Criteria:
Personal opinions
No TV movies or mini-series
I can have two films tied, or an entire series or trilogy combined into one slot.
40. Ed Wood: One of Tim Burton's best, it follows the fascinating and oddball career of one of Hollywood's most eccentric and notorious filmmakers: Ed Wood, who is often labeled "The Worst Director of All Time". It chronicles the making of his three of his most infamous films: Glen or Glenda, Bride of the Monster, and (the "worst film ever made") Plan 9 from Outer Space. It's got a fantastic score inspired by cheap B-movies from the 50's (the films Wood was best known for) and a stellar cast, featuring Johnny Depp in one of his better performances, and Martin Landau, who is so good as Bela Lugosi, he almost becomes him. Landau was so good in the role he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It was definitely well-deserved.
39. Blade Runner: Ridley Scott's visually stunning and dark adaptation of Philip K. Dick's cult sci-fi novel, Blade Runner was a commercial and critical flop when first released in 1982, but has since gained a strong fan following and has been hailed by audiences and critics as one of the best science fictions films of all time. A moody movie that paints a dark portrait of Los Angeles in the future, it's basically a classic noir film in a sci-fi setting. The shadows, smoke-filled rooms, and characters all scream classic detective movie. Harrison Ford is cast a bit against type, as a gruff, but ultimately compassionate gumshoe detective who would be right at home in a 1940's pulp magazine. Rutger Hauer also gives a creepy performance as the film's villain Roy Batty (a fitting name for such a crazy character), a renegade robot who has come looking for his creator. A terrifying force to be reckoned with, Batty is absolutely insane and will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals, and also delivers one of the more gruesome deaths in sci-fi cinema: gauging a dude's eyes out and crushing his head in. Everything about this movie is awesome, from the acting, to the thrilling action sequences, to the multiple controversial endings, to the complex storyline, to the synthesizer score, to the amazing visuals and special effects, there's no way to not like this movie even just a little bit.
38. Who Framed Roger Rabbit: A childhood favorite of mine, it's a parody of noir mystery films, involving cartoon characters. In a world where cartoons and humans live side by side, a detective who hates cartoons must prove the innocence of a famous and slightly crazy cartoon star named Roger Rabbit, who is framed for the murder of Marvin Acme, a prank shop mogul who was having an affair with Roger's femme fatale wife. It's more for the nostalgia than anything, but you can't deny it's a timeless and very entertaining movie. It's also one of the few times that animation and live-action blend perfectly. It's also the only time you'll probably ever see Donald Duck and Daffy Duck or Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny together on screen, and that's pretty awesome.
37. Interview with the Vampire and Bram Stoker's Dracula (tie): I couldn't decide between these two amazing vampire movies, so I gave them both their own slot. The former is the dark and somewhat erotic adaptation of Anne Rice's Lestat book series, well, the first book. It follows Brad Pitt, who becomes a vampire in the 1700s after he is bitten by the mysterious and somewhat malicious vampire Lestat, portrayed by Tom Cruise, who surprisingly really owns the role. The whole movie is really well-done, but it's also very tense and kind of fucked up. Pitt is the narrator of the film, as he is being interviewed by a reporter played by Christian Slater, and you can tell after all the horrific shit that's happened to him over the course of his life that he's a really jaded, bitter person, and the movie portrays the world as this evil, cruel place where no one is safe. It's really messed up and bleak, but I really like it, but maybe I'm just a morbid bastard. The latter is Francisc Ford Copolla's big budget, star-studded adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic novel. Although Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves aren't good in it, they are made up for by the amazing Gary Oldman and the fantastic Anthony Hopkins, who both own their roles as Dracula (in several forms) and Van Helsing, respectively. Oldman puts on an incredible Romanian accent, and has an impressive range, going from suave and seductive to terrifying and malevolent in seconds. Hopkins is a great Van Helsing, and also puts on a convincing German accent. The visuals and special effects of this movie are pretty inventive and are astounding for the time. I can't get enough of these movies, and I definitely recommend you give them a watch around Halloween, or any time really.
36. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: This one is more of a nostalgic thing for me. However, it is well-acted (especially from the supporting cast of adults, which includes Maggie Smith, Kenneth Branagh, Alan Rickman, Jason Isaacs, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Julie Walters, Richard Harris, Richard Griffiths, David Bradley, and Fiona Shaw) and has great special effects for 2002. This film is also a bit darker than the first film, and has more action. This is also actually the longest film in the series, which I was surprised by, because it moves at a brisk pace and feels shorter than it is. It's got a surprisingly good story and it's my personal favorite of the series.
35. Sin City: In Robert Rodriguez's incredibly detailed and visionary adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels, we take a journey to Basin "Sin" City, a shadowy hellhole plagued by corruption, crime, and morally ambiguous characters. With an all-star cast, heavily stylized and ultra-violent action sequences, a surreal but intriguing universe, compelling characters, a unique musical score, and groundbreaking special effects, it's no wonder this one was a box office and critical success. I love this movie and the books it's based on for the noir-esque writing and narration, the incredible action scenes, and stunning visuals. I can't wait for the long-postponed sequel scheduled to come out in August.
34. Trainspotting: Danny Boyle's cult hit about junkies in Scotland is a fantastic movie that I only recently watched (summer 2013), but I loved it instantly. Ewan McGregor leads a stellar cast featuring Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle, Kevin McKidd, Kelly Macdonald, and James Cosmo. A twisted and unique film, the first half is a dark comedy about heroin addicts and sociopaths, but the second half takes a hard left turn, and becomes a disturbingly harsh and real story of what happens when you lose yourself to addiction. With a bittersweet ending and a killer soundtrack (featuring great artists like Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Joy Division, and Damon Albarn), it's almost impossible not to love this film. It's highly acclaimed and loved for a good reason: it's absolutely brilliant, funny, dramatic, and very real.
33. The Blair Witch Project: I thought this was definitely the scariest and most influential horror film of the last 20 years, and I still think it's the best found footage movie of all time. It's got this amazingly detailed and eerie backstory which was further explored in spin-off documentaries and websites, and the film itself is so raw. It's a very disorienting and distressing film, that shows the deteriorating state of mind the characters go through as they get lost in the woods and begin encountering possibly supernatural forces. This film really exemplifies the horror film principle of "what you don't see is more horrifying than what you do see". From eerie moments like the explanation of what happened to a scouting party from Blair, Maryland when they got lost in the woods; to the heartbreaking and iconic scene where one of the main characters breaks down crying on camera in the middle of the night, confessing to the camera and apologizing to her family and friends and the peers of her fellow crew members that she has accepted they will die in those woods, almost every scene in this harrowing movie is perfectly executed, and it's one of my favorite horror films of all time.
32. Batman: Although it's not the best Batman film, it was the first major Batman film to be true to the tone of the comics. Even though it's typical Tim Burton (style over substance, creepy, etc.), it really worked for the time, and it broke box office records. Michael Keaton may not be a great Bruce Wayne, I personally feel he plays it a bit too awkward and eccentric, but he's a fantastic Batman. Just his voice and the way he does it is amazing. Jack Nicholson was the best choice to play the Joker at the time, despite the fact he really just plays a more demented version of himself. Kim Basinger is a bit irritating, but she does okay. The action scenes are a bit few and far between, and are a bit awkward at times (Keaton's rubber suit looks pretty constricting), but overall it's an entertaining and faithful superhero film that's moody, darkly comical at times, stylish, and fast-paced.
31. Airplane!: This classic parody film is a bit sophomoric at times, and does feel a bit dated at certain points, but I still think it's hilarious. It's absurdist spoof humor at it's best, and the filmmakers working on parody films today should take note (I'm taking to you, Seltzerberg). A laugh-out-loud look at disaster films that were very popular in the 70's (The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, etc., but in particular the Airport series). This was also the film that completely changed Leslie Nielsen's career, he shifted from serious performances to deadpan spoof comedy, and proved he was actually really good at the latter. You really can't not like this movie, it kind of appeals to everyone. It's almost timeless in a way, and it shows how great spoof movies used to be. If more modern parody films were more like this, the world would be a better place for moviegoers.
(Images: Wikipedia)Runner-ups: American Graffiti, Tombstone, Highlander, Half Baked, Scream, Tremors, Gremlins, Singin' in the Rain, Chicago, Watchmen, Saw, Insidious, Sinister.
No comments:
Post a Comment