42. Coming To America, 1988

i'd rather marry the woman in the background, but you'll do

first viewing:  I don't remember

fun factor:  Aside from Raw (which I don't consider to be a real movie), Coming to America features some of Eddie Murphy's best work.   It's a pleasure watching him onscreen with Arsenio Hall, Cuba Gooding Jr., and James Earl Jones, amongst others, and there's perhaps no better to movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon.  Whoever thought of this plot should be given a Nobel prize.

best part:  Eddie Murphy goes into the barber shop to get an American style haircut.  The barber looks at Eddie, cuts off the rat-tail he had been growing since birth, and charges him $5, which I'm assuming was a lot for a haircut back in the day.  Incidentally, I'm seeing a mini-revival of the rat-tail amongst today's youth... not a good look.

did you know?   Most of the dance that's performed by the royal dancers before presenting Prince Akeem's queen-to-be is a high-tempo rendition of the dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller (also directed by John Landis).

43. The Freshman, 1990

thanks for getting me on the set of sex and the city

first viewing:  summer of 2003 perhaps

fun factor:  Marlon Brando, the greatest actor of our time, reprises his role as the head of a Mafia syndicate in this cleverly delivered comedy.  The humor in this movie is really subtle despite a few outlandish plot twists, which is refreshing these days when we have to deal with a Will Farrell movie coming out every three months.

best part:  Anytime you get a komodo dragon on film, you know you've got a hit.

did you know?   Marlon Brando plays a character who they supposedly modeled Don Corleone from The Godfather after. Bruno Kirby (who plays Brando's nephew) played the young Clemenza in The Godfather: Part II.

44. He Got Game, 1998

i appeared in five spike lee movies and all i get are these lousy sneakers?

first viewing:  my roommate rented this movie during freshman year

fun factor:  First, it's about basketball.  Second, the prevailing theme is Jesus Shuttlesworth's relationship with his dad (played by an always game Denzel Washington).  Consequently, I was able to draw a lot of parallels with the movie.  Actually, the only thing preventing this movie from being in the Top 10 is the ridiculous subplot involving the Resident Evil chick.

best part:  I've got to agree with ESPN Page 2 when they said that the "chill factor" of the ending is up there with any other film.  Maybe it's a little sappy, but the emotional payoff is well worth the 2.5 hours of opportunity cost. 

did you know?   For the scene where Jesus and Jake play for the letter of intent, the original script called for Jesus to win 11-0. However, Spike Lee encouraged the actors to play for real. The scene in the film reflects the actual game between Ray Allen and Denzel Washington.

45. Clear and Present Danger, 1994

run for your lives -- it's a gas guzzling monstrosity!

first viewing:  in a movie theater, my mom loves Harrison Ford

fun factor:  I never got into the prequel (Patriot Games); however, I thought this movie was rather entertaining.  Perhaps, it was because I had just met Diego at the time (in 8th grade), and he was always talking about his homeland (Colombia).  Also, the Harrison Ford facial expressions are classic.

best part:  The ambush on the CIA by the Colombian warlords was extremely well done, except when Harrison Ford suddenly escapes missile launchers and uzis by driving one block away from the scene.

did you know?   The scene in which the convoy of Suburbans is attacked by the drug cartel (see above) is now actually used as a training video in US government agencies. The footage was also used in an episode of "JAG".