationships between parents and children, with great Aimee Mann music as background. Tom Cruise provides his most powerful and controversial performance as a male supremacist with a dying father that he has not seen in many years and John C. Reilly is the conscience of the film as a cop who falls for a pretty drug addict (Melora Waters). This is a movie that is in the category where people love or hate it. Ebert and I loved it. Siskel didn't.

Major League - A bunch of rejects and has-beens lead the Cleveland Indians to the pennant in this lovable 1989 sports comedy. Charlie Sheen brings the Wild Thing to life and Tom Berenger plays the cliched heady catcher who leads the team. There were sequels that didn't match the humor and spirit of the original when the great Bob Uecker coined the phrase "jusssst a bit outside."

Malcolm X - Denzel Washington is extraordinary as the controversial Nation of Islam leader, evolving from small-time hustler to a powerful figure before his death in 1965 at the hands of some of the very people he led. The final scene in which he moves toward the site of his murder to Sam Cooke's brilliant song "A Change is Gonna Come" is breathtaking.

Mallrats - Love, smart and goofy comedy, bad language, Claire Forlani, a hidden sailboat and a Hartford Whalers victory. What more would you want in a movie? Jason Lee is at his crude best as he tries to repair a relationship with Shannen Doherty at the mall with a lot of things going on in Kevin Smith's film. Silent Bob's quote to remember: "Adventure, excitement, a Jedi craves not these things.

The Man With the Golden Gun - Bond films get rated vastly different by the critics, but this is my favorite as Roger Moore hunts down Francisco Scaramanga and battles him on a small secluded island in Chinese waters. You're not going to find many better Bond girls than Maud Adams and Swede beauty Britt Ekland, who plays the aptly-named agent Mary Goodnight. It is 007 fun from start to finish.

Once - Director John Carney's first of three brilliant films (also Begin Again and Sing Street) is about a Czech immigrant and an Irish street singer who meet by chance and make beautiful music together. Non-actors Glen Hansard and the gorgeous Marketa Irglova add authenticity to the story with outstanding performances. "Falling Slowly" won Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - A movie about movies. That doesn't sound that great, but director Quentin Tarantino uses all his talent to create compelling characters who weave a story about a period of time in the Hotel California. Leonardo DiCaprio is actor Rick Dalton on the downside of his career, Brad Pitt is his driver and former stunt man Cliff Booth and Margot Robbie plays likable Sharon Tate - a real-life actress who was murdered by the Manson cult.

Point Break - The 1991 film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), has gotten more popular with age and fans can recite the best lines. "He's not coming back." Keanu Reeves stars as FBI agent Johnny Utah, a former college quarterback, who infiltrates a group of surfers/and adrenaline junkies led by Patrick Swayze that rob banks. Utah jumps out of a plane without a parachute, but gets the girl (Lori Petty) and his man.

Radio Days - "Sleeper" made me laugh while "Annie Hall" and "Hannah and Her Sisters" were memorable, but my favorite Woody Allen movie is this old-style classic. The 1987 film has a great cast and remembers the days when radio was king. Mia Farrow is strong as Sally White and Larry David even makes a cameo as a communist.

Remember the Titans - The 2000 film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer is based on the story of Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), who takes over as football coach at a recently-integrated high school in Alexandria, Va. Hayden Panettiere, Kate Bosworth and Ryan Gosling show up in supporting roles in this emotional story.

The Replacements - It might not be a masterpiece of cinema, but who hasn't watched this fun football farce about 100 times on late-night TV? Keanu Reeves' best two roles, in my opinion, are as washed up college quarterbacks who make good and he shines as Shane Falco, the leader of the motley crew. Pretty Brook Langton rocks as Falco's love interest and Gene Hackman as his heady coach.

Seabiscuit - The magical story about a banged up little horse who is turns into a great champion and provides Americans with something to feel good about during the Great Depression. Jeff Bridges is outstanding as the horse's owner and Chris Cooper as the unorthodox trainer. Jockey Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire) says to end the film, "You know, everyone thinks that we found this broken down horse and fixed him, but we didn't. He fixed us. Everyone of us. And I guess in a way, we kinda fixed each other, too."

Sixteen Candles - John Hughes wrote and directed this 1984 high school comedy that is most movie lovers' favorite of its genre. Molly Ringwald provides the best performance of her career as average high school sophomore Samantha Baker dealing with parents forgetting her 16th birthday and a major crush on heart-throb senior Jaaaaaaaake Ryan - played by Michael Schoeffling, who apparently beat out Viggo Mortensen. Anthony Michael Hall shines as the king of the geeks.

Sing Street - Director John Carney provides another enjoyable movie with music as the theme. A young Irish lad (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) puts a band together starting from scratch to impress a complicated, beautiful girl (Lucy Boynton). Mark McKenna is brilliant in a supporting role. It is fun, smart and heartwarming.

Sleepless in Seattle - OK, a little sentimental here, but director Nora Ephron co-wrote this appealing little romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Sam (Hanks) is a widower whose son Jonah (Ross Mallinger) calls a radio show to see if he can get help finding his dad a new wife and picks Annie (Ryan). The ending on the top of the Empire State Building still makes my eyes water. I can admit it.

Some Kind of Wonderful - The 1987 film was written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch, who later married the star (Lea Thompson) and the duo produced a good little actress named Zoey Deutch (Everybody Wants Some, Buffaloed). It's the story of an average student named Keith (Eric Stolz) as he dares to ask out the popular and newly-available Amanda Jones (Thompson). The rest is a smart, fun journey through high school life.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi - My second favorite in the Star Wars saga as it brings to a close the legacy of Darth Vader. Vader ends his life by departing the dark side to help his son Luke live on to lead the Jedi. The action scenes on Endor with the rebels and Ewoks fighting the Emperial forces are some of the best in the series.

The Sum of All Fears - The 2002 spy drama is based on a book from Tom Clancy by the same name. The story concerns a Neo-Nazi group attempting to start Nuclear War between the US and Russia while Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) works to uncover the truth. Apparently the reviews for this film were not great overall, but I thought it was powerful and quite believable.

Theater Camp - One of the funniest movies in some years. Molly Gordon and Ben Platt are incredible as two long-time friends and teachers at a low-rent camp for "theater kids." The teachers are hilarious, the kids anxious, driven and eccentric and the storyline of the camp is heartwarming. 

Truth - Cate Blanchett plays Mary Mapes with vigor and Robert Redford portrays Dan Rather in a film about the controversy surrounding the 60 Minutes report on George W. Bush’s military service, which gets tangled in a web of corporate scum and partisan politics. Blanchett’s pulsating speech, defending journalism, at the end is one of my favorite scenes of all time. FEA!!

Wedding Crashers - Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have fun crashing weddings and finally meet their matches at the ceremony for a congressman's daughter. Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher draw the two goofs out of their fantasy world and make them better people, but there is plenty of comedy to be had along the way. Will Ferrell makes perhaps his best cameo performance as Chazz, who crashes funerals to meet women.

25th Hour - Director Spike Lee's best film stars Ed Norton as Monty Brogan, a broken man headed to prison after getting caught selling drugs for the Russian mafia. The story follows Monty as he spends the final day with his girlfriend, wonderfully named Natural Rivera (Rosario Dawson), along with long-time buddies. Monty calls out everyone in NYC to the mirror in a powerful, controversial scene (go see it on you tube), but the final finger is pointed at his greed.

500 Days of Summer - Director Marc Webb tells the story of boy meets girl - and both end up driving each other nuts - in a nonlinear fashion that works brilliantly. Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is the your basic appealing, but impossible-to-read young woman, while Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) cannot fight through his expectations and her conflicting signals despite the early proclamation that she "doesn't want anything serious." It all adds up to a fun, thought-provoking and unique film.

2001, A Space Odyssey - Director Stanley Kubrick's science fiction drama, based on a story by Arthur C. Clarke, is a psychological journey through the universe and the origins of humanity. The depiction of space travel in the 1970 film is way ahead of its time. You are forced to interpret the mysterious things that occur, including the mental breakdown of the unforgettable computer named Hal.