For this post I decided it would be fun to introduce my top 10 films.
These are not neccessarily films I consider to undoubtedly be the best 10 films ever, they are just my personal favourites, although they are all excellent films worth seeing if you haven't.
Trying to cut my list of movies down to just 10 was very hard, so this is actually top 12 list.
I will list them in chronological order as orderering them from 1st -12th would be even harder.
For each film I will state the year released, directed, and the main cast, and a couple of sentences about the film and why I like it.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope – 1977, George Lucas; Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher.
I shouldn't need to say much about this one. It was the first Star Wars to be released and is brilliant in every way possible. If you haven't seen it you've either been living under a rock or haven't had access to a television. Either way I feel sorry for you.
This one is set during the Vietnam war and we follow a young Martin Sheen on his mission to deal with missing and presumed crazy Colonel Kurtz (Brando). The tone gets stranger and stranger as we follow Sheen deeper and deeper into the jungle. Pretty tough one to explain in a few sentences but with one liners like 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning', it's worth watching and rewatching.
The Terminator, 1984, James Cameron; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield.
iamge from: http://oneguyrambling.com/?p=3810
Another timeless sci-fi classic, and one that helped the careers of now hollywood big names James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hard to leave off any top 10 list.
image from: http://www.hdwpapers.com/full_metal_jacket_wallpaper_hd_2-wallpapers.html
Another Vietnam war film. I could've picked one of many Kubrick films, but ultimately this is my favourite. Fun fact: the guy who plays the drill sergeant was one in real life.
The Silence of the Lambs, 1991, Jonathon Demme; Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine, Scott Glenn.
image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_%28film%29
Apocalypse Now – 1979, Francis Ford Coppola; Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Marlin Brando
image from http://sites.duke.edu/apocalypse/?page_id=92
image from http://sites.duke.edu/apocalypse/?page_id=92
This one is set during the Vietnam war and we follow a young Martin Sheen on his mission to deal with missing and presumed crazy Colonel Kurtz (Brando). The tone gets stranger and stranger as we follow Sheen deeper and deeper into the jungle. Pretty tough one to explain in a few sentences but with one liners like 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning', it's worth watching and rewatching.
The Terminator, 1984, James Cameron; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield.
iamge from: http://oneguyrambling.com/?p=3810
Another timeless sci-fi classic, and one that helped the careers of now hollywood big names James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hard to leave off any top 10 list.
Full Metal Jacket, 1987, Stanley Kubrick; Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard, Ed O'Ross.
image from: http://www.hdwpapers.com/full_metal_jacket_wallpaper_hd_2-wallpapers.html
Another Vietnam war film. I could've picked one of many Kubrick films, but ultimately this is my favourite. Fun fact: the guy who plays the drill sergeant was one in real life.
The Silence of the Lambs, 1991, Jonathon Demme; Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine, Scott Glenn.
A excellent thriller that's a mix of horror and crime genres. Brilliantly led by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, despite the fact Hopkins has only 16 minutes screen time.
Dead Man – 1995 - Jim Jarmusch; Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Billy Bob Thornton,
Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover.
image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man
One of the lesser-known films on this list, described as 'psychaedelic western' by director Jarmusch and I think this is apt. Stars Johnny Depp and Gary Farmer, and also features interesting cameos from Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, Billy Bob Thornton, and Robert Mitchum in his final film role. The other big star, in my opinion, is Neil Young who provides a beautiful soundtrack. Oh and it's in black and white. If you can handle something different this is a masterpiece.
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, 1998, Guy Ritchie; Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Steven Mackintosh, Vinnie Jones, Sting.
It's a British gangster crime film and it's also a comedy; has an epic storyline with plot twists beyond clever. Helped launch the hollywood careers of ex pro footballer Vinnie Jones, and Jason Statham.
Saving Private Ryan, 1998, Steven spielberg; Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon
image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Private_Ryan
This World War 2 epic is set during the invasion of Normandy by the allies. After a brutal opening scene showing events of Omaha Beach we see Captain Miller (Hanks) lead a small unit on mission to (yes you guessed it!) save Private Ryan (Damon) whose 3 brothers have already been killed in action.
This World War 2 epic is set during the invasion of Normandy by the allies. After a brutal opening scene showing events of Omaha Beach we see Captain Miller (Hanks) lead a small unit on mission to (yes you guessed it!) save Private Ryan (Damon) whose 3 brothers have already been killed in action.
Fight club 1999 – David Fincher; Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter
image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club
I'm not even sure what genre of film this is. Maybe thriller. Fight Club is based on a novel of the same name and I guess the main story is about the coming of age of the main protagonist, whilst it makes comments on consumerism and other parts of society.
The Matrix, 1999, The Wachowski Brothers; Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishbourne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving.
It's a sci-fi, action film, made by Australians, it's got Keanu and it heavily references philosophy. What else could you want in a film?
American psycho, 2000, Mary Harron; Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon.
I'm not even sure what genre of film this is. Maybe thriller. Fight Club is based on a novel of the same name and I guess the main story is about the coming of age of the main protagonist, whilst it makes comments on consumerism and other parts of society.
The Matrix, 1999, The Wachowski Brothers; Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishbourne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving.
American psycho, 2000, Mary Harron; Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon.
Kids these days would know him as Batman, but in my opinion, Christian Bale did his best work in this horror/thriller as the ultimate yuppie with good taste in music but a lot of problems.
28 Days Later, 2002 – Danny Boyle; Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston.
28 Days Later, 2002 – Danny Boyle; Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston.
Image from: http://veryaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/28-DAYS-LATER.jpg
This is a British post apocalyptic / zombie which follows the struggle of four survivors after the breakdown of society. Another movie made stronger by an excellent soundtrack, put together by John Murphy. The sequel isn't nearly as strong but is saved by the wonderful Jeremy Renner. If you're after an excellent zombie movie and you've seen all Romero's then this is highly reccomended.
-James
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