My Favourite Films back to main page
February 9: Switched some things around, no new blurbs however. Those might appear sometime this week, if I feel like treating you people.
30) American Beauty - 1999 - Sam Mendes
29) Fargo - 1996 - Joel Coen
28) The Shining - 1980 - Stanley Kubrick
27) Monty Python's 3 Feature-Length Movies- 1975,
1979, 1983 - Terry
Jones and Terry Gilliam
26) A Hard Day's Night - 1964 - Richard Lester
25) T2: Judgment Day - 1991 - James Cameron
24) Minority Report - 2002 - Steven Spielberg
23) Star Wars Original Trilogy - 1997/1980/1983 -
George Lucas, Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand
22) Unbreakable - 2000 - M. Night Shyamalan
"Now that we know who you are, I know who I am. I'm not a
mistake."
Following up 1999's The Sixth Sense was a tough job for Shyamalan, as it was a
huge critical and box-office success. He decided to make Unbreakable, a
depressing tale about a man with severe osteoporosis (Samuel L. Jackson) who
tracks down a man who is the sole survivor of a devastating train wreck (Bruce
Willis). Jackson tells Willis that he believes that comic book characters walk
the Earth. So, in a sense, this is a comic book movie, without being based off
of an actual comic book. And no, it's not a comic book movie alongside the likes
of Spider-Man or X-Men. No, this one doesn't have amazing action sequences. What
it DOES have is drama. Brilliantly done drama, and lots of it. Focusing on the
characters and their struggles, Unbreakable didn't get much critical acclaim or
box office revenue. Know why? It's because people were expecting a Sixth Sense-esque
thriller. What they got was a more subtle form of thriller. One that modern
audiences don't enjoy, and because of that, Shyamalan decided not to go ahead
with the other 2 planned films in the trilogy with this movie. Shame, that is,
because this one's an excellent character study.
21) The Deer Hunter - 1978 - Michael Cimino
20) 2001: A Space Odyssey - 1968 - Stanley Kubrick
19) Blade Runner - 1982 - Ridley Scott
18) Army of Darkness - 1993 - Sam Raimi
"This...is my BOOMSTICK!"
Just one of many awesome quotes delivered by
Bruce Campbell, as the cooler than cool Ash, who is transported back in time and
can only get back to his own time one way: he must find the Necronomicon (Book
of the Dead). OK, so he's found it, now he must say three words. No, not just
any words, he must say Klata, Verata, Nicktu. Sounds easy enough, right? Yeah,
but when you're Ash...well, the difficulty level is raised. Now you're got an
army of Deadites, who aren't exactly the nicest creatures in the Medieval World,
heading towards the castle which holds the people who are helping you get back
to your own time. But hey, you've got a boomstick with you.
The incoherency of this blurb equates the humor and excellence of this movie. If
that's not a strong endorsement, I don't know WHAT is.
17) Goodfellas - 1990 - Martin Scorsese
16) Adaptation - 2002 - Spike Jonze
"You are what you love, not what loves you"
The premise was amazing: Charlie Kaufman was told to write a screenplay out of
Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief for a movie. Instead, he wrote a screenplay...about
him writing the screenplay for it. Not only that, he wrote in a fake twin
brother of himself. Adaptation, penned and directed by the team behind Being
John Malkovich, is an almost surreal tale of a man's eternal struggle to
write a script, his brother's foolish struggle to become a screenwriter, an
author's struggle to love life, and a flower aficionado's struggle
to...um...well, watch the movie and find out for yourself (see also: "I dont
know"). Led by Nicolas Coppo...er, Cage, in a dual role as Charlie and Donald
Kaufman, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper (who won a well-deserved Oscar), and
directed marvellously by Spike Jonze, Adaptation is a hilarious and
depressing look at life.
15) Midnight Express - 1978 - Alan Parker
"I hate! I hate you! I hate your nation! And I hate your people!"
That line is taken from one of the most powerful scenes in one of the most
powerful movies ever made, in my opinion. Telling the (half-) true story of
Billy Hayes, an American who is arrested in Turkey in 1970 for possession of (2
kilos) of hash, Midnight Express is rarely funny, but that's anything but bad in
this case. Brad Davis and John Hurt turn in Oscar-worthy performances in a movie
that is sometimes heartbreaking, and sometimes awe-inspiring, and then the film
slaps you right across the face with its incredibly emotional ending. A word of
warning before you see this, though: it is based on a true story, but it has
been confirmed that several elements were altered. But hey, it's a movie, just
sit back and be in awe. Did I mention Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay? No? Oh,
ok, well Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay.
14) Scarface - 1983 - Brian DePalma
"You wanna play rough? OK! Say hello to my little friend!"
So
screams Al Pacino's over-the-top Cuban immigrant turned Miami druglord Tony
Montana in Brian DePalma's controversial 1983 cult hit, recently released on
20th Anniversary Edition DVD. I rented this film (albeit the terribly
transferred older DVD release) sometime in September, and you know what? I
immediately loved the hell out of it. As soon as I heard Tony's Theme in that
oh-so-cool 80s soundtrack, I knew I was gonna love this film. Plus, Al Pacino's
in it. Ya hear that? Al Pacino, the all-ruling KING of overacting and keeping
you glued to the screen stars in a gangster movie from the 80s directed by the
same guy who directed The Untouchables and Carrie, and the screenplay's written
by Oliver Stone. Excited yet? Good, now run out and rent this. If you don't like
it, well then I guess you're just crazy.
13) The Silence of the Lambs - 1991 - Jonathan Demme
“A census taker once tried to test me…I ate his liver, with some
fava beans and a nice Chianti"
With that simple, chilling sentence, Anthony
Hopkins had me glued to Jonathan Demme’s 1991 Oscar sweeper, The Silence of the
Lambs. It starts off innocent enough, with FBI Agent-in-Training Clarice
Starling (Jodie Foster) running through the woods in Virginia as part of an FBI
obstacle course. We see this and only this for a few minutes, and we hear Howard
Shore’s ominously masterful score in the background. Now unless you’ve been in a
cave from the time you were born until you see Silence of the Lambs, you know
that there’s something big coming. A killing, perhaps? Editing between Starling
and Buffalo Bill? Nope, it never happens. In fact, if you are expecting a horror
film out of this movie, good luck finding it. It’s not a horror movie, it’s a
thriller. A damn good, psychological one at that. Featuring great acting (worthy
of its Oscars, that’s fo sho), a wicked score from Howard Shore (who’s rapidly
becoming my favourite composer), and a plot line that never lets your eyes
close, The Silence of the Lambs is an all-around great movie.
12) The Insider - 1999 - Michael Mann
"You'd better look into it, because I'm getting two things:
pissed off and curious."
The Insider is, in my opinion, reminiscent of
dialogue-driven political thrillers from the 60s and 70s. There's almost no
action in this movie, it relies on dialogue. Now, if you need action in your
movies, stay away, but if you're like me, and enjoy movies for all the other
reasons, check this out. It's a compelling story of what lengths big tobacco
will go to just to keep their "secrets" from being told. Featuring three
powerhouse performances from Al Pacino, Russel Crowe and Christopher Plummer
(who is eerily like Mike Wallace, the character he portrays), wicked awesome
cinematography and editing, The Insider is almost definitely the best movie from
the most recent banner year in Hollywood, 1999.
11) The Godfather - 1972 - Francis Ford Coppola
"Don't ask me about my business, Kay"
I know what you're all thinking: "The Godfather one someone's list of favourite
films!? What are the odds!?" But for everyone that thinks that this film gets
too much credit...you clearly weren't watching the same movie as everyone else.
It's absolutely one of the finest films ever made, in every aspect...acting,
direction, cinematography, acting, editing, music, and acting. Obviously, there
are one or two laughable flaws in the movie, namely James Caan going for a punch
at someone and missing by about fifteen feet, but we still hear physical contact
between his fist and the guy's face. Regardless, The Godfather is a timeless
classic about life in the Corleone family. With very strong performances from
Oscar-winner Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, a wicked
score by Nino Rota, and some of the best shootouts ever, The Godfather is well
deserving of its classic status.
10) Memento - 2001 - Christopher Nolan
09) In the Name of the Father - 1993 - Jim
Sheridan
"I'm a free man, I'm going out the front door!"
Yes, I'm slightly biased towards this film because of my Irish genes, but even
if I wasn't, it would still be at this spot on my list. Telling the true story
of an Irish man (Daniel Day-Lewis), who is wrongly charged and incarcerated for
allegedly blowing up a bar in Guilford, England in 1974, In the Name of the
Father is a truly emotional film, especially the ending. And I'm going to spoil
it for you now. The case of the Guilford Four is brought to a London court.
Their sentences are all overturned. Gerry Conlon is a free man, but the courts
have cost him a high price: his father died while in prison, serving a wrong
sentence. Gerry walks out of the court, through the front door. Once he gets
outside, he delivers one of the most powerful mini-speeches ever/ And here it
is:
"I'm an innocent man. I spent 15 years in prison for something I didn't do. I
watched my father die in a British prison for something he didn't do. And this
government still says he's guilty. I want to tell them that until my father is
proved innocent, until all the people involved in this case are proved innocent,
until the guilty ones are brought to justice, I will fight on. In the name of my
father and of the truth!"
Featuring what I think to be the best lead performance of 1993, In the Name of
the Father is an emotional film that will stay with me forever.
08)Dead Poets Society - 1989 Peter Weir
07) The Usual Suspects - 1995 - Bryan Singer
"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled...was convincing the
world he didn't exist"
That is just one of many, many memorable quotes in this
fantastic movie directed from one of the greatest screenplays of all-time
(double points to AMPAS for getting it right for once). This movie tells the
story of, well...a man's story. It is basically Verbal Kint telling a Customs
Agent what happened between him and four "co-workers" after a line-up and brief
incarceration in New York. Now, I won't spoil it for anyone, but who can
honestly say that they saw that twist coming? Yeah, that's what I thought. This
film catches everyone right off guard with its uber-shocking ending, and
subsequent closing line that leaves you in your seat, trying to pick up your jaw
from off the floor. With great performances, better dialogue, and Pete
Postlethwaite (all that in a bag of chips, eh?), The Usual Suspects is a
thriller that...well, thrills.
06) Amadeus - 1984 - Milos Forman
05) The Shawshank Redemption - 1994 - Frank
Darabont
04) JFK - 1991 - Oliver Stone
03) The Lord of the Rings - 2001-2003 - Peter Jackson
02) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - 1975 - Milos Forman
"Ah, juicy fruit..."
That line brought the biggest grin ever to
my face the first time I heard it. Sure, you think it's coming, but you're not
sure. The first of two movies directed by Milos Forman to appear on my list,
Cuckoo's Nest took home five Academy Awards in the spring of 1976, and
deservedly so. It certainly deserved Best Actor (Nicholson electrifies the
screen as the possibly crazy R.P. McMurphy), Best Picture (had only Holy Grail's
ending been a teeny bit more satisfying), and without a doubt, Best Director.
What's that you say, Actress and Screenplay? Yeah, sure I'll get to them
never. This movie is a funny and, at the
same time, a touching story of a man who is put in a Mental Institution, and
while there, meets quite the cast of characters, including the non-speaking
Chief, and the stuttering Billy Bibbit (played well by Brad Douriff, most recently
seen betraying a certain king in Lord of the Rings). It also features a Brad
Douriff butt shot. Yeah, you're excited about it now, aren't you?
01) Schindler's List - 1993 - Steven Spielberg
