1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – I’ll go on record saying that the difference between someone’s favorite film as opposed to what they consider the greatest film is a matter of personal preference and pleasure, whether guilty or not. The Silence of the Lambs is the film that inspired me into the arts and has made an impact on my writing and how I would handle my own production. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter is my favorite antagonist, simple as that, I have never seen a more interesting, complex, and enjoyable villain in any novel, comic, game, or film. This also acted as a gateway for me into psychological thrillers, which has since matched my interest in the science fiction and fantasy genres. I’ve lost count as to how many times I’ve seen it, and it never gets old, and I never forget that there hasn’t been a movie that’s affected me more.
2. Let the Right One In (2008) – With the exception of A Clockwork Orange, no film has impacted me quite so much in the last few years like this one has. The term is often used far too often and has become synonymous with other overused terms, but I consider this a true masterpiece, and certainly a worthwhile comeback to the horror genre and vampire subculture. Never have I watched a film so horrifying and yet so beautiful at the same time, the chemistry between the two leads is fantastic, the story goes beyond turning simplicity into gold and instead provides platinum. After repeat viewings I haven’t liked it any less and feel that I am loving it more with every viewing.
3. A Clockwork Orange (1971) – What works best for A Clockwork Orange is how unapologetic it is and how it oozes with ingenuity in its writing, subtext and lead protagonist, who in and of himself is also the main antagonist. Right from the opening shot accompanied by a great synthesizer score I was immensely enthralled in the bizarre, dystopian universe originally envisioned by Anthony Burgess. A Clockwork Orange is a disturbing and enlightening adventure from the eyes of one of the greatest characters in fiction.
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – Talk about a perfect third film. The Return of the King set a standard for third films (at least for me) that has been unmatched to this day. Aside from the minor plot hole regarding the giant birds, it is absolutely flawless. Length is not a flaw to me, at least not in this case. I have never found myself bored or uninterested at any point in the entire runtime of The Return of the King, whether the theatrical or extended cut.
5. Inception (2010) – Inception is Nolan’s best film to date in my opinion, and while it may not have the same impact with repeat viewings, I feel that the initial experience is the most important. Inception is well-written and performed, and my compliments to The Dark Knight’s authenticity apply even furthermore for this production.
6. The Dark Knight (2008) – Talk about a pleasant surprise. I went into this film thinking I would enjoy myself, of course. I did not however expect to be absolutely stunned and surprised, and with my mouth agape by the time the credits rolled. Heath Ledger shocked everyone with his performance, and even without The Joker I feel this has a lot going for it, the pacing, the writing, and the immense weight the narrative carries without having to resort to a slew of action schlock. The action is just as intense as any Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich farce except in this case there’s weight and credibility going into it, so while these set pieces may not be as exaggerated or unnecessarily elaborate, they’re far more effective.
7. The Fly (1986) – Yes, I have seen the original 1958 film, and this is better.
8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2008) – I don’t think I have ever watched anything that satisfied the gamer, comic book fan and general geek in me more so than this hilarious, action-packed and extreme piece of fiction. Love the characters, love the story, love the antagonists, love the music, love the comedy, and love how much of a cult classic it’s already become.
9. Clerks (1994) – My favorite comedy and the debut film of my favorite director. Clerks is an example of how intriguing and funny the “mundane” really is.
10. Watchmen (The Ultimate Cut - 2009) – It would seem that I would end up watching the film before I had read the graphic novel from the always ingenious Alan Moore. While I feel that after I have read the graphic novel I do prefer it, I have nothing but good things to say about Zack Snyder’s adaptation, for the most part. The Ultimate Cut is the more complete experience, especially for fans of the source material, and while I wish the climax was handled with a little more depth, I still feel that this is one of the most effective comic book adaptations to date.
11. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Honestly, it was hard to choose between this and Return of the Jedi. The Empire Strikes Back is the darkest, the most tragic, and most well-handled of the Original Trilogy, and I chose it over Return of the Jedi because I seem to appreciate more every time I watch it, and Ewoks are too much of a flaw for the third installment. However, Return of the Jedi does have one of my favorite moments in all of cinema, when Luke flails his lightsaber about in rage and beats Vader into submission, gets my hair standing up every time.
12. The Green Mile (1999) – Nowadays it takes quite a bit for a film to get me emotional enough to moisten my eyes. For the record, Titanic doesn’t make me cry, at least not anymore, but this one always gets at least one out by the end of it all. The runtime compliments the ironic humility of the prison setting, mostly thanks to the effective cast, and another simple but great narrative makes this one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had for a motion picture.
13. American Psycho (2000) – The greatest black comedy I have ever watched, Bale never disappoints, and brings his A-game to the hilariously morbid Patrick Bateman. This is a character up to par with the likes of Alex DeLarge, Hannibal Lecter, and Norman Bates in terms of depth, mystery and overall effect.
14. The Terminator (1984) – I love film noir, I love dystopian fiction, I love sci-fi, and I love Arnold Schwarzenegger being a badass. Well, whaddya know? Here’s a film with all that and more. Yes, I favor the first film over the second, I also prefer Alien to Aliens, sue me.
15. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) – This is my favorite Disney animated film, though I admit it’s flawed. The scale, the artwork, the music, all fantastic. Tony Jay (R.I.P.) as Judge Claude Frollo makes this film for me, his performance, his voice, and the most epic villain song ever written and performed.
16. 12 Angry Men (1957) – This, along with To Kill a Mockingbird were among the first black and white films I ever gave the time of day. It was because of the two that I was able to appreciate not only black and white films, but the beauty of black and white photography in general, which later helped me love and appreciate film noir.
17. Unbreakable (2000) – Remember when M. Night Shyamalan wasn’t a joke? I attribute this to his style really only working twice. All his films display a detached, bleak, and practically soulless society, and it’s intriguing to a degree, and because the story is so immersive you can forgive Shyamalan’s extremely lackluster direction. After Signs though, the novelty seemed to wear off, and he has still continued with the same schtick. I enjoy Unbreakable because I am an avid fan of superheroes, and the way this particular story is handled is captivating and unique, and I appreciate Bruce Willis in subtler roles that help broaden his range. I would even go as far to say that this is kind of a mild art house take on the superhero genre, with its immense atmosphere and slow pacing as well as an ending that I actually like just as much the ending twist for The Sixth Sense.
18. Psycho (1960) – Halloween may have reinstituted the slasher genre, but Psycho had perfected it almost two decades prior. As talented as John Carpenter is, this is the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, there’s really nothing more to say in that particular aspect. Norman Bates is just one of those iconic and perplexing antagonists, constantly going from smiling and shy to strict and foreboding.
19. Good Will Hunting (1997) – Good Will Hunting is very much the kind of film I see myself writing, it has a simple but extremely effective narrative carried by well-casted actors that deals with real-life issues and argues different aspects of morality and logic without becoming patronizing.
20. Halloween (1978) – Most horror film fanatics have already talked to death about how much of a masterpiece of fiction this is, so I won’t bother trying to say something that hasn’t already been said. Being a film student who aspires for a screenwriting and directing position, Halloween speaks to me from a filmmaking standpoint, and how much can be done with so little. I will stand by my belief that Halloween wouldn’t have been nearly as good as it is if it had a much higher budget. Clever direction, fantastic soundtrack, and an impressive opening shot. It’s set a standard for modern horror films that I still feel hasn’t been matched.
21. Dances with Wolves (1990) – Part of the reason why Avatar has never really irked me as much as it has other viewers is because even when Dances With Wolves came out, the narrative was old hat. And wouldn’t you know it; Dances with Wolves won Best Picture at the Academy Awards as well as five Oscars. I never hear people bash on this film’s reputation though, and I wonder why that is. Yes, Dances with Wolves is a far more complete and finer executed film than Avatar, but the plot was just as tired then as it is now. What makes this differ is depth, a lot of time is devoted to John J. Dunbar in his intentional seclusion before he even meets one of the Native Americans, and his abandoned post is the product of military necessity and realistic casualty rather than greed and prejudice just for the sake of easy antagonists. Either way, I have only seen the 4-hour cut, no shorter, and like it just fine like that.
22. Lord of the Flies (1963) – I will come right out and say that I can understand Roger Ebert when he says this story is very dated, it’s part of the reason I didn’t care for the remake. However, I still feel that this is a story of great tragedy, nonetheless. Children portrayed in such an instinctual and savage nature makes for some great storytelling as the right-wing Ralph and Piggy attempt to remain civilized and logical rather than resorting to violence and petty thievery. A tale of adult conflict and warfare through the eyes of our youth is psychologically bewildering in a way, and while I do recall my creative writing instructor’s disparaging attitude towards the film, his disdain for it only came from him preferring the original novel, and since I have not read it, I can only judge the movie on its own, and on its own it’s great.
23. The Prince of Egypt (1998) – Being an atheist, you know this film did something right by me, because I love it. To me, DreamWorks has never topped this production. There was a great deal of heart and effort poured into this, and it shows in the presentation, the scale, the music, and the casting. In fact, there was so much work put into it that DreamWorks had doubts on whether they could pull off The Road to El Dorado, as they had felt that every bit of their creativity and passion had been used at that point. While I do like The Road to El Dorado for its fun, I can’t say they were far from that statement.
24. Batman (1989) – This is the film that introduced me to Batman in the first place, I watched it at a very young age, and it was from this and the spectacular Animated Series that I was able to become an avid reader and fan of not only Batman comic books, but comic books in general. While I do see the first Burton film in a different light nowadays, it has aged extremely well in my opinion, and I find myself enjoying it a little more every time I watch it. It may be fairly spotty in terms of its faith to the source material, but Keaton makes for a great Batman, and Nicholson a great Joker, and while Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite composers working in the industry, nothing beats Danny Elfman’s score for this flick. This remains one of my favorite comic book films of all time, and boasts one of my favorite soundtracks and endings as well.
25. Wall Street (1987) – Before Charlie Sheen was a warlock, he was a novice stockbroker trying to make it to the top. It may be difficult to believe, but our bi-winning, internet meme producing friend did have to kiss ass and complete errands for someone higher on the food chain than himself. Wall Street takes a mundane subject matter and turns it into a “little guy gets lucky” type of narrative, which may seem redundant up until this point but execution is what comes through in this case. Without a doubt, it was the performances that made this movie for me, particularly from Michael Douglas as the great Gordon Gekko. Gordon Gekko is the epitome of a “love-to-hate” villain to me, and I feel he is the most crucial factor to this presentation. And yes, I have seen the sequel, very moderate.
