Chasing Amy
Okay, it's true that Mallrats gets an undeserved bad rap, but the third entry in Kevin Smith's View Askew sextet is smarter, funnier and proof positive that the Jersey-born writer/director is capable of far more than just dick jokes and stoner humor (not that there's anything wrong with dick jokes and stoner humor, mind you). While one shouldn't take Smith's depiction of lesbianism as gospel by any means, the movie does perfectly capture the way people of any sexual persuasion can be their own worst enemy when it comes to matters of the heart.
Best Scene: Silent Bob's "Chasing Amy" monologue.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In all the hype over the impending finale of the Harry Potter film series, it's often hard to remember that the franchise actually started out rather shakily with Chris Columbus' overstuffed adaptations of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. I mean, all credit to Columbus for casting the right three actors as Harry, Ron and Hermione, but the movies themselves are clunky and flat-footed. Those aren't descriptions that apply to Alfonso Cuaron's moody, sophisticated third chapter, which set the standard that the later installments would try to live up to.
Best Scene: The Dementors corner Harry and Sirius in the forest, but before they can suck their souls from their bodies, a stag-shaped Patronus rides to their rescue.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have gone on record stating that the second Indiana Jones adventure, Temple of Doom -- which does have its staunch defenders -- suffers from being a little too dark. Thankfully, the humor is back in the third and final chapter (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? What's that?) in the form of Sean Connery, who steals the show as Indy's sarcastic, impossible-to-please dad. Bonus points for that great origin story sequence starring River Phoenix (RIP) as the young Dr. Jones.
Best Scene: The various trials that Indy has to pass to reach the Grail.

Mission: Impossible III
J.J. Abrams' zippy take on the Mission: Impossible franchise wipes away the sour taste left by John Woo's comically lame sequel. The first film still boasts the series' best action set-pieces, but this one has the best story, the best villain (Philip Seymour Hoffman in a surprisingly menacing performance), the best M:I team and the one version of Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt that you actually give a damn about. Here's hoping Brad Bird's upcoming fourth chapter is more like this and less like whatever the hell Woo was doing.
Best Scene: The M:I crew's assault on the Vatican.

Moulin Rouge
Aussie filmmaker Baz Lurhmann made a huge splash stateside with his beloved 1992 dance-infused romance, Strictly Ballroom and then squandered much of that affection with his disappointing re-telling of the woeful story of Shakespeare's iconic star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. He bounced back in a major way with the third entry in his so-called "Red Curtain Trilogy," a boldly stylized musical that tackles big emotions in a big way and mostly pulls it off through a combination of old-fashioned showmanship and new-fashioned editing tricks. Moulin Rouge remains one of the best modern movie musicals, kicking Chicago's ass any day of the week.
Best Scene: The elephant love-song montage that expertly mashes up The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" with U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You."

The Muppets Take Manhattan
Speaking of musicals, the third -- and best -- Muppets feature is structured like a Broadway show, appropriate since the plot involves Kermit and the gang attempting to mount their self-written show Manhattan Melodies on the Great White Way. Coming off the so-so Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan is a terrific return to form, packed with great songs, funny cameos (Joan Rivers! Gregory Hines!) and the long-awaited wedding of our favorite frog and pig. As we say in New York: Mazel tov!
Best Scene: Kermit bids farewell to his friends -- possibly forever! -- to the tune of "Saying Goodbye." I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

Predators
This Robert Rodriguez-produced attempt to reboot the dormant Predator series provides some solid B-movie fun, unlike the terrible Predator 2 that effectively killed the franchise off two decades previously. Set on the Predator home world, the plot follows a group of human criminals and malcontents who have been transported from Earth to serve as game in the aliens' annual hunting ritual. Sure it's an unabashed bootleg of the classic short story The Most Dangerous Game, but as bootlegs go, Predators is of better-than-average quality.
Best Scene: The opening sequence, which finds the main character waking up in mid free-fall above the Predators' planet.

Three Colors: Red
Proof that franchises aren't just a Hollywood phenomenon, Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's trio of films based on the colors of the French flag was one of the most acclaimed trilogies of the '90s. The final entry, Red, is the best of the bunch, surpassing the wan comedy of the middle chapter White with the emotionally affecting tale of a retired judge and the young woman that befriends him. The film's final moments also neatly ties all three movies together for those viewers that get hung up on continuity.
Best Scene: The woman discovers that the judge eavesdrops on his neighbors' phone conversations and confronts him about it.

Rocky III
Where Rocky II is little more than a dull repeat of the first movie (albeit with a very different outcome to the final fight), Rocky III adds a host of awesome new elements, from Mr. T's Clubber Lang to Apollo and Rocky going from rivals to teammates to training montages scored to that classic Survivor pop tune, "Eye of the Tiger." It's easily the most compulsively rewatchable Rocky flick and captures '80s excess in all is glossy glory.
Best Scene: The Hulk Hogan/Rocky bout is hilarious, but the final Clubber/Rocky face-off takes the prize.

The Spy Who Loved Me
It took two outings as 007 before Roger Moore was really able to make James Bond his own; his debut Live and Let Die was marred by its decided un-P.C. depiction of '70s Harlem, while The Man with the Golden Gun was just kinda boring. Everything finally clicked into place in this adventure, which puts Bond on the trail of an evil genius that plans to launch a nuclear war while he builds a new society under the sea. (Not the most logical plan, but hey, it makes more sense than using a satellite to turn the sunlight into a weapon.)
Best Scene: The final assault on the villain's submersible fortress.

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
As bad as The Phantom Menace is, Attack of the Clones outdoes it with that insipid love story and Obi-Wan's unconvincing Philip Marlow-in-space routine. So it's no great stretch to call Revenge of the Sith the best of the Star Wars prequels. But Sith is actually a good movie on its own terms, balancing some of the stiffer dramatic moments with strong set-pieces (that opening aerial battle above Coruscant is an eye-popper) and a darker, almost apocalyptic tone. Best of all: no Jar-Jar... or Ewoks, for that matter.
Best Scene: The birth of Darth Vader sequence is worth the three-movie wait, particularly that shot of the helmet clamping onto poor Anakin's head forever. Then George has to go and almost ruin it all with the "Noooo!" heard 'round the world.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Whatever cheesy charm the first Underworld had was completely lost in its incoherent follow-up. By moving the clock way back in time and replacing the oh-so-boring Kate Beckinsale with steely-eyed ass-kicker Rhona Mitra, the second sequel/first prequel is far more entertaining affair that in some ways resembles a vintage Hammer horror movie, right down to the cheap-looking sets and scenery-chewing performances from trained British thespians.
Best Scene: Vampire coven leader Viktor (Bill Nighy) makes his daughter's wolfish lover (Michael Sheen) watch her execution. That's one stone-cold dad right there.

(Quick notes on some notable omissions: Toy Story 3 is one of the best Part 3's ever made, but it ain't better than Toy Story 2. And while Return of the King is the Lord of the Rings movie that took home the Best Picture Oscar, The Two Towers is actually the superior film, particularly its extended edition. I did consider including Batman Returns, which is technically the third big-screen Batman outing after the '66 Batman with Adam West and Tim Burton's original, but it seemed like a bit of a stretch. Still a great movie though, equal to -- and in some ways better than -- The Dark Knight. Elsewhere: Ocean's Thirteen is breezy fun, but Ocean's Twelve is an underappreciated take on the heist movie genre; Goldfinger may have established the classic James Bond formula, but From Russia With Love is Connery's best outing as 007; the time-hopping Back to the Future Part II easily trumps the sitcom-like Old West comedy of Back to the Future Part III ; and The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum are both equally terrific contemporary spy thrillers. As for Return of the Jedi...well, now you're just joking, right?)

Weigh in with your own picks for memorable Part Three's in the comments below.

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