My Top 35 Favorite Films of All Time

I don't even have a top 10 list of films, let alone 35.

Nicely done, I like a few of those movies, probably.

Day of the Dead over Night or Dawn? That's a ballsy move and I can't say that I understand it, but I respect it.

@GunstarRed: Eh it's just so damn generic is all; if you're going to be generic then you need to try for objectivity. If your opinion is not generic and you have well reasoned arguments that's fine; but generic needs to be the best possible rendition of generic. Also anyone who takes films seriously and doesn't have one of the above listed films on their list somewhere is kind of a bit nuts or enjoys listing vastly inferior films on their list for personal reasons.

I like your list. This list is on my top 10 list for top film lists.

However, if you're talking Coen brother films I am disappointed by the lack of Fargo.

@Fredchuckdave: I really don't see what the problem is. It's far from the most generic list, if it was it would have The Dark Knight on it for starters. Who decides what a vastly inferior film is? And a personal list should be about personal choices. I can think of many films that are classics that I cannot stand, if anything listing the films you said is pretty generic in that most lists that are supposedly objective have a lot of those films on them. I'd much rather read a personal list of someones top films where they defend their love for a film like Con Air than the usual snobby bullshit contained in most best of lists.

@GunstarRed: Films aren't music they're not really super subjective; there's an inherent process in how they're made and produced and a skill involved in so doing; while there's a lot of arthouse bullshit out there (like you know Pulp Fiction) most extremely good films should be watchable, trigger your mind in some respect, while still having you marvel at the art direction, cinematography, or musical score. Con Air is a good movie to have an argument about but I don't really see anything of that nature on the list. The best recent movie that received somewhat mixed reviews is Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans; and if you wanted to devote an essay to how good that movie is that's fine, but eh this is clearly a list made to please various subsets and not one with overly personal opinions included (1 Nolan, 1 Bale, 1 Bruce Lee, 1 HK film etc.)

No Back to the Future? Other than that, its a great list.

Decent list. Nothing unpredictable, but I guess some of these movies almost always end up on top lists for a reason

@Fredchuckdave: Yeah but they aren't the king of campy movies. That would be Flash Gordon.

@flindip: I think Campy + additional merit is more what I'm shooting for, Starship Troopers being a satire about militarism/fascism (I guess Strangelove has that covered) and Total Recall being an awesome action movie with an incredible premise + being hilarious both intentionally and unintentionally.

Props for putting Toy Story on there.

I could not do a top 35 list myself as I don't watch a ton of movies. Could probably have a decent top 20 at least.

@Grissefar: Well if your looking for films that are quality, but also fairly accessible. I can make a couple recommendations: These aren't really definitive top 10 movies, just personal favorites:

Chinatown

Amadeus

The Wild Bunch. Peckinpah movies are great btw.

French Connection.

Jeremiah Johnson.

Micheal Mann's "Thief"

Where Eagles Dare.

I could go on and on. These are just on the top of my head. They certainly aren't definitive. I am not going there.

I also don't really know exactly what type of film knowledge you have. So I can't really say what era of films you may need to watch(because of neglect :)). You could also look at noir films like Touch of Evil, or Double Indemnity, The Third Man. The Third Man is REALLY important in that genre.

I will say that the films of the 1970's are probably the best combination of crowd pleasing, artistic merit, and accessibility.

@Fredchuckdave: Well I can agree with Total Recall I guess. But I wouldn't put StarShip Troopers in there then. I think it goes too far in its camp(almost to the point of self parody).

But your leaving out a real obvious one, which is superior to both easily: Robocop.

@ImmortalSaiyan said:

Props for putting Toy Story on there.

I could not do a top 35 list myself as I don't watch a ton of movies. Could probably have a decent top 20 at least.

I don't watch films much either, but I could do a top 35 list.

1 through 35: Bad Boys 2.

Also if your going to put greatest Sergio Leone movie spaghetti western, it would probably be "Once upon the Time in the West."

"Good, Bad and the Ugly." Is a great movie(really all the movies in the Dollar's trilogy are). But, "Once upon the Time in the West." is truly his masterpiece in that genre.

@Fredchuckdave: Are you seriously telling me what is "mandatory" in my own personal favorite movie list?

And for the record, this list wasn't made to appeal to people, it was a thing I've being meaning to do because I'm interested in how I would rank my favorite movies if I had to. I really did this for my own reasons but ended up writing a little bit too much about each movie and said to myself "Hey, might as well put this out there to see if it sparks an interesting talk."

On the one hand you have In Bruges on that list. So yay!

On the other hand you have Forest Gump. Less yay. It's not a bad movie, but I'd be surprised if it made a list of my top 350 movies, let alone a top 35.

And then you have Tremors, which leaves me torn. That movie's terrible, but that movie's great!

Overall I'd say I quite like your taste in movies! Nice list.

@Veektarius: I don't know, I think you CAN make objective arguments for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Empire Strikes Back" as greatest films of all time.

I don't know if they would make the top ten cut. But they are in the discussion easily imo. Those are important genre films.

While this list has a lot of movies that would probably also be in my personal top 35, my favorite part of the list is that it's called "favorite films" and not "top films" which is what most "top films" lists actually are. Well done on an accurate and non-hyperbolic title. It's a rarity on the internet today.

@JordanK85 said:

While this list has a lot of movies that would probably also be in my personal top 35, my favorite part of the list is that it's called "favorite films" and not "top films" which is what most "top films" lists actually are. Well done on an accurate and non-hyperbolic title. It's a rarity on the internet today.

I really didn't want the list to be misconstrued as something it's not meant to be, evidently that appears to have happened anyways.

@Liquidus: I got what you were doing. Your personal list is totally fine.

@flindip said:

@Veektarius: I don't know, I think you CAN make objective arguments for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Empire Strikes Back" as greatest films of all time.

I don't know if they would make the top ten cut. But they are in the discussion easily imo. Those are important genre films.

I've got no problem with Empire Strikes back. But the Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones movie, if I were going to include Indiana Jones.

@Liquidus:

Heh. Dude now you've got me glancing through some of the movies I've seen and thinking how the hell could I boil it down to even a list of my 100 favorite movies. let alone 35! I'm arguing with myself over the smallest things and even though I've no intention of carrying through on actually making a list I'm still tormented about what I'd have to cut. Where do childhood favorites like Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and Raiders of the Lost Ark rank? How much do I let nostalgia factor in on these decisions? How about movies I've only seen once but really liked, like a 2001, where do they fit? Or comedies vs. drama? There's so much to get caught up on.

Were I to actually attempt something of this sort I'd probably just stick them in groups, and not necessarily weigh every movie individually against every other movie. So I'd just list all my childhood favorites as a group and not try to order them. Something like that. That approach might make things a little easier. Actually, maybe I will give it a shot...

God damn it. I'm going to do this now, aren't I?

@Veektarius: I enjoy Last Crusade. Subjectively saying its the best is fine. But objectively, Raiders is a better film.

The Stunt work on Raiders, alone, is amazing. Specifically, the Truck chase sequence is an unbelievable achievement.

@flindip: Haha, when we start talking about Indiana Jones movies being objectively better than one another, and we aren't talking about the Crystal Skull, that's where I check out.

@Veektarius: Well Crystal Skull is the greatest film of all time obviously. It transcends the Indiana Jones franchise, and becomes something else entirely. Not even Felinni's 81/2 can compare to that cinematic masterpiece.

@flindip: I work for Dick Jones. DICK JONES!

@Liquidus: I'm sorry it just doesn't read like that, that might be the intention of the list but somewhere along the line you thought something like "oh but I have to include something from this genre" and it reads very much like a compilation of solid movies from 20 different genres; and eh it's just impossible to think someone doesn't have a favorite or dominant genre (or at the very least if you don't separating your list from a "best of" list is next to impossible and there isn't really much difference in the first place). Mine is the Western so if I made a personal list there'd be 10-15 Westerns on it.

I should say while the Departed is an excellent movie it's only like the 5th best Scorcese picture and only Jack Nicholson's 10th or so best movie. The Departed is a good ensemble cast crime drama and there's a lot of those out there that are better or at least more genre defining (let's say LA Confidential and The Untouchables are comparable, but not superior movies, they're certainly much more distinct).

Also WTF no Oldboy, dude ate a fucking live octopus on camera; best movie of all time.

I actually quite like your list. But.... Man I'm so sorry, space odyssey is seriously one of the most dull and boring movies I have ever seen. I really tried to see what others saw and I just couldn't.

@Fredchuckdave:No where along the line did I think that, this is LITERALLY what my favorite movies are, if you don't like it, great. There's no need for you to continuously tell me I'm wrong. I like a wide range of films, I don't stick to one genre, I give everything a shot. Just because I don't dominate my list with one genre doesn't somehow invalidate it, that's ridiculous. It's very similar to my taste in music, there's sampling from everywhere. Have I watched every movie made by every director featured on this list? No. I have seen every movie from the classic era? No. This is MY personal list, I honestly don't give a damn what YOU think is better or not, but despite what you wanna believe these are works of art and like any work of art, they are subjective in nature. Now, if you wanna have a discussion without saying how superior your taste in movies are, great. If you wanna keep on going about how wrong my opinion is then, sorry I'm not gonna bother.

A damn fine list. You have Die Hard, The Empire Strikes Back, Tremors, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Enter the Dragon, Dr. Strangelove... I can't argue with that kind of taste.

Cool list! What's most interesting to me about it is its scope. No foreign films, most films from the 90's or later, pretty much all mass appeal "guy" movies. And that's OK, I mean it's not like your list is "Hangover part 1/2 and Transformers" or whatever. Just wanted to humbly suggest you try broadening your horizons, which I'm sure probably makes me seem like an asshole even though I don't mean it to, sorry.

As someone who unapologetically and unironically loves zombies, I can appreciate your inclusion of Day of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, and 28 Days later. Love Memento. While there are admittedly some items that just aren't for me, think you have a really solid list.

@Liquidus: You need to get more foreign cinema in your diet! Check out some Kurosawa-- I'd recommend Yojimbo and Sanjuro as a good starter since you're a fan of Leone's Spaghetti Western.

And I would STRONGLY recommend checking out The Third Man-- it's an absolutely amazing British noir with Orson Welles, Joesph Cotton and Trevor Howard. It's an astonishingly fun, and spectacularly well made, noir that subverts the tropes of the American film noir.

To branch out with your American filmmakers, I'd suggest Blue Velvet by David Lynch. He's not for everyone, but Blue Velvet is probably his best (and maybe most accessible) movie. Really dark murder mystery that's all about peeling back the veneer of suburban America. And Dennis Hopper is creepy as shit.

If you're into weird horror movies, then check out House by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It's basically like a Japanese Scooby Doo. I don't know. I love it, but I'm not even sure I understand why I love it.

Check out the trailer:

@RockyRaccoon37: I disagree that "Blue Velvet" is Lynch's most accessible film. "The Elephant Man" is way more approachable for a casual film goer.

@RockyRaccoon37:I have been working on watching more foreign films, just none have exactly blown me away as of it. But definitely been meaning to get around to watching some Kurosawa, I have seen Yojimbo and really liked it. But unfortunately that's about it. Actually just about everything you mentioned are things I've been meaning to get around to but being at college the vast majority of my days, plus wanting to do other things besides just sit and watch movies, kinda squeezes time out of you. There's tons of movies on my "To Watch" list, it takes time, man.

@Demoskinos said:

I'm a Tarintino fan and I've never seen Pulp Fiction.

This is an oxymoron.

@Liquidus said:

@Fredchuckdave:No where along the line did I think that, this is LITERALLY what my favorite movies are, if you don't like it, great. There's no need for you to continuously tell me I'm wrong. I like a wide range of films, I don't stick to one genre, I give everything a shot. Just because I don't dominate my list with one genre doesn't somehow invalidate it, that's ridiculous. It's very similar to my taste in music, there's sampling from everywhere. Have I watched every movie made by every director featured on this list? No. I have seen every movie from the classic era? No. This is MY personal list, I honestly don't give a damn what YOU think is better or not, but despite what you wanna believe these are works of art and like any work of art, they are subjective in nature. Now, if you wanna have a discussion without saying how superior your taste in movies are, great. If you wanna keep on going about how wrong my opinion is then, sorry I'm not gonna bother.

Ah dude don't get worked up about it!

You pretty clearly said upfront that this was about your favorite films, which is subjective-- as long as you're saying you love Forrest Gump, and no that it's a great movie, then you're good :p

Honestly this list tells me (and correct me if I'm wrong) that you're fairly young and have been seriously watching movies for the last 5 or so years.

I would have had a very similar list maybe 5 years ago myself, but since then I've watched tons more movies, and most importantly-- I've watched movies that the 18 year old me would have never touched with a ten-foot pole.

More than anything, check out movies made outside of the West; watch silent films; watch musicals-- basically, just watch everything. You'd be surprised to find out how quickly your tastes can change, and how much more you can learn when you open your mind.

@Liquidus: As far as foriegn films. Kurosowa is the ones that gets thrown around the most. "Yojimbo" is a REALLY fun film. "Seven Samurai" is a little slow and ponderous at times(though important). "Rashoman" is probably the coolest in terms of narrative experimentation.

"Ran" is great if you want to see spectacle.

If you want something cerebral, you can go with Ingmar Bergman or Felinni. But those are very slow, challenging films. Not for everyone.

You also have to understand the difference of cinema of impression and expression.

A real easy foriegn film to watch is "The Bicycle Thief". Some people may throw around "Breathless" but it never did anything for me.

@flindip said:

@RockyRaccoon37: I disagree that "Blue Velvet" is Lynch's most accessible film. "The Elephant Man" is way more approachable for a casual film goer.

Oooh good call, totally forgot about The Elephant Man.

But I'd almost hesitate to call that a Lynch film-- it's kind of lacking in the style and tone that he's known for.

@Liquidus: And if you're a fan of Pixar check out some Hayao Miyazaki-- my personal favorite is The Castle of Cagliostro, a fun adventure movie with killer music.

@RockyRaccoon37: Well, "Elephant Man" is certainly a film were Lynch shows a lot of restraint, mainly out of respect for the subject matter. But that ending is very much Lynch. In fact I would say "Elephant Man" is very much in his sensibilities. He is just more subtle than usual.

"Blue Velvet" is a great movie, don't get me wrong.

@RockyRaccoon37:Haha, you are right on the money which made me EXTREMELY hesitant to even post this list as I figured it'd get this kind of reception. But I figured it'll work as a nice benchmark for years down the road, maybe I should have just kept this as a personal blog. I don't know.

It's a "favorites" list so I won't criticize your choices. Everyone likes what they like. But, having said that, you're missing more than half the films ever made if you're primarily sticking to films made after the 1970's. I believe it's important to explore other genres and eras outside your comfort zone in order to gain a better understanding of the medium. After you've done that for two or more decades then you can dismiss everything new and unfamiliar in favor of movies featuring guys getting hit in the junk. Ah, that never gets old.

@Demoskinos said:

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

And you enjoy movies?

@flindip said:

@Grissefar: Well if your looking for films that are quality, but also fairly accessible. I can make a couple recommendations: These aren't really definitive top 10 movies, just personal favorites:

Chinatown

Amadeus

The Wild Bunch. Peckinpah movies are great btw.

French Connection.

Jeremiah Johnson.

Micheal Mann's "Thief"

Where Eagles Dare.

I could go on and on. These are just on the top of my head. They certainly aren't definitive. I am not going there.

I also don't really know exactly what type of film knowledge you have. So I can't really say what era of films you may need to watch(because of neglect :)). You could also look at noir films like Touch of Evil, or Double Indemnity, The Third Man. The Third Man is REALLY important in that genre.

I will say that the films of the 1970's are probably the best combination of crowd pleasing, artistic merit, and accessibility.

Wow thanks for the recommendations man, you've definately given me a lot to go from.

Nice list. I don't agree with some of them, but its well put together and with enough genre variety to show you are knowledgeable...