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My Favorite Movies

Danny

	dannyratcliff's Rating	My Rating
1	Brazil 1985, R) When I was a kid there was this series on called Moviedrome on BBC2, as I remember it was on late on sunday nights, presented by someone (I NOW know to be Alex Cox) who spoke about films the way I felt about them - with passion, like they were friends that he was introducing/showing off to you. The series always aired the sort of films that you just wouldn't see anywhere else and were presented in a way that made them even more special. When I first saw Brazil I must have been around thirteen and my life wasn't going too great - the film's metaphors seemed to resonate incredibly with things that were happening to me at the time. As I've grown up watching it, it's layers seem to reveal more and more about the human condition and our will to break free from a seemingly (although never truly defined in the film) autocratic state, something which (perhaps a little melodramatically) I've sought to do my entire life. In between my scores of viewings of the film, I have read and seen many other books/films following a similar theme (1984 being the most obvious) but none seem to capture the innocence of Sam Lowry's dreams of a life outside the confines of his grey totalitarian existence. In his films since Brazil, I think only The Fisher King holds such a pure and wholesome desire line for the protaganist (perhaps this is a product of the blurring between right and wrong in the worlds of his later works) and I think that this is what struck a chord with me as a kid. Despite feeling as though I was becoming a man, like Lowry I was still naive and childlike inside, and felt that only real true love could help me escape my trouble. The broader understanding of film I've gained over the years has helped me enjoy this film all the more, but every time I see it, I'm still carried away with Sam as he soars toward Jill and freedom, only to be met with dread as the prison builds itself around him once again, while the ending carries easily as much resonance as that of 1984. I couldn't imagine not having this film in my life, and would recommend it to anyone who genuinely feels that they're trapped in a life over which they have (and have never REALLY had) any control, and I feel that with the world advancing in the way it is, it carries more weight as the years pass. If you're able to get the Criterion edition of the film, I'd recommend seeing all of the versions of the film, starting with the "Hollywood" version, as each one reveals a little more of Gilliam's genius, (ironically) illustrating the nature of the system that stifles HIS dreams and their route to us.
2	The Shawshank Redemption 1994, R) Many people compare this film to the works of Frank Capra, and I have to agree - to a point. The thing that seperates Shawshank from Capra's best works and puts it SO high on my list is the depth of character study in the supporting cast. Morgan Freeman (who, in the novella was actually a ginger irishman!) is absolutely superb, bringing real gravitas as the narrator, I can't think of another actor who could have played his role with such finesse. Bob Gunton is superb as the egomaniacal Warden, providing the spearhead of the trident of evil that seeks to crush Andy Dufresne's spirit, together with prisoner Bogs and Captain Hadley, who each have their own agenda, but quickly find themselves no match for Andy's guile. Where Shawshank transcends Capra's work, and indeed every other film in this genre is the depth and intensity of the hero's opponents - it is their actions which crystalise our will for Andy to overcome them and for justice to prevail. Perhaps the most poignant subplot is that of Brooks, who, after spending his entire life within the confines of Shawshank finds himself thrust out into a world he neilther can or will comprehend. This foreshadowing bodes ill for Red's eventual release, but on the off-chance that you haven't seen this wonderful film, I'll stop there. The spine of the picture is hope and, well, redemption, depicting a man determined not to be broken, despite overwhelming odds. Given that Darabont had precious little experience of dealing with anything of this size or scope before, it is all the more impressive that the film holds such resonance. There are precious few Stephen King stories that have been translated to the screen with anything approaching this level of elegance and dexterity and it is truly a credit to Frank Darabont that he has managed to capture this author's genius so succinctly. In any other year, I think this film would have made more of an impact at the Academy Awards, but despite this, I believe The Shawshank Redemption will continue to be shared as an intelligent, compassionate, sometimes harrowing personal story for genereations to come.
3	Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back 1980, PG)
4	The Godfather, Part II 1974, R)
5	The Usual Suspects 1995, R)
6	GoodFellas 1990, R)
7	Harold and Maude 1971, PG)
8	The Matrix 1999, R)
9	Seven (Se7en) 1995, R)
10	Rushmore 1998, R)
11	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975, R)
12	Carlito's Way 1993, R)
13	Say Anything... 1989, PG-13)
14	Taxi Driver 1976, R)
15	Scarface 1983, R)
16	Cool Hand Luke 1967, PG)
17	Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 1964, PG)
18	Withnail and I 1987, R)
19	The Princess Bride 1987, PG) One of the best movies ever - it's inconceivable that you could NOT like this film....Almost ten whole YEARS before Toy Story and Shrek wowwed the world with the revolutionary idea of making a grown-up kids movie, Rob Reiner made The Princess Bride. In my humble opinion, this film succeeds on every level (having been written by one of the world's leading script-doctors, it really should) - a perfectly balanced cast and beautifully subtle direction make this an all-time classic - a film that will NEVER date, and one that no-one, if they're really, really REALLY honest and truthful could ever say they dislike.... Next time you're feeling ill and have a day off, and you're sure that no-one is watching, try putting on this movie and remembering what it's like to be a kid again...
20	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 2005, PG-13)
21	The Shining 1980, R)
22	Forrest Gump 1994, PG-13) An all-time classic
23	The Graduate 1967, PG)
24	Glengarry Glen Ross 1992, R)
25	Chinatown 1974, R)
26	The Truman Show 1998, PG)
27	Casablanca 1942, PG)
28	The Blues Brothers 1980, R)
29	Pulp Fiction 1994, R)
30	Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 1977, PG) Cowboys in spaceships?...Epic sprawling space-opera...I've heard thsi film described a number of ways over the years, but however you try and dress it up, the film industry just would not work the way it does it today without this film and the way it made a whole generation think and feel. If you haven't seen it, you're an idiot...
31	Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) 2001, R)
32	Being There 1979, PG) This is precisely the sort of role that justifies Sellers' transcension from comic genius to quite simply one of the finest actors in cinema history. His portrayal of Chauncy (The) Gardener is a masterclass in understatement and timing, and were it not for Dustin Hoffman's performance in Kramer vs Kramer that year, I feel that Sellers would have surely won the Oscar for this role. Comparisons are rarely drawn between Sellers' role in this film and that of Forrest Gump, but it is impossible to imagine that this was not one of Hanks' major inspirations for his Oscar winning performance fifteen years later. As with many of the films I love, I wasn't around to see them when they were first released, and always wonder if there was controversy surrounding Being There when it was released. During the seventies there seems to have been quite a heavy backlash against films deemed to be sacriligious, and Chauncy walking on water at the end of the film (as well as his pure actions throughout the film) would seem to me to imply he was a re-incarnation of Jesus Christ. At times, the film is a little sluggish, and (I suspect as a result of Sellers' unusual acting style) some of the performances seem a little strained, but the tones and metaphors of the piece make up for any shortcomings, it seems a great travesty that Hal Ashby was not nominated for his direction. In short, Being There is an outstanding example of childlike innocence and deep-seated goodness beating out the corruption and stupidity of modern society - it takes gently (but accurate) swipes at a variety of social and political idiosyncracies, not least of all the President, with Chauncy being taken into the heart of everyone he comes into contact with. This film is a masterpiece and I'd recommend the film to anyone with a love of subtle comedy.
33	Three Colors: Blue (Trois Couleurs: Bleu) 1993, R)
34	Being John Malkovich 1999, R)
35	It's a Wonderful Life 1946, G)
36	Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) 1981, PG)
37	Ferris Bueller's Day Off 1986, PG)
38	Back to the Future 1985, PG)
39	Live and Let Die 1973, PG)
40	Twelve Monkeys (12 Monkeys) 1995, R)
41	Naked 1993, R)
42	Apocalypse Now 1979, R)
43	State of Grace 1990, R)
44	The Game 1997, R)
45	Blade Runner 1982, R)
46	Léon (The Professional) 1994, R)
47	Alien 1979, R)
48	Chasing Amy 1997, R)
49	2001: A Space Odyssey 1968, G)
50	Con Air 1997, R)
51	Barton Fink 1991, R)
52	The Departed 2006, R)
53	Citizen Kane 1941, PG)
54	A Short Film About Killing 1987, Unrated)
55	Gattaca 1997, PG-13)
56	The Untouchables 1987, R)
57	Angels with Dirty Faces 1938, Unrated)
58	A Short Film About Love 1988, Unrated)
59	The Godfather 1972, R)
60	Reservoir Dogs 1992, R)
61	Better Off Dead 1985, PG) One of the few teen comedies to stand shoulder to shoulder with John Hughes' back-catalogue, Better Off Dead is a weird hybrid of the teen genre, pulling in strange fantasy elements that were (unfortunately) reined in/diluted for the director's later movies. This is one of the truly original teen comedies in a decade awash with dull carbon-copies - using darker, more adult themes than many of it's peers to paint a broader, rounder picture of the times than one would first imagine. Lane's suicide attempts (I've always thought to be an homage to Harold and Maude), although played for laughs, strike a serious chord for such a "zany" comedy, and the drug references of the uber-cool Charles De Mar kinda outstrip the weed in Johnson's shorts (although I am in NOOO way rating Better Off Dead above The Breakfast Club) make this movie the logical step between the candy floss teen movie and their grown up counter-parts (St.Elmo's Fire, Bright Lights Big City etc.) Cusack shines (as always) bringing that little bit extra to the movie that, along with an incredibly quotable script, intelligent stereotype pastiches amongst an incredibly strong supporting character roster (I defy you to find a speaking character in the movie that you wouldn't want to know more about- even Taylor Negron's two lines as the postman are cool) and a cute love spine make this a real treat - if it suffers from anything, it's perhaps a little time-lag (you'll KNOW you're in 1985), but despite this, I'd recommend this over "big-boy smut" any day of the week...
62	Big 1988, PG)
63	Annie Hall 1977, PG)
64	In the Line of Fire 1993, R)
65	Benny & Joon 1993, PG)
66	Bottle Rocket 1996, R)
67	Magnolia 1999, R)
68	North by Northwest 1959, Unrated)
69	Raging Bull 1980, R)
70	JFK 1992, R)
71	Jaws 1975, PG)
72	Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 2002, PG)
73	Platoon 1986, R)
74	Mallrats 1995, R)
75	Aliens 1986, R)
76	Rocky 1976, PG)
77	The Cable Guy 1996, PG-13)
78	The Incredibles 2004, PG)
79	Toy Story 2 1999, G)
80	Strangers on a Train 1951, PG)
81	Toy Story 1995, G)
82	Take the Money and Run 1969, PG)
83	The Deer Hunter 1978, R)
84	Kill Bill: Volume 1 2003, R)
85	Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind 2004, R)
86	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2003, PG-13)
87	Die Hard 1988, R)
88	Heat 1995, R)
89	Goldfinger 1964, PG)
90	Kill Bill, Volume 2 2004, R)
91	Brian De Palma, l'incorruptible (The Life of Brian) (Brian De Palma: The Untouchable) 2002, Unrated)
92	Speed 1994, R) The words "High Concept" have been thrown around for years, filtering down from the industry, through lecturers in Film School/Magazines and directly into our squishy li'l minds...I don't believe that Ridley Scott EVER pitched Alien as "Jaws in space" or that Bruckheimer ever got funding from Paramount for "Top Gun with cars" when setting up Days of Thunder....I'm sure there are many films (many of them bad) that HAVE been green-lighted on such weak one sentence pitches, but few are memorable... Speed however is one of the rare examples of a movie that CAN be summed up in a couple of sentences and still be incredibly enjoyable..great pace (obviously), witty dialogue, amazing action sequences, a truly believable bad-guy and anice love story make this one of the true greats of modern action films...
93	The City of Lost Children (La Cité des Enfants Perdus) 1997, R)
94	Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977, PG)
95	The Karate Kid 1984, PG)
96	Falling Down 1993, R)
97	Die Hard 3: With a Vengeance 1995, R)
98	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001, PG-13)
99	Die Hard 2 (Die Hard 2: Die Harder) 1990, R)
100	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 1999, PG) When this originally came out, the hype surrounding meant it HAD to be hated by some people, and Jar-Jar was the object of their scorn. Now I'll admit that he ain't the LEAST annoying character in motion picture history, but does that have to detract from the rest of the film/....I personally found little Anakin's performance to be FAR more annoying than Jar-Jar, but I got over it, and still find Ep 1 a great opening chapter to one of the greatest adventures ever told...
101	Duel 1972, PG)
102	Zelig 1983, PG)
103	Slackers 2002, R)
104	Moulin Rouge! 2001, PG-13)
105	Go 1999, R)
106	Great Expectations 1998, R)
107	Sexy Beast 2001, R)
108	Pee-wee's Big Adventure 1985, PG)
109	The King of Comedy 1983, PG)
110	Snatch 2001, R)
111	Dancer in the Dark 2000, R)
112	Amateur 1994, R)
113	Manhunter 1986, R)
114	Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) 1954, Unrated)
115	Near Dark 1987, R) The undisputed best vampire film...ever...no really...
116	Shrek 2 2004, PG)
117	Rashômon (Rashomon) (In the Woods) 1951, Unrated)
118	Bull Durham 1988, R)
119	Raising Arizona 1987, PG-13)
120	La Haine (Hate) 1995, R)
121	Groundhog Day 1993, PG)
122	The Spanish Prisoner 1997, PG)
123	C'est arrivé près de chez vous (Man Bites Dog) (It Happened in Your Neighborhood) 1991, NC-17)
124	Swingers 1996, R)
125	The Roaring Twenties 1939, Unrated)
126	Running on Empty 1982, R)
127	Shrek 2001, PG) Along with The Incredibles, Shrek shows us what can now be achieved pure CGI - posing the question - how much longer does live-action really have left?
128	Meet Joe Black 1998, PG-13)
129	Leaving Las Vegas 1995, R)
130	Double Indemnity 1944, Unrated)
131	Singles 1992, PG-13)
132	Vertigo 1958, PG)
133	South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut 1999, R)
134	Taxi 1998, Unrated)
135	The Third Man 1949, Unrated)
136	Videodrome 1983, R)
137	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002, PG-13)
138	Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead 1990, PG)
139	The World According to Garp 1982, R)
140	Cidade de Deus (City of God) 2002, R)
141	Romeo + Juliet 1996, PG-13)
142	Once Were Warriors 1994, R)
143	Gladiator 2000, R)
144	Chopper 2000, R)
145	The Rules of Attraction 2002, R)
146	The Hudsucker Proxy 1994, PG)
147	Spun 2002, R)
148	Clueless 1995, PG-13)
149	Schindler's List 1993, R)
150	Dog Day Afternoon 1975, R)
151	Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 1983, PG) Ewoks and an obnoxious hero?...So WHAT??? it's Star Wars for christ sake!!!!
152	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003, PG-13)
153	The Postman Always Rings Twice 1981, PG)
154	A Clockwork Orange 1971, R)
155	Teen Wolf 1985, PG)
156	Bringing Up Baby 1938, Unrated)
157	Planet of the Apes 1968, G)
158	Great Expectations 1946, Unrated)
159	The Secret of My Success 1987, PG-13)
160	Malcolm 1986, PG-13)
161	About Last Night... 1986, R)
162	Chuck & Buck 2000, R)
163	Run Lola Run (Lola rennt) 1998, R)
164	The Wizard of Speed and Time 1988, PG) It's never mentioned on the same league as Jason And The Argonauts or King Kong, but if you want to see an impressive amount of stop-motion in a movie without any real semblance of coherant narrative or character development, then this is the one for you!!
165	The Last Boy Scout 1991, R)
166	Wings of Desire 1987, PG-13)
167	Memento 2000, R)
168	Pi 1998, R)
169	La Double Vie de Véronique (The Double Life of Veronique) 1991, R)
170	Buffalo 66 1998, R)
171	Palookaville 1995, R)
172	Fall 1997, Unrated)
173	If Lucy Fell 1996, R)
174	The Goonies 1985, PG)
175	Sin City 2005, R)
176	Bad Boy Bubby 1993, Unrated)
177	Reality Bites 1994, PG-13)
178	Before Sunrise 1995, R)
179	Slacker 1991, R)
180	Dazed and Confused 1993, R)
181	Gummo 1997, R)
182	Saturday Night Fever 1977, R)
183	Happiness 1998, NC-17)
184	Secretary 2002, R)
185	Delicatessen 1991, R)
186	Pretty Woman 1990, R)
187	Heathers 1988, R)
188	Untamed Heart 1993, PG-13)
189	Pump up the Volume 1990, R)
190	Empire Records 1995, PG-13)
191	True Romance 1993, R)
192	A Life Less Ordinary 1997, R)
193	The Royal Tenenbaums 2002, R)
194	Stand by Me 1986, R)
195	Pretty in Pink 1986, PG-13)
196	American Beauty 1999, R)
197	Jackie Brown 1997, R)
198	Mean Girls 2004, PG-13)
199	Edward Scissorhands 1990, PG-13)
200	Donnie Darko 2001, R)
201	Best in Show 2000, PG-13)
202	Blow Out 1981, R)
203	House of Games 1987, R)
204	Lost In Translation 2003, R)
205	Fight Club 1999, R)
206	American History X 1998, R)
207	Two Girls and a Guy 1998, R)
208	Threesome 1994, R)
209	Election 1999, R)
210	About Schmidt 2002, R)
211	Good Will Hunting 1997, R)
212	To Die For 1995, R)
213	Sixteen Candles 1984, PG)
214	Weird Science 1985, PG-13)
215	Punch-Drunk Love 2002, R)
216	Can't Buy Me Love 1987, PG-13)
217	The Virgin Suicides 1999, R)
218	Fargo 1996, R)
219	The Big Lebowski 1998, R)
220	The Breakfast Club 1985, R)
221	The Warriors 1979, R)