My Top 35 Favorite Films of All Time

Since people seem to be misinterpreting this as a list of what I am calling the greatest movies ever, let me just preface this entire list with the fact this is purely my own opinion and a reflection of my preferences. Yeah, many of these movies are flawed but they're my favorites despite their flaws.

So, I'm a pretty big lover of cinema and I've been meaning to compile a list of my favorite movies of all time. That task turned out to be much hard than I expected, narrowing down the movies I absolutely loved the most was difficult because I felt I was doing disservice to amazing movies that weren't higher up on this list. To be perfectly clear, if I were to make this list a week from now, there would probably be some changes simply due to my mood but as of right now, this is my list. And also the movies on this list I love only marginally more than their neighbors for the most part. I tried to cut it down to 30 but I just couldn't do it, I love the bottom 5 way too much for me to not acknowledge them and I feel honourable mentions are pointless as I might just put them on the list anyways, right? Alright, so here goes my top 35 films of all time.

P.S. Wow. I wrote WAY more about this than I really thought I was going to, ummm, I probably should have done something this weekend...

35. Day of the Dead (1985)

The underrated masterpiece of George A. Romero's original Dead movies. The real thing that puts this a cut above "Night" or "Dawn" for me is the ideas it had about being able to civilize zombies which has recurred throughout zombie fiction but I believe that Day of the Dead is the originator of the concept. The other thing that puts this a cut above the other two movies (I disregard Romero's later work) is the character of Captain Rhodes, the main villain. Joseph Pilato turns everything up to 11 with this performance and it is just extremely entertaining to watch. Easily one of my favorite movie characters.

34. Hard Boiled (1992)

This is one of the action movies ever put to film. It was a real tough decision for me to choose this over The Killer my other favorite John Woo film but Hard Boiled takes the cake for amazing set pieces. There are essentially three set pieces in the movie, each one more explosive and ambitious than the last. Chow Yun Fat is back once again, diving through the air while shooting two guns, as the Inspector Tequila on the hunt for a triad group involved in some illegal arms dealing. It's arguably an excuse to just blow things up and that would be fine but the characters are memorable and well acted to boot.

33. Forrest Gump (1994)

I've seen this movie get a fair bit of flak on the internet and while I can understand the criticisms to an extent, as it does indulge heavily in American pop culture of the 1950s onwards, it is still a fantastic film. Not much I can say about Forrest Gump that hasn't already been said. It's a got a great cast with memorable lines and iconic scenes. The soundtrack is also great all around, if you haven't seen Forrest Gump, how is that possible?

32. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

I will admit I had(and still have to some extent) a bit of a man crush for Simon Pegg. He's a fantastic comedic actor and writer and he has a wonderful chemistry with Nick Frost. Shaun of the Dead is their best collaboration as far as I'm concerned. It celebrates the zombie genre while also poking fun at it. It's humor straddles the line between quick and funny and straight out audacious. It's a great embodiment of one of my favorite genres: horror comedy.

31. American Psycho (2000)

American Psycho is a satirical comedy. That is what it is. Some may find it's sense of humor shocking in the same way they would find a horror movie shocking, but underneath the pool of blood, it is a dark satirical comedy. An adaption of Bret Easton Ellis' novel, which I read after watching the movie, it's a rather ambitious movie if you look at the text of the actual novel. The book is very very graphic, far more so than the movie, and has stuff that even someone like me who grew up as a little kid watching the goriest of horror movies, felt somewhat disturbed by. So, the movie smartly decides to focus more the satirizing of 1980s yuppie culture than the grisly murdering Patrick Bateman does. And I will argue to the death that Patrick Bateman is Christian Bale's best performance.

30. Die Hard (1988)

The greatest Christmas movie ever. There I said it. And it has just enough of a Christmas theme going on to be awarded that title. This is a great action movie not necessarily because of its action, which is great and violent in that time before all action movies were PG-13, but because of its writing and characters. Hans Gruber is one of the best villains in any movie ever and Alan Rickman plays him so sinisterly yet charming at the same time. Then of course, you have your hero, John McClane, that typical everyman action hero, the performance that basically made Bruce Willis a star. One of my favorite things about this movie is John McClane gets so banged up. He's not the invincible, not a scratch on him type of hero that was typical in 80s action movies, he's just a cop from New York.

29. Tremors (1990)

I have no clue how many times I must have watched Tremors in my childhood, but let's say it's around 50. Another entry in the horror comedy genre, Tremors also harks back to science fiction movies of the 1950s. Underground monsters have started killing people in the small Nevada town of Perfection and the only people that can stop them are the local handymen, Val and Earl, played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward respectively. Their banter between each other is really the highlight of the movie and its a shame that the sequels that followed never got the duo back together again, Michael Gross did return as the paranoid, gun enthusiast Burt Gummer but without the dynamic between Val and Earl, the later Tremors movies never reach the height of this gem.

28. 28 Days Later (2002)

As a fan of the zombie sub-genre, I have to say 28 Days Later is the best in the genre which stands to reason why it could be blamed for the resurrection of the zombie genre in the past decade. While not Danny Boyle's best film, it shows the director to be a master of his art. Of course a huge credit has to be given to the actors, particularly Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson and Naomie Harris as survivors of an epidemic that has swept Britain. While technically this isn't really a zombie movie (the hoards of infected don't reanimated and are simply enraged killing machines), it operates the exact same way and like a proper good zombie flick, it focuses on the struggle of the survivors and the idea age-old idea of man being his own worst enemy. It's a fantastic, atmospheric horror movie.

27. Enter the Dragon (1973)

I am a huge Bruce Lee fan, not just of his movies, but of him as a person. Getting that out of the way, Enter the Dragon was the movie that introduced Bruce Lee to me as a child. Particularly, the final scene in the mirror room was an image that never left my brain. It was a mesmerizing scene and built so much tension. It has the plot of your typical run of the mill martial arts story, some evil criminal is hosting a martial arts tournament, so the main character must infiltrate the tournament under the guise of being a participant but really he's there to bust the villain. That was a somewhat more novel idea back in 1972 but thankfully, you don't come to this movie for the plot. You come to it to watch brilliantly choreographed martial arts performed by a man who was a real life superhero.

26. Memento (2000)

I gotta say I am quite happy that a director like Christopher Nolan has found success and got to that point that so few directors get to where they can have their artistic vision as well as the budgets of blockbuster movies. But for me, his greatest work will always be Memento. Guy Pearce plays a man trying to find his wife's killer but there's a problem, during the attack on his wife, he was also injured and now severs from short time memory lost. This results in the film's genius structure, the entire film shows you its scenes in reverse chronological order. Like like Pearce's character Leonard, you don't know what happened just beforehand which for me resulting in thinking I understood the movie but was immediately blindsided by a revelation in the next scene. This movie also really makes me wish Guy Pearce was in more and better movies.

25. Jurassic Park (1993)

This movie sparked an obsession with dinosaurs at a young age, and even years later, I still think dinosaurs are pretty cool. Of course, I have Steven Spielberg's adventure film to thank for that. This is movie is also arguably to blame for the rise of CGI as the primary means of fooling the eye within this medium. But despite that, Jurassic Park's effects are still convincing to this day and of course, a memorable cast of characters never ages.

24. The Departed (2006)

Martin Scorsese actually remade a Hong Kong movie "Infernal Affairs" with The Departed and while I'm against most remakes, it works here. It works because it is just so goddamn well done all around. It's got an engaging plot, great acting, especially from DiCaprio and has Scorsese's trademark use of music. The Departed also has one of the most memorable endings in a long time, it's not exactly a downer ending or a happy one, but yet you feel satisfied and content by the end. The twists and turns along the way makes the journey satisfying by itself but a great destination is always a bonus.

23. Casino Royale (2006)

I am a James Bond fan. I'm just gonna say this outright so that everyone can understand why this is on my list. In my opinion, this is the best Bond movie. Yes, Sean Connery had the iconic look of Bond but Daniel Craig brings that violent, emotionally detached side of Bond we never quite saw in the movies. This is essentially a Bond origin story and I happen to really like origin stories as well. While it doesn't show his childhood like you might expect an origin story to do, it does show him becoming into the role of the Bond everyone knows. This is another movie with an incredibly satisfying ending, especially as a huge Bond fan, and knows the precise time when the classic Bond theme should be played. It's probably the best revamp of an old idea I've ever seen.

22. Jaws (1975)

This is another movie that I watched a ton of as a child. I watched it again recently and I realized the movie can easily be divided in two parts. The first part is all on the island when Police Chief Brody is trying to deal with shark attacks then the second part is the shark hunter, where you have Brody, Quint and Hooper all on the boat tracking down this man eater. While the first half of the movie plays almost like a horror movie and is pretty effective at it, the second half is very character driven and this is my favorite part of the movie. The dynamic between the trio becomes the heart of the film and the realization by Hooper and Brody that the sea captain Quint, maybe kind of out of his mind. I love this movie.

21. Goodfellas (1990)

In what seems like the eternal debate between The Godfather and Goodfellas, I stand firmly in the Goodfellas camp. It's one of the most entertaining movies to watch. Ray Liotta is good in the lead role but it's really Robert DeNiro's and Joe Pesci's characters that make me love the movie so much. Tommy, played by Joe Pesci, is the most likeable psychopath since Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange. One moment he'll be laughing with you and having a fun time, the next he'll be shooting some kid because he looked at him funny. Granted, I haven't seen every Scorsese movie but for my money, Goodfellas is his best work.

20. Evil Dead 2 (1987)

This movie is like a perfect juggling act between horror and comedy. I first saw this at a young age and scared the living hell out of me. Then I saw it years later as a teenager and couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. There is humor in every ounce of this movie, even in the more genuinely terrifying parts and then more obviously in the more slapstick or just oddball nature of some scenes. A huge credit of the humor has to come from the lead actor, Bruce Campbell. His facial expressions and delivery is perfect and watch the scene where he fights with is possessed hand to see true acting.

19. Trainspotting (1996)

28 Days Later wasn't Danny Boyle's best movie because this is. I can't quite put my finger on what makes me love this movie so much, maybe it's the wonderful acting, maybe it's the hard hitting pace and fantastic editing, I'm not quite sure. It does make me wish that Ewan McGregor ended up in better movies as of late as he can really be a terrific actor. Robert Carlyle is probably my favorite performance in the film as the violent sociopath Begbie.

18. Fight Club (1999)

I feel like this movie is very much a 15 to 25 year old's movie. I happen to still fit within that age range and I'll admit over the past few years since I've watched it for the first time, it lost a bit of spark with me. It's still an extremely well made, well acted and well edited movie and it still holds some ideological significance with me but not like it did before. That being said, it is always an enjoyable watch a large part due to Edward Norton's performance as the unreliable narrator and Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden. It has one of the most brilliant plot twists I've ever seen.

17. In Bruges (2008)

The youngest movie on the list but for good reason, it's one of those movies that I watched the first time and really liked but didn't love. Then I watched it a second time, then I watched a third and so on, and then I realized I had absolutely fallen in love with this dark comedy. The way the movie changes in tone between tragic and sad and hilarious and absurd is really the reason why I love it so much. And I'm not sure who I like more in the movie Brendan Gleeson or Colin Farrell, who play the two hitmen hiding out in Bruges.

16. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

This is one of the first Quentin Tarantino movies I watched and after watching it I immediately thought "Okay, I'm a fan". This is Tarantino's directorial debut and what a first showing it is. It's an incredibly quotable and supremely entertaining heist story where you don't see the heist but the before and after. Harvery Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi and Michael Madsen play the lead roles as Mr.White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink and Mr. Blonde as the survivors after a bank heist gone wrong. This really showcases Tarantino's ability to mix pop culture elements into his scripts and his use of music to brilliant effect. I bet most people don't look at Stuck In The Middle With You the same way again.

15. No Country for Old Men (2007)

You may notice something with this list, either now or further on down, that I really like slow, methodical movies. Fast pace can be good and entertaining but a movie like No Country for Old Men is so effective because it takes its time. It's a gorgeously shot movie with a non existent musical score, you might think that would make the movie too slow or boring, it does the exact opposite. It heightens the tension like I've never seen before. I also can't talk about this movie without giving a huge applause to Javier Bardem's performance as Anton Chigurh, the movie's villain.

14. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The first movie to appear from Stanley Kubrick on this list and it won't be the last. Malcolm McDowell is absolutely amazing as the young violent psychopath Alex. Despite all of Alex's horrible crimes, you still like him and find him charismatic. The movie has a very interesting concept about freewill which is it right to force someone who is naturally violent and unsympathetic to behave like a normal person resulting in the lost of their free will? It's also a beautiful movie all around from the cinematography to the soundtrack which is largely Beethoven and other classical music.

13. The Big Lebowski (1998)

This is my favorite Coen brothers movie. It's a movie I could watch a hundred times and still be entertained by it. It really never gets old. I'd try to describe the plot but I'd rather not be here all day. Suffice to say, Jeff Bridges' character The Dude has a case of mistake identity and gets caught up in a kidnapping along with his best friend and Vietnam veteran, Walter Sobchak played John Goodman, in what has become my favorite role in the movie and one of my favorite movie characters of all time. This is just a fun, mesmerizing and endlessly quotable movie.

12. Alien (1979)

Another movie that watched as a child but didn't really garner appreciation for it until the past few years. Personally, this is the greatest horror movie ever made. Why? It's paced perfectly, has likeable and memorable characters that you don't want to see die and has some of the most fantastic set design and atmosphere I've ever see and felt in a movie. If you haven't seen the whole thing, you've probably taken in some aspects about it because it's become so ingrained in pop culture today and for good reason, it's a hell of a movie.

11. Toy Story (1995)

I just wanna say, I feel really bad I can't say this movie is one of my top 10 favorites of all time in an actual ordered list, in my heart it is. This is such a great movie, that does that typical Pixar thing of essentially make a move for kids but can be watched by anyone of any age. Arguably, Pixar has made better movies since Toy Story but this movie will always have that nostalgia factor to it. Toy Story has been ingrained in my subconscious since childhood.

10. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars had to be featured somewhere in this list. Like I imagine with most people, they were introduced to Star Wars at a young age. For me, I absolutely loved it. The entire trilogy and for most of my life, I always loved the first movie, A New Hope, the most. Mainly because I felt it stood alone the most and felt more like a "classic" movie than the next two. However, growing up and having George Lucas just ruin a lot of the love I had for the original trilogy, but having watched them all again. The middle chapter is the one that stood out to me the most, it's the darkest one of the bunch and has a genuinely likeable quirky love story between Han Solo and Princess Leia. It was also the one that was the least affected by the changes in the Special Edition re-releases. It's a great mature yet hopeful sci-fi movie and as a representation of why I loved Star Wars as a kid, there is no better.

9. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Between, Han Solo and Indiana Jones, it goes without saying that Harrison Ford is an idol of mine. This is such a masterfully well made movie in all respects. The fantastic adventuring and solving of ancient puzzles is enough to satisfy those boyhood dreams but it was watching it at an older age and getting a new found appreciation for the other aspects of it. Most notably the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Now, I despise most romances on screen because most romances on screen are done in a terrible fashion however, when a romance is done really well, it can be extremely convincing. This is the case between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen as Marion. It's just fun and enjoyable to see these two basically prod and poke at it each other like an actual couple but of course, they do love each in the end. The action sequences are spectacular and thrilling. This really is an all around amazing movie, that always manages to excite me.

8. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

This is the greatest comedy ever as far as I'm concerned. Another classic from the master himself, Kubrick. I honestly don't think I've ever been brought to tears laughing at a movie like this one. The plot? Back in the 1960s, the US had B-52 bombers armed with nukes flying just outside Soviet radar range, a crazed American general initiates emergency codes for the bombers to attack the USSR and the American government is now forced to stop their own bombers from attacking their enemies and starting World War III. Hilarity ensues and a lot of that is on the brilliant actors, Peter Sellers, playing 3 roles, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden and Slim Pickens. The phone call scene where the US President played by Peter Sellers calls the Russian premiere about the US bombers the way their conversation is portrayed both in that it's only from the American side and that they seem like a bickering couple just makes me feel sore in the face with laughter. This movie is a delight every time I watch it, a fantastic black comedy.

7. Apocalypse Now (1979)

No other war movie hits all the aspects of the human psyche like Apocalypse Now. From it's brilliant slow motion opening of a napalm attack and Martin Sheen being intoxicated in his room to its amazing ending, rich in symbolism, both ending and starting with The Doors' The End, Apocalypse Now is one of the absolute masterpieces of cinema and about as perfect a film as you can get. Martin Sheen is a US army special operations officer sent on a mission to kill the rogue Colonel Kurtz, played brilliantly by Marlon Brando. This is a deep, meaningful movie, the kind of movie that every time I watch it, I come away with a slightly different perspective on it. Francis Ford Coppola is a true master of his art and this movie is, for my money, his best work by far. It's beautiful shot, ironic given the subject matter, and has a foreboding atmosphere about it that words don't do justice to. All the performances are spectacular but I really have to give a huge round of applause to Marlon Brando, my god is he good in this movie. This is probably my favorite movie character because Brando doesn't even seem to be acting, he IS Colonel Kurtz, mesmerizing, mysterious but incredibly dangerous. I should point out I am considering the Redux version on this list as that's the only one I have seen and after seeing it that way and hearing what was taken out in the original cut, I think I'd prefer the Redux version anyways.

6. Terminator 2 Judgement Day (1991)

This was my favorite movie of all time for a long time. It's a brilliant sci-fi action movie that somehow manages to contain a story and concepts that's even bigger than its explosions. The story is essentially the same as the first one but with a twist, this time two terminators were sent back through time, one to protect young John Connor and one to kill him. The real twist is the model that was sent back in the original movie to kill Sarah Connor, is the one that is protecting John this time around. It's a brilliant twist because the old terminator model T-800, played iconically by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is the one protecting now and the lean new terminator T-1000, played by Robert Patrick, is under the guise of a police officer. The CGI effects for the liquid metal of the T-1000 are ingenious, they really can't age because they look exactly like liquid metal and morphs in a very non-human way, fitting for the character. And with all of this is a story about finding hope for humanity's seemingly doomed future, it all wraps up in an completely satisfying way.

5. Blade Runner (1982)

I am a bit of a science fiction nerd. I love the genre and the sub-genres to an even stronger degree. Particularly, the cyberpunk genre, now while Blade Runner doesn't necessarily fit the trappings of that sub-genre it had a profound affect on it and sci-fi everywhere. William Gibson, Neuromancer author, once said "...I figured my unfinished first novel was sunk, done for. Everyone would assume I’d copped my visual texture from this astonishingly fine-looking film." All this to say, Blade Runner is visual perfection as far as I'm concerned and evidently many others due to its increased popularity over the years. Such a gorgeous movie, from the retrofitted set-design of 2019 Los Angeles to the beautiful cinematography thanks to Jordan Cronenweth, there's no question this is an utter visual delight. But the movie is so much more than just that, it has great themes about what it means to be human and the difference between humans and machines, ideas you might expect from a story ripped out of a Philip K. Dick novella. The soundtrack is unforgettable, clearly influenced by film noir, Vangelis provides something incredibly moody. I got really go on and on about this movie, I haven't even got to how great Harrison Ford is as the apathetic blade runner, Rick Deckard, and Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, the leader of the replicants who Deckard is trying to chase down. Roy Batty is definitely one of cinema's best villains. Blade Runner is just the type of movie I put in a lonely rainy night and let it take me to Los Angeles 2019.

4. The Lion King (1994)

I obsessively watched this is a toddler. Obsessively as in wore out the VHS copy of it. I loved this movie then and having watching it recently on blu-ray, I love it just as much now and have an even stronger appreciation for it. For an 90 minute animated feature, it has the sensibilities of a 2 to 3 hour long epic. No doubt this is partially due to the classic stories it harks back to like Hamlet and Macbeth. And there's where my further appreciation came for it came from, after having read Hamlet in high school and then watching The Lion King sometime afterwards. It actually takes a lot from other stories or even real life events, there's obviously some comparisons in the film being made being the antagonist Scar and Adolf Hitler, but it melds them all together in such a perfect mixture and blend. If you don't know the basic story, despite being gobsmacked, here it is: Simba is the heir to the throne on Pride Rock however, his father, Mufasa, is killed by Mufasa's brother Scar and Simba is forced to flee Pride Rock. The moment when Simba realizes his father has died is such a heart wrenching moment and makes you hate Scar even more as you see him manipulate Simba's young, naive mind. What ensues is something that, while this word is used far too much to describe things it really doesn't imply to, it can really only be called epic. The score was done by Hans Zimmer so I guess there's plenty of credit there. This movie has me grinning from start to finish, only to stop grinning when Mufasa dies.

3. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

As you might be able to guess from my user icon, I really liked Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy. My favorite movie of the three being The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This is the kind of movie you watch an afternoon with nothing else going on in your day. Not only because it is a long movie but it's a very plotting, methodical movie. It takes its time and has no problem showing you sweeping Old West landscapes. I for one, love every minute of it, it's a movie that will really grab you if you let it and it will take you through its harsh world. Clint Eastwood returns once again, as The Man with No Name, however is called Blondie in this movie, a nickname provided by Eli Wallach's character, Tuco. Blondie and Tuco have to team up to find a stash of Confederate gold during the American Civil War, Blondie knows the name on the grave and Tuco knows the cemetery. Along the way they come across another bounty hunter, the ruthless Angel Eyes, played menacingly by Lee Van Cleef. The story culminates in an unforgettable climax. I've never been the biggest fan of westerns but this movie got me into them, especially spaghetti westerns. Ennio Morricone does a job with the score that words can simply not describe. There's a reason why Quentin Tarantino loves to his Morricone's scores in his movies, he is the best composer.

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)

"Say what again, say what again! I dare you, I double dare you, mother fucker! Say what one more goddamn time!" This is the most quotable movie of all time, hands down. This is Tarantino's best work and I seriously doubt he'll be able to top this one. It's the smartest and most memorable writing of his and is a movie I have watched god knows how many times and watch it a hundred times more and not be bored of it. It's just a movie where every time I watch I notice a little something else, for example in the opening scene, you can actually seen John Travolta go to the bathroom and faintly hear Vincent's and Jules' conversation. Of course, you'd only notice this on a second viewing. Typical of the director, it is told out of chronological ordered and follows three different but intertwined stories. One follows an event morning for hitmen Jules played by Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent played by John Travolta, another follows Vincent taking out his boss' wife, Mia Wallace played by Uma Thurman, for supper and the last one follows a boxer named Butch, played by Bruce Willis, who tries to outsmart a mob boss, Marsellus Wallace. The non-linear structure does a surprising amount to make this an entertaining movie but it really is the exceptional dialogue and performances that are at the heart of this movie. This movie is just cool, there's no other way to say it, the characters are cool, the music is cool and even opening credits is cool as hell. Pulp Fiction is cool.

1. 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick is my favorite director of all time and this was the movie that made me realize that. I really don't what to say about this movie and whatnot to say about it. It's a brilliant sweeping sci-fi that explores space as well as huge themes. It has a clinical detached feel, yet oddly hopeful and optimistic. It explores all aspects of humanity, both our distant past and far flung future. It's my favorite movie of all time and I love it. First off, on a pure technical level, 2001 is a masterpiece, special effects were never this convincing or had so much attention to detail. It paved the way for smart sci-fi films to be made like Blade Runner. The entire genre owes a huge debt to 2001. And not only were they fantastic special effects back then, they also hold up shocking well now. This movie is beautiful in many ways but from a pure visual standpoint, it's only competitor would be Blade Runner for me and this takes the cake. Kubrick actually had a composer lined up to make the soundtrack for 2001 and the iconic classical score was just meant to be something temporary but Kubrick realized how terrific it blended with the visuals and decided to keep it. Hearing "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss during the opening sequence, showing an alignment of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth always brings a smile to my face. It's also trance inducing with movie's slow pace, musical choice and visuals. Seeing a space shuttle dock into a large space station while spinning as The Blue Danube is enough to get me lost in 2001.

Beyond this, there's an epic narrative about humanity's evolution and influence of alien life and even the question about how technology affects man's inhumanity to man. There's an interesting subtext in the movie too, the artificial intelligence HAL-9000 displays more human-like emotions than any of the actual human characters in the movie. I won't go more beyond that because if you haven't seen 2001, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. Every time I watch this movie, I have a slightly different takeaway from it, like any proper work of art. I come away feeling a little different than last time. It really clicks with that part of my brain that has been activate since childhood, the wonderment and magic of outer space. The last 20 minutes always fills me with a sense of confusion, excitement, wonder, fear and possibly every emotion known to man. 2001 never ceases to always take me beyond the infinite and remind why I love movies. It truly is my favorite movie of all time.

Since people seem to be misinterpreting this as a list of what I am calling the greatest movies ever, let me just preface this entire list with the fact this is purely my own opinion and a reflection of my preferences. Yeah, many of these movies are flawed but they're my favorites despite their flaws.

So, I'm a pretty big lover of cinema and I've been meaning to compile a list of my favorite movies of all time. That task turned out to be much hard than I expected, narrowing down the movies I absolutely loved the most was difficult because I felt I was doing disservice to amazing movies that weren't higher up on this list. To be perfectly clear, if I were to make this list a week from now, there would probably be some changes simply due to my mood but as of right now, this is my list. And also the movies on this list I love only marginally more than their neighbors for the most part. I tried to cut it down to 30 but I just couldn't do it, I love the bottom 5 way too much for me to not acknowledge them and I feel honourable mentions are pointless as I might just put them on the list anyways, right? Alright, so here goes my top 35 films of all time.

P.S. Wow. I wrote WAY more about this than I really thought I was going to, ummm, I probably should have done something this weekend...

35. Day of the Dead (1985)

The underrated masterpiece of George A. Romero's original Dead movies. The real thing that puts this a cut above "Night" or "Dawn" for me is the ideas it had about being able to civilize zombies which has recurred throughout zombie fiction but I believe that Day of the Dead is the originator of the concept. The other thing that puts this a cut above the other two movies (I disregard Romero's later work) is the character of Captain Rhodes, the main villain. Joseph Pilato turns everything up to 11 with this performance and it is just extremely entertaining to watch. Easily one of my favorite movie characters.

34. Hard Boiled (1992)

This is one of the action movies ever put to film. It was a real tough decision for me to choose this over The Killer my other favorite John Woo film but Hard Boiled takes the cake for amazing set pieces. There are essentially three set pieces in the movie, each one more explosive and ambitious than the last. Chow Yun Fat is back once again, diving through the air while shooting two guns, as the Inspector Tequila on the hunt for a triad group involved in some illegal arms dealing. It's arguably an excuse to just blow things up and that would be fine but the characters are memorable and well acted to boot.

33. Forrest Gump (1994)

I've seen this movie get a fair bit of flak on the internet and while I can understand the criticisms to an extent, as it does indulge heavily in American pop culture of the 1950s onwards, it is still a fantastic film. Not much I can say about Forrest Gump that hasn't already been said. It's a got a great cast with memorable lines and iconic scenes. The soundtrack is also great all around, if you haven't seen Forrest Gump, how is that possible?

32. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

I will admit I had(and still have to some extent) a bit of a man crush for Simon Pegg. He's a fantastic comedic actor and writer and he has a wonderful chemistry with Nick Frost. Shaun of the Dead is their best collaboration as far as I'm concerned. It celebrates the zombie genre while also poking fun at it. It's humor straddles the line between quick and funny and straight out audacious. It's a great embodiment of one of my favorite genres: horror comedy.

31. American Psycho (2000)

American Psycho is a satirical comedy. That is what it is. Some may find it's sense of humor shocking in the same way they would find a horror movie shocking, but underneath the pool of blood, it is a dark satirical comedy. An adaption of Bret Easton Ellis' novel, which I read after watching the movie, it's a rather ambitious movie if you look at the text of the actual novel. The book is very very graphic, far more so than the movie, and has stuff that even someone like me who grew up as a little kid watching the goriest of horror movies, felt somewhat disturbed by. So, the movie smartly decides to focus more the satirizing of 1980s yuppie culture than the grisly murdering Patrick Bateman does. And I will argue to the death that Patrick Bateman is Christian Bale's best performance.

30. Die Hard (1988)

The greatest Christmas movie ever. There I said it. And it has just enough of a Christmas theme going on to be awarded that title. This is a great action movie not necessarily because of its action, which is great and violent in that time before all action movies were PG-13, but because of its writing and characters. Hans Gruber is one of the best villains in any movie ever and Alan Rickman plays him so sinisterly yet charming at the same time. Then of course, you have your hero, John McClane, that typical everyman action hero, the performance that basically made Bruce Willis a star. One of my favorite things about this movie is John McClane gets so banged up. He's not the invincible, not a scratch on him type of hero that was typical in 80s action movies, he's just a cop from New York.

29. Tremors (1990)

I have no clue how many times I must have watched Tremors in my childhood, but let's say it's around 50. Another entry in the horror comedy genre, Tremors also harks back to science fiction movies of the 1950s. Underground monsters have started killing people in the small Nevada town of Perfection and the only people that can stop them are the local handymen, Val and Earl, played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward respectively. Their banter between each other is really the highlight of the movie and its a shame that the sequels that followed never got the duo back together again, Michael Gross did return as the paranoid, gun enthusiast Burt Gummer but without the dynamic between Val and Earl, the later Tremors movies never reach the height of this gem.

28. 28 Days Later (2002)

As a fan of the zombie sub-genre, I have to say 28 Days Later is the best in the genre which stands to reason why it could be blamed for the resurrection of the zombie genre in the past decade. While not Danny Boyle's best film, it shows the director to be a master of his art. Of course a huge credit has to be given to the actors, particularly Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson and Naomie Harris as survivors of an epidemic that has swept Britain. While technically this isn't really a zombie movie (the hoards of infected don't reanimated and are simply enraged killing machines), it operates the exact same way and like a proper good zombie flick, it focuses on the struggle of the survivors and the idea age-old idea of man being his own worst enemy. It's a fantastic, atmospheric horror movie.

27. Enter the Dragon (1973)

I am a huge Bruce Lee fan, not just of his movies, but of him as a person. Getting that out of the way, Enter the Dragon was the movie that introduced Bruce Lee to me as a child. Particularly, the final scene in the mirror room was an image that never left my brain. It was a mesmerizing scene and built so much tension. It has the plot of your typical run of the mill martial arts story, some evil criminal is hosting a martial arts tournament, so the main character must infiltrate the tournament under the guise of being a participant but really he's there to bust the villain. That was a somewhat more novel idea back in 1972 but thankfully, you don't come to this movie for the plot. You come to it to watch brilliantly choreographed martial arts performed by a man who was a real life superhero.

26. Memento (2000)

I gotta say I am quite happy that a director like Christopher Nolan has found success and got to that point that so few directors get to where they can have their artistic vision as well as the budgets of blockbuster movies. But for me, his greatest work will always be Memento. Guy Pearce plays a man trying to find his wife's killer but there's a problem, during the attack on his wife, he was also injured and now severs from short time memory lost. This results in the film's genius structure, the entire film shows you its scenes in reverse chronological order. Like like Pearce's character Leonard, you don't know what happened just beforehand which for me resulting in thinking I understood the movie but was immediately blindsided by a revelation in the next scene. This movie also really makes me wish Guy Pearce was in more and better movies.

25. Jurassic Park (1993)

This movie sparked an obsession with dinosaurs at a young age, and even years later, I still think dinosaurs are pretty cool. Of course, I have Steven Spielberg's adventure film to thank for that. This is movie is also arguably to blame for the rise of CGI as the primary means of fooling the eye within this medium. But despite that, Jurassic Park's effects are still convincing to this day and of course, a memorable cast of characters never ages.

24. The Departed (2006)

Martin Scorsese actually remade a Hong Kong movie "Infernal Affairs" with The Departed and while I'm against most remakes, it works here. It works because it is just so goddamn well done all around. It's got an engaging plot, great acting, especially from DiCaprio and has Scorsese's trademark use of music. The Departed also has one of the most memorable endings in a long time, it's not exactly a downer ending or a happy one, but yet you feel satisfied and content by the end. The twists and turns along the way makes the journey satisfying by itself but a great destination is always a bonus.

23. Casino Royale (2006)

I am a James Bond fan. I'm just gonna say this outright so that everyone can understand why this is on my list. In my opinion, this is the best Bond movie. Yes, Sean Connery had the iconic look of Bond but Daniel Craig brings that violent, emotionally detached side of Bond we never quite saw in the movies. This is essentially a Bond origin story and I happen to really like origin stories as well. While it doesn't show his childhood like you might expect an origin story to do, it does show him becoming into the role of the Bond everyone knows. This is another movie with an incredibly satisfying ending, especially as a huge Bond fan, and knows the precise time when the classic Bond theme should be played. It's probably the best revamp of an old idea I've ever seen.

22. Jaws (1975)

This is another movie that I watched a ton of as a child. I watched it again recently and I realized the movie can easily be divided in two parts. The first part is all on the island when Police Chief Brody is trying to deal with shark attacks then the second part is the shark hunter, where you have Brody, Quint and Hooper all on the boat tracking down this man eater. While the first half of the movie plays almost like a horror movie and is pretty effective at it, the second half is very character driven and this is my favorite part of the movie. The dynamic between the trio becomes the heart of the film and the realization by Hooper and Brody that the sea captain Quint, maybe kind of out of his mind. I love this movie.

21. Goodfellas (1990)

In what seems like the eternal debate between The Godfather and Goodfellas, I stand firmly in the Goodfellas camp. It's one of the most entertaining movies to watch. Ray Liotta is good in the lead role but it's really Robert DeNiro's and Joe Pesci's characters that make me love the movie so much. Tommy, played by Joe Pesci, is the most likeable psychopath since Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange. One moment he'll be laughing with you and having a fun time, the next he'll be shooting some kid because he looked at him funny. Granted, I haven't seen every Scorsese movie but for my money, Goodfellas is his best work.

20. Evil Dead 2 (1987)

This movie is like a perfect juggling act between horror and comedy. I first saw this at a young age and scared the living hell out of me. Then I saw it years later as a teenager and couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. There is humor in every ounce of this movie, even in the more genuinely terrifying parts and then more obviously in the more slapstick or just oddball nature of some scenes. A huge credit of the humor has to come from the lead actor, Bruce Campbell. His facial expressions and delivery is perfect and watch the scene where he fights with is possessed hand to see true acting.

19. Trainspotting (1996)

28 Days Later wasn't Danny Boyle's best movie because this is. I can't quite put my finger on what makes me love this movie so much, maybe it's the wonderful acting, maybe it's the hard hitting pace and fantastic editing, I'm not quite sure. It does make me wish that Ewan McGregor ended up in better movies as of late as he can really be a terrific actor. Robert Carlyle is probably my favorite performance in the film as the violent sociopath Begbie.

18. Fight Club (1999)

I feel like this movie is very much a 15 to 25 year old's movie. I happen to still fit within that age range and I'll admit over the past few years since I've watched it for the first time, it lost a bit of spark with me. It's still an extremely well made, well acted and well edited movie and it still holds some ideological significance with me but not like it did before. That being said, it is always an enjoyable watch a large part due to Edward Norton's performance as the unreliable narrator and Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden. It has one of the most brilliant plot twists I've ever seen.

17. In Bruges (2008)

The youngest movie on the list but for good reason, it's one of those movies that I watched the first time and really liked but didn't love. Then I watched it a second time, then I watched a third and so on, and then I realized I had absolutely fallen in love with this dark comedy. The way the movie changes in tone between tragic and sad and hilarious and absurd is really the reason why I love it so much. And I'm not sure who I like more in the movie Brendan Gleeson or Colin Farrell, who play the two hitmen hiding out in Bruges.

16. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

This is one of the first Quentin Tarantino movies I watched and after watching it I immediately thought "Okay, I'm a fan". This is Tarantino's directorial debut and what a first showing it is. It's an incredibly quotable and supremely entertaining heist story where you don't see the heist but the before and after. Harvery Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi and Michael Madsen play the lead roles as Mr.White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink and Mr. Blonde as the survivors after a bank heist gone wrong. This really showcases Tarantino's ability to mix pop culture elements into his scripts and his use of music to brilliant effect. I bet most people don't look at Stuck In The Middle With You the same way again.

15. No Country for Old Men (2007)

You may notice something with this list, either now or further on down, that I really like slow, methodical movies. Fast pace can be good and entertaining but a movie like No Country for Old Men is so effective because it takes its time. It's a gorgeously shot movie with a non existent musical score, you might think that would make the movie too slow or boring, it does the exact opposite. It heightens the tension like I've never seen before. I also can't talk about this movie without giving a huge applause to Javier Bardem's performance as Anton Chigurh, the movie's villain.

14. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The first movie to appear from Stanley Kubrick on this list and it won't be the last. Malcolm McDowell is absolutely amazing as the young violent psychopath Alex. Despite all of Alex's horrible crimes, you still like him and find him charismatic. The movie has a very interesting concept about freewill which is it right to force someone who is naturally violent and unsympathetic to behave like a normal person resulting in the lost of their free will? It's also a beautiful movie all around from the cinematography to the soundtrack which is largely Beethoven and other classical music.

13. The Big Lebowski (1998)

This is my favorite Coen brothers movie. It's a movie I could watch a hundred times and still be entertained by it. It really never gets old. I'd try to describe the plot but I'd rather not be here all day. Suffice to say, Jeff Bridges' character The Dude has a case of mistake identity and gets caught up in a kidnapping along with his best friend and Vietnam veteran, Walter Sobchak played John Goodman, in what has become my favorite role in the movie and one of my favorite movie characters of all time. This is just a fun, mesmerizing and endlessly quotable movie.

12. Alien (1979)

Another movie that watched as a child but didn't really garner appreciation for it until the past few years. Personally, this is the greatest horror movie ever made. Why? It's paced perfectly, has likeable and memorable characters that you don't want to see die and has some of the most fantastic set design and atmosphere I've ever see and felt in a movie. If you haven't seen the whole thing, you've probably taken in some aspects about it because it's become so ingrained in pop culture today and for good reason, it's a hell of a movie.

11. Toy Story (1995)

I just wanna say, I feel really bad I can't say this movie is one of my top 10 favorites of all time in an actual ordered list, in my heart it is. This is such a great movie, that does that typical Pixar thing of essentially make a move for kids but can be watched by anyone of any age. Arguably, Pixar has made better movies since Toy Story but this movie will always have that nostalgia factor to it. Toy Story has been ingrained in my subconscious since childhood.

10. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars had to be featured somewhere in this list. Like I imagine with most people, they were introduced to Star Wars at a young age. For me, I absolutely loved it. The entire trilogy and for most of my life, I always loved the first movie, A New Hope, the most. Mainly because I felt it stood alone the most and felt more like a "classic" movie than the next two. However, growing up and having George Lucas just ruin a lot of the love I had for the original trilogy, but having watched them all again. The middle chapter is the one that stood out to me the most, it's the darkest one of the bunch and has a genuinely likeable quirky love story between Han Solo and Princess Leia. It was also the one that was the least affected by the changes in the Special Edition re-releases. It's a great mature yet hopeful sci-fi movie and as a representation of why I loved Star Wars as a kid, there is no better.

9. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Between, Han Solo and Indiana Jones, it goes without saying that Harrison Ford is an idol of mine. This is such a masterfully well made movie in all respects. The fantastic adventuring and solving of ancient puzzles is enough to satisfy those boyhood dreams but it was watching it at an older age and getting a new found appreciation for the other aspects of it. Most notably the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Now, I despise most romances on screen because most romances on screen are done in a terrible fashion however, when a romance is done really well, it can be extremely convincing. This is the case between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen as Marion. It's just fun and enjoyable to see these two basically prod and poke at it each other like an actual couple but of course, they do love each in the end. The action sequences are spectacular and thrilling. This really is an all around amazing movie, that always manages to excite me.

8. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

This is the greatest comedy ever as far as I'm concerned. Another classic from the master himself, Kubrick. I honestly don't think I've ever been brought to tears laughing at a movie like this one. The plot? Back in the 1960s, the US had B-52 bombers armed with nukes flying just outside Soviet radar range, a crazed American general initiates emergency codes for the bombers to attack the USSR and the American government is now forced to stop their own bombers from attacking their enemies and starting World War III. Hilarity ensues and a lot of that is on the brilliant actors, Peter Sellers, playing 3 roles, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden and Slim Pickens. The phone call scene where the US President played by Peter Sellers calls the Russian premiere about the US bombers the way their conversation is portrayed both in that it's only from the American side and that they seem like a bickering couple just makes me feel sore in the face with laughter. This movie is a delight every time I watch it, a fantastic black comedy.

7. Apocalypse Now (1979)

No other war movie hits all the aspects of the human psyche like Apocalypse Now. From it's brilliant slow motion opening of a napalm attack and Martin Sheen being intoxicated in his room to its amazing ending, rich in symbolism, both ending and starting with The Doors' The End, Apocalypse Now is one of the absolute masterpieces of cinema and about as perfect a film as you can get. Martin Sheen is a US army special operations officer sent on a mission to kill the rogue Colonel Kurtz, played brilliantly by Marlon Brando. This is a deep, meaningful movie, the kind of movie that every time I watch it, I come away with a slightly different perspective on it. Francis Ford Coppola is a true master of his art and this movie is, for my money, his best work by far. It's beautiful shot, ironic given the subject matter, and has a foreboding atmosphere about it that words don't do justice to. All the performances are spectacular but I really have to give a huge round of applause to Marlon Brando, my god is he good in this movie. This is probably my favorite movie character because Brando doesn't even seem to be acting, he IS Colonel Kurtz, mesmerizing, mysterious but incredibly dangerous. I should point out I am considering the Redux version on this list as that's the only one I have seen and after seeing it that way and hearing what was taken out in the original cut, I think I'd prefer the Redux version anyways.

6. Terminator 2 Judgement Day (1991)

This was my favorite movie of all time for a long time. It's a brilliant sci-fi action movie that somehow manages to contain a story and concepts that's even bigger than its explosions. The story is essentially the same as the first one but with a twist, this time two terminators were sent back through time, one to protect young John Connor and one to kill him. The real twist is the model that was sent back in the original movie to kill Sarah Connor, is the one that is protecting John this time around. It's a brilliant twist because the old terminator model T-800, played iconically by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is the one protecting now and the lean new terminator T-1000, played by Robert Patrick, is under the guise of a police officer. The CGI effects for the liquid metal of the T-1000 are ingenious, they really can't age because they look exactly like liquid metal and morphs in a very non-human way, fitting for the character. And with all of this is a story about finding hope for humanity's seemingly doomed future, it all wraps up in an completely satisfying way.

5. Blade Runner (1982)

I am a bit of a science fiction nerd. I love the genre and the sub-genres to an even stronger degree. Particularly, the cyberpunk genre, now while Blade Runner doesn't necessarily fit the trappings of that sub-genre it had a profound affect on it and sci-fi everywhere. William Gibson, Neuromancer author, once said "...I figured my unfinished first novel was sunk, done for. Everyone would assume I’d copped my visual texture from this astonishingly fine-looking film." All this to say, Blade Runner is visual perfection as far as I'm concerned and evidently many others due to its increased popularity over the years. Such a gorgeous movie, from the retrofitted set-design of 2019 Los Angeles to the beautiful cinematography thanks to Jordan Cronenweth, there's no question this is an utter visual delight. But the movie is so much more than just that, it has great themes about what it means to be human and the difference between humans and machines, ideas you might expect from a story ripped out of a Philip K. Dick novella. The soundtrack is unforgettable, clearly influenced by film noir, Vangelis provides something incredibly moody. I got really go on and on about this movie, I haven't even got to how great Harrison Ford is as the apathetic blade runner, Rick Deckard, and Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, the leader of the replicants who Deckard is trying to chase down. Roy Batty is definitely one of cinema's best villains. Blade Runner is just the type of movie I put in a lonely rainy night and let it take me to Los Angeles 2019.

4. The Lion King (1994)

I obsessively watched this is a toddler. Obsessively as in wore out the VHS copy of it. I loved this movie then and having watching it recently on blu-ray, I love it just as much now and have an even stronger appreciation for it. For an 90 minute animated feature, it has the sensibilities of a 2 to 3 hour long epic. No doubt this is partially due to the classic stories it harks back to like Hamlet and Macbeth. And there's where my further appreciation came for it came from, after having read Hamlet in high school and then watching The Lion King sometime afterwards. It actually takes a lot from other stories or even real life events, there's obviously some comparisons in the film being made being the antagonist Scar and Adolf Hitler, but it melds them all together in such a perfect mixture and blend. If you don't know the basic story, despite being gobsmacked, here it is: Simba is the heir to the throne on Pride Rock however, his father, Mufasa, is killed by Mufasa's brother Scar and Simba is forced to flee Pride Rock. The moment when Simba realizes his father has died is such a heart wrenching moment and makes you hate Scar even more as you see him manipulate Simba's young, naive mind. What ensues is something that, while this word is used far too much to describe things it really doesn't imply to, it can really only be called epic. The score was done by Hans Zimmer so I guess there's plenty of credit there. This movie has me grinning from start to finish, only to stop grinning when Mufasa dies.

3. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

As you might be able to guess from my user icon, I really liked Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy. My favorite movie of the three being The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This is the kind of movie you watch an afternoon with nothing else going on in your day. Not only because it is a long movie but it's a very plotting, methodical movie. It takes its time and has no problem showing you sweeping Old West landscapes. I for one, love every minute of it, it's a movie that will really grab you if you let it and it will take you through its harsh world. Clint Eastwood returns once again, as The Man with No Name, however is called Blondie in this movie, a nickname provided by Eli Wallach's character, Tuco. Blondie and Tuco have to team up to find a stash of Confederate gold during the American Civil War, Blondie knows the name on the grave and Tuco knows the cemetery. Along the way they come across another bounty hunter, the ruthless Angel Eyes, played menacingly by Lee Van Cleef. The story culminates in an unforgettable climax. I've never been the biggest fan of westerns but this movie got me into them, especially spaghetti westerns. Ennio Morricone does a job with the score that words can simply not describe. There's a reason why Quentin Tarantino loves to his Morricone's scores in his movies, he is the best composer.

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)

"Say what again, say what again! I dare you, I double dare you, mother fucker! Say what one more goddamn time!" This is the most quotable movie of all time, hands down. This is Tarantino's best work and I seriously doubt he'll be able to top this one. It's the smartest and most memorable writing of his and is a movie I have watched god knows how many times and watch it a hundred times more and not be bored of it. It's just a movie where every time I watch I notice a little something else, for example in the opening scene, you can actually seen John Travolta go to the bathroom and faintly hear Vincent's and Jules' conversation. Of course, you'd only notice this on a second viewing. Typical of the director, it is told out of chronological ordered and follows three different but intertwined stories. One follows an event morning for hitmen Jules played by Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent played by John Travolta, another follows Vincent taking out his boss' wife, Mia Wallace played by Uma Thurman, for supper and the last one follows a boxer named Butch, played by Bruce Willis, who tries to outsmart a mob boss, Marsellus Wallace. The non-linear structure does a surprising amount to make this an entertaining movie but it really is the exceptional dialogue and performances that are at the heart of this movie. This movie is just cool, there's no other way to say it, the characters are cool, the music is cool and even opening credits is cool as hell. Pulp Fiction is cool.

1. 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick is my favorite director of all time and this was the movie that made me realize that. I really don't what to say about this movie and whatnot to say about it. It's a brilliant sweeping sci-fi that explores space as well as huge themes. It has a clinical detached feel, yet oddly hopeful and optimistic. It explores all aspects of humanity, both our distant past and far flung future. It's my favorite movie of all time and I love it. First off, on a pure technical level, 2001 is a masterpiece, special effects were never this convincing or had so much attention to detail. It paved the way for smart sci-fi films to be made like Blade Runner. The entire genre owes a huge debt to 2001. And not only were they fantastic special effects back then, they also hold up shocking well now. This movie is beautiful in many ways but from a pure visual standpoint, it's only competitor would be Blade Runner for me and this takes the cake. Kubrick actually had a composer lined up to make the soundtrack for 2001 and the iconic classical score was just meant to be something temporary but Kubrick realized how terrific it blended with the visuals and decided to keep it. Hearing "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss during the opening sequence, showing an alignment of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth always brings a smile to my face. It's also trance inducing with movie's slow pace, musical choice and visuals. Seeing a space shuttle dock into a large space station while spinning as The Blue Danube is enough to get me lost in 2001.

Beyond this, there's an epic narrative about humanity's evolution and influence of alien life and even the question about how technology affects man's inhumanity to man. There's an interesting subtext in the movie too, the artificial intelligence HAL-9000 displays more human-like emotions than any of the actual human characters in the movie. I won't go more beyond that because if you haven't seen 2001, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. Every time I watch this movie, I have a slightly different takeaway from it, like any proper work of art. I come away feeling a little different than last time. It really clicks with that part of my brain that has been activate since childhood, the wonderment and magic of outer space. The last 20 minutes always fills me with a sense of confusion, excitement, wonder, fear and possibly every emotion known to man. 2001 never ceases to always take me beyond the infinite and remind why I love movies. It truly is my favorite movie of all time.

I like your list. I own all these with exception to a few (Tremors, Die Hard, Hard Boiled). I love the inclusion of In Bruges.

This list is all wrong because Terminator 2 isn't number 1. Also this needs more Heat.

No but seriously this is a pretty good list and very close to my own tastes in movies.

Fight Club... Check.

Big Lebowski... Check.

Tarantino... Check.

Yup, I'm on the Internet.

@Pr1mus said:

Also this needs more Heat.

Yes, Heat is absolutely amazing.

Also, Terminator > T2

Fight Club... Check.

Big Lebowski... Check.

Tarantino... Check.

Yup, I'm on the Internet.

I'm a Tarintino fan and I've never seen Pulp Fiction. I need to rectify this.

Alien, Die Hard, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Goodfellas, Indiana Jones, one excellent list there dude!

If its your personal favorite list. Its perfectly fine. If we are talking objectively in regards to cinema. Its dubious. But so are "lists" in general. If you want to start talking films objectively, you got to start learning film history, craft, etc.

I mean there is no Hitchcock, David Lean, John Huston etc. You got some modern masters, but none of their predecessors? Ya know, the guys who created the actual techniques that those people would ape.

No offense, but Terminator 2 is a perfect example of this. Totally cool on your personal favorites list. But its no way objectively top 100, let alone top 10. Its not even the best movie Cameron even made(everything made after Abyss is pretty disposable fluff).

@joshthebear: I'll challenge and say that Mann's "Thief" is a superior film to "Heat,", in almost every way.

35 seems like such an arbitrary number for a list of your favorite films. At least you went to the trouble of picking a multiple of 5 so 35 doesn't seem too random. I think somebody started off doing a more reasonable top 10 list and couldn't make up his mind.

@flindip said:

If its your personal favorite list. Its perfectly fine. If we are talking objectively in regards to cinema. Its dubious. But so are "lists" in general. If you want to start talking films objectively, you got to start learning film history, craft, etc. I mean there is no Hitchcock, David Lean, John Huston etc. You got some modern masters, but none of their predecessors? Ya know, the guys who created the actual techniques that those people would ape.

No offense, but Terminator 2 is a perfect example of this. Totally cool on your personal favorites list. But its no way objectively top 100, let alone top 10. Its not even the best movie Cameron even made(everything made after Abyss is pretty disposable fluff).

I'm sorry, are you implying that The Abyss is better than Terminator 2?

@Doctorchimp: I sent you a private message by mistake, my bad:

Its not as entertaining(the Abyss). But its the last time Cameron tried to really inject his films with real characters. The writing in that movie is better than Terminator 2. But the Abyss fails as a spectacle(but its also more ambitious). Since the Abyss was a commercial faliure, Cameron was forced to make Terminator 2 to get his career on track(a film he never really wanted to do).

I would say that anything after the Abyss, Cameron stopped trying to tell meaningful stories. I think Aliens or the original Terminator are both superior movies to Terminator 2.

@flindip said:

@Doctorchimp: I sent you a private message by mistake, my bad:

Its not as entertaining. But its the last time Cameron tried to really inject his films with real characters. The writing in that movie is better than Terminator 2. But the Abyss fails as a spectacle(but its also more ambitious). Since the Abyss was a commercial faliure, Cameron was forced to make Terminator 2 to get his career on track(a film he never really wanted to do).

I would say that anything after the Abyss, Cameron stopped trying to tell meaningful stories. I think Aliens or the original Terminator are both superior movies to Terminator 2.

Wow thanks for your recommendation about Lean and Hudson, man. I just know I love Hitchcock but I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to good films so those two recommendations were very welcome and I'm definately going to watch Lawrence, Sierra Madre, Maltese Falcon, River Kwai now. Now while we're at it, is it possible that you could recommend me even more good films/directors that are easy to miss or perhaps not well known?

When I make my own "top films list" by ranking other lists with how much I agree with them, this wouldn't be at the bottom.

I mean, it wouldn't be at the top, but it's alright.

LISTS.

@Tylea002: Yeah, I agree. Lists, in general, are nonsensical. They aren't definitive, but they do give, sometimes, an idea on the types of stuff you should be aware of.

@Grissefar: Well if your looking for more esoteric ideas, and more critical tastes you can start by looking at:

http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandsoundpolls/2012/critics/

But just take that as a general idea. The list given, imo, is largely self indulgent and pretentious. I mean I think Barry Lydon is a really good film, but its not my favorite Kubrick film. It also has some problems as a movie(too emotionally distant). Yet, on that list, its like 50 something. So just take it as a road map to movies, not a definitive answer. Polls are dumb.

As far as my personal taste of a films that are off the beaten path? I would say a guy like Jean Cocteau is an interesting place to start. His version of "Beauty and the Beast" is crazy to watch, in the context of when it was made and the stuff he pulled off for its time. Some really cool trick photography and camera work for its day.

@flindip: Don't discount Lists. They're not definitive, but they're interesting and fun thought exercises that help us think/talk about movies. Anything that does that is a GOOD THING.

Clarifying though, the choices I agree with are In Bruges, Shaun Of The Dead, Reservoir Dogs and Alien. Bits that are far far far from my choices are Jurassic Park (I watched that for the first time the other day, I did not like it) and No Country For Old Men (I generally love the Coen Brothers, but this one bored me).

And sidebar, Jackie Brown is Tarantino's best movie. NEEDS MORE LOVE.

@Tylea002: I mean I liked In Bruges, and Shaun of the Dead. But their "cute" off beat movies. I don't know if I would put them in a personal all time's list. Especially, If I got to compare it to the entire genre of comedy(No Mel Brooks?-no Young Frankenstein?). But, its not my personal list;so it doesn't matter what I think.

I do agree that Tarantino's Jackie Brown is his best movie. If I had to put any Tarantino movie on a list, it would probably be that film.

@flindip: Damn right on Jackie Brown's front runner status! And it does matter what you think, that's the point of havin' a discussion, everyone's reply matters!

The way I see In Bruges/Shaun is not as "cute" off beat movies at all. Hot Fuzz is that, you just need to see Shaun/Fuzz back to back to understand why Shaun is so much better. The character of David is one of the best characters going, and he's so underplayed, but his story is one of the most touching things, and it's still in the middle of essentially a zombie parody. It legitimizes the genre beyond taking the piss or referencing, for there's emotional depth and some great performances that elevate it beyond cute and off beat. Comparing it to Hot Fuzz, which is funny and well made in it's own right, but it's clearly a step back into the more broad parody genre, and proves just how much of a good film in all respects Shaun is.

And In Bruges is just flat out excellent. It's not cute at all.

@Tylea002: In Bruges is most certainly "cute" imo. A dwarf actor walking around with a prostitute? Ralph Fiennes haming it up every time he is on screen(granted its funny as hell). Its also VERY self aware. Nothing wrong with it(or being cute), but its not terribly deep imo. Its a fun comedy.

Same thing could be said of Shaun of the Dead, its a parody film and largely referential(nothing wrong with that). Its well made. But nowhere near as slavishly dedicated to homage as something like "Young Frankenstein." Btw, I have also seen Hot Fuzz as well(and Paul).

Remember, I never said those movies were bad films. But they wouldn't be on personal movie list of my own.

But you are welcome to disagree.

Curious, you like In Bruges. Have you ever seen any Woody Allen films? Specifically something like "Broadway Danny Rose?"

A lot of great movies there, good job on you. Maybe a little "generic" but what's wrong with picking a great movie even if a lot of people also love it? It seems like we have similar tastes so here's some movies I loved in case you happen to like them too; Oldboy, The Life Aquatic, The Shawshank Redemption, The Thing, The Fly, A Scanner Darkly, Citizen Kane, Silence of the Lambs, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 12 Angry Men, Adaptation, Unbreakable, Lars and The Real Girl, Battle Royale, Moon and Space Jam.

@LackingSaint:

Got to shout out with some Cronenberg "The Fly" love. Its one of the rare cases that a remake is better than the original.

John Carpenter's "The Thing" is also a personal favorite of mine.

I know I'm going to get a lot of hate but I stopped watching Pulp Fiction right after that retarded dancing at the cafe or whatever.

@phrosnite: Its a gimmicky movie. It was always been that way, I still enjoy it, but it isn't my favorite Tarantino film.

I really like the list. Anyone who puts Tremors in their top 30 gets my respect. Also thanks for reminding me that I need to watch Memento.

@flindip said:

If its your personal favorite list. Its perfectly fine. If we are talking objectively in regards to cinema. Its dubious. But so are "lists" in general. If you want to start talking films objectively, you got to start learning film history, craft, etc.

I mean there is no Hitchcock, David Lean, John Huston etc. You got some modern masters, but none of their predecessors? Ya know, the guys who created the actual techniques that those people would ape.

No offense, but Terminator 2 is a perfect example of this. Totally cool on your personal favorites list. But its no way objectively top 100, let alone top 10. Its not even the best movie Cameron even made(everything made after Abyss is pretty disposable fluff).

It is a personal favorite list, hence the title. If I was trying to objectively narrow down the GREATEST movies of all time(which I truly think is a pointless endeavor), that would be a completely different list.

@Liquidus: Agreed.

@Pr1mus:I've seen Heat, I've really liked Heat but not more than the movies on this list.

Respectable list, well, besides Forrest Gump. But still pretty decent.

Getting on the subject of Kubrick, most people point to "Clockwork Orange", "Shinning", "Full Metal Jacket" or "2001." as his best films.

But if you haven't seen "Paths of Glory." , you REALLY need to watch that film. Imo, that may be his best film by a significant margin.

Its probably one of if not THE best war film ever made.

@flindip said:

Getting on the subject of Kubrick, most people point to "Clockwork Orange", "Shinning", "Full Metal Jacket" or "2001." as his best films.

But if you haven't seen "Paths of Glory." , you REALLY need to watch that film. Imo, that may be his best film by a significant margin.

Its probably one of if not THE best war film ever made.

Wow that's fantastic, man. I watched FMJ yesterday and I'd say it's pretty good so I'll definately watch Paths of Gloty. I love me some good war movies even though I haven't watched a whole lot of them, the best one of which is definately Grave of the Fireflies.

Also, thanks for the link, man. Definately some good ones there but I guess it's a little much for me right now. I'm not very experienced when it comes to movies so I guess I was just looking for some good old must-watch classics that are easily overlooked by todays youth.

I'm not here to say that the list is wrong or anything, just pose a couple of questions:

• Two Coen movies and Fargo is not one of them?
• Two Scorcese movies and Raging Bull is not one of them?

What a weird fucking list. I like it.

Just wanna say, "Objective" lists are dumb. You don't need the greats because movies are about entertainment. To me, the greatest are the ones that bring you the most enjoyment. People can cry Citizen Kane and 2001 all they want, but I'll be crying out of boredom instead.

That said, Forrest Gump is on your list, so I hate you. I may have to check out In Bruges though, it's the only one on there I don't really have any thoughts on/haven't seen.

@YI_Orange said:

Just wanna say, "Objective" lists are dumb. You don't need the greats because movies are about entertainment. To me, the greatest are the ones that bring you the most enjoyment. People can cry Citizen Kane and 2001 all they want, but I'll be crying out of boredom instead.

That said, Forrest Gump is on your list, so I hate you. I may have to check out In Bruges though, it's the only one on there I don't really have any thoughts on/haven't seen.

Wow that's interesting, man. What are your favorite movies then?

I wish I had a place like Screened to share my favourite movies, shame I never liked the forums there. First thing is that any mention of Fred Ward is great. ( I have much love for the idiocy of Remo)

You could argue that Gremlins could be considered the best Christmas movie ever made... but really we all know it's Die Hard.

I have seen all of the films listed and like them to varying degrees, I have never been a big fan of gangster and crime movies, The Godfather films and Goodfellas have never really done anything for me, it surprises me that I like Boardwalk Empire so much. I have always found Cape Fear and After Hours the most bizarre of Scorsese's movies to be my favourites. I could pretty much just run down this list saying yep, yep, yep... My top 10 (which I have been rejigging recently) would be pretty different with only a single shared film (Raiders) but these are mostly great films here, a couple of disagreements here and there, but a good list.

@Winternet said:

I'm not here to say that the list is wrong or anything, just pose a couple of questions:

• Two Coen movies and Fargo is not one of them?
• Two Scorcese movies and Raging Bull is not one of them?

I didn't want to repeat directors too much, and Fargo would be right after No Country for Old Men. And as for Scorsese, I actually haven't seen Raging Bull. Again, before you arm the torches and pitchforks, this was just my own personal list as of right now. I can guarantee in a year's time, it would be different, if only in the order.

EDIT: It is one of the many, many movies on my list to watch. There just isn't enough time in the day, man.

@Grissefar said:

@YI_Orange said:

Just wanna say, "Objective" lists are dumb. You don't need the greats because movies are about entertainment. To me, the greatest are the ones that bring you the most enjoyment. People can cry Citizen Kane and 2001 all they want, but I'll be crying out of boredom instead.

That said, Forrest Gump is on your list, so I hate you. I may have to check out In Bruges though, it's the only one on there I don't really have any thoughts on/haven't seen.

Wow that's interesting, man. What are your favorite movies then?

I should clarify, I don't think they're bad movies or don't deserve any recognition. I understand why people give them the praise they do. Also, it could be partially be ignorance that doesn't allow me to appreciate things on a different level that people who create "objective" lists do.

Like, I've seen the The Godfather(the first two anyway). When I watched them I was like "Ok, I get it", but I wasn't in love with them. I've seen Casablanca and felt no strong opinions. I admittedly didn't finish 2001. I made it somewhere not far out of the monkey part and had to turn it off. Which, granted I've heard is where the movie "gets good", I've just had no desire to go back in. I HATE Forrest Gump, but I'm learning that movie seems to be pretty divisive anyway. I also think King Kong is a pretty terrible movie. I want to like Dr. Strangelove more than I actually do. I could sit here and talk about AFI's 100 greatest movies of all time, but I won't. I don't think any of them would be considered my favorite movies, except for maybe Star Wars. Even then I prefer Episode V.

Instead, I'll answer your question. It's actually a pretty difficult question. It's hard for me to pick favorites generally, especially when I'm going from a list so vast I'm bound to forget something, even if I love it. I'm also generally the type that will only watch a movie once purely of my own will. The ones that immediately spring to mind I don't think are really crazy picks. Memento, Resevoir Dogs, Star Wars(IV-VI, V specifically), Die Hard, Blade Runner maybe.. Maybe some weirder picks: Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, Big Fish, Gladiator, maybe Hot Fuzz, Catch Me If You Can and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I'm finding myself not being very committal on most of these. I guess I'm more just thinking of what I would say if someone asked me for movie suggestions with no criteria. Oh, The Prestige is awesome until the end. Fuck that shit.

For context, I'm 21 and I don't think anyone would consider me a "film buff" or anything like that. I generally don't analyze cinematography or anything like that. I just know how I feel when watching a movie, and that's what I go on.

@Liquidus: Again, not intended to dispute your list, just wanted to know the reasoning behind those two decisions.

Where's the love for Cronenberg and Lynch?

A list after my own heart!

It's really easy to pick apart these sorts of lists so I'll be gentle, but Seven Samurai, Shawshank Redemption, Unforgiven, Reservoir Dogs being much higher than Pulp Fiction, and at least one 70s/80s DeNiro or Pacino movie are kind of mandatory. More Sergio Leone would be a plus as well.

American Psycho is a funny but flawed film, if you were going for the funniest moments in film history then the Business Card scene is right near the top of that list. But overall it's too flawed to make any top list in my opine. Tremors is a good campy movie, but Starship Troopers and Total Recall are way better campy movies.

I wish I had a place like Screened to share my favourite movies, shame I never liked the forums there.

Fight Club... Check.

Big Lebowski... Check.

Tarantino... Check.

Yup, I'm on the Internet.

Really interesting list. Kubrick is my favorite director of all time, so we have a lot in common here. The thing I love about him is how deliberate all of his shots are. He will sit on something until you are uncomfortable, and then linger even longer.

I am a little flabbergasted by the lack of The Godfather. If I had to separate them out, they would both be in my top 5, with Part II being ranked number one.

@RenegadeSaint: You can remove Godfather but if you do so you require Taxi Driver, Deer Hunter, Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Raging Bull, or Once Upon a Time in America to replace it.

I'd also like to see The Prestige on this list somewhere, maybe to replace American Psycho.

@Fredchuckdave: I like all of those films but none of them would be in my top 35 either. Not everybody is the same.

There is zero Cobra on that list, you sir have failed.

Very different tastes from mine. While I like most of your 'mass appeal' choices, I wouldn't put them in a top list due to lack of dramatic depth (e.g. Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park), and most of your more interesting choices are movies I didn't actually like at all (In Bruges, Trainspotting, for example). Then once you add in that I don't like most Kubrick (so nix 2001 & Clockwork, Strangelove is fine) and most Tarantino (so nix Reservoir Dogs, I like Pulp Fiction, but not that much), and I don't like Zombies (so nix your Romero, 28 Days Later... Shaun of the Dead was a lot of fun but not a top movie to me) ... you see where this is going. I think you have The Good, the bad and the Ugly exactly where I would, though.