I hate the internets desire to boil things down and get the best desk chair, the best zen retreat, the best bohn mi. You can't just aim for all peak experiences, you have to muck through life and kiss the joys as they go by. Even so, I found myself enjoying this process. I'm concerned less and less with being objective, and just want to express my subjective truth.
1. Star Wars: New Hope (1977). When this film burst onto the scene, it was so good, there have been 11 more films, and 6 more are in planning, with 4 amazing shows: Boba Fett, Mandalorian, Andor and Obi Wan, and countless animation spinoffs. It's hard to not feel how fresh the first one is. It's 28th on IMDB, but I'm watching it 46 years later, after countless watches, and I still really love it. That people spoof this movie and that it's had such a cultural impact is amazing. It created the force. The friendship between C3PO and R2D2.
2. Seven Samurai (1954). Number 20 on IMDB, but I love it in my top 10. I haven't even seen Ran, which some think is his best, and I love Macbeth. The structure and flow of this one. So beautiful. I love westerns and I don't have any on this list, but this is practically a western, albeit in Japan. I love foreign movies.
3. Withnail and I (1987). "Scrubbers, look at them, they love it." The balloon theory of addiction is great. So much in this movie. Characters, location, setting, drama. I know people might not agree, but this is my list, and I think about this movie a lot and really enjoyed watching it, and over and over. The fear of being accused of being gay seemed really important growing up in Wisconsin, even if you know you're not and you wouldn't think it was bad if you were. Great theme, in another setting.
4. Naked (1993). Not even a huge fan of Mike Leigh but this one just hits right for me, somehow.
5. My Neighbor Totoro. Everyone has their favorite Miyazaki movie, there are so many great ones. Some say Spirited Away at 31 on IMDB.
6. The Big Lebowski (1998). I love Raising Arizona (1987) too, and the Coen Brothers whole oeuvre. Goodfella is ranked the highest on IMDB. Too many F bombs to show my children, one of the highest f bomb movies ever made. Not the top though.
7. Sunset Boulevard (1950). 58th on IMDB, I just love this classic film.
8. Shoot The Piano Player (1960). The director François Truffaut has many famous movies, but I enjoyed this one the most. I love French movies, and would put a lot on this list. Some people like other movies of his better. This is the one I enjoyed the most.
9. Casablanca (1942). Oldest film on the list, such a classic. I love Bogart. To Have And Have Not is a similar movie, that's just as good, and the young Lauren Bacall is amazing. Roger Ebert's #1.
10. Parasite (2019). Sitting on the toilet with the shit backing up, squirting out, has to be, for me, one of the best images of what life really is like. I usually don't like such violent movies, but this one has the most earned violence I've ever seen.
Just for fun I kept going:
11. The Third Man (1949). Orson Welles, James Cotton, Alida Valli. Set in Vienna Austria.
12. I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (2020). This puzzle of a movie, set in the heartland of America takes a while to figure out.
13. Amadeus (1984). I met Tom Hulce once. My friend was in a class he took on film making where you help others, and he bought me a softie.
14. Monty Python Holy Grail (1975). Meaning of Life and Life of Brian are great too.
15. Razor's Edge (1984). This is actually my number 1 in subjective personal meaning. Bill Murray rewrite a not great book by focusing on the most interesting character. An example of a better movie than the book.
16. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). That this movie would be banned in certain places, means there are certain places I don't want to go on this earth. Greatest midnight movie with audience participation movie ever.
17. V for Vendetta (2005) Annihilation is pretty good too. Has to be a Natalie Portman movie on my top 20. Black Swan gave her the Oscar. I enjoyed this movie most. Haven't read the comic, but I bet it's great too.
18. Brazil (1985). This dystopia hits just right and Gilliam's visual ability is amazing.
19. Hoop Dreams (1994). Lots of documentaries stick with me, but this one most. A Great Day In Harlem (1994) is another one I really loved. I love the Film Forum.
20 Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001). A picaresque tale. I don't know enough about Mexican film to make a top 10 list for them, but they deserve one.
For fun, I'm going to keep going.
21. Blade Runner (1982). Philip Dick is a great writer. Harrison Ford is in so many great movies. I don't think he's a great actor, but he sure finds his way onto great films. He's the Phil Jackson of male actors. He picks the right teams somehow.
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Love when the student blinks and on her eyelids say "love you".
23. Inherent Vice (2014). I just love Pynchon's book and to make a movie that doesn't totally butcher the book is a miracle.
24. Finding Nemo (2003). Have to include one kids animation movie, and this one is the best. Listen to your parents, the main theme of the bible.
25. Wizard of Oz (1939). When it goes from black and white to color, that's amazing. Judy Garland is such a tragic figure, but you can feel her suffering in her acting.
26. Raise The Red Lantern (1991). Zhang Yimou has higher rated films, maybe, but this one has stuck with me somehow. It's the best at a woman going crazy based on society's conditions. I connect that to a lot of fiction from Anna Karenina, to Edith Wharton, to so many other examples.
26. Crumb (1994). I was into documentaries in the early 90's or maybe they just made a lot of really good ones.
27. Winged Migration (2001). Documentary of birds flying. Great for kids too.
28. Titus (1999) by Julie Taymor. This is an amazing movie, blows me away.
29. Chimes of Midnight (1965). I love The Hollow Crown series of the 7 English histories, the War of the Roses. I can't list 7 movies, so I'll list this great Orson Welles mashup.
30 Romeo and Juliet (1968). This isn't my favorite play but this is the best movie of a Shakespeare play.
Last updated 4/12/23.
Comments
Post a Comment