Gandalf's Top 50 Favourite Films.

As there are a lot of people's top 50 lists kicking about the reviews forum I thought it was about time that I had a stab at it.

These films are my personal favourites but not necessarily the films that I think are the so called "greatest" ever made.

Each film will be listed individually even if part of a trilogy/series. This is because I don't agree with listing whole series of films as 1 entry for the reason that not all parts of a series are equally as good. For example I love LOTR and Star Wars but I don't watch each part an equal number of times or rate each film the same.

Along the way I may include 1 or 2 small lists such as best opening/endings to a film so bear with me.

Before I start here is a quick list of films that gave me a real headache about whether or not they would make it. I will wrap a spoiler around it just incase anyone doesn't want to know what films I haven't included.



And Here We Go!

50. Road to Perdition (2002)-Sam Mendes



In my opinion one of the finest gangster movies out there. Flawlessly takes you back to the 1930's, outstanding performances all round and just maybe Tom Hanks best performance. Great support from Daniel Craig, Paul Newman,Jude Law and an outstanding performance from newcomer Tyler Hoechlin. Stylishly done with a great score. Good to see an actor like Hanks changing things up to play a not so "good" loveable charcater that we have grown accumstomed to, wish he would do it more often rather than give us the likes of Larry Crowne.

49. The Warriors (1979)-Walter Hill



A real edge of your seat tough little gem of a movie.The Warriors must battle thier way through hostile gangland after a meet gone wrong 20 miles away from their own "turf" Coney Island. New York has never looked so gritty and dangerous. A little bit camp (the warriors jackets) in places and a bit tongue in cheek but a movie I have loved from the moment I first saw it years ago. Another great soundtrack, and solid performances from a largely unknown cast. A movie that I revisit at least once a year and if you havent seen it yet then I suggest you do at the earliest convienience.

48. A Bridge Too Far (1977)-Richard Attenborough



The true story of operation "Market Garden" during WW2, the allies overreaching plan to take several keys bridges in a lightning 48 hour raid and greatly hasten the end of the war. Equally impressive as the film itself is the cast. Arguably the biggest collection of stars assembled for one movie. Every story ark ( and there are many) is fascinating as the allies well laid plans to "end the war by Christmas" start to fall apart from the moment the operation begins.

I was doing a Top 50 list before it was cool.

Anyways looking forward to reading yours!

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"Puns are the highest form of literature." -Alfred Hitchcock

Looking forward to it, G.

Good start

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Interesting start ...Looking forward...

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Special of the day History of the day

47. Tombstone (1993)-George P Cosmatos



A great fun western with another all star cast, not to be taken too seriously and very historically innacurrate, but what does that matter, Braveheart anyone? Val Kilmer is Wyatt Earp the legendary lawman come to Tomstone to enjoy his retirement in relative annonymity, but he cannot leave the past behind as trouble brews with the powerful local group of organised crime, the "Cowboy gang" led by Curly Bill (Powers Booth) and Johny Ringo (Micheal Biehn). Kilmer is excellent in the lead but is slightly outshone by the excellent Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday(should have been an oscar).

46. The Insider (1999)-Micheal Mann



The more I see this film the higher it creeps up my list. Micheal Mann seems able to churn out masterpiece after masterpiece. Here we have another all star cast with Al Pacino and Russell Crowe both excellent in the leads proped up by a great supporting cast with Bruce McGill, Christopher Plummer,Gina Gersgon and Micheal Gambon.A true story, Crowe plays Jeffrey Wigand, the former Vice President of a Big Tobacco turned whistleblower chased by Pacino's Lowell Bergman, a producer for the show "60 minutes". Look out for the Bruce McGill vs Big Tobacco sleezeball lawyer scene and Christopher Plummer newsroom scene. A real tense serious film, almost a courtroom type film but way better than the rest as you would expect from Mann.

45. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)-Ridley Scott



Am I the only one who thinks that this is better then Gladiator? This tale of the folly of the crusades is just excellent in everyway, another all star cast, great action/battle scenes, beautiful settings, great score. Just an all round epic that I revisit a couple of times a year. A more muscular role for Bloom who had to unwillingly bulk up for the film and he falls flat in a couple of places like the speech but he is proped up by the strong supporting cast. I don't fully understand why this floped at the box office becasue to me it is right in there with the other historical epics.

The Insider is a good pic.......for Al Pacino and Russell Crowe....

Good start, lots of films you don't often see crop up in these lists. I like it.

good start.

44. Groundhog Day (1993)-Harold Ramis




Simplicity is genius and what could be simpler than a film based around a man reliving the same day over and over and over and over again and then some. Bill Murray at his best, his dry wit hilarious, plays weatherman Phil Connors who cannot think of anything more lame than visiting the small town of Punxsutawney for their annual Groundhog festival. Trapped in town by bad weather he just cannot wait to leave the next morning only there is a slight problem, its Groundhog day all over again.

43. Superman the Movie (1978)-Richard Donner




A movie that I watched frequently as a child and although the effects are a little dated the film itself is simply epic. Has there ever been a better theme chorus to a movie? Almost a film of two parts, the first the "super" serious rise of Calel sent from his doomed home planet Krypton to Earth by Durel played excellently but briefly by Marlon Brando. Although Brando was paid millions for just a few lines I feel it was worth it to bring a certain credability to the picture. The second half of the film is a more traditional tongue in cheek comic book movie and in my opinion not as strong as the first half but overall it is a fantastic spectacle and well deserving of its Best Picture Oscar. Newcomer Christopher Reeve is great as Superman but simply outstanding as the bumbling awkward geek Clark Kent. They should have called the movie "Clark Kent" featuring Superman. Margot Kidder will never be bettered as Lois Lane no matter how many Superman movies they tally up and Gene Hackman does as well as he can with an almost mediocre Lex Luther. Superman 2 is a great film aswell but didn't quite make the cut.

42. Die Hard (1988)-John Mctiernan




The late 80s early nineties really were the golden age of the action movie and this is arguably the best of the lot. Hard to believe that Willis was 5th choice to play John Mclane, you really cannot imagine anyone else play the lead and it being as good as it is. As is not always the case we have Hero and Villain both played to perfection with Alan Rickman in probably his greatest role. I truly belive that you cannot have a decent good vs bad type movie where the villain/s
suck, and who could be better villains that a heavily armed group of German mercenaries. After all the greatest opponents the West ever had were the Germans. We are so used to seeing some south american/middle eastern types being blown to bits by our action stars that this feels like a more menacing difficult enemy, especially with Rickman leading them. Every time this movie comes on TV I end up watching it, and Im sure that will be the case for years to come. 3 sequels so far with the best being Die Hard with a vengance. Rumours of a fifth aswell.

I'll forgive you for Kingdom of Heaven thanks to your inclusion of Tombstone

Nice list so far!

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Just had a weekend of watching all Superman movies

Does that include forcing yourself through Superman 4?

Which is your fav?

No, she had to force herself through all of them, G. Did you not see that it was a Superman weekend?

I am liking your list, though. Well, more than most of these lists, anyway.

Top 50 is the new Top 100.

Nice pick with Superman. I love all the movies (including the 4th one), but the first will always remain the best.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

41.LOTR: The Two Towers Extended edition (2002)-Peter Jackson



This was the film that really sucked me into the world of LOTR. I had never heard of the books before I watched The Fellowship, and even just thought that The Fellowship was good not great but then I went to the cinema to see The Two Towers and I was just blown away. Probably my favourite ever beginning to a film as Gandalf does battle with the mighty Balrog whilst they tumble down Khazad dum, and one of the finest battle sequences ever put to film(second only to Braveheart) in the battle for Helms Deep. Just a perfect film.

40. American Psycho (2000)-Mary Harron



Some of the best lines ever spoken by a character in any movie and often just blurted out of the blue. "I like to dissect girls, did you know I'm utterly insane" or "I need to indulge in homicidal behavior on a massive scale, cannot be corrected but I have no other way to fulfill my needs" and "I want to stab you to death and play around with your blood". I think the Joker would run away as fast as he could from this guy, that or they would be best friends sitting around listening to Huey Lewis and the News. Christian Bales finest role to date in my humble opinion. The film somehow manages to be totally hilarious despite graphic, brutal violence. My only problem is that you leave the film with the impression that Patrick Bateman has imagined it all, but after a little research you discover that it all really happened and everyone is covering for Bateman. That aside it's the perfect Horror/Comedy.

39. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)-Nicholas Meyer



I was never the biggest Star Trek fan but you cannot watch this and not love it. A simple story of one man vs another but with Starships, it is like a long chess game of the highest stakes being played out by 2 grandmasters. After the relatively poor opening to the Star Trek movies with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Gene Roddenberry the creator of Star Trek was forced out, and if that never happened we may not have had this masterpiece. Shatner, Nimoy and Deforest Kelly are all on top form as the Enterprise's main 3 whilst Richard Montalban is equally good as the Shakespeare quoting nemesis of Kirk. If I said the Two Towers has one of the best beginnings to a film then this has one of the best endings. It almost brings me to tears every time.

Rep for Star Trek! They've been showing the Star Trek films on Cinemax lately. Love it!

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I wonder if Two Towers is your favourite of the LOTR trilogy. For me, it's my favourite.