McGuffin and Macguffin: #'s 19-16

Man, I don't wanna write a super long review for all 20 of these. LET'S SPEED THIS UP!

#19:

The second greatest super hero film ever made. The combination of a realistic family dynamic, slicker than slick 60’s esthetic, bombastic action and genuine pathos (Mr. Incredible’s reaction to his family’s death, for instance) makes this a movie that satisfies both kids and adults.

... Jesus?

But has anybody noticed the similarities between this story and Watchmen? Seriously: Superheroes forced into retirement come back when an old ally returns as an enemy planning to manipulate the public through the use of a giant monster? A few more cold war analogies and a rape or two and they’d be identical!

Not Pictured: Rorschach

Best Moment:

Flaming Baby always wins.

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#18:

It’s actually hard to describe why I love this movie so much, but I kinda feel like that’s Hayao Miyazaki’s MO at this point. It’s never about what’s actually happening in the story (although it’s often incredible), but rather what’s happening on the screen. The attention to detail, the sense of atmosphere and the patience that he brings to each of his films draws you into his stories like nothing else. Each tiny moment (the time it takes for Chihiro to take her shoes off before going to work, for example) makes us feel like this is a real event that we’re watching, in a way that animation rarely can. Silly as it sounds, you can feel the love he puts into every frame.

GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!

Choosing only one Miyazaki movie for this list was tough (apologies to Castle of Cagliostro and My Neighbor Totoro), but when it comes to creating a world that is simultaneously magically fantastical and terrifyingly real, there is no other choice. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor.

Best Moment:

Because we've all been there.

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#17:

Man, comedy’s easy these days, isn’t it? A couple transvestite hookers, excessive drinking and Will Ferrell yelling will pretty much guarantee you a big opening weekend (well… maybe not the Will Ferrell part). Sometimes it’s nice to look back at a time when comedians gave everything they had to bring you a laugh, showcasing more talent in their mustache than most performers have in their entire bodies.

Does Paul Rudd even own a banjo?

I’m almost exhausted after watching a Marx Brothers movie, mostly from laughter but also from the breakneck speed with which the genius flies out of the screen. Seemlessly gliding from one-liners to hilarious portmanteaus to the greatest slapstick in history to political satire to sexual innuendo in the blink of an eye, Groucho and the gang never leave a frame unused and never leave an audience with dry undies.

Can we award retroactive Oscars? Somebody get on that.

Again, choosing just one was tough, but Duck Soup automatically wins for the pajamas scene. If you don’t know what that means, fix it.

Now.

Best Moment:

I said now, dammit!

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#16:

What can I say about Die Hard that hasn’t already been said about two girls making out? The only movie that somehow manages to be a Christmas movie with no children and a buddy cop movie without having the buddies meet until the end. Not much left to say, really, but when an action movie is this perfect, with surprisingly resonant characters, over-the-top action and a villain that’s just as much fun to root for as the hero, how can you leave it off the list?