Best Movies of All Time

Payton said #1 - The perfect movie has to be suspenseful, thrilling, intelligent and impeccably acted, shot and directed. The cast and crew deserve every accolade this movie ever received. The videography and score conspire to give you chills in every scene.

Payton said #2 - Along with the Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers, The Return of the King is the capstone on Peter Jackson's epic telling of the Lord of the Rings. From Boromir's quip "They have a cave troll" to Gandalf's grand "You Shall Not Pass!" to Sam's never-ending optimism, the story telling and performances are all brilliant and I am so happy to have seen them all on opening night.

Payton said #3 - Normally Sci-Fi movies patronize us with either useless Humans or God-like Aliens. Here we have humans who can fight taking on over-confident aliens. We see how our mastery of kinetic weapons and indomitable spirit can overcome the immense technical advantages of the aliens. But I think the best part is that it's no one trick that wins the day, its a combination of grit, intelligence, courage and an equal amount of hubris from the aliens. And Bill Pullman's speech is simply amazing.

Payton said #4 - There's a lot of great movies in genre of psycho serial killers. Not many of them pay off like this one does. The cast is magnificent, top to bottom. You feel the motivations of every character, even the dead ones you never saw alive because of the descriptions coming from Morgan Freeman as he breaks down each crime. And the ending... you simply cannot miss the ending.

Payton said #5 - Take a day off by playing hooky, breaking your girlfriend out of school by pretending to be her dad, convince your best friend to take out the Ferrari GT California, and sing with hot dancers in a Parade on float? Ferris does all of this and more, and teaches (and learns) some lessons along the way.

Payton said #6 - I had to put an MCU movie on this list as they are the dominant pop-culture phenomenon. Picking the best one was hard, but in the end, this is the MCU movie that I always pick when I just want to be entertained. It is equally consequential for the MCU as it is light-hearted and fun to watch. The cast and crew are spot on perfect in every scene.

Payton said #7 - It's difficult to make a movie where everyone knows how it ends before the script is written. Lucus not only nailed the script, but the whole production is perfect, from the magnificently choreographed battles, the gut-wrenching despair of Padme as she sees Anakin sink further into darkness, and the culmination of the hubris of the Jedi Council leading to the deaths of nearly all Jedi in the galaxy. That so many individual scenes and lines are memorable today is evidence to brilliance.

Payton said #8 - So you want to be a rockstar pilot, get the girl and save the free world in the process? Then your name would be Maverick and your path to glory will be dangerous, thrilling and fun to watch. Oh, and the music throughout the movie is perfect.

Payton said #9 - This is the movie that solidified the legends of Picard, Warf and Data. While Riker and Geordi ensure that First Contact happens as history plans, Picard and Warf fight to save the Enterprise and the whole human race from the Borg Queen who is intent on not just capturing Earth, but an even bigger prize in Commander data. Brilliantly acted by both Stewart and Dorn, and even more brilliantly directed by Frakes, this is the perfect Star Trek movie.

Payton said #10 - Yes, this is 80's Transformers in a movie. No, it is no joke. This movie has layers of greatness from Orson Wells as Unicron to Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron. Every single Autobot and Decepticon has a significant role to play, whether tactically in battle or strategically to advance the plot. And if you want to see a grown man cry, this is your movie to watch that that grown man.