Top 20 Favorite Films of All-Time part 1 (20-11)

Article by Gabe Zia
So, if you've been checking up on my facebook page, you'll know I recently hit 100 likes, and so I think I should celebrate in some way or another, because that's a pretty big deal for me. So, what better way to celebrate than to discuss my all-time favorite films? It's a really long list, so I've decided to split it into two parts, because I'm not going to have all 20 films in one list, that would simply take too long. So, here's part one of my top 20 favorite movies.

#20
For those who know me personally, this really shouldn't come as much of a shock. For those who don't know me, I feel obliged to tell you now that I am a major Tarantino fan. My pick for #20 is his most recent film, and a film which I believe captures pretty much wraps up everything I love about Tarantino films in a nice little box.

Django Unchained is both one of my favorite Tarantino films, and also, it just so happens to be one of my favorite westerns. Django Unchained is a genre movie in the best sense of the term genre movie, it's by most accounts a Western. You've got the cheesy editing, you've got the style and tone of a western, and you have the kind of story you'd expect in a Western, with an underdog going through a story of trial and redemption, saving his wife, and riding off into the sunset. However, what sets Django Unchained apart from every other Western that exists is... pretty much everything about the film. And this is what I love about Django Unchained, it's such a great homage to western films while also retaining Tarantinos style, making a film which is overall a unique, entertaining, and incredibly memorable western.

#19
Whenever anyone makes a list of their favorite movies of all-time, it seems like common knowledge that a Kubrick film will show up. So, despite however many of you would put 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, or A Clockwork Orange in this spot, I'm putting my personal favorite Kubrick film here.

If you're wondering why Full Metal Jacket over any of those other films, the answer is pretty easy. Rewatchability. 2001 dragged on after the first hour, The Shining is good but unpleasant to watch, and A Clockwork Orange is the most emotionally traumatizing thing I've seen. Of his films, Full Metal Jacket is the only Kubrick film that (in my opinion) is well paced, keeps your interest, and has a cast of characters made up of all interesting people. Those other three films have one interesting character surrounded by okay characters (Jack Torrence, Alex, HAL). Full Metal Jacket however, has a number of interesting characters with lots of depth to them, and an interesting story. This movie has a lot to say about how terrible war is, and how the way war works just drives people insane, which is both original and engaging.

(Incase anyone was going to bring up Dr. Strangelove, I haven't seen it, so there's not a whole lot to talk about there.)

#18
When I said earlier that Django Unchained was one of my favorite western films, it's only because this film counts as a western... somehow. I don't know how exactly, but according to the professionals that actually get paid to do this stuff, it's a western.

This is one of those movies that makes me feel weird for loving it. No Country for Old Men is far and beyond one of the darkest movies I've seen in my life, and I've seen a lot of movies. It's cold, it's really violent, it's just filled to the brim with death and depression. What makes No Country for Old Men rank on my list is the fact that it takes being an incredibly dark film to whole new levels, by mixing both the elements of an entertaining thriller, with a very profound and thought provoking drama. For a movie fan like me, that makes for an interesting film to watch and talk about, because there is so much to talk about, so many great scenes, and so many aspects of the movie to pick apart.

#17
Going based on the list so-far, one would expect the entirety of this to consist of really dark dramas or dark comedies. Just films that are not light in general. So, I decided to make this list a bit lighter, with a romantic comedy. It's not exactly the kind of romantic comedy one would expect from the genre, but it's easily my favorite of the genre.

Lost in Translation is my favorite romantic comedy for a couple of reasons. I could go through all of them, but at the end of the day, it really boils down to how relaxed and down to Earth this movie is. This movie is never too showy, it never seems like it's self-indulgent, and it is strangely calming. The humor in the movie is some of the most intelligent and well executed humor I've seen in romantic comedies, or just comedies in general. It's never so in your face that it takes away any point in laughing, but never so subtle that you don't get the jokes at all. And it doesn't do something I see in a lot of comedies where it does unrealistic things for the sake of the joke, but takes real world stuff, and plays it for humor. It uses parts of the real world almost that's just normal, but uses it an an interesting way that makes normal things seem funny, which makes it a movie everyone can enjoy.

#16
Luc Besson is one of those directors who seems to constantly make strange movies. Lucy was kind of erratic and existential, The Family was filled with quirky sociopathic characters, and The Fifth Element... well, if you've seen The Fifth Element you know it's weird. In my opinion, his best film also happens to be the only one that isn't stranger than most youtube videos.

Léon is Luc Bessons best film in my opinion because he does such a great job of keeping his quirky strange style in check. It's in the movie, but it doesn't consume the whole thing like it does with The Fifth Element. Instead, the quirkiness creates a great deal of balance in what could have been a really dark movie. At its core, the premise and the overall plot are really dark. Gary Oldman gives what I think is his best performance as this totally insane murderer, who spends the entire film creating unease in an audience. Jean Renos character makes the film watchable, and not a total downer. Even better is that not only does he sell the comedy, but he also really sells the action, which is why it still bugs me to this day that Jean Reno gets little work in hollywood.

#15
The Coens are going to have more than a few of their films make spots on this list, because they're some of the best directors working today. This was the first time their films got some oscar attention, and their first film to really put them on the spotlight as top notch dark comedy directors.

When it comes to quirky and darkly comic, look no further than Fargo. What makes Fargo such an "out there" film is the fact that it's not only quirky and odd, but also really violent and dark at times. So dark that it makes the film hard to watch for some people, which is understandable given some of the sudden things that happen in this movie. There's also the dialogue, which is unique to say the least. A good half of the lines in this movie consist of two characters repeating the same sentence to each other, usually "oh, yeah". There's an entire conversation in this movie where there's about four lines that aren't "oh, yeah". It's not in any way "realistic" dialogue, but it's without a doubt strange and memorable, capturing the essence of this movie.

#14
Much like Stanley Kubrick, there are a few other famous directors who should have at least one film on every top favorite movies list. Another one of these directors, among Francis Ford Coppolla and Martin Scorsese, is Steven Spielberg. Before anyone asks, no it's not Jurassic Park, Jaws, Schindlers List, or Saving Private Ryan.

Minority Report is so much more than the usual science fiction action film. It has a great and interesting story, with really good and unpredictable writing, and thought provoking themes to go along with it. This is one of those movies I love recommending to people, because I rarely talk to someone about this movie and find they have exactly the same opinion on it as I do. It's a movie that promotes discussion with all of it's themes, messages, and the various parts of the story that people could relate to the real world. Not to mention, as an action movie, it's a damn good one, with really cool visual effects, an awesome score, and great stunt work.

#13
One of my favorite directors working today is Christopher Nolan, and the guy's a highly regarded director for a lot of reasons, but most importantly, it's his style for mind-bending plots. His films get in your head, and flip everything you thought you knew about the movie completely on its head. To me, there's a movie he made which perfectly captures everything I love about Nolan as a director.

Some movies use gimmicks just for the sake of using a gimmick. Memento however is not one of those movies. If you haven't seen Memento, basically the film is a fairly straightforward story, however it's shown out of order. You get bits and pieces of the story, and only by the end of the film does the story all work out in your head. This leads to a movie that forces you to think, and keeps you engaged in the film, because every time the movie answers one question, it makes a few more. Much like Minority Report, this is a great discussion film, because some people will notice things others didn't, which is what I love about this movie, and Nolans movies in general.

#12
Like I said with Django Unchained, I'm a huge Tarantino fan. When I said that, I'm sure all of you immediatly figured out at least one film that was also going to be on this list, because it's almost mandatory for Tarantino fans in a weird way.

Some movies have memorable dialogue. Some movies have really memorable dialogue. Then there's Pulp Fiction, with an overload of memorable scenes and lines, showing Tarantinos strength as a writer at its fullest here. Every character in this movie is quick-witted, always a clever comeback to anything anyone says. Every conversation in this movie is two characters going back & forth with really memorable clever lines. If someone were to put a gun to my head right now and come up with five memorable good lines from this movie, I could easily think of ten right off the top of my head. Anyone who's seen this movie knows what I'm talking about, that this movie doesn't go even five minutes without a cool line, or a cool scene, or an awesome moment of some form or another.

#11
The horror genre is a genre mostly clustered to the brim with the most cliched, ridiculous, and predictable films. In fact, they've become so familiar and easy to read, that someone could probably figure out the plot to a horror film before even watching it. My pick for #11 is a movie which takes full advantage of this familiarity, and brings a breath of fresh air to an otherwise overcrowded genre.

Now, while I say I love horror movies and that's why I love this movie, I don't want that to concern anyone out there who thinks all horror movies are a predictable mess. Hell, if you hate modern horror movies for being predictable and stupid, you will probably also love this movie. This is hands down, no argument, no competition the single most self aware horror movie I've seen in my entire life. This movie deconstructs horror movies to their very core, and has changed horror movies for me. I can't watch a horror movie now without thinking about this movie, which is why it's one of my favorite movies of all time, and my favorite horror movie.

Tomorrow: #10-#1