BraedenG33's Top 50 Favorite Films of All Time

[BraedenG33]

BraedenG33's Top 50 Favorite Films of All Time

Hey mofo's, this is my first list on the site so even I'm not totally sure what to expect but I am very excited to put out a list showing my favorite films of all time (at least that I've seen so far). There are so many great movies that even cutting it down to 50 was difficult, but I did it.

This is only how I feel right now, there are so many more movies to see and appreciate that I'm sure even a month from now my opinion might be different as I see more films, particularly a lot of older classic films I need to catch up on (I'm only 17, I've got a lot of catching up to do).

I can't wait to get some feedback and see what you guys think of my list!

The List:
HMs: The Revenant; Guardians of the Galaxy; Terminator 2: Judgment Day; Snowpiercer; Selma; Dawn of the Planet of the Apes; Goodfellas; Big Hero 6; Kingsman: The Secret Service; The Imitation Game
50. Memento
49. The Prestige
48. Man of Steel
47. Creed
46. North By Northwest
45. Aliens
44. Captain America: The First Avenger
43. Batman Begins
42. Star Trek Into Darkness
41. Mad Max: Fury Road
40. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
39. X-Men: First Class
38. Reservoir Dogs
37. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
36. The Terminator
35. Iron Man
34. Deadpool
33. Blade Runner
32. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
31. The Avengers
30. Rear Window
29. Star Trek
28. Super 8
27. Gladiator
26. Inside Out
25. Ex Machina
24. Alien
23. Drive
22. Interstellar
21. The Iron Giant
20. Return of the Jedi
19. Captain America: Civil War
18. The Social Network
17. Ratatouille
16. Spirited Away
15. The Incredibles
14. The Martian
13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
12. Wall-E
11. The Lion King
10. Saving Private Ryan
9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
8. The Matrix
7. Whiplash
6. Star Wars
5. The Dark Knight
4. Jurassic Park
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Inception
1. The Empire Strikes Back

Starting off the list with...

50. Memento
https://flavorwire.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/memento.png?w=1444

Starting off the list with one of the first films of one of my all-time favorite directors, Christopher Nolan. It was an incredibly well made and inventive film with the reverse-storytelling that it is known for. It keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat as you try to piece together to puzzle of what happened to the wife of amnesiac protagonist, Leonard, portrayed very well by Guy Pearce.

It's the kind of film you simply have to watch more than once to really appreciate it, and it holds up well on multiple viewings. And in the end you're never quite sure you know what happened. It would be easy to have a complex narrative like this one become too confusing to keep track of, particularly in how it is presented, but Nolan is able to handle the material masterfully as usual. The strategic use of black and white during certain scenes to demonstrate the differences between the two timelines of the film was a brilliant move.

I have very little else to say other than it was a brilliant and original thriller and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has not seen it.

4.5

[cricket]

Memento is a good flick, bring on the rest:)

[BraedenG33]

49. The Prestige
http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/images/film/the-prestige/w1280/the-prestige.jpg

Another Nolan film coming in early on my list, the Prestige is a film I only saw for the first time about a year ago and was really impressed with it. I'm a huge fan of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman and seeing them on screen going against each other was great. The two stars portray magicians in the early 1900s who push each other to extremes trying to outdo each other, who can create the more fantastical illusion. Featuring a great ending twist and a great cameo by the late David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, the film does an excellent job of building intensity as the two characters get pushed further and further in pursuit of greatness.

Another great thing about this film is that there is no clear-cut good guy that you root for, your alignment switches at different times between Bale's character and Jackman's, and while in some films this lack of a clear character to attach to can be frustrating, it works very well in this film, as you feel for both characters and they're very well-realized in their motivations.

The film also works very well as a period piece, as the production design is very well-done and really transports you to that time (the appearance of famous historical figures of the time such as Bowie's Tesla helps to sell this as well, which was a smart move in the screenwriting process).

One thing this movie is known for is the parallels between this film and the art of filmmaking, as it's method for describing the sleight of hand is also very descriptive of the magical qualities that film has of selling it's stylized reality (particularly in the area of special effects). I think this is something you could say about many of Nolan's films, which is one of the many reasons I love his work so much. His films are always a study into the craft of filmmaking and a love letter to it, and as an aspiring filmmaker myself the way you can see his respect for film in his movies and rich knowledge of it is something I can appreciate.

One of Nolan's arguably lesser known films, but also one of his best, the Prestige is a masterfully intense period film with depth and intrigue and inventive filmmaking that you would expect from Nolan.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

48. Man of Steel
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Perhaps the most divisive film that will appear on this list, I am one of the people out there that really loved Man of Steel (and on the subject I actually like Batman vs Superman too, though not as much, hence it won't appear on this list). Zack Snyder's take on Superman's origin is very well done in my opinion. Snyder, despite his flaws with narrative, is a director I definitely appreciate for his skill and unique style with visuals. Man of Steel is a beautifully shot film. I also really appreciated the way they presented the Superman character. He's not just superman, he's Clark Kent first. He's just a guy from Kansas who wants to do the right thing. The fact that he has godlike powers isn't the defining trait of his character.

One of the key flaws that people have with this movie is the overwhelming destruction in the final action sequence. And while I do think that final sequence was a bit longer than it needed to be, I still loved it, as it was a visual spectacle, and the destruction made sense for the story, you're dealing with the two most powerful beings earth has ever seen, collateral damage is to be expected, and if Superman hadn't fought to stop him, the result would have been even worse. More to the point, however, is that this Superman isn't the Superman that has been at it for a long time, he literally had learned to fly a few days before and had never fought a being like Zod (who was bred trained to be the perfect warrior). Superman was barely in control of himself, still learning what he could truly do with his powers and learning how far he'd have to go to stop Zod (ultimately dealing with a crushing moral decision of choosing to save a family at the expense of Zod, a reasonable choice but also a poignant one, as he chooses humanity over his own race).

I understand why some people don't like this movie, it's not for everyone, but it really spoke to me and what I wanted out of a fresh interpretation of the Superman character. I'm a huge fan of the comics and this lived up to my expectations personally. Snyder's movies are always divisive but I am a fan of this one especially. Henry Cavill truly embodies the role of Superman and I'm very excited to see where the DC universe will go with Justice League and the inevitable revival of Superman.

It's the type of movie I've liked more and more with every rewatch, and will never hesitate to tune in when I see it while flipping channels.

4

[cricket]

I haven't gotten to The Man of Steel yet. I don't see any reason why I wouldn't like it.

I couldn't get into The Prestige but it has a lot of fans here.

[BraedenG33]

47. Creed
https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/creed1.jpg

The first film from 2015 (there are a few) to appear on the list, Creed was a great movie and I believe should have been nominated for an oscar (or at least give Coogler a director nomination). I've been a huge fan of Michael B. Jordan since his days on Friday Night Lights, and I also liked him in That Awkward Moment (an underrated rom-com). This is him at his absolute best. His performance was amazing in this film. He was very believable and sympathetic as the son of the legendary Apollo Creed, Adonis.

Also back at the top of his game is Sylvester Stallone, who pulls arguably his best performance since the first Rocky in 1976. This version of Rocky is unlike any we've seen in the previous installments of the franchise, and he grows into a new role mentoring Adonis.

The biggest takeaway for me though was the film's direction. Ryan Coogler did an amazing job with this movie, and I'm very excited to see what he does with the Black Panther film. He pulled out the best possible performances from everyone in the film and the cinematography was very impressive (there is a fight scene in the film shot all in one long take that was really mind-blowing to watch in the theater).

I also like that this movie, while it does play out with a lot of familiar beats to the original, does a good job of paying homage while still not being a complete retread and still breaking new ground for the 40 year old franchise. I'm very excited to see where sequels could head with the new leading character and the world and characters they set up around him.

I loved this movie and made me an instant fan of Ryan Coogler, who is one of the most talented young directors with a unique style and I can't wait to see more of him.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

46. North by Northwest
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I've already written a review about North by Northwest before on this site, so I'm just gonna quote that here.


Another brilliant film by Alfred Hitchcock, North by Northwest is a fast paced ambitious cold war spy action thriller. Roger Thornhill is a salesman who gets mistaken by foreign spies as George Caplan, an agent for the CIA who is tracking the spies. Then after being kidnapped by and escaping from the spies, Thornhill gets framed by the spies as a murderer and becomes public enemy number one. What ensues is a wild chase from New York to Mount Rushmore filled with twists and turns as more and more is revealed about the nature of these spies and Thornhill has to dodge the police and the spies pursuing him.

Hitchcock spins the complex web of secrets that make up the meat of this incredible and complex story masterfully. The use of dramatic irony (information that the audience knows but the characters do not) as it pertains to the identity of George Caplan was very effective. The film was in perpetual motion, paced flawlessly as the thrills never stop and the audience is constantly left on the edge of their seats. Every single shot in this movie was superbly and meticulously composed by the master auteur. There are some very impressive sequences in this film as well, with action set pieces in this film that are unbelievably well done, especially considering the time when the movie was made. The movie was also very well written, with great dialogue that feels organic and never bogs down the movie.

Cary Grant was a very effective and convincing protagonist, but it was Eva Marie Saint's performance as the sexy and mysterious Eve Kendall that steals the film in my opinion. Kendall is an incredibly complex and well developed character and Saint plays the role flawlessly. James Mason was also a very impressive antagonist as the cold, calculated, and intimidating foreign spy Phillip Vandamm.

The biggest takeaway from this film for me is just how new it feels. Many films from this time feel dated but not this one. The set pieces in this movie are some of the best ever put to film. The scene with the crop-duster in the farmland was unbelievable as was the fight/chase sequence on Mount Rushmore. Hitchcock truly pushed the boundaries of what was possible on film at that time and he does so marvelously.

Incredible action, non-stop thrills, an incredibly well written and complex story composed with technical superiority by one of the greatest auteurs in film history, North by Northwest is a masterpiece as are the other Hitchcock films I've reviewed. I'd probably rate it ahead of 39 Steps but slightly behind Rear Window, though still a phenomenal film that I absolutely loved.

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - The Revenant
http://www.trbimg.com/img-56607510/turbine/sc-the-revenant-mov-rev-1204-20151203

Every 5 movies I'm going to break and give an honorable mention to a movie that just missed the cut. These movies won't come in any particular order there just films that I want to highlight that weren't quite able to crack the top 50. I'm not going to write a full review on these but just a sentence or two and a rating.

The first of these is the Revenant, a movie that I really enjoyed (Lubezki, my favorite cinematographer, and Inarritu are a visual match made in heaven, this is one of the best looking films I've ever seen) both on a technical level and a narrative one.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

45. Aliens
http://horror.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/aliens1.jpg

"Get away from her you b*tch!"

The follow up to Ridley Scott's Alien, James Cameron brings this franchise into new territory, from a pure sci-fi horror flick to something bigger, and grander in scale. Aliens and Alien are both fantastic films and different ones and I think the better one comes down to taste. For me, Alien (which will appear on the list at some point) is the better film and Aliens is the more entertaining one.

I personally believe that James Cameron is a great director and he is at his best in the third acts of his films, perhaps better than anyone else is. This film is no different, with perhaps my favorite use of the chekhov's gun principle, in which something hinted at in the beginning of the film plays an integral part of the end of the film. In this case, I'm referring to the powerloader shown above which Ripley uses to fight the mother xenomorph at the end of the film, which is teased in the beginning of the film in what seems like a throwaway scene in which we see that Ripley is adept at using the powerloader. While you don't realize that this aspect of her character is important at first, when the film does come full circle and returns to that aspect, it's all the more fulfilling.

This film also does a good job of upping the ante over it's predecessor without a dramatic decrease in emotional resonance and overall quality, which is why it makes such a great sequel. It pushes the franchise forward and expands upon the original without losing track of the core elements that made the original film so great. It simply uses those elements (bad*ss female lead, cool monstrous alien(s), awesome atmosphere and set design in a very cool sci-fi future world, etc.) in a different way, allowing it to feel unique and still great in it's own right while still being a companion piece.

This is James Cameron in his prime working in his element in a fantastic sci-fi action film that is a great sequel that stand the test of time as well as stands up to the tremendous quality of the original film. It is an absolute classic.

5

[BraedenG33]

44. Captain America: The First Avenger
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Full disclosure: I absolutely love the MCU, I really do. I actually think that it is a better fictional universe than it's comic book source material, both in terms of its films and it's netflix series's. This is certainly not the last MCU film you will see on this list. My favorite part of the MCU? the Cap trilogy, which I would contend is the best superhero trilogy of all time (even compared to Nolan's batman trilogy, which as a nolan fan I absolutely love, so that's saying something). All 3 of the Cap films will appear on this list.

There's so much I can say about this film (and more than just my silly juvenile #Stucky obsessions, which could be it's own post lol -- I'm only half kidding). It's a brilliantly done origin story and a very well done period piece that introduces us to the Steve Rogers character who has developed into one of my favorite characters in any form of narrative (the stupidity of his surprise hydra alignment in the comics notwithstanding, I refer specifically to MCU cap). Chris Evans truly nails this role, and in this movie especially we see the seeds of what Steve Rogers truly is. Not just a soldier... but a good man, as put so eloquently by the scientist responsible for his transformation into super-soldier Captain America.

The first half of this film is as good as anything marvel has done, and while the second half gets a bit crazy, it's still incredibly entertaining. I feel like this film is kind of underrated because it gets lost in the shuffle with all the other superhero movies that have come out in the last 5 years, and therefore goes underappreciated, but I really loved it (and have developed a really strong emotional attachment to the characters of Steve and Bucky and to a lesser extent Peggy Carter and Howard Stark).

If you want an idea of how much I like this movie trilogy, my final exam in my AP physics class last year was to write a research paper on a topic of my choice, and I chose to write a speculative paper on the potential physics behind Captain America's shield (which, by the way, I got a 100% on *fist pumps*). Like I'm totally willing to admit that there are better films on this list, hell I would argue that every film below it except Man of Steel is more well-made than this one, but the fan in me has to have it on the list, if only because of how much I love these characters.

Also, because my #Stucky smut would go unread otherwise :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
(seriously though, making cap and bucky gay would be awesome)

4

[BraedenG33]

I'm gonna try to make it through 41 tonight and then go to bed, would love some feedback on the selections so far, the rep is much appreciated! :)

[BraedenG33]

43. Batman Begins
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Batman Begins, while not quite as brilliant as The Dark Knight, is perhaps Nolan's best work with the Batman/Bruce Wayne character, as TDK is definitely more the Joker's film than it is Batman's. A brilliant origin story as we see the death of the Wayne's, and Bruce's journey across the planet as he trains under Ra's Al Ghul, Batman Begins literally brought Batman back from the dead in the public eye. Following the failure of Batman & Robin, Christopher Nolan brought Batman back in a whole new way, never seen before on film (as most of the films before were much campier and comic book-ish, for better or worse, than Nolan's adaptation). It was a comic book film that really took it's source material seriously and changed what a comic book film could be, laying the groundwork for one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 21st century in it's sequel the Dark Knight.

I've already said that I am a fan of Christian Bale, and while I don't necessarily love his Batman (it's the worst in TDKR), I do love his Bruce Wayne, as he's able to balance the mask Bruce puts on as a suave billionaire playboy with the damaged soul that he really is. Playing Bruce Wayne is really playing 3 characters in one. Bruce Wayne in public, Bruce Wayne in private, and The Batman. Bale had come the closest of anyone before Ben Affleck (who is now my definitive Batman) to nailing all three of these parts in Batman Begins.

This film also arguably does a better job than either of Nolan's other two Batman films of capturing the atmosphere of Gotham City. In the two sequels it feels less like Gotham and more just like sh*tty New York/Chicago amalgam (which, admittedly, is kind of what Gotham is, but it definitely doesn't feel like that in the comics and it doesn't feel that way in this first film). The atmosphere in this film is truly unbelievable and feels very faithful to the Gotham City that Batman fans like myself know.

A brilliant adaptation of it's source material, Batman Begins was a great start to one of the best Superhero trilogies ever, if not one of the finest movie trilogies ever.

4

[BraedenG33]

42. Star Trek Into Darkness
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The new Star Trek franchise has been relatively well received thus far but there are definitely many fans of the original series that don't really care for it as they feel like it doesn't have the same intellectual depth of the old Star Trek they're used to. That's fine. I never really watched the original Star Trek TV shows or films, so I'm just judging them based on how much I enjoyed them as films. JJ Abrams' Star Trek films definitely work for me, and while Into Darkness is definitely not as good as Star Trek (2009) was, it does have a significantly stronger villain in Kahn portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch (Eric Bana's Nero in the first film was kind of bland but still effective and the movie as a whole was so great that it worked fine for the film.

It was great to see the continuation of the dynamic between Kirk and Spock in this film and how the relationship between the two characters grew. The tone of the film, as is typical in sequels, is darker than its predecessor, which works given the differences in the narrative between this movie and the first film. Also, JJ Abrams does a great job with this film in the visuals. I love Abrams and his visual style (lens flares and all) and there are some spectacularly shot sequences in this film, which like its predecessor, has a very kinetic feeling to it as the camera is seemingly always in motion but keeps that motion smooth enough as to not be nauseating. I'm also a sucker for infrared camera work so the opening sequence in the forest (shot entirely with infrared cameras, hence the red leaves effect) was a treat for me.

JJ also does a great job of pulling strong performances out of all of the actors, from Cumberbatch's Kahn and Chris Pine's Kirk all the way down the line to Simon Pegg's Scotty and the late Anton Yelchin's Chekhov.

I know not a lot of people are as huge of fans of this film as I am, which is fine, but I really liked it. I think it's incredibly entertaining, and has the right balance of action and character to appeal to both the modern sci-fi action sensibilities while still being an intelligent film.

Is it perfect? No. Is it a ton of fun? Absolutely. And with the way that Abrams's sensibilities as a filmmaker speak to me, it would be impossible to leave it off of the list.

4

[BraedenG33]

41. Mad Max: Fury Road
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Mad Max: Fury Road is one of those movies that only comes along once in a very long while and will be talked about for years to come. It's the kind of film that truly shows what the medium is capable of, in the form of an action spectacle unlike any other in recent memory. George Miller puts on a tour de force in action directing with this film, and it captivated me from beginning to end. There has been plenty said about this film and its great action, so there's very little I can add to that.

What I really loved that perhaps goes underappreciated in the film, beyond the impressive spectacle of the action, is the intelligence and deliberance that drives each individual shot. It feels like a huge action spectacle with so much going on but every single frame is so deliberately and masterfully directed that you never lose sight of what's important and can always follow every component, never once feeling lost or confused by all that's happening. It would be easy to lose track of what's going on with as big of set pieces as Mad Max has, yet that's never the case. Truly a testament to the skill of the director and all the people working on the film.

Beyond the great action, there is still enough stakes and narrative in the film to make all that action meaningful. The real protagonist of the film is Furiosa, and her character in this film was truly amazing. Capable but never falling into the heartless female terminator trap, she is perhaps the best female action hero put to screen since Ellen Ripley. Charlize Theron was spectacular and truly owned the role. Tom Hardy was fine as Max, and fit the part well despite not really being asked to do as much, his character being more a supporting role despite being the titular one.

Visually, the film is striking in it's cinematography. Even in the quieter moments of the film (which there are few of, admittedly) there is such a dynamic feeling to the film. It plays very well with orange and blue to create incredibly high-contrast imagery, and it works to great effect. This goes very well with the incredible sound and production design that went into the film, as it's both one of the best looking and sounding films I've ever seen. Mad Max: Fury Road is practically flawless on a technical level and it should come as no surprise that it won so many oscars.

I mean, there's not much else to say that hasn't already been said about this film, it's a true masterpiece and one of those films that's just going to live on for years to come. If you haven't seen it, see it. If you have, well then you likely already know how spectacular this film was.

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Guardians of the Galaxy
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/marvelcinematicuniverse/images/e/e2/GrootandSpores.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150106013405

This movie surprised me in how much fun it was, while also being a fantastically well-told story. Plus, it has a great soundtrack with some really cool music. Almost made the list but the weak villain was the only real disappointment with the film.

4

[BraedenG33]

That's the first 10 and two honorable mentions down. I'm going to bed now but I'll be picking it up again tomorrow.

[BraedenG33]

40. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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This really is more of a ranking representing the whole Harry Potter franchise. I've loved the books and the films for as long as I've been reading novels really and Azkaban was always both my favorite book and film. Sirius is one of my favorite adult characters in the series for sure. If I were to rank the movies it would look something like this:

1- Prisoner of Akzaban
2- Order of the Phoenix
3- Half Blood Prince
4- Goblet of Fire
5- Deathly Hallows Part 1
6- Chamber of Secrets
7- Deathly Hallows Part 2
8- Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone, depending on how British you are).

I like that this film is the most visually unique of the films, no doubt in part because it was helmed by the best director to come to the franchise, Alfonso Cuaron. This was also where the young actors really came into their own (partly due to Cuaron's direction and partly due to their improvement as actors as they grew up, probably) which was a big step forward for the franchise. This movie was the first in the franchise to transition into the darker feeling the series has as you progress further along into the story, and it worked great, as I remember being genuinely scared (particularly of the dementors) when I saw this movie in theaters as a kid. Cuaron does an excellent job of establishing an eerie tone for the film while still maintaining the magic and wonder the earlier books in the franchise were known for (a feeling that, as the books and films go on, purposefully leaves in favor of more darkness as the children grow up and the stakes get bigger).

The Harry Potter franchise has been a part of my youth for a long time and there was no way it was not going to have some representation on the list, so this is the film I chose of the bunch, since I think it is the best one. I'd also laud this film for it's use of time travel without being frustratingly convoluted, as time travel tends to be.

4.5

[Topsy]

theres 8 harry potter movies?? i thought there were 3 or something :lol:

[BraedenG33]

theres 8 harry potter movies?? i thought there were 3 or something :lol:

Yeah there's one for each of the first 6 books and they split the seventh into two movies.

[BraedenG33]

39. X-Men: First Class
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In my opinion the best of the core X-men films and one of the best superhero films ever made, X-Men: First Class was a fantastic prequel/reboot for the X-Men franchise which needed a revamp following two duds in X3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Matthew Vaughn took up the project and brought a whole new feel to the series. James McAvoy is great as a young Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender plays a perfect Erik Lensherr (Magneto).

The story follows the first group of mutants to be trained at the Xavier institute, featuring Havok, Raven (Mystique), Banshee, Angel, and Beast. The main conflict in the film is from the main villain, Sebastian Shaw, trying to start World War 3 so the mutants can rise to power (as humanity would be all but wiped out as a result). Shaw, played by Kevin Bacon, plays an excellent villain for the film, but really this plays in the background as the most interesting part of the film is the dynamic between Charles and Erik.

The visuals in this film are probably the best in the franchise (as Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, while still good films that I enjoyed, have terrible visual effects by the standards of big budget superhero films), with all the effects looking great and the camera work being top notch. I'm a big fan of the X-men comics and I like the newer X-men films quite a bit (even Apocalypse, which had very little going for it in terms of coherent plot, was a lot of fun). This film definitely struck the right balance between being true to the characters while still standing on it's own and not being a direct adaptation of the source material (since very few of the X-men films follow the comics directly).

4

[BraedenG33]

38. Reservoir Dogs
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Tarantino's first film, arguably his best, and my personal favorite, Reservoir dogs is a brilliantly small film, with great use of unity of space and time (keeping things confined to a single setting and a small timeframe). The story is of a heist gone wrong, starring Harvey Keitel as the de facto protagonist, Mr. White, Tim Roth as Mr. Orange, Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde, Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink, Edward Bunker as Mr. Blue, and Quentin Tarantino himself as Mr. Brown. There's an undercover cop among the group of nameless (for now) criminals and the story plays out trying to figure out who it is that gave them up.

Tarantino does an excellent job with this film, his renowned screenwriting ability on full display as there is a lot of talking in this film and the dialogue all comes off organically, and all the performances are great too as every line is delivered well. I'm a big fan of Tarantino's work (it was difficult not to have more of his films on the list), and the reasons why he's so respected are on full display in this film. His trademark nonlinear storytelling is also utilized well in this film, as the film bounces from plot point to plot point efficiently and out of sequence in a way that you wouldn't expect but remains engrossing the entire way through.

Often it is debated what Tarantino's best film is between Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction (and even a few of his other films) and while I love both I think I'd give the edge to Reservoir Dogs simply because I think it's a more tightly written story. Pulp Fiction is a very different film from this one in how it's narrative is structured, and while that definitely was successful as Pulp Fiction was fantastic, I think Reservoir Dogs just works a bit better and is more entertaining overall. It goes by much quicker (obviously in part because of a significantly shorter runtime) and was more engaging for me when I watched it. I think it really comes down to preference but to me the best film Tarantino has made thus far is Reservoir Dogs.

An extremely exciting and intense crime film with great dialogue, performances and music, Reservoir Dogs was fantastic from start to finish.

5

[Topsy]

Reservoir dogs is far superior to Pulp Fiction.
Also i have a thing for Michael Madsen!

[BraedenG33]

37. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue or Ignorance)
http://prolog.rs/upload/content/braca/20152/birdman_scene_3.jpg

Birdman was an experience unlike any other. FIlmed to appear as if it was filmed almost entirely as one long take (though if you have ever done any editing it's pretty easy and fun to pick out where they hide the edits in the film, there are only a few), the film follows the story of a former movie star (Michael Keaton) plagued by his past endeavors portraying the superhero Birdman (clever since Keaton played Batman and is just now gaining more respect as a dramatic actor). He is trying to gain more respect by putting on a broadway play that he hopes will put new life into his career, as he's kind of washed out after Birdman.

First of all, to even attempt a movie like this is just absolutely absurd and we'll probably never see another movie like it, particularly not one as well done as this one. The combination of Emmanuel Lubezki and Alejandro Inarritu is one of my favorite director-cinematographer combinations working today (Lubezki is my favorite cinematographer period), and what they were able to achieve with camera movement in this film is simply astounding. To be able to achieve the appearance of one long 2 hour take and maintain visual interest in the manner that this film does is unbelievable.

The performances in this film are also all top notch from a stellar cast that included the aforementioned Keaton, Emma Stone, and Ed Norton (one of my favorite actors), as well as a surprisingly good dramatic performance from Zach Galifianakis. Everyone working on this film was firing on all cylinders, and it shows in this astounding best picture winner (though I actually don't think it should have gotten the oscar, the film I wanted to win that year will show up much much higher on this list).

There are many naysayers to this film saying that it's a bit gimmicky or that the surrealistic aspects of the film come off as pretentious. I understand where that comes from but I don't agree. The surreal aspects of the film work for me since we're dealing with a main character who is very clearly insane, and to me the film itself was so good that the style of filmmaking only enhanced it, not acted as a gimmick or crutch for a weak film. Instead the unique and frankly crazy style the film was shot in added to an already great film.

5

[Tugg]

"Mad Max: Fury Road" is a masterpiece of it's genre. I need to revisit "Birdman" to see if I change my mind for better.

[cricket]

Aliens and Reservoir Dogs are my favorites so far:cool:

The only one I don't like is Fury Road.

Haven't seen Harry Potter or Star Trek-not for me.

[BraedenG33]

36. The Terminator
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hkj4XNSefjU/VZA5wg36ynI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/RvxrabNLrEU/s1600/Terminator%2B1.jpg

My favorite James Cameron film, The Terminator is a d*mn good film. What they were able to accomplish with such a small relative budget on this film is unbelievable. A sci-fi horror film that was truly original for it's time, it tells the tale of a killer robot going back in time to kill the mother of the man who will lead humanity in a war against the machine overlords of the future, meanwhile, a soldier is sent back in time to protect her. Horrifying and action packed, building to an epic conclusion, it's vintage Cameron at his best. The script is also incredible tight and the story is perfectly paced, never dull for even a moment.

Most people will say that Terminator 2 is an improvement on this film but I would disagree. T2 is a significantly more important film in the scope of cinema history with how it revolutionized visual effects (liquid metal), and while the effects are better and the action is bigger, I feel like the first Terminator film is better, in that it's narrative is much tighter and more concise, and the horror feel works better to me than the bigger action feel of T2. T2 also lags a bit in the middle in my opinion.

The entire look and feel of the film is great, from the atmosphere at night to the death and destruction evident in the post apocalyptic future, to the great techno score that fits perfectly with the film's visual tone. The performances, while not the centerpiece of the film, are more than adequate, especially Michael Beihn's Kyle Reese, who was my favorite part of the film.

It's a very intellligently made simple high concept classic in the sci-fi genre, and perhaps James Cameron's best work, and a must watch.

5

[cricket]

The Terminator is brilliant, and also my favorite of the series.

R Dogs is also my favorite Tarantino.

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Terminator 2: Judgment Dayhttps://i.ytimg.com/vi/EgphD_ZO_jI/maxresdefault.jpg

I addressed my feeling about this film in my T1 review. Great, really really important movie, but not quite as strong as the original, just missing the cut for my list.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

35. Iron Man
http://nextprojection.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Iron-man_2008-1-1200x707.jpg

The one that started it all. Iron Man is the first film in the MCU and one of the best films they've made so far. It's the beginning of Tony Stark's journey (and the MCU's journey at large) from rich *sshole to rich *sshole with a mech suit. I'm kidding of course Tony's character has gone through a lot of growth and change throughout the span of the MCU in fact it could be argued that the Tony that shows up in Captain America: Civil War could not be more different to the guy that starts this movie, and the seeds of those changes began here, when he gets attacked by that fated missile with his name on it.

The story, as almost everyone knows, follows the story of Tony Stark gets kidnapped by terrorists and escapes by building a weaponized metal suit powered by an arc reactor in his chest which is keeping him alive after shrapnel gets inside his body from the missile the terrorists launched, which, as previously mentioned, was a missile he sold to them. Upon his return stateside, he improves his suit and becomes the superhero, Iron Man.

I rewatched this movie recently I remembered just how good it is and how real it felt. It's definitely unique from the other marvel films in that it feels a lot edgier and in some ways darker than other films in the series (the same could be said of Iron Man 3, though for different reasons and to less success). While the Dark Knight, which came out that same summer, achieved realism through a very grounded tone, Iron Man feels without being as serious.

It was unlike any other superhero film before it in that it wasn't campy or comic bookish like some of the early batman films or even the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man franchise, and yet it was still truer to its comic book roots than other films at that time that went for a realistic feeling like the X-men and Nolan Batman films. It struck a perfect balance of lighthearted action and realism that the comic book hadn't seen at that time, and set the stage for pretty much every comic book film since then.

You can't talk about this film and the MCU as a whole without talking about Robert Downey Jr.'s incredible portrayal of Tony Stark. He owned the role and defined it like very few people have and that began in this movie. At that time coming off of former drug issues his career had stagnated and it was a big risk to star him in this film. That risk paid off in spades though as this film was both a critical and box office hit, and rightfully so.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

34. Deadpool
https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/deadpool-1.jpg

I saw this movie in theaters twice and have seen I think 4 times now in total and it never gets old. Deadpool is this perfect storm of passionate creators, non-intrusion by the studio, talented people working at their best, and great source material to draw on that all came together in what was instantly a classic both in the comic book genre and the action-comedy at large. Ryan Reynolds was born to play this character (and play it correctly, X-Men Origins: Wolverine notwithstanding).

What impresses me most about this movie was not the great action or the hilarious comedy (so many quotable lines in this movie), but how well written the film is. The story itself isn't terribly original on its own, a romance revenge story, but the manner in which the story is presented is incredibly inventive, using the flashbacks and fourth wall breaks that Deadpool is known for to perfection. The characters are also very well developed (with the exception of the villain, who is kind of meh) and there is a very strong emotional thread tying the story together that helps make the movie meaningful which makes the jokes land even better.

It also works very well as Deadpool's origin story without feeling too much like an origin story. While we do see Wade Wilson go from just a regular mercenary to the super 'hero' (he's not really a good guy, but he's not really a bad guy either) that he would later become, but that all feels very much like a matter of circumstances for the story, as the real heart of the film is his romance with the love interest of the film, Vanessa (played by Morena Baccarin). While the love story plot may turn some people off from a film that is action based, it works so well in this film that it doesn't even matter, because it's so well written.

The highlight of the film for me is the action sequence on the highway with the numbered bullets which was such a cool and unique action sequence. The opening credits are also great, though for those that haven't seen the movie I won't spoil why, but they're hilarious, and set the tone for the rest of the film so you know exactly what you're getting into right from the first frame.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

33. Blade Runner
http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/brunner4.jpg

I liked this film a lot more an hour after watching it than I did upon immediate viewing. While I was watching it, I appreciated the visuals of the film and found the story interesting enough but it wasn't exactly a film that immediately grabbed my attention or excited me, at least not as much as I thought it would. I didn't know anything about the film and I went in expecting more or less a science fiction film that would be a little bit more action oriented I suppose. But the more I thought about and processed the film as it went along and especially shortly after finishing it the more I fell in love with it. It's such a deep thought provoking film and there's so much there to talk about with what it means to be human. I love films that have deeper meaning on top of being a great film and this is one of the deepest films I've ever seen.

It follows the story of a man named Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, who is forced to take up his old job as a blade runner, someone who hunts replicants which are kind of like artificial people, by the police after four replicants had escaped from the colonies and returned to earth. The film itself is much more complex than that but that is the premise at its most basic level.

Ridley Scott is one of my favorite directors of all time (probably in the top 3, but that's a different list), and on display in this film is what I think his best quality is as a director which is the ability to create a world and an atmosphere around the film that really helps transport you into another world. This is especially true in the grimy, lived in neo noir future world in Blade Runner which is one of the finest films in terms of production design ever, and no doubt that Scott have a huge part to play in providing the vision to bring it to life in the impressive way that this film does.

While there are films that I may have felt more emotional attachment to or been more entertained by, as a film, this is certainly one of the best and most well made films I've ever seen, if not the best. An incredibly deep and powerful film, Blade Runner is a masterpiece.

5

[BraedenG33]

32. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
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I am one of the biggest Indiana Jones fans out there. I remember the first time I watched them as a kid when I was seven years old on DVD at my grandparents house in the den. It wasn't long before I was humming along to the theme song and asking my mom to buy me a whip (which, shockingly and probably mistakenly, she did eventually get me for part of my halloween costume, since I dressed up as Indy on Halloween that same year, I actually got pretty good with the thing too). It's one of those film franchises (the others being Star Wars and then the Disney and Pixar films) that I've watched more times than I can count over the years.

As a kid The Last Crusade was my favorite of the three (and I went to see kingdom skull in theaters which at the time I enjoyed, I was 10, and even then I could tell it wasn't as good as the originals), but now I'd give the edge to Raiders (which will appear on the list) both of which are lightyears ahead of Temple of Doom (which is still good but a significant step down from the other two).

I remember loving watching Indy and his dad interact (which I had no idea at the time that was Sean Connery who was a guy equally as famous if not more famous than Harrison Ford at the time, but Ford was my favorite actor, I mean the guy played Indy and Han he basically owned prime real estate in my childhood) and the puzzles and stuff near the end of the film while trying to get the holy grail were very entertaining.

The film holds up to countless rewatches and is ceaselessly entertaining, Spielberg's expertise with pacing is evident here. Each Indiana Jones film has fantastic set pieces and this one is no different, with fantastically directed and incredibly entertaining action. The acting is probably the best in the series, as well as the writing, as this film has a bit more to it thematically than the original. I can definitely see why so many people hold this as their favorite film in the franchise. Again, while I'd still personally take Raiders first, this is a very close second.

5

[BraedenG33]

31. The Avengers
http://www.borongaja.com/download/660136/2880x1620/

This is another one of those movies that I will never not watch if it's on cable. It's one of the most purely entertaining films I've ever seen. While Iron Man started the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this was the film that came through on the promise of it, seeing the characters from all the preceding films (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Thor) come together as a team in this huge ensemble superhero action film. Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Hulk all come together to face the biggest foe yet, a massive army of aliens from a whole in space led by Loki.

This film is the definition of a popcorn flick, and it revels in it, with high flying action, quippy dialogue, and rapid pacing. It balances giving every character their due (except maybe Hawkeye) without feeling unfocused. Loki is the most compelling villain the MCU has had thus far and he's at his best in this movie. The dialogue is well-written and well-delivered by the cast who all play their parts very well.

Joss Whedon did an outstanding job with this film (certainly better than Age of Ultron, which was a bit disappointing for me). He did a great job handling the character and making sure that they all still felt human in spite of their extraordinary abilities, and they all got a decent bit of development in the film (save for Hawkeye). The action is very well-executed and well shot and the effects are top notch as you would expect from a film of this type (and budget). It's a spectacle film, and does so spectacularly.

4.5

[The Rodent]

Apart from Harry Potter and the Marvel films, we've got pretty close tastes in movies so far :D
Loving this list so far.

[BraedenG33]

Apart from Harry Potter and the Marvel films, we've got pretty close tastes in movies so far :D
Loving this list so far.

Thanks! I'm kind of a huge nerd so for me the Marvel films are like heaven but I'll be the first to admit that save for the very very best of them it's not like they're great great oscar-worthy films or anything I just love the characters and find them really entertaining. There are certainly better films out there it's more of a personal attachment thing, I don't really grade them on the same scale as I would other films simply because I'm really biased toward them. Like even the ones I don't like as much like the Thor films or Avengers 2 or Iron man 2, I still enjoy just because they're fun. Harry Potter is the same thing I just have a personal attachment to them, i don't think they're incredible classic films or anything I love them personally, but they're not for everyone. I'd say two of the Harry Potter films (3 and 5) and three of the marvel films (Cap 2, Cap 3, and Avenger 1) are genuinely great films, the rest are just very entertaining films with characters I love in worlds that I love, if you don't have the same attachment I do, they're just regular everyday pretty good popcorn flicks.

[The Rodent]

^ that is exactly why I'm liking this list... the personal attachment thing.
I did the same thing with my own 100, whereas a lot of people tend to put in arty films and stuff like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Psycho simply because of the reputation of the films.


Lists like yours are genuine favourites lists :up:

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Snowpiercer
http://newcityfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SNOWPIERCER_1.jpg

I've seen this movie twice now and it's truly fantastic. I think I have a soft spot for this level of medium-budget independent filmmaking as some of my favorite films come from there (as you'll see later on on the list) and this original piece of science fiction goodness is one example of that. It was hard to leave it off the list and if I made it again it might just squeak on there. Not as well known, so if you haven't seen it yet, you definitely should!

4.5

[BraedenG33]

^ that is exactly why I'm liking this list... the personal attachment thing.
I did the same thing with my own 100, whereas a lot of people tend to put in arty films and stuff like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Psycho simply because of the reputation of the films.


Lists like yours are genuine favourites lists :up:

Exactly. I wanted this list to just be the films that speak to me as a lover of the medium and an aspiring filmmaker. Of course I could sit here and put Citizen Kane at the top of the list because it's great and everyone knows it's great, but why? It's not like I'm gonna sit down and watch Citizen Kane on a random rainy day. I like Citizen Kane and I appreciate the greatness and historical significance of the film, but it's not a personal favorite. There will be a couple of historical classics on here because those specifically spoke to me but I think it would be silly to cram extra acclaimed films on their for sake of the appearance of refined taste.

Maybe one day I'll put on my critic hat and make a formal 'best' list once I've seen more movies, but that day is not today. Today I'm gonna keep loving my marvel nerdgasms and just talk about what speaks to me.

Though I will say, the top film on the list is also in my opinion the best film I've ever seen, it just so happens that the best film is also my favorite, but we'll get to that later :)

[BraedenG33]

30. Rear Window
http://congresssquarepark.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/RearWindow1.jpg

Speaking of classic critically acclaimed films, Rear Window is one that does make the list. In fact, I've already written a review on it, so I'll just quote that here:

I think you'll find that as I finally delve into Alfred Hitchcock's filmography this week (I will be watching and reviewing 7 of his films) you will see a whole lot of me raving about how incredible these movies are (to nobody's surprise, as so far everything I've seen from him has been truly magnificent). I know it sometimes seems redundant to say 'I loved this movie' and such especially when it comes to these films which are already lauded universally as among the greatest ever made, but I really can't help myself. So far these films are absolute masterpieces in every sense of the word. Rear Window is no different, and is certainly my favorite so far.

Rear Window is a story about a man named LB Jefferies who, after suffering a broken leg that leaves him incapacitated and stuck in his apartment, uses a camera with a telephoto lens that allows him to peer through windows to see into the personal lives of his neighbors. During this process, he sees things go on in an apartment across the street that makes him believe a murder may have been committed. As the story unfolds we are left to watch the story unfold in bits and pieces as we can see through the perspective Jefferies, who soon gets his girlfriend Lisa and his nurse Stella sucked into the mystery with him.

The way in which Hitchcock has the narrative unfold is brilliant, innovative, and entirely unique. Leaving us essentially trapped in the apartment to only see from the perspective of Jefferies heightens the suspense of the film in how the story unfolds and Jefferies, and thus we the viewers, piece together what has happened. Hitchcock uses this technique of storytelling masterfully in how it is shot (the intercuts between Jefferies and what he is seeing in his camera) as well as how it is written, with the dialogue being used sparsely and only when necessary allowing the visuals to tell the story, which helps to build on the tension of the story further. Hitchcock's use of diegetic sound (sound which is not scoring the film, but actually exists in what is going on in the shot) also helps to build the atmosphere of the film.

This is the most thematically strong film I've seen of Hitchcock's. It touches on themes of the perverse and voyeuristic tendencies we all have, and the limits of personal privacy. These themes are ever-prevalent to this day, as personal safety vs personal liberty as it pertains to the government is an ongoing topic of debate today, with so much information readily available as technology has progressed, and also governments have become more invasive of personal privacy as the result of terror attacks such as 9/11 inciting great fear in citizens for their safety. As Stella says in the opening of the film "We've become a race of Peeping Toms." The film also touches on themes of marriage and commitment, as Lisa wants desperately to get Jefferies to marry her, but he doesn't think they're right for each other, that she is too perfect and he is too rugged. In Jefferies' observation of his neighbors he is seeing marriage in it's different forms: from the excited newlyweds pulling down the blinds in their new apartment to the bickering older couple who can no longer conceal their loathing for one another. And it isn't until he confronts the absolute worst case scenario of marriage that he is able to come to terms with settling down.

Overall, Rear Window is a fantastic, suspenseful, thrilling, entertaining, and deep film with an engaging story, interesting characters, and some of the best suspense ever put on screen, while also being equally brilliant on a technical level and in the uniqueness of the concept behind it. I absolutely loved Rear Window, and it is one of the best films I have ever seen.

Rating: 5

[BraedenG33]

29. Star Trek (2009)
http://s3.eestatic.com/2016/01/12/actualidad/Actualidad_94000780_428550_1706x960.jpg

I talked already about my opinion of the new Star Trek franchise in my review of Into Darkness, so I'm gonna focus less on that and more specifically about why I love this film so much.

First of all, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love JJ Abrams's style of filmmaking it really speaks to my sensibilities as a filmmaker. This isn't going to be the last Abrams film on the list. The way he uses camera movement in this film to add a dynamic feel to every scene (the camera is almost never still for very long) is something that I absolutely appreciate, as that cannot be easy to pull off with heavy camera equipment on multiple takes. If I ever make a favorite directors list (which I'm strongly considering) he'd definitely be on it somewhere. Every one of his films is a visual treat.

I think the best part about this film is the script. It comes as no surprise to me that this screenplay is used in many film schools to teach screenplay structure and the Hero's Journey in film, because this is the quintessential hero's journey for James T. Kirk, and the script is so spectacularly economical and well written (I've read a few different drafts of the screenplay to this film as well as seen it a couple times) and it really allows for the film to flow incredibly well and pace quickly without being jarring.

It's very much a Captain Kirk story, and does a good job of revamping and rebooting the star trek universe without disrespecting the old canon. The late great Leonard Nimoy makes a cameo as Spock from the original timeline and he's very well utilized, while Zachary Quinto is also great as the new Spock. Of course, Chris Pine is great as Kirk too, being a likable and personable hero (if a bit of a jack*ss at times) and really showing some growth throughout the story.

The action is well done, the story and characters are well written and compelling, and it all comes together for a very well made and entertaining movie.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

28. Super 8
http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Super_8_movie_image-2.jpg

This is probably not going to be my most popular selection, as it's a film that people seem to either love or not really care for. I loved it. It definitely got me invested in it from the beginning in the premise of kids making a little super 8 short film stumbling onto this train crash that ends up being more than just that. I've already made my schpiel about how much I like JJ Abrams, and this film, very much an homage to Steven Spielberg's work, is no different. I'm a big fan of his style so it shouldn't surprise that I love pretty much all of his work (I haven't seen MI:3, but everything else he's directed appears on this list, not all the stuff he's produced though obviously).

The story, taking place in a 1979 Ohio suburb, follows a group of kids who were working on a zombie movie on a super 8 camera, when they witness a trainwreck and, after luckily escaping unscathed, discover that the derailment was not an accident, and stumble into a mystery as supernatural events begin to occur around the town.

The acting from the kids in this film is also really on point, better than you'd expect from child actors. The film does save the final reveal until the very end which is something Abrams is known for and it pays off as even though the design for the monster in the film itself wasn't terribly amazing, the circumstances definitely made it pay off. The set design was very good as it definitely has an old feel to it and captures the feeling of the late 70s well, and the dialogue of the kids also helps to add to the setting as they speak with some of the slang from that time period.

It's not a movie that everyone loves, but it's definitely one that I do and I think it's a lot better than some people give it credit for. If you're not a fan, that's cool I get it, it's definitely a derivative film in many respects, but for me it was less what the film was than how it executed it, and I think it's very well executed and was able to hook me.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

27. Gladiator
http://www.kalimera-concept.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Gladiator.jpg

"Are you not entertained?"

And with that line, Russell Crowe achieved a new level of stardom: internet meme.

In all seriousness, I don't quite know where to begin with Ridley Scott's period epic taking place in Ancient Rome. It's such an incredible film it was hard not to place it even higher on my list, just missing the top 25. Perhaps the fastest 3 hour movie ever, it's bloated runtime never feels slow as the film is completely riveting from beginning to end. Russell Crowe is perfect as the lead as one of the most iconic heroes in film, Maximus Decimus Meridius. He delivers one of the best speeches in film history.

The production design of Ancient Rome was incredible, showing yet again that Ridley Scott is perhaps the best director out there in building fantastical worlds and atmospheres for his films. It genuinely feels like Ancient Rome and there's a huge scale to the film that fits the epic feeling of the story of Maximus. The story itself is also fantastic, a long, emotionally gripping and intense journey from beginning to end, as we see the fall of Maximus from general to gladiator, and the rise from gladiator to hero.

Another highlight for the film is Joaquin Phoenix is the mad villain, Commodus. His performance is fantastic as he really feels insane and threatening and perfectly at home in the role. Commodus is one of the best villains put to screen since the turn of the century in my opinion, and that is in large part due to Phoenix's impeccable performance.

A truly epic film, Gladiator is a testament to the type of incredible and still emotionally meaningful spectacle film can create that is unique to the medium.

5

[BraedenG33]

26. Inside Out
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Returning to 2015 films, Inside out was Pixar's foray into the human mind, as we see the journey of the feelings of a preteen girl named Riley adjusting to the emotional complexities of growing up as well as moving to a new city. I absolutely love Pixar films and this is the first but certainly not the last of their films to make an appearance on the list. This film I believe is a very important one as it tackles some really important issues of dealing with trauma and emotions in general in a very palatable way and I think it's the kind of film literally anyone can relate to.

I rewatched this film just the other day with a friend and she and I were both on the verge of tears at certain points, Pixar is so good at appealing to emotions that they literally were able to make an amazing and inventive film about the idea of emotions. The film is so well done and clever and absolutely deserved the best animated picture oscar is won. The way the film presents some of the more complicated concepts of the human mind (abstraction zone was a personal favorite of mine) is really very impressive and my hat's off to the creatives over at pixar.

The characters are all very endearing as the Riley's parents get a decent enough amount of characterization to be believable in little screentime, and the emotions, who get most of the screen-time, are all unique enough, however the main character of the film and the one who has the most growth is Joy, who, like Riley and perhaps even representative of Riley, learns the importance of sadness and that things are very rarely just one emotion, they're always a mixture of good and bad, and this growth represents a huge amount of growth and maturity for both Joy and Riley (though it does beg the question of if the emotions themselves have emotions since they're capable of different emotional responses and if so where that trail ends).

One thing that I was curious about upon seeing the film was the differences between how the emotions in Riley's head worked in comparison to her parents. In Riley's head, Joy is in control, the emotions are vying to use the control panel and can't all be working at the same time, until the end when they get an upgrade (with a very clever puberty reference). More to the point though, is that her mother's primary emotion is sadness while her father's primary emotion is anger. Does this mean that the dominant emotion can change over time (and if so how is that facilitated), or were her mother and father just predisposed sad and angry people from birth, and how did that manifest itself in a child, and if children are innately happy creatures that are corrupted by the world which leads them to become overwrought with sadness or anger (a tad depressing but not altogether inaccurate sentiment) or if people are born a certain way and that's just who they are (an equally depressing sentiment).

Also, I find it interesting that all of her father's emotions were male and all of her mother's emotions were female while Riley's were mixed in gender. Does this perhaps suggest that gender identity is not something that is as clear cut in childhood and doesn't really flesh out until later in life (and that time is different in different people as the pizza girl also had mixed gendered emotions) in which case the emotions all become the right gender for that person (presumably matching the sex of that person if they're cisgendered or not match if they're transgendered). Or perhaps this instead suggests that the genders of the emotions don't change and that Riley (and the pizza girl) is of a non-binary gender identity. Granted in the grand scheme of things none of that really matters but it was food for thought for me, if you can't tell I absolutely adore the concept for this film and thinking deeply about it was very entertaining for me. Personally, I'd ascribe to the 'genders form properly of the emotions later' theory, just because I find the capacity of the emotions to change form and degrees of control to be more in line with my worldviews than predetermined nature does, and also simply just feels more comforting to me.

Anyway, speculation aside, this is a fantastic, thought provoking, charming, emotional, important film and I absolutely loved it.

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Selma
http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2015/01/02/dr-king-goes-to-hollywood-the-flawed-history-of-selma/jcr:content/image.img.2000.jpg/1420195515913.cached.jpg

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is by far the American historical figure whom I hold in the highest regard, and this film was absolutely riveting. Ava Duvernay did a fantastic job with this biopic and it had me engaged the entire way through.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

Well we're officially at the halfway point of this list, 5 honorable mentions and 25 films have been revealed with the same amount left from here. We're about to get into the top 25! This is where we really get into some of the truly amazing films that were just a cut above for me. It's very exciting stuff I'm really happy with the positive reception the list has gotten so far I'll admit I was a bit nervous putting my interests out there like this (I'm a bit insecure lol), but the feedback has been pretty much 100% positive which is great. I'll be starting off the top 25 in just a bit but I figure I'll put the list so far again here (it's also in the OP) as a midpoint.

Honorable Mentions: The Revenant; Guardians of the Galaxy; Terminator 2:Judgment Day; Snowpiercer; Selma
50. Memento
49. The Prestige
48. Man of Steel
47. Creed
46. North By Northwest
45. Aliens
44. Captain America: The First Avenger
43. Batman Begins
42. Star Trek Into Darkness
41. Mad Max: Fury Road
40. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
39. X-Men: First Class
38. Reservoir Dogs
37. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
36. The Terminator
35. Iron Man
34. Deadpool
33. Blade Runner
32. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
31. The Avengers
30. Rear Window
29. Star Trek
28. Super 8
27. Gladiator
26. Inside Out

[BraedenG33]

25. Ex Machina
http://www.filmpolicereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/3043726-poster-p-2-ex-machina-tinder-ad.jpg

Kicking off the top 25 is one of the most interesting and unique (and visually stunning) science fiction films to come out in a long time. Ex Machina is a deep engaging study into several interesting ideas about what the difference between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, about what the nature of love is (and by extension sexuality). It's hard science fiction as the genre was intended to be, a speculative thesis about the world. 'The real world, but what if--' Is the basis for the hard science fiction genre, and this film is exactly that, and does so incredibly well.

Ex Machina follows the story of a guy named Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer for a big tech company, wins a contest allowing him to spend a week at the private estate of the genius CEO of the company, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Upon arrival, Caleb discovers that he is going to be used as the human component of the Turing test to determine the intellectual and cognitive capabilities of a beautiful android named Ava, who turns out to be much more deceptive and self aware than previously imagined.

Oscar Isaac is incredible as the eccentric mad genius CEO character in this film, and it never ceases to amaze me how different he can be in each of his roles, he has great range (this one be the last film with him in it on my list). Domhnall Gleeson is very good as well and Alicia Vikander is probably the highlight of the entire film as the alluring and deceiving AI, Ava. This all plays well into an incredibly smart and well written script (which was nominated for an oscar).

The film's cinematography was incredible visually striking and I remember it really sticking out just how amazing the film looked. Of course, it's impossible to talk about the films visuals without getting into the look of Ava, whose design and vfx are possibly one of my favorite effects in any film, and it's no doubt that they were deserving of the oscar for visual effects the film received. The design of the estate (really it was more like a compound) was also very well-done and added to the film.

5

[BraedenG33]

24. Alien
http://uncinefilo.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/alien-1979-wallpaper-6.jpg

"In space, no one can hear you scream."

What a great line to market a sci-fi horror film. Alien is one of the greatest films ever made and definitely one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. It has perhaps had more influence on the sci-fi horror genre than any other film has, and for good reason, it's d*mn brilliant.

To start, how can you not talk about the set design of the film. The Nostromo is one of the greatest designed settings in film history. Ridley Scott's great use of atmosphere is probably on display here more than in any other film, as the visuals of the film add so much to the suspenseful, slow burn nature of the film. The alien planet is also incredibly well designed as the downed spacecraft feels so alive. The design of the Xenomorph is incredible, one of the great monsters in film history.

The story itself is as simple as it is fascinating. It's the classic monster in the house tale, but in space, which is honestly one of the best strokes of genius ever. You have your monster, the xenomorph, and your house, the Nostromo. It is one of the most suspenseful films I've ever seen as it builds slowly to a tantalizing conclusion. When the crew of a cargo vessel stumbles upon a foreign planet, they find mysterious eggs on the planet, one of which hatches and the organism released attaches itself to a member of the crew. Brought back aboard, the creature essentially impregnates that crew member, and out of him spawns the xenomorph, an alien that is the perfect killer. Now stuck onboard with nowhere to go, the crew must find a way to survive.

This story also introduces us to one of the greatest female characters in film history, Ellen Ripley. She's smart, strong willed, yet still vulnerable and flawed and real. Ripley is one of my all-time favorite characters and while I think she gets more time to shine in Aliens than in this film, she still shows a lot in Alien.

More to the point, I like the characters in this film and the whole situation in this film more than I do in its sequel. They're just regular people, stuck in a terrifying situation. They don't have any skills that would make them equipped to deal with the xenomorph, which makes it even more horrifying when they are thrust into that situation. Also, I like the idea of one unbeatable monster than an entire horde of them, which are beatable in the sequel. They're beatable in the sequel because you're dealing with soldiers, not just regular people. That's not a knock against the sequel per se, it's still a great film, but I think this film was just that much more impressive.

There's a lot that has been said about the themes of this film by people better equipped to talk about them than I am, so I'm not going to go into that, but I definitely appreciate just how deep you can go into this film in terms of its thematic undertones. Ridley Scott really did a magnificent job with this film, and is a timeless classic in the science fiction genre.

5

[Camo]

I did the same thing with my own 100, whereas a lot of people tend to put in arty films and stuff like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Psycho simply because of the reputation of the films.

Who does this?

Some solid films here :up:. My favourite so far is North By Northwest.

[Mr Minio]

Who does this? I put The Room in my top solely based on its reputation... of the worst movie ever.

[BraedenG33]

Who does this?

Some solid films here :up:. My favourite so far is North By Northwest.

I can't speak for them but I don't think they were referencing anyone specifically.

Thanks :up: :)

[BraedenG33]

23. Drive
https://billysteele60.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/drive_2011_6.jpg

I only saw this movie quite recently, within the last week or so, and it was instantly one of favorite films. Something about it just really got me into it right away. I really like the style of the filmmaking in it. There's a driving sequence near the beginning of the film shot almost entirely from the inside of the car that completely blew my mind and was instantly one of my favorite scenes in any film.

The premise of the story is fairly simple, a guy, known to the audience only as The Driver, is a mechanic and stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night. I wouldn't want to reveal anything else about the plot, though, because I feel like it's best to go into the film not knowing what to expect, like I did. I knew nothing about the plot of the film and it really surprised me.

Ryan Gosling is great is the nameless driver, with a rough exterior, but he's clearly a good person underneath. Carey Mulligan is a great, compelling love interest, and Oscar Isaac's performance is also very good. The rest of the all-star cast features Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman in supporting roles. Every actor is at their best in this film.

One of the best parts about the film is it's score, which features many different lyrical songs as opposed to a more conventional instrumental score. One of them, A Real Hero, is a song that I'll always equate to the film. The music is very well used and adds to the really cool and unique visual style of the film.

A film that I immediately fell in love with, Drive is fantastic and I highly recommend it.

5

[BraedenG33]

22. Interstellar
http://interstellar.hamiltonwatch.com/sites/all/themes/interstellar/images/slideshow/interstellar_8.jpg

When I first saw this film I was absolutely floored, stunned, and my mind was completely blown. It was a film I immediately thought would be in the top five and stay there for a long long time. I've now seen the film 4 times and I still absolutely love it, but just not as much as I did upon initial viewing. It's still a cinematic experience unlike any other, however there are definitely some flaws to the film and people have addressed them ad nauseum, as it's one of the most scrutinized films in recent memory, people either absolutely loving it or hating it. I think it's gotten a bad rap since then and it's really underrated.

The visuals of the film are truly unparalleled. Nolan really outdid himself in that regard, and the science is for the most part accurate (save for the inside of a black hole stuff, which is entirely speculative). Space has never felt so grand, which is saying something since it's, y'know, space. The way he was able to visually display some really mind-bending an abstract concepts was pure cinematic excellence.

The performances were solid and while they're is a lot of exposition dumping in the dialogue it didn't bother me too much, let alone dampen the experience of the film. The overall story, while not perfect, is still incredibly powerful and thought-provoking. The score of the film was beautiful (Hans Zimmer at it again) and while I haven't seen 2001 so I wouldn't understand the homage that it pays to that film specifically, I understand that the music was also part of that homage.

Truly an exhilarating cinematic experience, in spite of it's flaws, Interstellar is a movie that I love and appreciate. Deep, cerebral, and emotional, Nolan brings a lot of his best qualities to this film, and a few of his shortcomings, however I don't see them as ruining the experience of a truly great and absolutely underrated film.

4.5

[cricket]

Still need to see Interstellar and Ex-Machina

[Miss Vicky]

Mixed bag for me. Some stuff I love, some stuff I hate, and some I haven't seen. Big thumbs up for Gladiator and Fury Road though.

[BraedenG33]

21. The Iron Giant
https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/e45AU6175UIcaumn2UsU7g--/aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO3NtPTE7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://s.yimg.com/cd/resizer/2.0/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w1280/d33ae99e2409ec8653e36d86ab60ffcc26d21173.jpg

This is the first of a few animated films by Brad Bird that will appear on the list that were huge parts of my childhood. The Iron Giant is such an amazing, beautifully animated film that tugs at the heart strings for me. The story of a troublemaking boy named Hogarth who befriends a giant alien robot. One of the most well-done and emotionally powerful family films ever made and a criminally underappreciated one, as not nearly as many people know about it as they should.

Set in the midst of the Cold War, with fear being commonplace in America, a giant robot is not exactly something the American public would have taken kindly to. The film does a good job of commenting on the paranoia of the time through a modern lens and there's a lot that hasn't changed about society that probably needs to be. The concept is also so beautiful in that it has a degree of irony to it, you take a giant weapon and you give it feelings and emotions. "What if a gun had a soul?" is how Brad Bird pitched the film to Warner Brothers.

Brad Bird's feature film debut is a classic in the world of animation and Bird is no doubt one of my favorite directors. The Iron Giant is so much more than it gets credit for and it's a film that has stuck with me for as long as I can remember. If you haven't seen it, please do yourself the service of seeing it. You won't regret it (well maybe you will, it's a tearjerker for sure).

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Dawn of the Planet of the Apeshttp://screencrush.com/files/2014/04/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-pics-7.jpg

A fantastic, intense gripping film with so much to say about the world we live in and the nature of war and humanity. I loved the first film in the new series and I love this one even more so while it doesn't crack the top 50 it's worth giving an honorable mention to.

4.5

[False Writer]

Not the biggest fan of comic book movies but there are some pretty darn good choices. My favorite so far is Reservoir Dogs, which was number 3 on my list. Looking forward to the rest!

[BraedenG33]

20. Return of the Jedi
http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/04/EPVI_Luke_Am_A_Jedi.jpg

The epic finale to one of the greatest trilogies in film history. I am an unabashed star wars lover, it is by far my favorite film-based fictional universe. Return of the Jedi was everything it needed to be in terms of a great conclusion to the story of Luke Skywalker. While the film is far from perfect especially in comparison to the original film, it is arguably the most fun of the three. The ewoks are silly and I hate what they represent as far as focusing on toy sales over story (that's what happens when the producer owns the merchandising rights *glares angrily at George Lucas), I also would love to have one as a pet.

What really makes this movie for me is the sequence in the Emperor's throne room, which I would argue is the greatest single sequence in the entire series to date. The cinematography of that scene is unbelievable, particularly in the moment of indecision when Luke is in hiding right before Vader goads him into attacking by threatening Leia, in which Luke's face is lit so that half of it is red and half of it is blue, showing the conflict he has between the pull of the dark side and the light. This is a technique used in another film on my list later that I will discuss in that review and that there's an interesting parallel to be drawn there.

I love what this film did for Luke as a character, as his journey is finally complete from just a whiny farmer boy at the beginning of a New Hope all the way to the capable Jedi Knight he is at the start of this film, and ultimate succeeding where his father fails by resisting the seduction of the dark side of the force and ultimately sparing his father, providing Anakin the chance to redeem himself by killing the emperor and bringing balance to the force as he was destined to.

While this film was definitely flawed in its narrative structure, the film has enough good moments to make up for it. As far as the original trilogy goes, it's the film with the highest highs and the lowest lows of the three, however there are definitely more highs than lows on the whole and is still a movie I love, just more so as a star wars lover than as a film lover.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

Not the biggest fan of comic book movies but there are some pretty darn good choices. My favorite so far is Reservoir Dogs, which was number 3 on my list. Looking forward to the rest!

Thanks for the feedback, :) a majority of the top 20 will not be comic book films (I think there's only 3 as opposed to 7 in the first 30) working on the next write-up right now :up:

[BraedenG33]

19. Captain America: Civil War
http://cdn.flutter.co/pulse/uploads/l8aHKasBTGKalBrgUG5B_spider-man-captain-america-civil-war.jpg

Speaking of comic book films, here's the biggest comic book film of the year and in my opinion the best.

Honestly this movie would have had to have been complete dogsh*t for me not to love it. For it to appear on my top 50 let along this high? Well that required a lot more, and it had a lot more. It was a fantastic film. The Russo Brothers did a great job both in balancing all the characters and giving them all a decent amount of development and time to shine, and in striking just the right tone where things were still dire but not without levity (this was the big issue both with Batman v Superman, which didn't have enough levity, and with Avengers: Age of Ultron, which didn't commit to the dire circumstances enough and ended up feeling tonally inconsistent).

Following a mission in a foreign country for the avengers that goes awry, the UN determines that leaving the Avengers to operate unchecked, unilaterally, and of their own discretion is not something they can allow anmore. The governments of the world then create the Sokovia Accords, which give the UN authority to dispense the avengers as they deem necessary rather than letting the Avengers act of their own volition. Some members of the team are in support of this and some are against it, those against it led by Captain America and those for it led by Iron Man, who is partially motivated by guilt he is feeling after meeting the mother of someone who died as collateral damage at Sokovia (the site of the attack in Age of Ultron).

This is the beginning of the divide between the team, however things get worse when the UN building is bombed at the signing of the Accords, and the likely suspect is Bucky Barnes, the winter soldier. Steve, who is skeptical and doesn't believe Bucky would do it, chooses to go after Bucky behind the UN's back to figure out what happened. It's not long before he finds Bucky and then ends up apprehended, by the King of Wakanda, T'Challa, the Black Panther, and things only get worse from there as more conflict builds between team members and it is revealed that there is a greater threat pulling the strings behind it all. it's actually even more complex than that but that's a fairly comprehensive synopsis without getting into spoilers.

The action in this film is the best action in any of the Marvel films to date, and it's also probably the darkest and most emotionally compelling of the films, as you could argue that they're really isn't a happy ending. The philosophical conflict between Tony and Steve is also really interesting, and it's easy to be on either character's side during the film. Personally I was team Cap (well really I was team Bucky, which makes me by default team cap, Bucky is the real victim in all of the hullabaloo that goes on in the film).

A smart and complex thrilling story with high flying action and great characters, Captain America: Civil War is one of the best superhero films of all time without a doubt in my opinion.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

18. The Social Network
http://i.imgur.com/urx50dW.png

The Social Network is one of the best films of the decade so far. With one of the best scripts I've ever read (I read the script as well and it's a better read than many novels honestly), no doubt thanks to the talent of Aaron Sorkin, and as a result the film earned a much deserved oscar for best adapted screenplay. The performances are great as every member of the cast is on the top of their game. Visually, the film is very good too, the style of the film and the camera work is very impressive.

It's 'The Facebook Movie' and it follows the story of Mark Zuckerberg inventing facebook, from a dorm room at Harvard in 2003 to the biggest social media website in the world, and it tells the story in a very interesting way, using flashbacks told as accounts of the events in the depositions of two concurrent court cases, as Zuckerberg was being sued both by the Winklevoss twins,played by Armie Hammer, students at Harvard at the same time as him, for intellectual property theft, as well as his former friend and partner Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, who I think was the best part of the entire film.

The Social Network also has one of the most unique soundtracks of any film I've watched and it's a personal favorite of mine. I love to listen to film scores and this is a soundtrack I listen to all the time. The techno-y vibe fits very well with the subject matter tone and visuals of the film. Trent Reznor did a great job.

Overall, a fantastic film that was well directed, well written, well acted and well scored, and was a film that drew me in and got me hooked on the story thanks to a fantastic script.

5

[BraedenG33]

17. Ratatouille
https://synian.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/ratatouille.jpg

Another brilliant animated film directed by Brad Bird, Ratatouille is one of the absolute best Pixar films out there in my opinion, and it all starts with a really great concept. Take the conflict of trying to become a gourmet chef and apply it to literally the thing furthest from it, a rat. It's a stroke of genius like much of Pixar's body of work. Remy, the rat who is the protagonist of the film, wants more than anything to be a great chef, inspired by the words of a famous chef, "Anyone can cook."

Fortunately, he manages to find his way to the sewer right underneath one of the finest gourmet restaurants in Paris. What makes this concept so incredible is that it's the one of the best uses of the idea of an unlikely hero, someone who is so far from where he wants to go, it makes the conflict of the story just that much more incredible to watch because the character faces even longer odds to get there.

This is also in my opinion the best looking of all the pixar films, the animation in this film just has a beautiful quality to it unlike any of the other films (not to say that the other pixar films are in any way poorly animated, there's just something special about this particular one). Credit to the animation team for putting together this visual masterpiece.

I also appreciate the lesson that this film teaches. Every pixar film and most great children's movies in general have some overarching message for the film that's easy to grasp and very well articulated, something with substance that goes beyond just entertaining children to inspiring them. The lesson of this film is from my view that you should always go after your dreams and what inspires you even when it seems impossible. I mean anyone can cook right? So if a rat can make it as a chef, what can't you do? It's something that is especially meaningful for me as someone who wants to be a director one day since, y'know, it's not exactly a job that's known for ease of entry. It's one of the most difficult private sector jobs out there, but I'm going for it anyway despite the long odds because it's my dream.

Ratatouille is one of Pixar's finest films, and one that is especially powerful and meaningful for me.

5

[BraedenG33]

16. Spirited Away
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_jGXcSBcvQQ/maxresdefault.jpg

Another film that's inextricably linked to my childhood.

I am reasonably into anime, while not as much as some people or even a few of my friends, I do appreciate the medium and one of the first exposure I had to japanese animation was this film. I had it on DVD when I was very little and would watch it all the time on a DVD player I had when I would go on long drives or flights or when I was on a family vacation. The visuals of the film are forever imprinted in my head, and on the note of the visuals the animation in this film is magnificent.

I can't really say as much about this film as some others since I haven't seen it in a few years so it's not really fresh in my mind admittedly, but there was no way it could be any lower on this list simply on the memories I have of the film and how meaningful it is for me. The things I do remember about the film is that it always had a surreal magical quality to it. In my youth I was captivated by the film but never knew why, a few years later as I was able to better process what was going on in the film I still loved it.

The story itself is of a girl who gets lost in an enchanted bath house and encounters many supernatural beings in her journey to reunite with her parents. In the film there are a lot of naturalistic elements to it which go very well with the themes of preservation of nature and reverence toward the natural world and a disapproval of the advance of artificial society.

It's a film that I definitely need to rewatch soon, but one that I hold in very high regard. A masterpiece in animation for sure.

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Goodfellas
http://www.gablescinema.com/media/filmassets/slides/Goodfellas_6.jpg

My favorite Scorsese film (granted of only 3 films so far I need to see more Scorsese), Goodfellas is an awesome mob film with a great cast and a really compelling group of characters, it's a great film, plain and simple. Also Scorsese direction in the film is sublime.

4.5

[Tugg]

I'd like to give "Super 8" another chance. "Inside Out", though good is overrated. "Ratatouille" is top 3 animated film for me.

[BraedenG33]

Sorry for not posting anything yesterday I was out all day getting things ready, I'm going on a 3 week trip to New York for a pre-college film program and I leave on sunday. I'm going to try to get a few more done today and then wrap up the list tomorrow. Thanks again everyone for the positive responses it's been great going through the list with all of you! :D

[Miss Vicky]

Ratatouille is one of my top ten favorite films ever, so big thumbs up there. Goodfellas is solid, but it's never been a favorite. Didn't care for Spirited Away (or any other Miyazaki, for that matter).

[BraedenG33]

15. The Incredibles
https://kavi.fi/sites/default/files/elokuva/fields/field_kuva/incredibles_3.jpg

Pixar makes yet another appearance on the list with the best fantastic four film that isn't. The Incredibles is probably Pixar's most purely entertaining film and one of it's best as well. Taking place in the 1960s(ish?), in a post-superhero world. Years before, Superheros (known as supers) defended the public from evil, however when it became clear that they were no longer really needed and in fact caused more harm than good sometimes (to the point that there was a big lawsuit against the supers) they eventually faded out of the public eye and back into normal society.

Years later, Bob and Helen Parr (Parr being a being a play on the word par, meaning average), formerly Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, are now married with a family and trying to live a normal life (with the exception of Bob taking taking a few late night vigilante outings with his friend, the former hero Frozone) when Mr. Incredible is pulled back into the superheroing business in secret, and from there the film unfolds.

It's an incredibly well-written movie, paced very well and all the dialogue is believable. It strikes a perfect tone for a superhero film of being intense but still having levity. Syndrome is one of the best villains Pixar has had (which admittedly isn't saying a ton since most of their films don't have defined antagonists and even fewer of those antagonists are actually evil). He's conniving, intelligent, and just a bit crazy, varying between moments of being incredibly (hehe) effective and also completely inept, showing he is still out of his depth but is compensating for that with his intellect.

The main theme of the film is normalcy vs. the exceptional. it's exemplified in a line spoken both by Syndrome and by Dash, the middle child of the Parr family. "When everyone's super, no one is." This conflict sets up the crux of the film in the fight between Syndrome (a normal human and the once-wannabe sidekick of Mr. Incredible who was cast aside for being ordinary and getting in the way) and Mr. Incredible (a super, an exceptional person) as well as in the differences in how Dash and Violet (the oldest child) approach every day lives in the normal world. Violet wants more than anything to fit in and be normal, not just to act normal. Dash on the other hand wants to excel and feels held back by having to hide his powers. Dash loves being exceptional and wants to use that while Violet rejects it and wishes she could just be like everybody else.

While this film may not be Pixar's most original or innovative film (treading on the familiar ground of superheroism and using many of those tropes, albeit using them very well), it is still a fantastic (or perhaps one would say, incredible) film and one of their best.

5

[BraedenG33]

14. The Martian
http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-Martian-4.jpg

The Martian is a cinematic masterpiece and a return to form for one of my favorite directors, Ridley Scott (in fact this is actually the highest ranked film of his on the list, though I would say his best film is either Alien or Blade Runner). Based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir, the film follows the story of Mark Watney, a botanist who is left stranded on Mars after being presumed dead as a result of a Martian storm, and his attempt to survive long enough to make contact with NASA and return home.

This is the film I felt deserved the Oscar for best picture this year (followed narrowly by Mad Max: Fury Road, Ex Machina, and The Revenant, in that order), I believe this is one of the best science fiction films to come out in a very long time. Part of what makes the film so great is that it stays very grounded and believable. It feels like it could have been based on a true story (I imagine this is in part because it adapts a very good meticulously crafted novel), even though it obviously is not.

Interestingly enough in many ways this film is basically the same premise as the Revenant but approaches it in the completely opposite way. Both are survival films based on a man presumed dead forced to survive on his own in a harsh environment. The Revenant takes this premise and focuses on the hardship of isolation and of survival and the wrath of nature. The Martian takes a more optimistic approach, focusing on the power of cooperation and human ingenuity to overcome and achieve in the face of overwhelming challenges. Both work to great success however the Martian's approach appealed to me more and I feel like they executed just a bit better (narratively The Martian is far better paced and cohesive than the slow building, somewhat over-long Revenant).

The film is also incredibly fun and entertaining without ever feeling too light for the context of the situation. I've watched the film 4 times now since it's release and it never gets old. The camera work is brilliant and really brings the Red Planet to life like we've never seen before on screen. The performances are also great, featuring standout performances from a star studded cast including Matt Damon, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, and Jessica Chastain. However it was Donald Glover's small role that stole the film for me.

In my opinion, the best film of 2015, the Martian was a sci-fi masterpiece and a sign that Ridley Scott is back on his game again, which is great for everyone.

5

[Camo]

Ratatouille is one of my top ten favorite films ever, so big thumbs up there. Goodfellas is solid, but it's never been a favorite. Didn't care for Spirited Away (or any other Miyazaki, for that matter).

The hell? Always thought you hated Goodfellas?

[Miss Vicky]

The hell? Always thought you hated Goodfellas?

No, I'd probably rate it 4. Maybe you're thinking of The Godfather? That movie bored the crap out of me.

[Camo]

I know i've heard you say you hate Goodfellas. haha. Anyway glad you like it then. now because you didn't before

[Miss Vicky]

I know i've heard you say you hate Goodfellas.[/COLOR]

But then you were also sure I loved Letters from Iwo Jima, which I haven't even seen. :p

I've just searched my posts (http://www.movieforums.com/community/search.php?searchid=4991502&pp=25) and all I'm finding are me saying that it was solid but not a favorite. I tabbed it back in 2014 and rated it 4/5.

[Camo]

and rated it 4/5.

You also rated Cinderella 3/5 after basically calling it an a-hole :p.

Nah, fair enough i must have just thought you wouldn't like it and then just assumed you had said so before.

[Miss Vicky]

You also rated Cinderella 3/5 after basically calling it an a-hole :p.

It is an a-hole, but it's pretty and the mice are cute. A rating of 3/5 just means I didn't hate it.

Back to the list: I don't have any interest in The Martian. The Incredibles is a solid film, but there are several Pixar films that I'd rate higher.

[BraedenG33]

13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
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**SPOILERS FOR TFA**

**also warning, lot's a fanboying below**

Yet another film that people seem to be a bit divided on. I know a lot of people found this film to be derivative, too similar to episode 4, or whatever there gripes are and I get that, it's not a perfect film, it certainly wasn't the best film made last year, but it was my favorite for personal reasons. I am a huge Star Wars fan, have been my entire life (or at least since I was old enough to watch movies and actually understand what was going on). Seeing this film in theaters gave me a feeling I hadn't felt since I was 8 years old. I had never seen a good star wars film in theaters (I saw 3 and the Clone Wars movie in theaters as well but those weren't particularly good). The film was everything I wanted it to be and it was and probably always will be the best theater experience I have ever had (having seen it 4 times all in theaters). Honestly the film only had to be solid for me to love it, but this film was, in my opinion, a hell of a lot better than solid.

The story definitely does feel reminiscent of A New Hope, I'll admit that, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing and it definitely didn't bother me. It's not what the movies is about that matters so much as how it's about it, and the movie executed it's plot very well. Also, most of the similarities to me are more superficial aesthetic similarities than significant ones. Yeah, they blow up a big planet destroying ball in space at the end like they did in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, so what? That wasn't the point of the narrative that was part of the narrative.

To me, this story was brilliantly paced and executed. From the first sentence of the opening crawl the dramatic premise is established. Luke Skywalker is missing. This film is about searching for Luke. The film begins with telling us he's missing and ends immediately once he's found. Every key plot point in between serves the purpose of finding Luke, ultimately. The film also acts as the first act of a larger narrative that will be the story of the trilogy as a whole, presumably. That larger narrative is the hero(ine)'s journey of Rey.

Let's talk about Rey actually. A lot of controversy has surrounded her character and whether or not she's a 'mary sue' or whatever. I don't believe she is in fact I'd say all of her capabilities in the film are extremely obviously well explained. Why is she a capable fighter? Well she's survived on her own since childhood on a scrapyard planet with no help from anyone, she had to learn to fend for herself otherwise she'd have been toast. Why is she so good with ships? She's a scavenger, she's almost certainly familiarized herself with hundreds upon hundreds of various parts over the years so she could get rations for them. Why is she capable of using the force? Well it's obvious she has a strong connection to the force based on her connection to Luke's saber, and it seems like she's barely controlling it and just beginning to figure out how to tap into the latent gifts she has (and this will likely get even more context when her parentage is ultimately revealed).

Why can she take on Kylo Ren, a guy with much more experience than her, in a lightsaber duel? Well for one thing, Kylo is not at 100%, he took a direct shot from Chewies gun and managed to just take a knee and walk it off which is d*mn impressive for one thing since that weapon has taken out multiple stormtroopers in one shot just in the vicinity of them, so he's mortally wounded and also he's emotionally unstable after killing Han. She's hopped up on a connection to the force while he's at maybe half rate and he's also still not fully trained. Not to mention, Kylo has the distinct advantage in the fight all the way until the end when she taps into the force at which point she overtakes him. These are all things that are relatively easy to understand based on what's communicated in the film and I don't see how people see her as a Mary Sue simply because she's strong. Her strength is completely reasonable in the context of the story. I loved Rey and am so excited to see where her story leads her.

Back to the Han Solo death scene. This scene definitely takes some inspiration from the emperor's throne room scene in Return of the Jedi. The split lighting technique I discussed in my Jedi review is used again in this film, to great effect, as Kylo Ren, Ben Solo, is facing the conflict of light and dark and facing conflict with his father as Luke faced before him with Vader. However, where Luke succeeded in resisting the dark side and sparing his father, Ben fails, succumbing to the dark side, his face shrouded in red as the last bit of light from the Star is absorbed by the starkiller base, as he stabs his father with his lightsaber ending his life.

I also really loved the dynamic of Finn and Poe as they established more onscreen chemistry as a brotherly friendship in 10 minutes than Obi-Wan and Anakin did in 3 movies in the prequels. I absolutely can't wait to see more of those characters in the future films. There are rumors that they could potentially be made into the first main character gay relationship in the entire franchise, and it's a move I would totally be for. I don't think there was any romance in The Force Awakens (except for the already established Han and Leia), so really they have the freedom to go with any pairing of characters they choose, however to me Oscar Isaac's Poe and John Boyega's Finn had the most on screen chemistry of any characters so I don't see any reason they shouldn't go for a romantic subplot for them, so long as it's well written I don't care what the sexualities of the characters are.

Anyway, with all the controversy around the film addressed, the film itself is really incredibly well made. I would say that the cinematography in this film is the best the series has had except for maybe Empire Strikes Back (and that's a toss up) and the acting is most definitely the best in the series. The effects look great, using practical as much as they can and cgi when needed. The score is great (Rey's theme and Kylo Ren's theme are both instant classics for me).

I've said before the JJ Abrams style of filmmaking really speaks to me and it's on full display here as well. This film, like I said, brought out a feeling in me that I haven't felt in a theater in a long time, and that feeling is why I want to be a filmmaker. Movies have shaped so much of my life through that feeling (really that feeling applies to most every film on this list to some extent or another). I think that's the point of filmmaking. It's not about the music, or the acting, or the camerawork. It's not about the technical prowess of the movie, it's not even about the story. At the end of the day, the goal of a film and the goal of any work of art is to make the audience feel something. This movie made me feel a way I haven't felt since I was a little kid, and was a d*mn good too, if not completely narratively and technically perfect (though was still very good on both fronts in my opinion), so on it's most fundamental premise as a film, it was an absolute success.

And also, I feel like the film fits so well within the lore of star wars. As part of that universe it's a success too. The eternal struggle of light and dark, of good and evil, is a central motif in the mythos of Star Wars, and in fiction at large. It's core to the universe of Star Wars, so it seems only natural that Darkness rose again. And as a natural response to the revival of the darkness, the light continues to fight to keep it at bay, this time in the form of the resistance. And this time, the light side reawakens as well, in the form of Rey (conveniently named, ahem, 'ray of light'), and that's the point of the entire story. The continuation of the eternal battle of light and dark, as history repeats itself and we see yet again that someone will rise to face this darkness, a reluctant yet brave heroine (Rey) taken from her former life aided by courageous allies (The resistance, specifically Finn) and a wise mentor (presumably Luke in the sequels) and thrust to the forefront of this battle where she will ultimately triumph and grow as a result of this journey. It's storytelling, it's the hero's journey, that is the point of all this. That is Star Wars.

I love this movie so much. You're allowed to not like it but that's how I felt (sorry that this turned really long and rambly and preachy and incoherent, I just have a lot of thoughts about this film, in fact I just wrote 1500+ words on it and I could probably write another 15000 if I wanted to).

(some of the stuff I wrote I also pulled from some of the earlier posts I've made about TFA in the spoilers thread since I was making the same points)

5

[Tugg]

This is the film I felt deserved the Oscar for best picture this year (followed narrowly by Mad Max: Fury Road, Ex Machina, and The Revenant, in that order), I believe this is one of the best science fiction films to come out in a very long time.
The Martian and Mad Max: Fury Road were two of the best big pictures of last year. Other two were Sicario and Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation.

[The Rodent]

Still loving this list. The Martian and TFA both broke my top 10 in my last 100.

[SkyDog]

13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I read the synopsis last summer, knew how much of a rehash it was, spent 5 months grovelling about it, and still ended up enjoying it. (even though I can't disagree with the majority of the complaints about it)

Rogue One looks like it's going to be fantastic from a visual/production standpoint - I just hope they don't drop the ball with the characters/story.

[cricket]

Ratatouille is my favorite animated movie, and The Incredibles is up there too.

Hopefully that makes up for me not caring for Spirited Away.

[BraedenG33]

The Martian and Mad Max: Fury Road were two of the best big pictures of last year. Other two were Sicario and Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation.

Still have to see Sicario and I haven't seen any of the MI films yet. Thanks everyone for the feedback and rep :up::D

[BraedenG33]

12. Wall-E
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This is my favorite Pixar film. Wall-E is a spectacular feat in animation. Compelling narrative, a beautiful opening half (and not quite as good but still excellent second half), strong positive messages, Wall-E exemplifies a lot of the best that Pixar has to offer. The story of a little robot who falls in love and ends up on a journey through space to save the human race. Simple enough. The first half of the film is probably the best 40 minutes of animation I've ever seen. New animating technologies were applied for lighting in this film (consulted with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins) that helped really make this film feel so organic and so gorgeous.

I remember falling in love with Wall-E as a kid, he (it technically, but for convenience sake I'm calling Wall-E a he) was drawn all over my notebooks in the animation camp I used to go to over summers back in the day (I was a nerd, it was a camp dedicated to animation and comic book illustration and I loved the sh*t out of it, it was held by a guy who used to illustrate Wonder Woman comics back in the day) and in my school notebooks for the next year. Pixar has a way of manufacturing cuteness that is just unbelievable. Not just in Wall-E (though him above all), but in all the robots they all have unique quirks and bugs and sounds that really portray such adorable personas in non-human non-verbal characters which is d*mn impressive.

The film is also really powerful in its environmentalist messages. It paints a pretty scary picture of the future, a world that we destroyed through our rampant consumerism, and the only reason we survived is because artificial intelligence came along and kind of pampered us into subservience on a ship designed to feed into that same consumerist culture, to the point that humanity has become a bunch of 700 pound useless blobs recreating to death. It's important to realize that this isn't just science fiction though, these environmental changes are what's coming years and years down the road if we don't change the way we treat the planet, and the film does a great job of addressing that.

Beautiful, powerful, adorable film, Wall-E is a classic and in my opinion the best movie Pixar has ever made.

5

[Miss Vicky]

Love Wall E. Top 3 Pixar for me and probably top 5 animated film. :up:

[BraedenG33]

11. The Lion King
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Other than maybe the original trilogy of the Star Wars films, I don't think there's a single film I've seen more than The Lion King. It's the highest ranked animated film and the highest ranked kid's movie on the list. It's a movie I've been watching probably since before I could talk I don't remember a time when I hadn't seen The Lion King. The animation is beautiful, the performances are great, Scar is among the best villains ever in movie history in my opinion, and overall it's just a spectacular film.

It follows the story of a lion cub named Simba who is set to be the heir to the current king of the lions, Mufasa, however Scar, the brother of Mufasa, has other plans as he wants the throne. After arranging the death of the king in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in movie history, especially for a kids film, Scar scorns Simba and tells Simba the only way for him to repent for his father's death (designed to look like an accident or even Simba's fault) is for him to leave the pride and never return.

Simba leaves the pride and ultimately ends up being raised by a meerkat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa, from whom he learns the philosophy of hakuna matata, meaning no worries. He is raised in relative paradise and everything is going well when his royal past finally catches up to him. Nala, his childhood friend and technically fiance shows up and they fall in love, when it is revealed that the pridelands have fallen into catastrophe under Scar's rule. She convinces him to return and take his rightful place as king of the pride. (basically, as has been said a million times, it's Hamlet but with lions).

It's a fantastic film that is ingrained in my childhood. The animation, the characters, the performances, the music (oh my god the music!), everything is so incredibly well done in this film and it's one of the best animated films ever made.

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Big Hero 6
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Since we're on a bit of a run with these animated films I might as well give some shine to one that just missed out on the list in Big Hero 6. It's great animated film and while I go back and forth between it and the lego movie (which almost got this HM too), like at the academy, I'm giving the edge to Big Hero 6 because, while the Lego Movie might have been great, I loved the characters in Big Hero 6 more and also because of how the film deals with treating grief and loss, which I think is important and I really liked that a kids film was willing to tackle that subject matter.

4.5

[Miss Vicky]

Big Hero 6 was underwhelming to me. Not bad, just seemed mediocre.
I'm among the few that hate The Lion King.

[Mäx]

I absolutely love Wall-E and The Lion King. Big Hero 6 was only average to me.

[BraedenG33]

10. Saving Private Ryan
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In terms of production quality, this might be Spielberg's most technically well-made film. Really bringing you into the battles, the opening scene on the beach sets the bar for intense battle scenes. It's such an astonishing scene. The handheld high shutter-speed look really adds to the real, gritty (in a good way) feel to the scene. It's unlike just about any other large scale battle scene I've ever seen.

When most people talk about this film they stay on the battle scene and how great it is but I think this film is more than just one really phenomenal action sequence. It's a deeply powerful film that shows the atrocity of war on the human level. There is a scene in which we see two American soldiers have an enemy soldier who has put down his arms in surrender only to be shot down by the soldiers, and then along the same line, later in the film when the Americans do spare the life of an enemy soldier he ultimately ends up fighting against them later in the film. There are no heroes and villains in war, no good guys and bad guys on the front lines, only soldiers, only survivors.

The premise of the story is simple. A squad of American soldiers are sent behind enemy lines to save a private who is to be sent home because his brothers have died. Tom Hanks plays the leader of the squad and he is spectacular as always. The sound design of the film is great and pairs well with the bleak, realistic visual portrayal of war that brings it to horrifying reality without glorifying it in the process (save for some of the sentimentalist flag waving at the beginning and end of the film, but hey it's Spielberg).

In spite of a little sentimentality, it's a phenomenal film that sticks with you and is in the upper echelon of Spielberg's incredible works as one of the best directors of all time.

5

[BraedenG33]

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
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In my opinion by far the best marvel film, and one of the best if not the best superhero films ever made, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an unbelievable film that balances intensity and intelligent storytelling with incredibly entertaining and well-shot action to create in my opinion one of the instant classics in the superhero genre as well as the spy genre (as this films is arguably more a spy film than a pure superhero one). Taking inspiration from the cold war-era spy films of old and bringing forward that story in a new way was a genius move by the Russo Brothers, who I'm ecstatic to have running the show under Kevin Feige from now on over at the MCU.

The story is a suspenseful twisting narrative of secrets and lies as we see Steve become more and more distrustful of the people in power because of the lies and misinformation. Things aren't like what they were, or at least they didn't seem that way back then. Ultimately, this film deals with the ultimate conspiracy that SHIELD has been compromised and is now under the control of something more sinister.

The scene in which Nick Fury and Steve are talking while Fury introduces Steve to project insight is a critical one for Steve's character and I think it sets up everything else that has happened in the Captain America films since, including Civil War. Steve says a line "This isn't freedom, this is fear." in description of Project Insight and it's plans to wipe out potential threats before they happen. It's a signal of the beginning of the distrust he build towards authority, that it is corrupt and will never have the right discretion to protect the world. This moment shows where his character is headed and why he ultimately decides in Civil War to be against the Sokovia Accords.

He sees as the film progresses that he was right and the people in power aren't to be trusted (as Hydra has taken over SHIELD) and having seen the potential consequences of leaving the decisions of right and wrong to the government and cannot justify putting that discretion in their hands. The Steve Rogers character of the course of the MCU films has developed so well into one of my all-time favorite characters in film (honestly I find him way more appealing than the comic book version, especially in his current run where he himself has become a hydra sleeper agent).

On a technical level, this film is brilliant. It has in my opinion the best sound design of any film I've watched (particularly with Cap's shield), the score is well done, and the action scenes are amazing. The choreography of the fight on the highway between the Winter Soldier and Cap is unbelievable, however I think the scene that takes the cake for me is the elevator fight. That scene is so intense as we see this whole fight take place inside the confined space of an elevator and it's all directed and shot so well so you feel right there in the action and can still keep track of everything and never feel lost. Chris Evans is at his best in this film as Cap and overall the entire cast does an amazing job.

5

[BraedenG33]

8. The Matrix
http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The-Matrix-HD-Wallpapers11.jpeg

So here's a funny story about the Matrix. I only saw this film for the first time in I think November of 2015. Now, last summer, in June of 2015, I wrote down a treatment for a story idea I had for a film I would love to make when I'm older. I'm gonna leave that here and let you guys read it and see what you think it sounds reminiscent of (bearing mind I had no knowledge of anything about the Matrix until months later).

TITLE: Into the Nexus

Set in the not-too-distant future. The world’s economy has become consolidated into a single private corporation that controls nearly all of the world’s wealth. This corporation is known as NexCorp, and has developed a global network of all electronic information, known as the Nexus. This corporation essentially controls the entire world through its immense wealth and hold on cybernetic information, as well as control on nearly every major industry, with subsidiary companies that control everything from fuel to agriculture. Governments have all but been eliminated as NexCorp is essentially the sole world power. While technically not a government with set laws per se, it is clear that they exercise a great deal of control over all people, restricting rights and privacy. While petty crime has been all but eliminated, it is clear that this world is still a scary place to live in wrought with oppression underneath its shiny bright surface. NexCorp is essentially tyrannical in its operation, the people are essentially powerless to do anything about it. There is, however, one last hope for mankind and its liberation from the tyranny of NexCorp. A select group of people have banded together to form a rebellion, however with no chance to take down NexCorp in the real world, terribly outmatched by the Peacekeepers, a powerful diverse group of soldiers which function as both the military and the police force of NexCorp, though they are described as ‘free privatized security’ for all people. The rebels needed to find another way to fight NexCorp, and they do. They fight back against NexCorp by bringing the battle into cyberspace, hacking into the Nexus.

I basically wrote Mr. Robot meets the Matrix in reverse (starting in the real world and going into the fake one instead of starting in the fake world as the default, which in all fairness their version is wayyyyyyyy better) but without the AI, without having seen anything of either Mr. Robot or the Matrix. My first reactions when I watched the matrix were 1) Holy f*ck that was amazing! and 2) That's like the treatment I wrote last summer but in reverse and with robots. Now seeing as my aesthetic choices for the film were going to be way different and the plot would have differed in many ways because I wouldn't have had it based on like CyberJesus I'd like to think I would ultimately be able to make a unique film from this concept if I were to ever get the chance.

Anyway back to reviewing the film. The Matrix has in my opinion the best first act of any film I've ever seen. It's really just a flawless first 30 minutes or so leading up to the moment of selecting the blue or red pill. The rest of the film is great too but that first act is just a cut above everything else really. The action is great and seeing Neo's rise to CyberJesus is great. Agent Smith is a fantastic villain and the whole premise is just awesome. As a philosophy nut, the whole your world is not real premise is always fun and appealing to me, and I think this is one of my favorite uses of that premise.

The way this film impacted visual effects is also spectacular. Really in terms of Sci-Fi action it's hard to get much better than this film. The premise is cool, the action is phenomenal, the story is good and has some really fascinating thought provoking thematic elements to it as well. If you haven't seen it well (Cyber)Jesus Christ go see it and if you already have well than you know how great this film is (unless you're not a fan of it which is cool too).

[BraedenG33]

7. Whiplash
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The film I felt deserved the academy award for best picture in 2014. One of the most intense films I've ever seen (much more intense than most action movies even). What's unique about how this film builds tension is that most films use big stakes to build tension and get you on the edge of your seat but this film it's tense but it's really personal psychological tension like there's no life or death scenarios (well he gets hit by a car but other than that) here's it's just tension from the mental battle between JK Simmons's character and Miles Teller's character (both of whom are great in the film but Simmons's performance is among the best I've ever seen) the teacher and the student in this war to achieve perfection.

The film is about the story of going after perfection, after genius, after excellence, no matter what. Teller's character wants more than anything to be a great drummer and JK Simmons wants more than anything to train the next great drummer and they're both pushing each other to their limits and beyond trying to reach that goal and it's clear that Teller's character is destroying himself going after this goal (and Simmons is destroying him too).

This film really puts into perspective the ideas of genius and how far is too far to achieve a goal and do the positive ends justify contemptible means. JK Simmons character is a psychological abusive *sshole of a teacher but he gets results, but at what cost. That's the question the film ultimately puts forward, is it worth it? And it's up to you as the viewer to answer that question and I think the answer really depends on what you value as a person. This film has stuck with me for months on end since I saw it more than a year ago and I've rewatched it once since.

The cinematography of the film is also just absolutely gorgeous and the entire look and style of the film just fits so well with the tone and the story. The music, as one might expect for a film about drumming, is fantastic as well and my hats off to everyone involved especially director Damien Chazelle who looks to be one of the next great young directors with another interesting project coming up with La La Land which could be a potential Oscar film (and I'm so excited to see it).

An instant classic and one of the most affecting and intense films I've ever experienced.

5

[BraedenG33]

6. Star Wars
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Perhaps the most iconic and culturally ubiquitous film ever made, Star Wars is the first film in my favorite film franchise of all time, and many would argue that it is the best. It's the quintessential hero's journey tale, following the story of a farm boy named Luke who will go on to save the galaxy. I mean I'm sure all of you know the story of the first Star Wars film so I'm not going to give a full synopsis.

I've already reviewed two of the Star Wars films on my list so you all already know my thoughts on the franchise as a whole so talking about the movie that started all this 40 year long hullaballoo I think the thing to realize is that this film really just sets the standard for every film that has come since it in the big budget hollywood film industry. Everyone wants a big franchise and this is the grandaddy of them all. And for good reason. This film was phenomenal. It's narrative was so well paced and structured the effects are unmatched for their time (and are still fairly convincing now even though they obviously are a bit dated, you know, after almost 40 years), and above all else it's just a film that creates a feeling of childlike wonder in many respects. This is a film that I've watched probably more times than i should have (hell in the last 8 months I've seen it 6 times and I've been watching it for 10 years.

The characters in the film are also fantastic. Luke is a compelling hero as he's just a kid who dreams of something bigger but he hasn't quite figured out how to get there yet. Han is a charming but selfish jerk with a heart of gold in the end (and is kind of bullsh*tting his way through life) and Leia is a capable princess who, while seemingly is a damsel in distress ends up saving the guys on more than one occasion. Obi-Wan is the quintessential sage/old mentor type and Alec Guinness brings it in this film as he just adds a whole level of gravitas to the film with his presence. Vader is imposing (though not nearly as impressive a villain as in the later films) and the Empire as a whole feels like a powerful foe.

Of course you can't talk about this film without talking about the iconic score. The original trilogy to me has the best music in film history. It's instantly recognizable and adds so much to the film. John Williams is a living legend. Binary Sunset is and always will be my favorite piece of music ever, it's just so beautiful and encapsulates everything this franchise is about so well.

Overall, there's not much I can say about the film that hasn't already been said, it's a near-flawless film (though the cinematography isn't as good as it's sequels and the dialogue isn't great, both courtesy of George Lucas--bleh) and absolutely deserves a spot in the top 10 and it's recognition as one of the great films of all time.

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - Kingsman: The Secret Servicehttp://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/kingsman-the-secret-service-taron-egerton-colin-firth.jpg

Deadpool before Deadpool was Deadpool. Kingsman was a cool edgy R-rated comic book adaptation that came out in february and got rave reviews. For good reason, it's a really fun charming film that's very tongue in cheek but still serious enough to have stakes. Colin Firth is great in the film and Matthew Vaughn's direction is excellent.

4.5

[gbgoodies]

I'm finally getting a chance to catch up on this thread. You've got some great movies here. I like that you love a lot of the blockbusters, rather than just a bunch of top-rated classics, arthouse and/or foreign movies.

49. The Prestige - I'm not a fan of Christian Bale, but I love Hugh Jackman. I love the way they play against each other here, and I love the twist at the end.

48. Man of Steel - I didn't like this movie, or Henry Cavill as Superman. I haven't seen Batman v. Superman yet, but I don't have high hopes for that movie either.

46. North by Northwest - One of Hitchcock's best movies.

42. Star Trek Into Darkness - It's far from the best Star Trek movie, but it has its moments.

Honorable Mention - Guardians of the Galaxy - This is a fun movie, and it should be higher than just an honorable mention.

39. X-Men: First Class - I loved the first three X-Men movies, but for some reason, I didn't have high expectations for this movie. I thought it was great, and they did a fantastic job of casting younger actors in the roles. It easily exceeded my expectations.

37. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue or Ignorance) - I loved Michael Keaton in this movie, and I liked the ambiguous ending.

36. The Terminator - I prefer T2, but this is also a great movie.

Honorable Mention - Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Again, this should be higher than just an honorable mention.

35. Iron Man - One of my favorite superhero movies, and the role that Robert Downey Jr. was born to play.

33. Blade Runner - This is one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, and it has some of the most amazing visuals ever.

32. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - This is my second favorite movie of the series, (behind Raiders of the Lost Ark). The combination of Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is perfect.

31. The Avengers - This is another favorite superhero movie for me. I love the way the heroes play off each other.

30. Rear Window - IMO, this is a top-tier Hitchcock movie.

29. Star Trek (2009) - As a "trekkie", I had mixed feelings about a reboot of the original "Star Trek" series, and a whole new and younger cast. This movie had some problems, but overall, I thought they did a pretty good job.

26. Inside Out - This movie is one of my favorite new animated movies.

25. Ex Machina - This is one of my favorite movies of 2015.

21. The Iron Giant - It's been a long time since I've seen this movie, but I remember liking it a lot.

20. Return of the Jedi - This is my third favorite of the original trilogy, but it's a great conclusion to the story. I love the Ewoks, and the way the little furballs fought against the Empire.

19. Captain America: Civil War - I still haven't seen this movie, but I'm looking forward to it.

15. The Incredibles - I love this movie. It's like an animated version of "The Fantastic Four", only more fun.

13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - This is a great movie. It's not as good as the original trilogy, but it's far better than the awful prequel trilogy.

12. Wall-E - This is one of my all-time favorite movies, (and not just animated movies).

Honorable Mention - Big Hero 6 - I loved this movie when I first saw it, but it hasn't stood up as well on rewatches. But it's still a good movie.

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - This is another movie that I haven't seen yet, but I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

7. Whiplash - I knew nothing about this movie before watching it, and it ended up being my favorite movie of the year.

6. Star Wars - This is easily my favorite movie of the whole series.

[BraedenG33]

5. The Dark Knight
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Another funny little movie story from my youth about this film: the Joker gave me nightmares when I was ten for a solid month to the point that for that time I had to go back to using a nightlight. And that was just from the trailer. When I was ten and I went to the movie theater to go see Iron Man I saw the trailer for the Dark Knight and it freaked me out so much I literally had to walk out of the theater and go see a different movie (I was 10, ignore how illogical that is). I ended up seeing Speed Racer (which, if this was a top 100 list, that film would be on it because I'm one of the only people who loves that movie) instead. The Joker in the trailer scared me so much when I was young.

Now, he's my second favorite movie villain ever. This film when I finally did watch it when I got a few years older and a few years less of a p*ssy, I got a rush of exhilaration watching this film. If Iron Man is the film that created the modern superhero film (and is responsible for so much of what came after it), then The Dark Knight became the perfect foil for the modern superhero film and it remains untouched as no film has gone for anything remotely similar in terms of a serious, grounded, respectful treatment of comic book source material. Where other films have gone mostly the route of spectacle, this film stays rooted in drama (not to say there isn't great action in this film, it's just less focused on action than other superhero films).

Heath Ledger's joker is one of the all time great performances and is deserving of the posthumous oscar it received, even more impressive when you consider that he is only in the film for 33 minutes of the film's 2 hour and 32 minute run time, but his presence is felt the entire time. Aaron Eckhart is fantastic as Harvey Dent (who I would say is probably the closest to the main character of the film, even more so than Bruce is). His fall (heheh puns) is as believable as it is tragic and it is extremely well done. The film is very well shot and the editing of the film is impeccable. The score is among my favorites of all time and one that I listen to very often.

Nolan really knocked it out of the park with one of the best films of the 2000s, and the best superhero films of all time.

5

[Tugg]

"Saving Private Ryan" & "Whiplash" are two of my favorites.

"The Dark Knight" is great.

I've gone off "The Matrix" fan base and it no longer interests me.

[BraedenG33]

"Saving Private Ryan" & "Whiplash" are two of my favorites.

"The Dark Knight" is great.

I've gone off "The Matrix" fan base and it no longer interests me.

Oh I agree the fanbase around the Matrix is frustrating but the film itself is great.

[BraedenG33]

4. Jurassic Park
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lc0UehYemQA/maxresdefault.jpg

Steven Spielberg must have made some kind of pact with the Devil before making this film because holy f*ck the visual effects are unreal. For a movie that's nearing 25 years of age it honestly looks better than most of the films coming out today. The use of both animatronic and computer generated dinosaurs (cgi that revolutionized the field and every film to come after that uses compositing owes something to this film) was incredible as it's still a film that feels so real, the dinosaurs actually feel like they're there.

The story follows scientists going to an island being made into basically a Dinosaur zoo to check things out and make sure they feel the park will be safe (spoilers: it's not). It's an incredibly well-written film with interesting things to say about the nature of knowledge and ethics "just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should" (in many ways it pulls from a lot of the same themes as one of the original monster stories, Frankenstein).

Sam Neill's character, Alan Grant, is the best character in the film, as he grows from this somewhat gruff, hard around the edges character to ultimately learning to care for the children and being more compassionate. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is the character that most directly presents the ideological conflicts of the film in his dialogue, and is also one of the more likable characters in the film.

This film also plays with suspense as well as any other Spielberg film, and the score is iconic (thanks again to the legendary John Williams), and overall it is one of those near-perfect films that will live on for decades.

5

[BraedenG33]

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
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Indiana Jones is one of my all time favorite movie characters of all time. I talked about it in my Last Crusade how I dressed up as him for Halloween, and it all started with this film, perhaps the most entertaining film Spielberg film ever (which says a lot). Narratively the film is great, incredibly well-paced and action packed while still compelling. Harrison Ford as Indy is great in the film, it's the part he was born to play (along with Han Solo) as the iconic whip cracking hero, and Marion is the best female counterpart of the series. Belloq is also a great antagonist.

The story follows Indiana Jones on his journey to find the Ark of the Covenant as he travels around the world searching for it. While searching he faces difficult obstacles as the Nazis are also after the Ark, hoping to use it for power to take over the world, putting even more pressure on Indy to make sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands.

The score is among the most iconic and memorable in any film (I mean who doesn't recognize the theme song of this film?) and the effects are spectacular especially for their time (the film still doesn't feel dated to me). I mean I really don't know if there's much else to say about the film other than it's just fantastic on every level. Spielberg as at his best with his direction of the film, everything is well shot and well edited creating this absolutely masterful and enthralling adventure that sets the standard for the entire genre (no adventure film reaches the heights of Raiders, and I will be stunned if any film ever does).

There are very few films that I would call flawless, and this is one of them. It's a classic film and in my opinion Spielberg's best film, Raiders of the Lost Ark speaks for itself in how brilliant it is and I've loved it rewatch after rewatch since I was 8 years old.

5

[BraedenG33]

2. Inception
http://thestudioexec.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/inception-1920x1080-wallpaper-829789.jpg

This is the movie that made me want to be a filmmaker. Inception had an impact on me that few films ever have in that respect. It's also an amazing film and Nolan's best film to date in my opinion. A heist film taking place in multilayered dreams, except instead of stealing something they're trying to put something in someone's mind, to achieve the ultimate challenge: Inception.

Leonardo Dicaprio is the lead in this mind-bending action film as the tortured Dom Cobb, a man who above all just wants the chance to see his kids again, unable to return home because of his crimes. He's provided a chance to return home by a businessman who is seeking to destroy his competition through the new CEO (son of the previous CEO), who he hopes to get to dissolve the company by implanting an idea in his mind.

The film also has one of my all time favorite lines in any film "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling." The score is great and has been imitated (to varying degrees of success) many times since. The action is great as well, with one of the best action scenes of all time in the gravity changing hallway scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character (my favorite character in the film) Arthur.

Obviously the big question the film leaves at the end is, "Was it all real?". I think that misses the point though. I don't think it really matters whether or not Cobb is in a dream or not. I think what's important is that he believes the world he is in is real. His goal as a character is to see his children again, and ultimately he does, and he's accepted the reality he is in, whether or not that reality is actually real isn't as important (I mean our reality might not be real, but most accept it as such). I mean personally I think that it's all a dream for Cobb, a complex way for him to reconcile his grief about his wife and not seeing his kids, ultimately being able to feel in his heart admonished of guilt and moved on so he could finally see his children, but whether the story is real or fabricated makes no difference to the arc of the character.

Inception is a fantastic film and one that has had a huge impact on me and my life, and the best film from one of my all-time favorite filmmakers.

5

[BraedenG33]

Honorable Mention - The Imitation Game
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Last HM before the number one film is revealed.

A great biopic about one of the most underappreciated great minds in human history Alan Turing, and his invention of the computer (and ultimately his tragic lifetime spent underappreciated and shunned for his identity and abnormalities). Very well done and very gripping, Cumberbatch is at his best and overall it's just a great film.

4.5

[BraedenG33]

1. The Empire Strikes Back
http://www.ew.com/sites/default/files/i/2015/05/20/empirestrikesback.jpg

(this is going to be a long review)

I'm sure this probably isn't a surprise at this point, but my pick for my number one favorite film of all time is The Empire Strikes Back. The second film released in the Star Wars franchise and in my opinion the best Star Wars film ever made (and also the best film I've ever seen in general, at least in my opinion). The film is great on every level. The characters, the intensity of the unconventional narrative, the set design, the music, the tone, the writing the acting the performances, the effects the cinematography, the sound, the editing every single aspect of this film is just so incredibly well done.

What's interesting about this film is that it breaks nearly every structural narrative screenwriting rule in the book. There isn't really an act structure based around a protagonist (if anything the only character really making things happen and with a goal in the manner of a conventional protagonist is Vader, but more on that in a sec). The movie simply begins and then the characters each go off on their own tangential subplots as the tension builds and comes to a climax where the narratives intertwine and then the film ends, and on a pretty down note as well. As a film, it shouldn't work, but for some reason everything came together in a way that does as well as any film I've ever seen just because it's that good of a movie.

The film begins with Han, Leia, and Luke with the rebels at a new rebel base on the ice planet of Hoth. After Luke briefly gets lost in the icy tundra and receives a message from the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he is rescued by Han and brought back when it is discovered that the Empire has found the base and is going to attack, leading to the evacuation of the rebels in one of the best action sequences in the series, the Battle of Hoth, the Empire led by Darth Vader who is back, with more power than ever before as he is making commands and has one goal in mind: get to Luke Skywalker. After the rebels make it out of Hoth in one piece, the film diverges into it's three plotlines.

The first plotline is Luke's, following ghost Kenobi's advice and seeking out the jedi master Yoda to continue his training, by going to the Dagobah system. Dagobah is, in my opinion, the greatest feat in production design in the history of film. That set is so incredibly well done, it feel so much like another world with the foggy atmosphere and the very alive feeling with the animals and foliage moving around and just the entire feel of it is so incredible. When Luke arrives he meets a small green being that promises to bring him to Yoda, however ultimately reveals that he himself is in fact the jedi master. Reluctantly, he agrees to train Luke, and this is where the film really expands of the philosophical nature of the force in a way not seen in the previous film. We learn about the ideology present in the entire saga, about the natures of light and dark, and of good and evil. Yoda delivers one of the best lines in the film (which features some of my favorite lines in film history), "Do or do not, there is no try."

Meanwhile, Han, Leia, Chewie, and Threepio, while attempting to flee from Hoth, realize that their hyperdrive isn't working, and then end up in the pursuit of the Empire. Han then makes the bold, and frankly stupid, decision to fly into an asteroid field to evade the empire. Ultimately they end up escaping the Empire's grasp (more stuff happens to get there but what's important is) and head to Cloud City in the Bespin system, not yet realizing that they are being followed by the Bounty Hunter, Boba Fett. they arrive on Bespin and meet an old friend of Han's, Lando Calrissian, who welcomes them and provides them hospitality and repairs to the Millennium Falcon.

This brings us to the third Storyline, Darth Vader's. Vader has realized that the force sensitive who destroyed the Death Star is Luke Skywalker, now a commander in the rebel army, the son of Anakin Skywalker, a jedi, and surmises that he must capture Luke in hopes of turning him over to the dark side of the force so he and Luke and the Emperor may rule the galaxy. Once Luke evades him at Hoth and leaves, he finds Han and Leia trying to escape, and realizing they are allies of Luke, hopes to capture them. With the aid of Boba Fett, he tracks them to Cloud City and beats them there, offering Lando a deal (well threatening him really) to set a trap for Luke using Han and Leia as bait. Storyline 2 intertwines here as Leia and Han walk right into the trap.

Luke, still training on Dagobah, senses that Han and Leia are in trouble and decides he must leave his training to face Vader in hopes of saving his friends. Yoda and ghost Obi-Wan implore him to stay, saying he will lose to Vader and he needs to finish his training. Luke, making the wrong decision and not listening to his masters, decides to leave anyway and sets out to Cloud City to confront Vader. Luke's storyline is really about failure and growth. He fails at every single step of the way in this film, and ultimately he grows from those failures into the full fledged jedi scene in Return of the Jedi. Luke's story now intertwines with Han and Leia's and Darth Vader's storylines.

Before Luke arrives on Cloud City, Han is set to be frozen in carbonite so Boba Fett can have him to collect a reward for the bounty on Solo's head set by Jabba the Hutt ( subplot teased in the first film in the Greedo scene in which HAN DEFINITELY F*CKING SHOT FIRST D*MMIT). At this point, Leia professes her love for Han (a subplot detailed throughout the film that is one of my favorite onscreen romantic subplots), to which Han answers, in legendary Han Solo fashion , "I know" which is one of the great lines in film history as well (we have one more great line as you probably all know to get to). Leia, distraught, manages to escape Cloud City with the help of Lando, who has a change of heart and ultimately they escape on the Falcon.

Luke arrives and confronts Vader in the best lightsaber duel in the franchise and one of the great scenes in film history. It's such a visual marvel as well as such a powerful scene in the context of the narrative as well. Luke is clearly outclassed by Vader who is toying with him for some of the fight before he gets Luked cornered and cuts his hand off. Vader then confronts him about joining him on the dark side so they may rule the galaxy. Luke protests, saying he will never join him. Vader then muses that Obi-Wan never told Luke what happened to his father, to which luke responds that Obi-wan told him that Vader had killed him. Vader then responds in one of the great plot twists in film history...

"No... I am your father,"

At which point Mark Hamill goes full William Shatner and shouts very loudly and animatedly in response. Vader offers again, saying that they could overthrow the Emperor and rule together as father and son. Luke, who is about 900% done with this Sh*t, elects to attempt suicide rather than join his father, letting go of the antennae he was attached to and falling to what would have been his death, if not for a fortunate tube that sucked him out of the big chamber and he ends up hanging from another antennae, calling out for Leia who saves him, getting him on the falcon and then flying off to meet up with the rebels, where Luke is given a new hand, and then the film just kind of ends, with the hero's defeated and the biggest narrative bomb in the franchise dropped.

Earlier I said that Vader represents the closest thing this film has to a protagonist and while that's not entirely true (in terms of character growth and screen time Luke is very clearly the protagonist), in terms of screenplay structure, the film's story revolves most directly around the actions of Vader and his character. Luke's storyline is an independent subplot, and the storyline of Han and Leia also is relatively self contained, except for both things change as a reaction to the actions of Vader's storyline. He has a goal, he is making things happen to achieve that affect every level of the narrative, and other characters are reacting to him. Vader's goal to find and turn Luke is what brings the entire story together, so in that way you could argue that it is his movie more than anyone else's, which makes sense for a film called The Empire Strikes Back.

Irvin Kershner brings a whole new look and feel to this film from the last movie, which suffers from the fact that it's great in spite of George Lucas being a poor director, not because he's a good one, as evidenced by the lesser performances and less interesting cinematography. The camerawork is truly gorgeous and the performances are the best in the original trilogy. The film brings one of the greatest songs in movie score history to life in Vader's theme, The Imperial March. It introduces Yoda, one of the most interesting and beloved characters in the franchise who presents some of the most interesting philosophical and ideological aspects of the franchise in this film, and it has some of the best lines in film history and best scenes in film history. I could break down every single frame and go on forever about this film but this review is already the longest one I've written, it's just such an amazing film.

The Empire Strikes Back is a masterpiece of the highest order, and my favorite film ever made.

5++++++5 out of 5 doesn't even cut it

[Gideon58]

33. Blade Runner
http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/brunner4.jpg




I may have to re-watch this to figure out why everybody loves it so much.

[John-Connor]

Great list, a 'young' list but still pretty solid! Curious to see any changes you've made in the last couple of years.