Top 10 Favorite Movies

A couple of weeks ago we did our top 10 favorite comics, now let's do movies. I understand this will be hard for everyone to do but let's make it happen. You can decide for yourself if an entry should be one single movie or a trilogy/series. Feel free to explain why they mean so much to you as well. Let the good times roll!

1. Original Star Wars Trilogy
2. LOTR Trilogy
3. The Dark Knight
4. Back to the Future
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
7. Inception
8. It's a Wonderful Life
9. The Matrix
10. Rear Window

In no particular order and subject to change without notice:

Casablanca:

Arguably the best movie of all time. There isn't a misstep in the entire film. Ingrid Bergman is one of most beautiful women ever put on screen and one of the best actresses. Humphrey Bogart, Claud Raines, Sydney Greenstreet and all the others. All so damn good. It's an adventure story, it's a love story, it's a buddy film, and a story of redemption. Do you not get chills when Victor Lazlo leads the singing of Le Marseilles? Do you not get choked up when the young married girl asks Rick if Louis is a man that will keep his word? And of course "You played it for her. You can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Now play it!"

The Maltese Falcon

Much of the same great cast as Casablanca reappear in my favorite Film Noir. Greenstreet and Loire make such a good team. Action, adventure, mystery and "tough guyism" of the first order abound. And if you didn't know "gunsel" doesn't mean "gun man". It's a code word for homosexual. "When your partner gets killed, you're supposed to do something."

A Walk in the Sun

My favorite war movie. Directed by Lewis Milestone who is better known for All Quiet on the Western Front, this movie gives a sense of what the average soldier feels and sees. It's the sense of being totally in the dark about the big picture and the soldiers war being only as far as he can see. His war is not the invasion of Italy. His war is the capture of that farm house. The hoaky folk song in the soundtrack is unfortunate. George Tyne's and Richard Conte's banter is classic. "Nobody dies."

Saving Private Ryan

The D Day landing scene alone makes this one of the greatest war movies. It's style and technique have become almost the default way to film combat scenes now but it was and is a jaw dropping and harrowing 20 minutes. The rest of the movie is action packed and even when there is a lull you can't relax because you just know things could go to hell any moment. And the scene with the German Paratrooper and the American machine gunner near the end....."Es ist keine FUBAR...."

Logan's Run

My favorite science fiction film. Yes the special effects are weak. Yes the "future music" is sort of annoying. But the story is so compelling that I don't care. The scenes of a post apocalyptic Washington DC are superb. Michael York is great and I love Jenny Agutter. "I am more than machine. More than man. More than a fusion of the two. Don't you agree? Wait for the winds. Then my birds sing. And the deep grottos whisper my name. Box... Box... Box..."

The Empire Strikes Back

For all the reasons everybody else loves it. "Search your feelings. You know it to be true..."

The Outlaw Josey Wales

It's got some of the best tough guy talk Clint ever delivered and it's got gunfights galore but it's also got something more. It's got heart. You can't help but love Josey, a man consumed by hate and anger but who can't keep his need for love and belonging from rising to the surface. Moments of humor and brutality juxtapose one another constantly throughout. "Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy."

High Noon

The story of the loneliness of conviction and courage. A man whose refusal to shirk his duty and make excuses angers all the around him. I love the way it's shot too. "You're a good-looking boy: you've big, broad shoulders. But he's a man. And it takes more than big, broad shoulders to make a man."

When Harry Met Sally

The best romantic comedy ever. Meg Ryan when she still had charisma. Billy Crystal when he was still charming. Marie and Jess make a lovable counter point to Harry and Sally. "I will NEVER want that wagon wheel coffee table."

Better Off Dead

What I think is one if the best unrelenting comedies that doesn't suffer from the flaw of trying to become a serious movie with a message in the final act like so many do. It's ridiculous all the way through. "Didn't ask for a dime...2 dollars"

lists are always fun

> Bladerunner: probably my favourite film, i love noir, love sci fi and this film has a very rich atmosphere and aesthetic that totally does it for me. I also like the characterisation.

> The Good The Bad and The Ugly - I love everything about this film.

> The 3rd Man - My pick for best noir, perhaps because i really like Harry Lime, or the ending scene where the protagonist gets stood up.

> Alien - Could also put aliens here, like Blade Runner these sci fis came out in an era where production values, models and sets were great and no cgi.

> Night Watch/Day Watch - weird russian film series about quasi superheros of good and dark fighting each other, has a thread of dark humour running through it that i like.

> Ashes of Time - Wuxia film in a desert. Focus on a spy master and the people he recruits for various jobs whilst running a number of love stories in the background.

> The Proposition -Australian Western. Like all the films on this list it has a strong sense of place and atmosphere. In the traditional western mould its about a moral decision, which brother will die.

> The Warriors - "I want all the Warriors!" Also a girl gets full on mullered in the face with a chair.

> The Life Aquatic - He is the Zissou! This film reminds me of the environmental consultants i used to work for on a lot of levels, probably why i like it so much.

Honourable mentions; Apoc Now, anything by Kurosawa, Empire strikes back, Four Lions, Infernal Affairs, Conan, Studio Ghibli and Withnail.

1. Aliens - I really enjoyed Alien, but horror movies tend to lack replay value, and this sequel took everything up to a new level. Action, intrigue, horror, a bit of humor, and some very quotable lines.

2. The Road Warrior - Although most people just remember this movie for the epic chase scene, I also appreciate the way Miller brought so many of the survivors to life. The movie also features not one but two excellent villains.

3. Donnie Darko - This wildly ambitious movie fails spectacularly in the final stretch. What I enjoyed about it was the non-speculative stuff, the perfect re-creation of a slice of life from 1988, and how it feels to be young and struggling with the big ideas.

4. Kill Bill (the whole thing) - An epic tale of revenge, told with great music and tremendous style.

5. Pitch Black - I like movies that function well in multiple genres. This one includes science-fiction, horror and action. Riddick is a memorable anti-hero, but the rest of the cast is interesting, too. Although I am an atheist, I was very impressed with Keith David's holy man character, who faced an overwhelming test of faith and endured. I also enjoyed the way various characters had secrets, and how they changed as those secrets came out.

6. Hellboy - It was amazing how del Toro captured the exact look of the comic, though he did take some liberties with the characters. The pacing is uneven, but the visuals more than make up for it, and the opening scene is amazing.

7. Se7en - I like mysteries and cities and watching cops at work, even in a highly fictionalized manner. Between the excellent soundtrack and the great locations, Fincher gives us an interesting city with dark secrets. Morgan Freeman, as always, plays an excellent Morgan Freeman. Brad Pitt is over the top and chewing the scenery furiously, but it works here during his peak performance years. (I feel like Pitt has been phoning his performances in since he got involved with Jolie.) The final sequence is dragged out a little too long, but may have been necessary to justify the final searing moments.

8. Sin City - Even moreso than Hellboy, this movie looked like the comic book to an uncanny degree. The style was a bold choice, but it totally works. Star-studded cast delivers, and the stories blend together thematically well.

9. Princess Mononoke - I am not a big fan of anime, but thanks to my girlfriend, I have been exposed to a lot of it. But even before I met her, I managed to see a few good ones, and Princess Mononoke was the best. The three-sided conflict is interesting, and all three sides get to make their case. The visuals are spectacular and even moving at times. The pacing falters in the final stretch, but that seems to be a Japanese cultural thing, equating drama with slow pacing.

10. Dawn of the Dead - long before zombies became too popular and too boring, Romero used them as a framing device to examine our society from unusual perspectives. In Dawn of the Dead, he explores consumerism and even the fundamentals of civilization using the shopping mall as a stage. He leaves the conclusions to the viewers, and delivers plenty of action, horror, and even some comedy along the way.

This is a list of my 10 favorites, not necessarily what I consider to be the 10 "best" movies... and they aren't in order except for the first.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - simply the finest film ever made
Pulp Fiction
Gattaca
Fargo
Silence of the Lambs - so, so quotable
The Crow
The Prestige
Fight Club
28 Days Later
The Departed

Narrowly missing the cut, honorable mention is The Thing.

In no particular order...

Excalibur
The Shawshank Redemption
Life is Beautiful
The Dark Knight
Inception
2001: A Space Odyssey
Toy Story 1,2,3
Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Almost: Princess Bride, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, This is Spinal Tap, Fargo, Das Boot, Jaws, The Truman Show, Finding Nemo, Rear Window, Reservoir Dogs, Back to the Future, Fight Club, Braveheart, and possibly Birdman if it holds up.

Well this will be tough. But I'll take a stab at it

Brotherhood of the Wolf,
Amadeus
Apocalypse Now
Blade Runner
A Clockwork Orange
The Deer Hunter
Downfall
Dune
Excalibur
Full Metal Jacket
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Kelly's Heroes
Logan's Run
Patton
Time Bandits

Is that 10? Maybe over by a couple. I won't order them as I think after watching >5000 movies in my time, it'd be hard to order the top 10-ish.

In no particular order:

Apocalypse Now
The Big Lebowski
2001: A Space Odyssey
Star Wars: OT
LOTR
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Jaws
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Clockwork Orange

Some honourable mentions: The Avengers, Inside Llewyn Davis, Miller's Crossing, Network, On the Waterfront, Leon: The Professional, Pulp Fiction, 12 Angry Men, Back to the Future, Hud, Children of Men, The Wrestler, The Three Amigos, Strange Brew, Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter

In no particular order, and also, more than 10 because so many are on the cusp of the top ten that can't limit it to 10.

Man On Fire
Blade Runner
Star Trek: Wrath of Khan
Pulp Fiction
Aliens
Dune
Children of Men
Stargate
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Adventures of Baron von Munchausen
12 Monkeys
Akira
Planet of the Apes
Dead Reckoning (1947)
The Life Aquatic
28 Days Later
Saving Private Ryan
Empire of the Sun

There's like 10,000 more, too, that I could list but this is enough.

I almost feel like most of these types of lists I write are highly dependent on the day that I write them. I have no clue what my ten favourite movies are, but I like writing them out anyway and I especially like seeing them again later on and wondering what the fuck I was thinking that day.

A Christmas Carol - 1951 version with Alastair Sim
Brazil
The Third Man
Phantom Of Liberty
Millers Crossing/Barton Fink
The Conversation
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Drunken Master 2
The Wizard of Oz
The Thin Red Line
The Incredibles
La Strada

I feel bad that there isn't a romantic movie on there so my honourable mention would be When Harry Met Sally, although The Incredibles is pretty romantic in my mind. Unfortunately I couldn't think of a Sci-Fi film that could make the cut. I think it's better suited to TV, in film the best ones are often action, or horror movies at heart.

Brazil is sci fi.

In alphabetical order;

Apocalypse Now
Blade Runner
Ghostbusters
Lawrence of Arabia
Once Upon a Time in the West
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Road Warrior
Shawshank Redemption
Star Wars

Movies I keep watxhing, not the always the best movies but they work for me. No particular order.

Breaking away
Army of shadows
Lawrence of Arabia
Tinker tailor soldier spy. I had listened to the audio book a few years before.
Blade runner, but it is fading a little
The matrix: so great the first time.
Empire strikes back
The Spanish prisoner
So many Chinese movies that I saw for a dollar at BYU at international cinema in the early nineties.
I liked interstellar in IMAX.
2001
Good will hunting
The sting

I guess these are all pretty safe choices

Favorite movie lists are always so much better than best movie lists.

Gary Sax wrote: Favorite movie lists are always so much better than best movie lists.

I agree. Usually with best movies lists people tend to repeat a lot of the same ones or it turns into a favorites list anyways.

With favorites list you learn a lot more about the person and I've always enjoyed the explanations on why it's a favorite. It's helped me to give movies second chances if I've written them off before and find appreciation in them as well as discovering ones I've never seen.