Comments? Click here
© 2006 by Stephen
Rowley
Both of the following lists (my top ten films and
then my list of assorted other favourites) are very personal. I've made
no attempt to impress anybody by listing obscure films or any movies
that might otherwise be seen as having a particular cultural
credibility. While I think all are great films (in any sense of the
term), I don't claim this as a list of the greatest films ever made.
This is a strictly personal list of the
films that mean the most to me - and it is therefore shaped by my
personal
biases and experiences (a fair few here are films I first saw as a kid,
which means nostalgia is part of my relationship to them). For example,
in the "favourites" list I've listed M. Night Shyamalan's Signs,
but
I've left off its obvious inspiration, George A. Romero's Night of
the
Living Dead. Do I really think Signs is a better movie than
Romero's
undeniable classic? No - but I saw Signs on its initial
release, and
Romero's on video, and I just feel more of a personal connection with
Shyamalan's
film. Whenever I tried to make this list more respectable by slipping
in
more classics it stopped feeling like my list, even if I admired the
film
greatly.
So with that disclaimer out of the way, here's a
rough list of the films I really love. The top ten are in no particular
order, the favourites are alphabetically listed.
Jaws (Steven Spielberg), 1975
A film that has undeniably become something of an
obsession for me. Steven Spielberg's entire career (with the exception
of E.T.) has to me been simply a long, drawn out sequel to this
masterpiece. Spielberg has never been given his due credit as a
director of suspense, but the
intricate trickery of this film shows it is an area he can excel at. A
fine cast, classic score, and brilliant editing make the experience
complete.
It is a shame that Spielberg has never quite acknowledged the
brilliance
of this piece: the relative inadequacy of Jurassic Park and The
Lost World may have something to do with his unwillingness to look
closely at the time he got it right. (Full review).
Best moments: The pond sequence and the lead-up to it; Quint's Indianapolis speech.
Fantasia (Various), 1940
Perhaps the crucial turning point in the history of animation was this monumental work by Walt Disney, setting cartoons to classical music. It was a failure with critics and audiences on its original release, and Disney went scuttling back to kiddie fare. Yet the reaction was due simply to Fantasia's audacity: nobody in 1940 was ready to take an animated film seriously. Some sequences earned the scorn (most notably the saccharine "Pastoral Symphony") but the others remain absolutely stunning. An enormous technical and artistic achievement, it is also of note for being the only Disney film to feature topless women.
Best moment: What else but Chernobog?
E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg), 1982
Spielberg's other classic, the best film of the
eighties. Occasionally called manipulative, but - with the exception of
one scene - I would argue that it's by far Spielberg's most sincere
film: the
only cynicism or bad thoughts to be found are those that the audience
bring in with them. Watching E.T. is like going back to
childhood,
or into a pleasant dream. Beautifully acted by a cast of unknown
children,
back before they developed drug problems. Let's just hope Spielberg has
the sense to abandon his planned "Special Edition:" this is a fragile,
fragile thing, and one touch will bring it down. (Full
Review).
Best moment: "Why can't he just beam up?"
The Court Jester (Norman Panama & Melvin Frank), 1956
Has been described as the funniest film ever made, and it's a hard claim to argue with. Danny Kaye is brilliant in the title role, and is ably backed up by a swathe of character actors being as silly as possible. Beautifully worked out, combining farce with a great deal of tricky wordplay. It's also hard not to like a film that can cast Glynis Johns as a romantic lead.
Best moment: The "pellet with the poison" discussion.
The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner), 1980
The only Star Wars film that wasn't scripted by George Lucas, and by far the best. Coincidence? I think not. Rises above the level of its peers through its increased attention to the characters (they become more believable and wittier) and the stunning imagery. Demand the original version, not the redundant "Special Edition," which screws up a key sequence.
Best moments: The asteroid chase; Vader confronts Luke.
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick), 1968
Everyone talks about how spectacular, how mind-blowing and how influential this film was: nobody makes clear how unbearably creepy it all is. That's the factor that I find most interesting. Still, it is fascinating as a narrative experiment, and the special effects, in their own way, remain unsurpassed. Kubrick at first appears to be being irritatingly pretentious, but take another look and his message is actually much more coherent than in Clarke's dull, nuts-and-bolts novel.
Best moment: Dismantling HAL.
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino), 1994
I said on the day I first saw this that it would be
remembered as the best film of the nineties - and I stand by my claim.
It seems to
be hip now to dislike Tarantino, to dismiss his work as all show and no
substance: but, seen alongside Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction
is actually an extremely intelligent rumination on the relations
between
crime, movies, and the creation of self-image. It is also very funny,
beautifully
constructed, and directed by Tarantino with a flair that is too often
overlooked. (Full Review).
Best moment: Sorry, Marvin.
American Graffiti (George Lucas), 1973
Back then they got nostalgic for the sixties - these days we get nostalgic for the days when Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith had hair. Before George Lucas stopped making films in favour of playing with computers, he directed this gem that nicely captures a moment in the lives of a number of high school graduates (plus one twelve year old). The episodic, multi-stranded narrative is handled with finesse and superbly pulled together at the end. And remember: "Your car is even uglier than I am!"
Best moment: Did that girl say "I love you?"
Raiders
of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg), 1981
Okay, I'm overdoing both Lucas and Spielberg on this
list - but I'm being honest, and who doesn't love their great tribute
to Saturday afternoon serials? An all time classic action movie,
Spielberg's third movie on my list, and the second Lawrence Kasdan
script.
Best moment: "It's beautiful."
On Her
Majesty's Secret Service (Peter Hunt), 1968
Most of these films could be rotated in or out of
the
above list, depending on mood.
Airplane! (Jim
Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry
Zucker), 1980
A legitimate, gold plated modern comedy classic.
Aliens
(James Cameron), 1986
Far and away Cameron's best film, an action classic
that also matches Ridley Scott's predecessor for suspense. (Full Review).
Back to
the Future (Robert Zemeckis), 1985
Beautifully worked out comedy with real heart. (Full Review).
The
Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick &
Eduardo Sanchez), 1998
History will vindicate this film, not only a ground
breaker in terms of technique but simply one of the most effective
horror films there is. (Full Review).
The Blues
Brothers (John Landis), 1980
Accused on release of being vulgar and extravagant,
but it's one of the few films that actually successfully makes a joke
out
of its own enormity. Funny, full of wonderful music, and with great
performances.
The
Castle (Rob Sitch), 1997
Australian feel-good comedy that through its sheer
sincerity and good humour makes a virtue of its extreme simplicity. (Full Review).
Citizen
Kane (Orson Welles), 1941
So brilliant it's sort of creepy; probably the most
fun of the classics they force you to sit through in university film
class. The Susan Alexander sequences irritate me but the rest is so
good it overcomes it. (Essay).
Chungking
Express (Wong Kar-Wai), 1994
Entrancing film telling two stories of missed
connections and romantic obsession in Hong Kong.
Die Hard
(John McTiernan), 1988
The most unpleasant, dislikable film on my list -
but I
love action films and they don't get any better. The last of an old
breed in a way - it upped the ante for excitement and 90s action movies
would be far more hyperbolic as a result.
Dr No
(Terence Young), 1962
Lean thriller that just happens to be the first Bond
film. Anchored around Connery's iconic performance - can you watch his
first scene without getting chills down your spine? (Full
Review).
Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry), 2004
Really moving rumination on memory and relationships
is the best film I've seen in years. (Full
Review).
The General
(Buster
Keaton & Clyde Bruckman ), 1927
Keaton's sublime chase comedy. (Full
Review).
The Godfather
(Francis Ford Coppola), 1972
The
Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (Sergio Leone),
1968
My personal favourite of Leone's westerns: the finale is one of the
best scenes ever shot. (Full Review).
The Graduate
(Mike Nichols), 1967
Never mind that it doesn't actually seem to be as
subversive as the youth audience of the sixties apparently believed: an
expertly done social comedy featuring a great performance by Dustin
Hoffman. (Full Review).
The Iron
Giant (Brad Bird), 1999
My pick as the peak of the 90s animation revival,
even better than Pixar's films.
The Incredibles
(Brad Bird), 2004
Brad Bird's first film for Pixar is an instant
classic. (Full Review).
Kill Bill: Volume 2
(Quentin Tarantino), 2004
The second, and much stronger, part of Tarantino's
genre homage. (Full Review).
Mad Max 2 (George Miller), 1981
Quite possibly the best action film ever made: it did for action what Leone did for westerns.
Manhattan
(Woody Allen), 1979
A loving tribute to a city and the rare Allen film
with a happy ending. More a tribute to a state of mind, really.
The
Matrix (Larry & Andy Wachowski), 1999
Just one of those films that works at every level. (Full Review).
Disney's creepiest movie, a haunting morality tale.
Can you believe they released this and Fantasia in one year?
Psycho
(Alfred Hitchcock), 1960
Hitchcock's ultimate sick joke is the foundation of
modern horror cinema. Anthony Perkins' performance is unforgettable. (Full Review).
The
Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan), 1999
Perfectly rounded screenplay that is moving even
once you
know the "twist." Shyamalan is one of my favourite filmmakers and he
deservedly
made his name with this. (Full Review).
Signs
(M. Night Shyamalan), 2002
Night of the Living Dead for a new
generation: cheesy
but beautifully done. Technically an inferior film to both The
Sixth Sense
(which I have put on my list) and Unbreakable (which I haven't)
but
it's so much more laid back that it's probably the most outright fun of
the
three. (Full Review).
South
Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut (Trey
Parker), 1999
Yes, I'm for real: I think time will be kind to this
movie
and allow it to be seen as something other than just a TV spin-off. At
once
a great satire and a perfect parody of Disney movies (and a million
other
things). The damn thing has only gotten more topical since it was made.
Star Wars
(George Lucas), 1977
I don't care what anybody says: this is a towering
achievement in fantasy cinema.
There's
Something About Mary (Peter & Bobby
Farrelly), 1998
A guilty pleasure but too funny to leave off the
list. (Full Review).
The
Third Man (Carol Reed), 1949
Haunting mystery set in postwar Vienna; Orson Welles
makes it as Harry Lime, but Joseph Cotton is always great. The best
scenes in Citizen Kane were between these two, and here we get
them again.
Top
Secret! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and
Jerry Zucker),
1984
Not quite as funny as Airplane!, but much
cleverer.
12 Angry Men
(Sidney Lumet), 1957
Lumet's minimalist jury room drama is absolutely
riveting. Reginald Rose's screenplay (originally written for
television) is one of the best ever. (Full Review).
The Tune (Bill Plympton), 1992
Masterful animated film from Bill Plympton, best
known for his short work. Extremely clever, and doubly admirable for
being
made for virtually nothing.
What's Up Doc?
(Peter Bogdanovich), 1972
Generally given short shrift by critics, who I think
are wary of its derivataveness, Bogdanovich's wonderful screwball
comedy homage will hopefully start to achieve recognition in its own
right now that it is over thirty years old itself.