Summer Blockbusters

With the first snowfall here in the DC area, it is as good a time as any to trot out this list of Top Summer Blockbusters (seen first on kottke, from Time Out New York to help warm you up. It is also Pizza / Movie night at the launchpad and on screen tonight is likely to be The Empire Strikes Back (#7 on the list below) possibly with a Christmas special appetizer. It is going to be SOOOO TINSEL!

Here's the list of 30. According to Time Out the movies are ranked as "the biggest fun machines of all time: the movies designed for maximum impact."

Feel free to discuss in the comments.

1. Jaws (1975) - clearly the Summer Movie Blockbuster of all Blockbusters.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"
3. Star Wars (1977) - the first, the original, the only one really worth watching (and by the way, that is the proper title - none of this "New Hope" crap.
4. Ghostbusters (1984) - another popular choice in the Friday movie lineup.
5. E.T. (1982) - not one of my favorites.
6. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) - the movie / documentary that almost swung an election.
7. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
8. Terminator 2 : Judgment Day (1991) - really?
9. Face/Off (1997) - um, really, really?
10. Aliens (1986) - don't know if I would put this higher on the list from the original
11. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - I'll give them this one. The third was possibly the best of the trilogy.
12. Jurassic Park (1993) - nothing says summer like man-eating dinosaurs
13. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1998) - this was an OK movie, but it's getting a little better with age.
14. Die Hard (1988) - I just saw an article that listed this as a Christmas movie. Well kinda sorta, I guess it is.
15. Total Recall (1990) - The Governator gets another movie on the list?
16. The Truman Show (1998) - If only we'd known this would spark "real" reality television, we might have smothered this film.
17. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - I know I speak blasphemy to many, but Harry Potter is just not my thing.
18. Animal House (1978) - "Thank you sir, May I have another!"
19. Batman (1989) - In this case, the first is the best.
20. Gladiator (2000) - A Hero Will Rise
21. Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - I'm kinda not a big fan of the Depp.
22. Gremlins (1984) - Again, a Christmas movie in the summertime.
23. In the Line of Fire (1993) - Good for you, Clint, finally getting on this list.
24. Star Trek (2009) - in this case, the last is one of the best.
25. Wall-E (2008) - pass.
26. The Dark Knight (2008) - It comes close to being as good as the first one, but only because of Heath Ledger.
27. Back to the Future (1985) - A great film that on my list would be higher than here.
28. X-Men (2000) - a lot of the superhero genre is lost on me.
29. Armageddon (1998) - again, Bruce Willis!
30. Independence Day (1996) - Mr. Summer Blockbuster, Will Smith, gets the final entry.