Surprise, Surprise! Happy New Year and to bring in this New Year Treat, I will be counting down my Top 20 Favorite movies of all time. Ten today and ten tomorrow as per usual. Just a heads up, I know this is sort of like Doug Walker, but you know what I am still gonna do it, but I will try to avoid most similarities between this and Doug's if possible. But instead think of this as a tribute to the Nostalgia Critic, from whom non of this would have been inspired by. And of course this is all my opinion and not a deceleration of the best movies of all time (well, maybe one or two).
Number 20: Lawrence of Arabia
Who doesn't know of the classic epic of the sand. The biography of Lt. T.E. Lawrence is told around the time of his ascending to influence the Arab tribes to unite against the Ottoman Empire during the Great War until his fall from grace. We see the trials and tribulations of his leadership and all is brought vividly to life by a star studded cast including the late Peter O'Toole, Sir Alec Guinness and Academy award nominee Omar Sharif. Many complained about historical inaccuracies like O'Toole's portrayal and the others he meet's. But the audience shouldn't be concerned about the history, but rather the artistry and scale of such a memorable masterpiece of David Lean.
19: Watchmen
Now this film always got the shaft end of critics and Comic book nerd alike, but I believe it is incredibly underrated in terms of being a comic book film, an action film and superhero film. It's cinematography mimics the dark and gritty world of Alan Moore's comic book with a shade I like to call lacquer vision, it's dark but makes the characters and locations stand out more. And I just love Jackie Earl Haley's performance as Rorschach, he really becomes the character and at the same time makes it his own. Nothing much else to say after doing a whole review on it, but it's style and story is impressive and one I would like to create.
Video belongs to Movieclips on youtube.
18: Citizen Kane
I believe it's almost compulsory to put Citizen Kane on any top/best of list (unless it's a list of worsts, which it isn't). A story based on real person, it delved into the meaning of the last words of Charles Foster Kane and the people he met through his life. I love the ideas, the shadows, angles and characters. Orson Welles really wanted to push the envelope of cinema as an art form to something greater. Although a flop on it's release, none would ever consider that this would become one of the modern greats of cinema and art. My favorite shot is the entering into the mirror room, just by how creative it was.
17: The Great Escape
While it is a war film based on the POW camps of WWII, it does it's damned best to tell a great story. Led by another great cast including Steve McQueen and Richard Attenbrough, the story follows a gang of mischivous escapee's who's only goal is to escape constantly and cause trouble for the Nazi war effort. To counter this, they are each sent to the inescapable camp, but realize little too late that putting all the master escapee's in one camp is probably the worst move you could do. The best moment are in the preparations and the extents they go into escaping. It's just a fun story that turned out to be great.
As a fan of Cult movies, how can I not put at least one on this list (Don't hold your breath, there are more). The satirical tale of how King Arthur and his knights of the round table is such a delight, coming from the masters of absurdist comedy Monty Python. The kookiness of medieval Britain is brought vividly to life on a ham string budget and classic Python actors John Clease, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin. The comedy is off the wall, it is ultra quotable and in my opinion, the best Python comedy ever made.
I don't care that Burton didn't direct, this is still to me a Tim Burton film. It's morbid and macabre nature, offset by a whimsical, heartfelt tone is some of the best form of storytelling I have ever seen. While the story might be short and it's tale said by some to be cliched, the message and songs are what really make it stand out. The decision to do stop motion adds to it's awesome factor. It's a film I love to watch at Christmas and Halloween, making it two for the price of fun.
While a later film in this list is clearly exploitative of the Beatles image, this is of it's own design all together. Telling a story unknown to most, about the pre-Beatles years of John Lennon's life, it is destined to be a cultural icon. The reveal of the meeting of his mother, Paul and George are minor next to the familial rifts that formed around John. It can be heartbreaking and crowd pleasing, not to mention bringing us closer to the man behind the Beatles. Again the artistic liberties annoyed some, but they can easily be shrugged off, as the entire film is carried by a charismatic Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Also the cheeky ending by not even mentioning the name, shows how much of distance there is between John Lennon and The Beatles. He was not the Beatles, he was the Walrus.
Possibly one of the greatest Space films of all time, no wonder they call this the ultimate trip. I won't lie, when I saw this film, it went right over my head. But the beauty of this film lies in it's ability to suck you in with more to discover and giving you a reason to re-watch. The poetry and science reflect and bounce off each other like an equal and opposite reaction, it still frightens me how accurate the film could be given the time period. In fact it scares me on a subconscious level how closely we rely on technology and thus is a cautionary tale of how evolution can kill as well as enlighten.
Donnie is an ass-hole, I know that now, but I still like him. The film has undergone many transitions of subconscious meanings, from a critique of religion being an organisation rather than a community to expression of free speech to a loving send up to the classic Science-fiction of old. I still find the side characters intriguing, the villain menacing and the ideas creative. I feel there needs to be at least one thought provoking film on a best of/top no. list and this is my one. I feel the characters are relatable and story to be one of the best. I would recommend avoiding explanation videos of the films true meaning, as it would just infuriate you more.
Who doesn't know of the classic epic of the sand. The biography of Lt. T.E. Lawrence is told around the time of his ascending to influence the Arab tribes to unite against the Ottoman Empire during the Great War until his fall from grace. We see the trials and tribulations of his leadership and all is brought vividly to life by a star studded cast including the late Peter O'Toole, Sir Alec Guinness and Academy award nominee Omar Sharif. Many complained about historical inaccuracies like O'Toole's portrayal and the others he meet's. But the audience shouldn't be concerned about the history, but rather the artistry and scale of such a memorable masterpiece of David Lean.
Now this film always got the shaft end of critics and Comic book nerd alike, but I believe it is incredibly underrated in terms of being a comic book film, an action film and superhero film. It's cinematography mimics the dark and gritty world of Alan Moore's comic book with a shade I like to call lacquer vision, it's dark but makes the characters and locations stand out more. And I just love Jackie Earl Haley's performance as Rorschach, he really becomes the character and at the same time makes it his own. Nothing much else to say after doing a whole review on it, but it's style and story is impressive and one I would like to create.
I believe it's almost compulsory to put Citizen Kane on any top/best of list (unless it's a list of worsts, which it isn't). A story based on real person, it delved into the meaning of the last words of Charles Foster Kane and the people he met through his life. I love the ideas, the shadows, angles and characters. Orson Welles really wanted to push the envelope of cinema as an art form to something greater. Although a flop on it's release, none would ever consider that this would become one of the modern greats of cinema and art. My favorite shot is the entering into the mirror room, just by how creative it was.
Video is the property of William Canfield
While it is a war film based on the POW camps of WWII, it does it's damned best to tell a great story. Led by another great cast including Steve McQueen and Richard Attenbrough, the story follows a gang of mischivous escapee's who's only goal is to escape constantly and cause trouble for the Nazi war effort. To counter this, they are each sent to the inescapable camp, but realize little too late that putting all the master escapee's in one camp is probably the worst move you could do. The best moment are in the preparations and the extents they go into escaping. It's just a fun story that turned out to be great.
This ironically belongs to TheGreatEscapeMovie
16: Monty Python and the Holy GrailAs a fan of Cult movies, how can I not put at least one on this list (Don't hold your breath, there are more). The satirical tale of how King Arthur and his knights of the round table is such a delight, coming from the masters of absurdist comedy Monty Python. The kookiness of medieval Britain is brought vividly to life on a ham string budget and classic Python actors John Clease, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin. The comedy is off the wall, it is ultra quotable and in my opinion, the best Python comedy ever made.
Video by BassmanFOO
15: The Nightmare Before ChristmasI don't care that Burton didn't direct, this is still to me a Tim Burton film. It's morbid and macabre nature, offset by a whimsical, heartfelt tone is some of the best form of storytelling I have ever seen. While the story might be short and it's tale said by some to be cliched, the message and songs are what really make it stand out. The decision to do stop motion adds to it's awesome factor. It's a film I love to watch at Christmas and Halloween, making it two for the price of fun.
Video by Demolishern
14: Indiana Jones: Raiders of the lost Ark
This was kind of a toss up between Lost ark and Last Crusade, so I decided to go with the first and original classic. The collaborated efforts of my favorite director and the representative of childlike imagination in fiction (you know, before he became the nightmare child of fiction) show an ability to be nostalgic and new (like a police-box). While when the plot can be quite silly when you think about it, they took it seriously, giving it a dark overtone and included fast paced action, childlike scares and a sense of epic adventure that makes everyone feel like a kid whenever that great John Williams music pops up.
video belongs to tkearton15
13: Nowhere BoyWhile a later film in this list is clearly exploitative of the Beatles image, this is of it's own design all together. Telling a story unknown to most, about the pre-Beatles years of John Lennon's life, it is destined to be a cultural icon. The reveal of the meeting of his mother, Paul and George are minor next to the familial rifts that formed around John. It can be heartbreaking and crowd pleasing, not to mention bringing us closer to the man behind the Beatles. Again the artistic liberties annoyed some, but they can easily be shrugged off, as the entire film is carried by a charismatic Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Also the cheeky ending by not even mentioning the name, shows how much of distance there is between John Lennon and The Beatles. He was not the Beatles, he was the Walrus.
This belongs to CulturClub France
12: 2001: A Space odysseyPossibly one of the greatest Space films of all time, no wonder they call this the ultimate trip. I won't lie, when I saw this film, it went right over my head. But the beauty of this film lies in it's ability to suck you in with more to discover and giving you a reason to re-watch. The poetry and science reflect and bounce off each other like an equal and opposite reaction, it still frightens me how accurate the film could be given the time period. In fact it scares me on a subconscious level how closely we rely on technology and thus is a cautionary tale of how evolution can kill as well as enlighten.
Courtesy of MoviesHistory
11: Donnie DarkoDonnie is an ass-hole, I know that now, but I still like him. The film has undergone many transitions of subconscious meanings, from a critique of religion being an organisation rather than a community to expression of free speech to a loving send up to the classic Science-fiction of old. I still find the side characters intriguing, the villain menacing and the ideas creative. I feel there needs to be at least one thought provoking film on a best of/top no. list and this is my one. I feel the characters are relatable and story to be one of the best. I would recommend avoiding explanation videos of the films true meaning, as it would just infuriate you more.
Thanks to Xnear
No comments:
Post a Comment