My Favorite Movies

This is the film that taught me that great cinema is universal and transcends language, lack of color, age, a long running time, or whatever else might stop you from seeing The Seven Samurai. Perhaps 20 minutes into the film I forgot that it was black and white, I forgot that it was subtitled, and I sat mesmerized until the credits rolled.

Combining a great story and great characters with action, wonderful performances (particularly by Toshiro Mifune, who is just astonishing here) and awesome direction, this is simply one of the best films ever made. This is my personal favorite Kurosawa film, and perhaps my favorite film period.

Influenced by western films, it's entertaining to note that this was re-made into the western The Magnificent Seven. The remake is quite good but certainly a step down.

Ever wanted to see a family movie/black comedy/musical/zombie film/just plain weird flick?

Ok, there aren't many zombies. But there are lots of inconvenient corpses.

A bizarre remake of a Korean horror/black comedy, this is one of my favorite films. And I normally don't like musicals. Your mileage may vary; this movie is probably of the love it or hate it variety.

Unlike many of Takashi Miike's better-known films, it's not about the ultra-violence; it's about a family bonding during extreme (and extremely weird) circumstances.

As the cover says, this is quite possibly the greatest French-language, English-subtitled, Japanese action-comedy of all time. Of course, if you speak French that probably wouldn't be totally accurate.

By turns funny, sentimental, violent and just plain entertaining. Jean Reno is great as a rule-breaking, heartbroken cop. Ryoko Hirosue's character should be annoying, but instead she's delightful. And Michel Muller makes me smile every time I see this- especially in the wasabi scene. The soundtrack is terrific too.

This isn't one of the greatest movies ever made, but it's one of my personal favorites.

Tropa de Elite is an amazingly good film; by turns brutally real and horrifyingly hilarious.

It claims to be based on a true story and I find that sadly believable. The main plot revolves around the captain of an elite police unit trying to find a replacement for himself, while dealing with the birth of his child and the horrendous stress of his job, and a mission to clear out a dangerously violent slum.

There are no wholly good people in the movie, and it's frighteningly easy to compare some of what goes on to things happening in the USA (and other places) today. That said, the system of government and policing portrayed comes across as so amazingly inept and awful that it's almost like something straight out of a nightmarish sci-fi dystopia.

If I had to compare it to other movies, it comes off as a cross between Brazil, Office Space, and Full Metal Jacket. Not for the weak of stomach, and you may find yourself greatly disagreeing with the ideals of various groups portrayed (which I believe is part of the point), but I would be enormously surprised if this movie doesn't make you think and give you something to talk about.

My top pick of 2007.