The Gunslinger45's top 50 favorite movies

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When I joined this forum I had already created a top 25 favorite movie list. But upon arriving here I noticed that most users had lists ranging from top 50 to 100, and occasionally more than that. So I took it as a challenge to add to my list and I decided that a top 50 would be best. This way you get a feel for my cinematic tastes, and I do not feel like I am throwing movies onto the list at random. This list covers several different genres, most of the MPAA ratings, ranges across several decades, and a ton of distribution companies. Some you may disagree with me, some you might agree. Keep in mind this is not a list of what I believe are the greatest movies ever made, this is a list of my favorite movies of all time. So even if I say it is one of the greatest movies of all time and it is not very high on the list, it is because it is not due to it being a lesser movie, it just is not as personally loved to me as other films on this list. And be warned that some of the selections I have made may give you sudden jerking movements of the neck from a result of you saying “why the hell is this movie on the list” or “He ranked this movie above that! HERETIC!” So you have been warned. I also try to include some data such as the year of release, rating, production company, the country of origin and the rating from Rotten Tomatoes. So sit back relax, and enjoy the ride. These are my top 50(ish) favorite movies of all time.

50.

The Battle of Algiers: 1966 (NR)
Algeria (Italian Production) / Rizzoli, Rialto Pictures
99% (CF)
This movie is on my list less in terms of entertainment, but more of what it presents and achieves from a cinema standpoint. The movie details the guerrilla war between the native Algerians and the French. On one side in the FLN or National Liberation Front; a group of Algerians who use many different forms of urban warfare and terrorism to strike at their enemies. The film goes into detail on their cells, how the FLN is organized, tactics, and gazes into the motivations and lives of the FLN members. We see who they are and the horrible crimes they commit from murdering police to setting bombs to target the non Algerian civilian population. On the opposite end is the French military, which do not fare much better in terms of depiction. They are lead by Lieutenant Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), and they crack down hard on the FLN with their own set of atrocities including brutal torture including the use of blowtorches straight beatings. No party in this film is glorified, and everyone can be condemned for their actions. The purpose of this film is not to celebrate either side, it is a look at urban warfare. The film is shot in a way that tries to make it look like a documentary or footage taken from a news crew. It allows the viewer to feel that they are actually in the Casbah while the movie plays on. The film is shot in Algeria, spoken in both French and Arabic, and is an Italian production. They also take a page from Italian neo realism and use non professional actors for most of the roles. In fact only the role of LTC Mathieu is played by a professional actor. The rest were normal people and the extras in this movie numbered in the thousands. I think this adds to the effectiveness of the movie since doing a movie like this which is supposed to be about regular people and shot so that it looks like real footage, it would be distracting to see professional actors in the lead roles. This movie also has some controversy. For starters the film was banned in France for 5 years due to the nature of the films subject matter. In addition, this movie was not only a big hit with the art movie and foreign film crowd, but also with the left wing radical sectors of the 1960s. Now it is said that some of the films terrorist acts were copied by certain political groups including the Provisional IRA, the Black Panthers, and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. This gave the movie a bit of a reputation for inspiring political violence. A reputation I think is bull****, these groups did not need inspiration to commit violence, and they would have done it anyways. They were violent radicals before and remained violent after seeing the movie. Just because it is Andreas Baader’s favorite movie does not mean the film is dangerous. The film is excellent in its own regard and should continue to be viewed. And The Battle of Algiers begins my list at number 50.



49.

2001 A Space Odyssey: 1968 (G)
USA / MGM (original) now Warner Brothers
96% (CF)

This movie is on my list because on a purely technical level, this is the best movie ever made in my opinion. It used some outstanding effects and cinematic wizardry that created some awesome sequences! Co Written by Kubrick and Arthur C Clarke, it begins with the Dawn of Man, leads into the space station with the two astronauts (Kier Dullea and Gary Lockwood) and HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain), and then goes into the Star gate and star child sequence. It is a meditation on humans, technology, evolution, and what the future is for us as a species. As such the movie is less of a narrative movie with a traditional 3 act story and was made to be more of an experience. In fact the only part of the movie that really does feel like a traditional sci-fi movie is the part of the movie that deals aboard the spaceship Discovery One. This is where the ship’s AI the HAL 9000 goes on a killing spree and has to be shut down. And even though it is only part of the film, it is still very good on its own. I can however say that the movie as a whole is an excellent experience. The shots in combination with classical music have created some unforgettable images and sequences. The very minimal dialogue in certain scenes combined with the memorizing effects creates one of the best visual experiences I have ever had. Now the end can get rather confusing and the whole movie is up for interpretation. I myself look at it as a relationship between man and technology, from the basic tools and weapons from the early days to the HAL 9000. Technology has advanced as we have evolved as a species and the space age technology has reached the peak of technological advancement. So much so we have created an artificial being of circuits and wires that has the capacity for thought. But what happens when that same technology turns on us since we are a species capable of great violence and much of our technology is a reflection of that (starting with the bone clubs). Or at least that is what I got out of it. Either way 2001: A Space Odyssey is a fantastic movie! And a must see experience. And it is number 49 on my list.



48.

The Toxic Avenger: 1985 (R)
USA / Troma Entertainment
63%

And with this selection I have done three things. Number one: I have given certain viewers of this list whiplash (I warned you!). Number two: I have shown my ability to appreciate the very best and very worst that cinema has to offer. And finally I have proven that any attempts to label me as a pretentious film snob will be seen as complete bull s@&t. And yes I have some weird tastes in movies. Troma Entertainment is an independent film company that has stayed in business for almost 40 years by making movies that are cheaper than dirt and try to capture the feel of 50’s monster movies with plenty of camp. The movie is directed by Troma co founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, and covers the fateful events when 98 pound weakling Melvin (Mark Torgl) feel into a vat of toxic waste where he became a hideously deformed creature of super human size and strength. And thus was born, the Toxic Avenger (or Toxie for short). This movie is what I like to call the very best of the very worst of cinema and I simply adore it. The Toxic Avenger is a horror comedy low budget exploitation film with three things going for it: a very weird and very unique premise, lots of practical gore effects, and lots of camp. And I do love me some camp. The plot is simple, after becoming the first super hero from New Jersey, Toxie begins to clean up all the crime in his town of Tromaville. They are many bad men in this town, and Toxie with his newfound powers becomes a one freak wrecking ball of death against crime. The plot is very nonexistent, as it is a collection of scenarios for which the Toxic Avenger to kill bad guys in a very creative fashion. But like I said, one of the things this movie has going for it is the practical effects. And given the trend of CGI gore in horror movies nowadays, it is incredibly refreshing to be reminded of the day when practical gore effects were the norm and not the rarity. There is also a romantic subplot where Toxie wins the heart of his blind girlfriend Sarah. I admit this kind of movie is not for everyone. The acting is over the top, the production values are beyond cheap, and there is no subtlety to the villains who are unquestionably evil. But to those of us who love it, it is a cult classic. Spawning not only a short lived Saturday morning cartoon show called Toxic Crusaders and also an off Broadway musical. It also spawned three sequels. Two and three are not so great, while Citizen Toxie was in my humble opinion the best of the sequels and pretty damn good. At least by Troma standards. So why is this ranked above a classic like 2001? Number one, it is not my all time favorite Kubrick movie (which is much later on this list), and number two this movie is just more fun and has a certain charm to it. I am also a big fan of Kaufman in general. Not only does he continue to make weird and unusual fare with the likes of Sgt Kabukiman: NYPD, Troma’s War, and the very loose adaptation of the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet, title Tromeo and Juliet; but he also is a big supporter of independently made movies, very fan friendly, and was actually selected as one of the voters in the latest Sight and Sound director’s poll! If you are curious on what films he voted for here is the link.

http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandso...012/voter/1036

For an even bigger head scratcher he was the production designer for My Dinner with Andre, he was a bum in Rocky, and has produced and or acquired early films from then rising stars such as Paul Sorvino, Billy Bob Thorton, Kevin Costner, and Samuel L. Jackson. And much like Roger Corman, he was also the foot in the door for such directors as James Gunn (who wrote Tromeo and Juliet) and Oliver Stone (who actually acted in Battles Love Returns). He is by far not the greatest director nor does he make the best movies, but there is a weird quality to these movies that I hold very dear to my heart. Cheap exploitation fun and living better through chemistry with The Toxic Avenger at number 48.



Let the night air cool you off
Hell yeah! The Toxic Avenger is awesome. I might consider nominating it for a Hall of Fame sometime in the future....if someone doesn't beat me to it. *hint hint*



I have The Battle of Algiers in my watchlist for ages.I always have a feeling that it's a boring film,so I avoid it.Now I'm not in the mood for it,but I'll try to watch it whenever I can. )

Also,just rewatched 2001 and I pretty much agree with everything you said. It's probably the only film which I can enjoy despite the fact that basically I don't get it.
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"Anything less than immortality is a complete waste of time."



47.

The Raid: Redemption: 2011 (R)
Indonesia / Sony Pictures Classics
84% (CF)
The tagline is not a lie. I was raised on a lot of action movies as a kid, and despite the genre nowadays having nowhere near the same level of glory it used to in the Schwarzenegger and Stallone days, I still consider myself an action movie loving guy. So when this movie came out in theaters, I had no real expectations on what I was going to see since I assumed I had seen most everything an action movie could throw at me. I was very wrong! The story revolves around a raid of a drug lord’s headquarters in a tenement building by the local SWAT team. Once the cops are far enough inside the drug lord tells his cronies who live there that if they help kill the cops, they can live in the building rent free. And once this happens the building becomes a 15 story blood bath! Once this movie starts the action it rarely lets off the throttle! This is easily one of the most violent pieces of cinema I have ever seen! It is a bloody orgy of gunfights, machetes, silat, and some new and creative ways to kill people! There is also a subplot between the relationship of one of the cronies and one of the cops (Iko Uwais) and another subplot I would rather not spoil, but the main focus is the cops trying to get out of this building alive. The fight choreography is highly stylized and very well put together, the way they incorporate the weapons and hand to hand fighting are very well done, and the set pieces are fantastic! I was fortunate enough to see this in the brief run it had in the theaters, and it is easily of the best and freshest action movies I have seen in years. This movie will always however be forever linked the movie Dredd since they do have basically the same premise and were released to American audiences the same year. Both deal with law enforcement agents sent to get a drug lord out of a very tall building and both have to fight their way out. And while I did like Dredd, and it found lots of cool and new ways to shoot people in the face, I prefer The Raid: Redemption for turning the violence up to 11. And it is my 47th favorite movie.



I have The Battle of Algiers in my watchlist for ages.I always have a feeling that it's a boring film,so I avoid it.Now I'm not in the mood for it,but I'll try to watch it whenever I can. )

Also,just rewatched 2001 and I pretty much agree with everything you said. It's probably the only film which I can enjoy despite the fact that basically I don't get it.
While I feel there are more entertaining movies (see number 48) I just adore The Battle of Algiers. I sought it out because of the reputation it had for being a so called "dangerous film."



Let the night air cool you off
I've seen The Raid too, it's quite a bit of fun. The only problem I had was occasionally during the fight scenes it looked as if the person who was swinging stuff at the other guy's head was intentionally aiming over instead of the person ducking it. I know that may sound trivial, but it actually took me out of some of the fight scenes. But then a dude would get thrown through a wall or something and I was back in it. A good movie overall.



I've seen The Raid too, it's quite a bit of fun. The only problem I had was occasionally during the fight scenes it looked as if the person who was swinging stuff at the other guy's head was intentionally aiming over instead of the person ducking it. I know that may sound trivial, but it actually took me out of some of the fight scenes. But then a dude would get thrown through a wall or something and I was back in it. A good movie overall.
By far one of the most violent and beautifully choreographed movies I have ever seen! And to each his own. I seem to one of the few people who prefer it to Dredd. Which I still thought was very good.



46.

The Omega Man: 1971 (PG)
USA / Warner Brothers
59%
I love post apocalyptic movies. I love the concept of survival in a world that has fallen apart, I love the struggle to get through the day, I like the sets and locations a lot of these movies have, and I really dig watching these movies with the eye for how the characters try to survive. I like that these movies allow a viewer to insert themselves into these survival situations and allow the viewer to analyze the main characters decisions. Would you do the same thing in this case, could you do it better, is it wise to do this, are these people smart or are they idiots? I like movies that allow me to do this, and post apocalyptic and zombie movies lend themselves very well to this mind set. And this movie is the first of several movies dealing with The End of the World as we know it (or TEOTWAWKI for short). This movie is an adaptation of the novel I Am Legend, and I admit it does stray from the source material quite a bit. But what the movie does give us is a pretty damn good sci-fi action movie with one of my all time favorite actors Charlton Heston; who himself is no stranger to science fiction. The story is about the last man on Earth named Neville (Heston) who was a military scientist during the Cold War. Biological war broke out between the Russians and Chinese throwing the world into conflict. Neville found a cure to the biological agent, but before he could get in made in mass quantities, he got infected with the agent and was forced to inject himself with it. He remains the last man on Earth, (or at least LA). During the day he searches for food, gathers supplies, exercises and tries his best to coop with loneliness and try to remain sane (the early scene with the pay phone best showing his struggle). But by night he must bunker down in his penthouse and fight off the vampires who seek to kill him. Unlike the most recent incarnation of I Am Legend, these vampires talk, and they rage against what represents the old order of man. They burn books; they curse science and technology, destroy museums, and they do so with the political fervor of 60’s and 70’s political radicals or the Manson family. But like other incarnations they are allergic to the sun and can only come out at night. They seek to destroy Neville for what he represents and Neville kills them in order to stay alive. The set pieces are great as Heston has in my opinion the greatest post apocalyptic hideout ever. It is the fourth floor penthouse where he is surrounded by all of what represents human civilization. He was a scientist so has a laboratory. His walls are filled with culture, bookshelves of poetry and fine art. He has technical gadgets such as his surveillance equipment, his stereo equipment, and his garage has classic American muscle and pony cars like the Mustang. And to top it off he has a plethora of booze and high powered firearms! The story also has some religious imagery as he tries to create a cure from his own blood and during his final death pose looks like Christ on the cross. It also has one of the first interracial kisses (and I guess love scenes) between Heston’s Neville and his love interest Lisa (Rosiland Cash). It was critically panned at the time, but it is seen by many as a sci-fi classic. And I adore this movie! A post apocalyptic gem and it is number 46 on my list.



Nice review of Battle of Algiers. Anyone who's interested in learning more about the context of the events depicted in the film should read the works of Frantz Fanon, particulary A Dying Colonialism.

The Raid: Redemption, however, I feel was way over-hyped, except for the violence.



I will do one more movie before I get ready for bed.

45.

Red Beard: 1965 (NR)
Japan / Toho
75%
I cannot give enough praise to Akira Kurosawa. He is truly one of the greatest directors and one of the most influential men in his profession. He directly influenced the likes of Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Spielberg, and just about every film maker of that generation. Truly he was a legend of cinema. And In my humble opinion many Kurosawa’s best movies stared an actor that is tightly connected with the legendary director, and one of my favorites Toshiro Mifune. This movie was actually Mifune’s last move with Kurosawa and it was a masterful performance. Mifune plays an old doctor nicknamed Red Beard (real name Niide) who is the director of a clinic. His newest intern is from Nagasaki named Yasumoto. Yasumoto is young, arrogant, and selfish. And he is furious that his assignment is to this clinic as he thought he was going to eventually become the doctor to the shogun. He sulks during the day, he drinks sake, and refuses to wear his doctors uniform. Yasumoto however begins to change as he encounters several patients and learns their stories; several are told in flashbacks. Yasumoto then begins to feel compassion for his destitute patients. He eventually sheds his kimono and wakizashi (a sign of his samurai birthright) and dons his doctor’s uniform. He also develops a very close relationship with a young girl who becomes his first patient. This movie explores one of Kurosawa’s favorite themes of humanism, and it is a testament to human kindness. Many of the people shown in this movie are despicable human beings who do various horrible acts to their fellow man. But with the help of Dr Niide and Dr Yasumoto, humankind’s ability to do good far outshines the bad in this movie, as Dr Yasumoto learns what it really takes to be a doctor. It has the ability to pull the heart string, water the eyes, and actually make you remember that no matter how bad we as a people may seem, there are still good people in this world. I love the message, I love the acting and the sets, and I love the movie, and it is number 45 on my list.



44.

Escape from New York: 1981 (R)
USA / Embassy Pictures
83%
In addition to being a fan of post apocalyptic movies, I am also a big fan of dystopian future movies, movies where the future is bleak, dark, and run by some kind of totalitarian government. And John Carpenter gave us one of the best in Escape from New York. Crime is at an all time high, and Manhattan Island has been converted into a giant prison. The guards patrol the boarders on the prison, but inside it is run by the cons. The President of the United States is trapped in the prison after Air Force One is hijacked, and the warden of the prison (Lee Van Clef) sends in former Special Forces officer and soon to be inmate Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to get him out. The deal is set, Snake has 24 hours to get the president out of New York, and he gets a full pardon. Snake oozes pure cynicism from every pore. He is a disaffected soldier who sees the current US government as betraying what it stands for, part with how the government is run and for actions taken in WWIII in Leningrad. As such Snake is now the ultimate anti-authority figure. And while the war still rages on in more than one way, Snake claims no side but his own. He also is not a straight shoot ’em up action star (though he is handy with a gun and his fists) but he is also a very cunning warrior who uses his brain to out fox his opponents on more than one occasion. The production design for the movie is perfect! The city is run down and without power save for certain areas. The rest is left to rot and the movie shows that the inhabitants of this prison are completely cut off, and have to make do with what they find. This allows for very creative set pieces such as the arena in which Snake engage in a gladiatorial death match, the floors of the World Trade Center, and the home of the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes). And as with a lot of Carpenter films, he self composed the score on a synthesizer. It is an excellent piece of B movie style fun with one of my favorite characters in the cinema. And Escape from New York is my number 44 favorite movie.



Let the night air cool you off
I haven't seen any of your last three choices, but I certainly want to. I love Kurosawa, but he's had so many great films out, I haven't been able to see them all. Red Beard is moved up the queue now.



I haven't seen any of your last three choices, but I certainly want to. I love Kurosawa, but he's had so many great films out, I haven't been able to see them all. Red Beard is moved up the queue now.
I admit The Omega Man fits a really specific niche for me with post apocalyptic fare, and big pluses since Heston is in it (one of my favorite actors) and it does have a certain 70's feel to it that I like a lot. And Escape from New York is in much the same category (granted that was the 80s but it was written after being inspired by Watergate) so they do reflect not so much cinematic achievement, but more of an aesthetic and themes I really really like. Plus Snake Plissken is uber badass.

Red Beard on the other hand is really legit. Of course it is it is from Kurosawa. And it is in my opinion one of his best.



Let the night air cool you off
I admit The Omega Man fits a really specific niche for me with post apocalyptic fare, and big pluses since Heston is in it (one of my favorite actors) and it does have a certain 70's feel to it that I like a lot. And Escape from New York is in much the same category (granted that was the 80s but it was written after being inspired by Watergate) so they do reflect not so much cinematic achievement, but more of an aesthetic and themes I really really like. Plus Snake Plissken is uber badass.

Red Beard on the other hand is really legit. Of course it is it is from Kurosawa. And it is in my opinion one of his best.
I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic action movies as well, and I also enjoy seeing Heston on the big screen. John Carpenter was on a role up to and through the 80s, so I trust Escape from New York to be a lot of fun.

On the subject of Troma, I've only seen The Toxic Avenger. Do you have any recommendations? I've been looking at The Class of Nuke 'Em High for awhile, but I haven't plunged yet.