As old as this is I probably posted in it before... maybe. I don't have a top 10 of all time, as my tastes constantly change and there's a ton of movies I love. I suppose at this point though I can make a top ten and feel ok about it even if it does change. I don't feel it would change dramatically.
Trainspotting- It's still the best movie ever to me. I've seen it so many times. Such a great film I can both relate to and has elements of other genres besides it's own (it's a drug film at heart, but has elements of horror, comedy, fantasy, sci fi and drama all in one). Best movie ever made in my opinion. It's also the first time I noticed Robert Carlyle who is a great character actor up there with Gary Oldman- both of which took to long to be noticed as the amazing actors that they are.
The Dark Knight- interestingly when it came out (and before that) I had doubts that the movie would be very good. I liked Heath Ledger as an actor (ever since I read about him auditioning for The Patriot, in the middle apologizing for his self-perceived poor performance, and walking out of the audition). Even though he was sort of pigeon holed by the public as a teen actor I knew he wanted to be better than that. I knew he took acting seriously, but I just thought him as the Joker was such a crazy idea that didn't make sense. I couldn't conceive of him actually pulling it off. I was wrong. Not only that, but I also believe his death over shadows a really great performance by Aaron Eckhart as two face. It's a complicated role and he pulled it off- he doesn't get enough props for his performance in that film. Also, I loved that Christopher Nolan used Nestor Carbonell as the mayor in this one. The fan nod is heavy (you won't get it if you didn't see the short lived Tick live action TV show where he played the parody of Batman- Batmanuel). All around a great film for the fans and just anybody that happens to watch it's also a fun action film (although most seem to think it goes on to long). I loved it, as a Batman movie, it did enough to top the first Batman film Tim Burton did for me (and that film is still great, but for different reasons).
Batman- Tim Burton's Batman is still a fantastic movie. Michael Keaton is a great actor, and it's great when he gets to show it. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker is iconic. I don't feel I need to explain this much.
Predator- it's the best line up of 80s action and horror. A perfect blend for me as I love both genres. Next to End of days (which is an underrated film, but not one of my all time favorites) it's also the best at believing Arnold Schwarzenegger could be defeated. At the time this was the closest we could really get to an Expendables movie, too, even counting The Running Man. The Running Man wasn't as close to having as many heavy hitters on screen in a team, though. There's more guys here you'll notice from other films.
Nightmare on Elm Street- The original, you guys, not the remake. The original Nightmare on Elm Street is so good because it sets up such an amazing movie monster for the (then) modern age. Being that he invaded your dreams also allowed the film makers on the sequels to come up with crazy ideas. I recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it to watch the Documentary about every Nightmare on Elm Street titled Never Sleep Again (it goes through all of the films including Freddy Versus Jason) on Netflix. It's four hours and more behind the scenes stories and thought process behind all the films than they've ever actually done. It's much more candid about the series- everyone gives their feelings on it as well as the perceptions of the public over the years. It's the only good thing to come out of the movie being "remade" despite the fact that it didn't need a remake. Thankfully it doesn't really acknowledge the remake very much so we can pretend it doesn't exist (although, I do feel bad for Jackie Earl Haley who is legitimately a great actor and otherwise perfect casting for that role- he isn't what's wrong with the film). Anyway, Nightmare on Elm street was a great horror franchise that I still watch at least once a year. I love all of the movies (except the second one which I have never cared for).
Buck Privates- I know it's actually before my time, and maybe one that some people would look down on because it's in black and white. I would argue that color doesn't make a film watchable (I can prove it). If you find the movie boring it's not necessarily because it's a black and white film as that really shouldn't matter. Anyway, I love Abbott and Costello. They're the only reason Universal still exists today (they really should have bought them out when they had the chance- that's how powerful they were for the studio at one time). They are probably the biggest tragedy in film history as well- having both died tragically (one of medical reasons, the other broke and alone). Despite that, though, they made tons of films that live on to this day. I would argue their best stuff is actually ahead of it's time. They took vaudeville routines and turned it into something more. I would argue their comedy led the way to the comedy we have now- although they were better at it. Buck privates is probably my favorite because I'm an Army veteran, but also because it's their first big film so they had a lot to prove, still. Not that they didn't always prove themselves. There is very few films of theirs that I think are terrible films- and it could be said that they use the same routines a lot. You do sometimes have to dig for their new stuff (because the way film was done at the time there could be a few films where they use the same jokes, so you have to find the ones where they iterated on the existing routines as well as when they made new ones). They really are a treasure trove of amazing comedy and genius word play that is still unmatched. It's a damn shame- really.
Alice in Wonderland (1985): Alice in Wonderland is my all time favorite story. The wonderful thing about it, though, is that it's one of a few treasures in literature that are 100% public domain. It's probably the most adapted story in film history because of this (and, I would guess, because it's the best story to play around with). I have seen a ton of Alice in Wonderland adaptations over the years (I think I own like, 15 of them or something). I believe the first known film from the BBC was Alice in Wonderland (1903). Something that fascinates me is how often it's adapted for TV. It's like TV executives have no problem funding an Alice in Wonderland adaptation. You can find at least one well received Alice in Wonderland adaptation every 10 years (throughout film history I mean) and most of those were made for TV (whether that be in the US or the UK- both countries love to constantly retell the story to varying degrees of success). I don't want to say much more about it at the moment, but I think the US 1985 version of Alice in Wonderland is my favorite because it combines both Wonderland and Through the looking glass into one (decently) coherent story. The music is fun, and the costume design is great. It has everything I like in the Wonderland books, with it's own 80s twists- even at one point actually managing to be kind of horrific. It's the most fun to watch (IMO) of the wonderland films. All time.
Drive: I feel like this might be a cliche' choice, but in this day and age when it's becoming harder to find movies I love I feel like the ones that stand out are even more striking for me. Honestly, the last three feel like that in a lot of ways. Drive is at it's best when it's trying to recapture the 80s and the feel of film in that time. It captures a tone I feel is missing from a lot of films these days- being dark and gritty. In a time when The Expendables is only successful because it's fun to remember sometimes we get film makers who legitimately want to capture what film was like in a time when film was much more experimental and raw. Very few films can do this successfully, but I feel Drive delivers.
Oldboy: Again, the original- not the remake. There was no reason for this movie to be remade. The remake is alright, but it doesn't quite live up to how dark the original film is. The ending felt way to safe in the remake- despite the fact that it does retain the same story. Watch the original if you haven't. It's legitimately a unique film.
Let the right one in: I don't know if I have to clarify the original here as the remake has a slightly different name. I will say the remake is an interesting take on the story and worth watching on it's own, but I much prefer the original in tone and pacing. Despite the strange cat scene, the movie is quite brilliant and if you want to watch the remake watch the original first. I won't say more as your feelings on the film can be a tad spoilery and people should watch it. I feel it's an important film for the modern horror fan. It's a shame no one learned anything from it.
Honorable mention: The girl with the dragon tattoo series (again, the original) is worth seeing as well and another of my modern favorite films to rewatch. There were sequels to the original and I like all of them, personally. There was no need for a remake. Oddly the remake is almost exactly the same film (but again it shys away from being too controversial unlike the original). I prefer the original, but the remake isn't terrible. Watch the original first, in my opinion.
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