My Favorite Movies

There are plenty of reviews spread out all over the internet telling you why this one's a must-see. They're all right. They've said damn near everything there is to say about it.

If I have a single gripe, it's that Ridley Scott--though he came close with Bladerunner--never surpassed this. And it's not that hard to see why: clever motion picture storytelling that still appeals to the masses doesn't get better than this.

When it comes to war comedies, M.A.S.H is pretty much the be all end all on most people's lists. This one, they file under satire. Or drama. Why? Cause it's fucking Kubrick, man!

Wrong. This is comedy. Great comedy. Tragic in parts, as all great comedy is.

Not convinced? Watch R. Lee Ermey's performance with a stern face. Not gonna happen.

It is a long standing tradition for biopics to be presented from a secondary character's point of view. In doing so, more often than not, the main character is glorified, perhaps made human. Not so here.

Much like Amadeus isn't about Amadeus, this is not a movie about Jesse James. In fact, the parallels are unmistakable. Much like Amadeus' nemesis with Mozart, Robert Ford is utterly smitten--or perhaps entranced is a better word--with the legend of Jesse James, and much like that film, it is the tragic story first of an idol's downfall in his admirer's eyes, and second, a ruthless story of indulgent rage.

Without a doubt my favorite movie of 2007.

In a word, gorgeous. Composed entirely of scenes from all over the world--in places both familiar and strange--this could very well be a retelling of the evolution of post-war humanity.

But the real beauty of this work is that it has no agenda, unless you delve too deeply. It is simply a record of our times.

Bloody hell! I'd nearly given up on Rodriguez after those horrible Spy Kids movies. This is his redemption. And maybe it's too early to call it so, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a camp zombie classic.

It's difficult to pick a favorite from Kurosawa's vast, impressive body of work. But if I had to choose just one Kurosawa movie to recommend, this would be it.

But it won't be the movie I'd name as an introduction to Kurosawa. That would be Rashomon; easily the most accessible of his films.

Any movie that can handle the fallacy of having children, promote alcohol, ridicule obesity, and shove a red hot poker of an insult at Jesus in the same scene wins in my book.

Let me be blunt: there are two kinds of people: those who like this movie, and those who haven't seen it yet.

The first time I saw it, I knew it was special. The fifth time I saw it, I realized why: Leone's best film is timeless.

Required viewing.

Polanski at his best.

A lush, commendable background score compliments some of the best cinematography I have seen.

I have a quibble or two with the story, but that's probably down to the film's release date more than anything else.

If I had to pick one Jack Nicholson film to watch, I'd pick Chinatown over The Shining.

A rare treat. Scorsese getting out of his comfort zone of gangsters and guns, and presenting a retelling of the biggest myth.

Dafoe, with his voice alone, was perhaps born to play this part.

Talk about giving us exactly what we need. Nearly two hours of Clint mouthing obscenity after obscenity and pulling it off with more charm than any Kevin Smith movie could ever possibly hope. Bless the old man.

Excellent. The last man on earth archetype never quite gets old, but here, it is handled almost flawlessly.

Geoffrey Rush's finest hour. While the movie shies away from depicting the desecration that was de Sade's era, you can't really expect another Caligula to ever slip past the horrible censors.

I wouldn't change a thing. Michael Douglas in the role of his life, giving brain-dead suburban America the punch in the guts it deserves with reckless glee. Favorite line: "Now you're gonna die wearing that stupid hat."

Proving yet again that expectations are the root of disappointment. Entering this movie expecting a science fiction seance is the wrong way of going about this. This is, above all, an action movie with its fly zipped up. At that, it excels. I don't know about you, but watching it was like having exactly the right sort of meal at the right time.

Timeless. The gadgets (tape recorders, anyone?) date the movie, but everything else demands repeat viewings. Can you believe this movie is almost three decades old now?

A sucker punch to every single Forrest Gump wannabe to come out of Hollywood.

2009 has been a good year for science fiction in movies. District 9 covered the action flick, with huge plot holes to boot. Moon, on the other hand, is rather something new. The trope of clones and identity has been dealt with before, but Moon's execution is pitch perfect. Coupled with Clint Mansell's score (highly reminiscent of Cliff Martinez's score of Soderbergh's highly underrated Solaris adaptation), it's a treat. Movies like these don't come along very often.