And now my top 20, ranked in order. Yes, I'm aware the grades don't match their rankings, but I went with my gut here.
11. Little Miss Sunshine—Good performances all around by the actors, but the real pleasure of this movie was I had no idea where it was going, and when the movie got to each “stop”, it all made sense. B+
12. Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show— An unusual show, but it definitely has an HBO “feel” to it. Writing and acting were great and lots of dry humor. The DVD set also had a large number of extras that are worth watching. This was a pretty groundbreaking show that still feels current—unusual for a comedy. A-
13. Super Troopers—This isn’t a great movie, but it’s funny as Hell. The weak plot pretty much is there just to hold all the gags together and that’s okay because the gags are hilarious. B-
14. Ratatollie—theatre— You’d almost expect any Pixar flick to make it to the top, so it’s not really surprising. What is surprising is that a movie about a mouse who loves to cook can get that love across to the audience. I’m a Big Mac type of guy, but I almost understood where the chefs in the movie were coming from. B+
15. Knocked Up—theatre— Not great, but funny enough to stand out. B
16. Casino Royale— The first uncut Bond movie I’ve seen (the only other Bond flick I saw was Moonraker on ABC many, many years ago), and I’ve heard that I picked the right one to start watching. It’s a “smart” action movie in the Bourne trilogy vein. B+
17. The Little Rascals—The Best of Spanky— I can’t remember the exact shorts included on this DVD, but it doesn’t matter. These mini-movies transcend generations. I loved the Little Rascals when I was a kid (and I still do), and now my kids love them as well. The effects are choppy, and the kids may not have won any Oscars, but they were funny. And the headliner of this DVD, Spanky, was often the cream of the crop. It’s mind-blowing to see what that guy could do at such a young age. We have some Little Rascals DVDs in the house, and when we need some craziness, they go into the player, and we laugh like hyenas at the kids’ shenanigans. A
18. Meet the Robinsons—theatre—A much better movie than I expected it to be. If I wouldn’t have seen the “twist” coming a mile away, it may have been nearly perfect. B
19. Idiocracy—Mike Judge was reading my mind when he created this movie. I firmly believe the average person is getting more and more stupid, and Judge’s take on a potential future agrees with that sentiment—and does it with laughs. If it wasn’t funny, I’d be pretty sad at seeing humanity in this state because it’s a road we’re going down. B
20. A Christmas Story— A classic that probably should have been nearer to the top. B+
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