In Search of Lost Time Travel

Time travel is in vogue right now.  The subject ebbs and flows in pop-culture, but right now the Venn Diagram of popular and nerdy sits with time travel comfortably nestled in the middle.  Consider the recent and rapid rise in popularity of the BBC's Doctor Who in American TV culture.  Sure America is a few years late in joining the party with the space and time hopping time lord and his companions, but Netflix and the growing geekery have seen fit to go so far as to put Matt Smith's bowtied mug on the cover of Entertainment Weekly!
 
And on the big screen, Rian Johnson's time-travel action film Looper is scoring positive reviews and continuing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's year of success.  Now, I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to give anything away.  I went into the movie knowing only the vaguest premise, having forced myself only to see the teaser trailer, and enjoyed it much more having avoided spoilers.  Basically:  JGL works for the mob, whacking targets sent back in time from a future where time travel exists.  This already works for a compelling premise, but the real kicker comes in when JGL's future self is sent back for execution.  And the real kick-ass comes in when JGL's future self is Bruce Willis.  Seriously.  It's awesome.  But don't look it up.  Just go see it.  Today.  Tomorrow.  Yesterday.  Whenever.
 
Looper's release has prompted a flurry of sites cataloging time-travel rules, time-travel movie moments, and top time-travel stories.  But: So many of these sites contain subtle Looper spoilers, so I don't want to link to them.  (Sorry, Wall Street Journal's "Four Rules of Time-Travel," you get no love from me.)  Thankfully, a few pages exist sans-Looper, so we'll include those.  (Other movies will be spoiled.  But they're old.  After five years, no forgiveness needs to be granted for spoilers.  And beyond fifty years, things that are "spoilers" should enter common knowledge.*)  

Discovery put together a nice tidy list of Top 22 Time Travel Movies with vague descriptions and background information.  Better, albeit more spoilery, though, is TotalFilm's list of the 50 Greatest Time Travel Movie Moments.  Some of them are questionable.  (Did George Bailey really time travel?)  Some are surprising.  (Love that Muppet Christmas Carol made the cut!)  One is... Dali.  And, for all the Back to the Future references, one is mysteriously absent.  It's like the list makers said, "Roads?  Where we're going we don't need to mention the fact that where they're going they don't need roads!"  It's your list, TotalFilm!  Something has got to be done about your list!
 
That's all for today.  Be sure to thank the management... It's Boss's Day!