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Copied and pasted the template from #28.
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#25 - #21
#25 - Life of Brian (1979) - 165 points from five voters
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones.
Director: Terry Jones.
Writers: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones.
Awards: N/A.
Seen by many (and at least the voters in this poll) as the greatest of Monty Python's films, Life of Brian was a political and religious parody that was years ahead of its time. Mixing Monty Python's flair for the insane with criticisms of both modern day politics and religion as a whole, the film's soundtrack and many quotable scenes have endeared it to generations.
#24 - The Avengers (2012) - 168 points from four voters
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannsen, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddlestone, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, and Stellan Skarsgard.
Director: Joss Whedon.
Writers: Zak Penn and Joss Whedon.
Awards: N/A.
The film that well and truly launched the era of the comic book blockbuster, The Avengers took the work done by hugely successful films such as Iron Man and turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that it is today.
It could be argued that the massive success of The Avengers not only paved the way for lesser known Marvel properties like Ant Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Doctor Strange to make their way to the big screen, but has also kicked DC into gear with the company since launching its own shared universe.
The era of the blockbuster and the shared universe are here for better or worse, and Whedon's fantastic work balancing action, comedy, and an ensemble cast is likely to be the blueprint for future shared universe crossovers.
#23 - Good Will Hunting (1997) - 183 points from six voters
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, and Stellan Skarsgard.
Director: Gus Van Sant.
Writers: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Awards: Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Robin Williams) and Best Original Screenplay, and nominations for seven other awards including Best Actor, Best Film, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director.
While both Affleck and Damon had graced the silver screen prior to this career defining film about a mathematical prodigy emerging from the most unlikely of sources, it was their star turn in this film that would propel both men to mega stardom. While Affleck would spend a few years in the wilderness doing awful action movies before finding his feet as a competent writer-director, Damon would enjoy massive success of his own in the Bourne series.
The film is one of the most well loved of the late 90s, with Robin Williams putting in one of his best performances as Matt Damon's mentor. While it's story may not be anything ground-breaking, it is the journey that gets the viewer there that makes Good Will Hunting such a well regarded film.
#22 - Forrest Gump (1994) - 187.5 points from five voters
Starring: Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Robin Wright, Sally Field, and Mykelti Williamson.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Eric Roth.
Awards: Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hanks), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing.
A juggernaut the year it came out, Hanks' turn as the mentally challenged but remarkable Gump in this overlong epic was hugely popular upon its release for its uplifting message and the fascinating struggles that Gump went through in his long, influential existence.
While age has perhaps not treated the film well (with many considering its win in 1994 unjustified given the films it beat out), it remains one of Hanks' most well known performances and inspired other overlong epics such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
#21 - The Departed (2006) - 201 points from six voters.
Starring: Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, and Alec Baldwin.
Director: Martin Scorsese.
Writers: William Monahan.
Awards: Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay as well as a nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Wahlberg).
Based on the hugely popular Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs, The Departed presented the same story against the backdrop of organised crime in Boston, albeit with a few small changes.
With fantastic performances from DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg, and Nicholson, the film was a huge critical and commercial success. Tense, violent, and thoroughly enjoyable.
