Top 10 Films Of All Time

I will admit I am not the biggest movie fan in the world and often films that I watch leave me with a sour taste in my mouth, but we shall leave those for another day. However, these films are an exception that I would happily sit through again and again. This is entirely my opinion so I really don't care about your hate comments. These are a few candidates that just missed the list:

Platoon (1986): A fantastic anti war film that really does showcase the horrors of war, with an exciting plethora of  believable characters including a great performance from Sergeant Foley, however, it certainly isn't the best war film out there.
Ice Age (2002): I probably like this animated film more than I should but it is one of my favorite childhood movies. Not just a childish film but also a sentimental story that runs throughout.
Troll 2 (1990): Okay, maybe I mentioned this just for the 'they're eating her' scene, that deserves an Oscar.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981): Highly energetic, highly entertaining and a fantastic score to cap it off, best scene has to be the swordsman in what bears an uncanny resemblance with Star Wars.
The Shining (1980): Here's Johnny! It is also a great horror film, coming from a man who is definitely not a horror film fan. Amazing acting and directing combine to create what is undoubtedly  the best thriller of all time.
Toy Story 3 (2010): I remember crying at what was a perfect ending that completed my childhood. Film also contains probably the best and most unexpected heel turn of all time as well.
The Godfather (1972): Don't get me wrong I love this film. I just prefer others. I can see why people do rank it as the greatest film of all time due to its sheer brilliance but as a film I would personally prefer to sit through others.

#10 Apocalypse Now (1979)

 

I know, I prefer this over The Godfather, but I do believe this is Francis Ford Coppola's best work and I really don't think that any other director would have the tenacity to produce this film. It is also my favorite style of film, open ended, allowing you to draw your own conclusions. The beauty of this film that it takes no side to war, it presents you with the cold hearted facts and it is up to the viewer to decide which side to pick.

The film is one of those that really needs to be watched twice in order to really comprehend the plot. The ending is open to contemplation but the lack of one doesn't really hurt a film that doesn't really need one, it's power lies in the experience and imagery of war that can't really be seen in any other Vietnam based war flick. The film excels rather in the storytelling and creating an amazing and powerful war experience that really will make you question your own morale's.

Favorite Moment: Ride of the Valkyries plays during the helicopter assault
Favorite Quote: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning". - Kilgore

#9 Last Of The Mohicans (1992)

I don't usually like historical epics, they always seem to draw too much attention to the actual history behind the story and then subsequently forget about the actual plot. This film however is one of the exceptions, it really is a criminally underrated film that never got the recognition it fully deserves. It really shouldn't be a good film, the actors are definitely not what you'd call a solid cast and the setting is hardly anything special, but resulting is a film that leaves the historical accuracies in the background and actually creates a very enjoyable film with a fantastic ending that definitely doesn't disappoint. 


It certainly is by no means a technical masterpiece, but it is a pleasant viewing experience with a thick line drawn between the good guys and the bad guys in a more traditional style. There is a romantic side story creeping in but I don't really pay much attention to that, especially when the visuals and sound are so well coordinated and the musical score, which is probably the best of any film ever and that really is saying something, especially with some of the music coming up. It is in short a great and enjoyable film that you can watch over and over again without getting bored.

Favorite Moment: Definitely the ending, with a fantastic score from Hans Zimmer.
Favorite Quote: "Death and honor are thought to be the same, but today I have learned that sometimes they are not". - Colonel Munro

 #8 Predator (1987)

Wow, this one has everyone. Schwarzenegger, Joseph Kony look alike Carl Weathers and Jesse 'The Body' Ventura and some fucking awesome extra terrestrial life, it's just a bucket full of testosterone, violence and sheer awesomeness. Sure there is no solid plot, but what do you expect from a film that looks like this, what this film does best is just being awesome. The constant thrills and occasional scares leave you on the edge of your seat throughout.

While this definitely isn't a technical masterpiece it is a full blooded action thriller with a ridiculously fast pace and very attractive special effects all coming together to produce one hell of a film. It's a film that seems to bypass logic and just like the Batman series, nobody seems to care.

Favorite Moment: Jesse Ventura's death scene
Favorite Quote: "If it bleeds, we can kill it". - Dutch

#7 Full Metal Jacket (1987)

The best war film of all time, even if it does start to tire towards the end, however the first half of this film is probably the best start to any film ever. The drill instructor scenes are so brilliant and hilarious and never get any worse for repeat viewings. It is definitely the most striking of the two halves as the film does start to run out of steam towards the second half with just too many generic war scenes to really be as engaging as the first half.

I am a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick and this film shares a lot in common with his earlier anti war film Dr Strangelove including political irony and wit in its presentation of war. Kubrick is the master of atmosphere and this film really feels like you are with the marines every step of the way as you watch their descent into madness. To someone who has never been to war this seems as realistic as it is ever going to get.

Favorite Moment: The entirety of the first half during boot camp.

Favorite Quote: "5 foot 9, I didn't know they stacked shit that high".- Hartman

#6 Jurassic Park (1993)

Usually films that gross a lot don't really deserve it, take Avatar and Titanic as an example, but this film does. The film is the second highest grossing film of the 20th century but never really gets the artistic merit it deserves. Spielberg is the master of technology and, like we saw with Jaws, this film contains special effects and advanced technology that had never been seen on the big screen before with frighteningly realistic dinosaur animatronics and the widely use crisp visuals of CGI that had never really been used to this scale before. The audience truly does become as surprised as the characters the first time they see a dinosaur as they do look amazing.

The film also has a rather overlooked story that often lies forgotten between all the fancy dinosaurs, which is a shame as the story highlights the flaws with human kind and dangers of key issues like genetic modification and the sense of who the real antagonists of the film are, the dinosaurs or the humans. Sure the characters aren't that thrilling but they don't really hinder what is generally a great film to watch whether you're 7 or 70. Definitely the best dinosaur movie ever made, and dinosaurs are awesome.

Favorite Moment: How can it not be the toilet scene
Favorite Quote: "T-Rex doesn't want to be fed. He wants to hunt". - Dr. Grant

#5 Aliens (1986)

Film sequels are usually never a good idea, they never really live up to the hype they generate and are usually a lot worse than their predecessor. Only a few films have ever really created a successful sequel and this is one of them. I hate James Cameron, no I really hate James Cameron as he made me sit through three and a quarter hours of crap for the most predictable climax of all time. This however is far from Titanic, this film is a perfect blend of horror, action and sci-fi creating suspenseful moments, adrenaline pumping scenes and a fantastic cast of characters.

Like Predator this film travels at 100 mph and never really stops with wave upon wave of alien attacks. What the series also does well is really ask the question 'who is really with us?' and there is always an unpredictable sense of whether the characters have been affected by the xenomorphs yet and this is supported by the appearance of a little girl who has survived on the alien planet. Oh and this movie has xenomorphs, case closed.

Favorite Moment: When you first see the alien queen, she is massive.
Favorite Quote: "Get away from her you bitch". - Ripley

#4 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The only film I have ever been to that got a standing ovation, and that is saying something. I love this film mainly due to the dark plot that is very rarely seen in any film yet alone a PG. I just love the fact that the plot from the fourth film has been taken and flipped on its head to produce what is, if anything, an emotional chapter in the Star Wars saga. The film also sets up the sixth film perfectly with almost a lack of an ending and a brilliant final shot which surely meant the final film of the trilogy would be brilliant, unless of course when it inevitably wasn't.

The film just contains so many memorable scenes that are iconic in modern cinema. From the incest to Darth Vader claiming Luke Skywalker was his son, which made me crap myself with excitement on first viewing, this film has it all. If the first film was Lucas showcasing his ability with technology then this film was Lucas showcasing his ability to convey a story creating one of the best sci-fi films of all time that blends a serious storyline and harmless fun in a perfect way. A movie that seemingly gets better with age.

Favorite Moment: Luke claims the armor of the AT-AT is too strong for blasters and then subsequently destroys one with his blasters a few minutes later.
Favorite Quote: "Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1".-C3P0

#3 Gladiator (2000)

The historical epic had been tortured at this point in time, capped off with the shitstorm that was Titanic, but this film reignited the spark that once shone brightly. The film is brilliant from start to finish with fantastic battle scenes, a touching story and gladiatorial scenes that ask you "Are you not entertained?". The battle scenes are definitely not for the faint hearted but really pay tribute to earlier swords and sandal style films such as Spartacus.

The story is simple yet very effective and is coupled with a beautiful score that really gives the film a emotional backdrop behind all the blood and gore of the gladiatorial scenes. Although the film does contain some brilliant acting it is Crowe that really carries this film with his sense of emotion and speeches that provide a memorable episode for a fantastic actor. It is one of the most exciting films of all time and does what many films fail to do, in feeling epic

Favorite Moment: When revealing himself to the emperor, absolutely epic speech.
Favorite Quote: "What we do in life echoes in eternity". - Maximus



#2 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

First of all that is quite simply the greatest poster for any film ever and would kick off what is without doubt the most iconic film series of all time. I personally prefer this installment to the fifth as this film has much better pacing and covers more key events in the Star Wars timeline, it might be a little predictable but the story is great and conveys the Rebel Alliance as a true underdog and makes the ending feel that much better. It truly is a plot that anyone can access and the special effects are used to perfection to create the illusion that you are actually there in a setting in which Lucas uses special effects and a dynamic cast to create a vast galaxy that just continually grows from episode to episode. It is just a simply brilliant film but lacks in depth which is why it isn't number one.

Favorite Moment: The binary sunset scene still gives me goosebumps to this day.
Favorite Quote: there are countless great quotes but my favorite is probably "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid". - Han Solo

#1 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

It really couldn't be anything else, this is cinematic perfection. The story is a simple concept but allows the film to delve into a deep and complex plot that relies more on the actual visuals and story itself rather than the actual characters, this film feels like an adventure rather than recent popularity shams in which items seemingly blow up for no reason, in this film everything is well thought out and executed to perfection. The film relies on minimalism to create a huge impact meaning simple scenes can be considered epic. It is amazing that with as little dialogue Kubrick can create extraordinary characters such as the computer HAL who is my personal favorite character that the genius of Kubrick manages to portray as the antagonist despite the fact that the character is a lifeless computer.

The plot tackles many key elements such as evolution, artificial intelligence, extra terrestrial life and the dangers of technology that climaxes in one of the most breathtaking sequences in the history of cinema, it really does need at least a third run through to truly comprehend what you have just seen, the plot and iconic score merge together in an almost seamless transition It is a film like no other in sense of depth, perspective or narrative, every sequence of this film is so cleverly thought out and presented in a revolutionary way.

The film is an example to the rest of Hollywood on how to couple all aspects of cinema together and how to perfectly pace a storyline. The film succeeds in what many modern films fail to do, in making you think as the ending requires you to analyze your own perception of the film and come to a conclusion. The film is without a doubt a sheer masterpiece that I don't think will ever be beaten.

Favorite Moment: There are many to choose from but the ending is just so brilliantly thought through and executed.
Favorite Quote: "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that". -HAL 900