Favorite Movies

Okay then.

He's just soaking it all in, finally adjusting to the reality that Critters 4 is his number three.

Strong choices.

You're gonna make a lot of enemies.

Bring it.



I've got a sense of humour, I laugh at Tony Danza.

I can't blame you for being a Who's The Boss fan.

That's usually what happens when you've been in comedy as like as they have.

20. Braveheart



I've mentioned a few times on this list that I love historical dramas, and Braveheart is one of my favourites in this regard. It looks great, the story is accessible and heartfelt, and it can really be a thrill rush. There's a great mix of castle intrigue and great battle action. It draws me right in from the very first note of score.

19. Wall*E



WallE took me by surprise with just how much I would end up falling in love with it. This is the best film from an animation studio known for putting out great films. WallE is simplistic, touching, and poignant. WallE and Eve are very cute characters, and we really come to love WallE in the first half of the movie where he;s pretty much alone on Earth. The animation here is visually striking, both the gritty Earth scenes and the iPod-like spaceship scenes. But its more than just a great look, cute movie. It deals with themes like lethargy and environmentalism, and even deeper the primal core of the human spirit.

18. The Matrix



In 1999, I expected The Matrix to suck. Boy was I wrong. Walking out of that theater I was blown away not just by the visuals but mostly the ideas. The twist that comes in the middle of the film completely took me by surprise, and from then on it was a roller coaster ride. The Matrix was a defining movie of its time. The cinematography was carefully and meticulously crafted, visual effects and sound of the action scenes were mind-blowing, and the tone and atmosphere matched the deep themes of reality and existentialism.

17. North By Northwest



Hitchcock's most entertaining, most thrilling film. North By Northwest tells his usual mistaken identity story but does so to perfection. Cary Grant plays the lead this time and his charisma is a large part of the success of this film. We great some great scenes of suspense like the famous crop duster scene, the chalet,, and the auction. Hitchcock even goes grandiose by having the finale set on Mount Rushmore! Hitch's best.

16. Planet of the Apes



Don't be fooled; Planet of the Apes is much more than a bunch of people in monkey masks and Charleton Heston chewing scenery. Its a brilliant analogy of how society works, at discrimination, and at the nature of human beings. It truly is great science fiction. I love the scenes in the courtroom and, well, pretty much any time Dr. Zaius is arguing something. And that ending is the best twist ending of all time. It says so much in a single frame.

15. Return of the Jedi



Many will agree that Return of the Jedi is the lesser of the Star Wars trilogy, but that doesn't mean its still not an awesome movie. I think people get a little too blinded by the Ewoks, but there are a ton of other parts that more than make up for their incessant cuteness. The beginning of Jabba's palace is great adventure, the space battle at Endor is an incredible rush of sight and sound, and the final showdown between Luke and Vader in the Emperor's throne room provides us with a very satisfying conclusion.

14. Alien



I think I've said time and again and creating just the right atmosphere plays a big part in a film's success. And Alien has a very unique atmosphere. Its dripping in dark, moody tone. And it has a visual production style all its own. Not to mention its just a great, simple thriller at its core. Alien is a straightforward monster movie when it comes down to it, but there is so much surrounding that essential core that makes it the master film it is today. The crew feels like they are real regular people, the alien ship they discover is incredibly creepy, and the horror p=bets are right on the money.

13. Schindler's List



Steven Spielberg's prestige film shows just how brilliant of a filmmaker he can be. His brilliance here is not only how well he portrays the horror and despair of the Holocaust, but how he is able to do so by also making a very watchable film. He injects characters that are both easy to care about and easy to loath along with a story that shows a small glimmer of hope, and even has some humour thrown in now and again (but not the obvious broad strokes). This is a beautiful and touching film which is hard to watch, but not as hard as you may think.

12. Lawrence of Arabia



Film epics don't get any bigger than this. honestly, David Lean's masterpiece work of filmmaking just blows me away. It feels so real, because it is. It feels authentic because it is. Every grain of sand on that beautiful 70mm film is the real thing. This movie is just gorgeous, almost every frame in that dessert is stunning. Just the grand scope of the picture is enough to get your heart racing. Think of when Lawrence is walking on top of the train, or when they finally reach the Suez canal, or when we cut to the first Arabian sun. And underneath it all is a brilliant character study of this man who believes himself to be truly great and a lifetime performance by Peter O'Toole.

11. Raiders of the Lost Ark



Adventure thy name is Indiana Jones. Raiders of the Lost Ark has pretty much become the template of exotic, thrilling exploits. It has become so iconic, you wonder if the film can actually live up to its reputation. Yet it does every time. There's just something so pure about its spirit and goals that makes every minute of it work. And Indy himself is such an excellent character that you love to spend time with and cheer for. Not to mention it probably has the greatest of all movie opening scenes.

Very nice.

These ten films are the ones which I often consider my all-time favourites. Many of them hold a lot of nostalgic value for me placing them so high up on the list as my personal favourites. That being said, if there are films here you disagree with, don't hesitate to argue them in the comments, and if there are choices you do agree with, feel free to show your support. If you think something it too high or too low, let me know. I'm not going to resort to the "well its my opinion" argument. Making this list has been a long process but its been a lot of fun to make it and share it with you. Enjoy the top ten!


10. Apocalypse Now



After a lot of jostling with Platoon and Saving Private Ryan I came to accept Apoc Now as the greatest of all war films. It feels very artistic without being pretentious. The cinematography is outstanding and the production and sound design all gives this haunting, eerie atmosphere with is very unique to this movie alone. Its full of great moments, great narration, and is an overall great exploration on the madness and absurdity of war.

9. Dr. Strangelove



Damn I love Dr. Strangelove. Its hilarious, but hilarious in a way that's all its own. It has dry humour that you can sit back and smirk at, but I'll often also find myself laughing uproariously as well. Pretty much all of Mandrake's reactions to the bat crazy Ripper usually does that for me, as does George C. Scott's over-the-top performance. Of course there's the classic phone call, bomb ride, and war room brawl. and Dr. Strangelove's speech at the end just unravels into this brilliantly absurd ending.

8. The Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring



When I first saw Fellowship, as a fan of the books I was amazingly impressed to see Middle Earth spring to life. There is so much to admire here; the sets and production felt real and grounded, despite being set in a mythical kingdom. The characters had weight to them, and the themes of courage, duty, and loyalty which are so important to the books were strong. There were amazing creatures and set pieces, like the Black Riders, the battle with the Balrog, and sailing past the Argonath statues. Fellowship was filled with wonder and amazement, just like a film like this should. Its an epic movie watching experience which will not soon be forgotten.

7. The Godfather



If there was to be one "perfect" movie it would be hard to argue against The Godfather being that movie. There really isn't a misstep here. Direction, acting, story, dialogue, pacing, music, cinematography; its all of the highest quality. Its just such an amazing film and so easy to get wrapped up in the lives of these characters. There are some outstanding scenes here, like Micheal's first kill. But mostly its the family dynamics between the characters that I love the most.

6. Jaws



I really can't describe why Jaws is so good. It just is. It feels like one of those movies with an indefinable quality, one which is entirely unique to itself and no other movie will ever look or feel quite the same. Jaws is so insanely memorable that I will just think about random scenes, like Quint making is offer to kill the shark, and I instantly get the urge to watch it again. I just love this movie. It evolves and changes as the story goes on and by the end its felt like such a satisfying ride.

5. Casablanca



Casablanca is about as classic as classic films get, but in this case its reputation as one of the greatest movies ever made it bang on. Its just so enjoyable that I fell in love with it on my first viewing many years ago, and keep falling in love with it again every other time I see it. The characters are so watchable and the locations feel very comfortable and welcoming, as though you yourself are a regular patron at Rick's. The story is engaging and the dialogue, well... I mean, this is far and away one of the most quotable movies ever. Casablanca is true movie magic.

4. E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial



This is a movie going way back into my childhood, one which holds up brilliantly and still manages to maintain the wonder it had 30 years ago. The relationship between Elliot and ET is the core of this story, culminating into one very emotional end scene. Spielberg's signature film has many scenes of comedy, majesty, and a hint of tragedy. The scene where they find ET dying near the river wrecked me as a kid. This movie has held a lot of power with me for the last thirty or so years, and I can't imagine that power wearing off any time soon.

3. Jurassic Park



Jurassic Park feels like it was made just for me. Obviously that's ludicrous but there's probably a lot of people who feel the same way. This was a massive movie event when it was released in 1993 and remains my most memorable theater-going experience when my dad first took me. This movie really did feel like dinosaurs coming to life. The T-rex scene still gives be chills. I think that what really makes this movie great is that they don't bypass the amazement of dinosaurs being brought to life for the action and suspense scenes. The whole experience is there, and its a great one.

2. Star Wars



Yeah, I'm getting pretty geeky at the end of my list, but I did warn you all about that. Anyways, I am a massive Star Wars fan and every time I rewatch this film I'm reminded of the power that this story has. Its a classic, myth--like tale really, wrapped up in one of the most interesting universe's the movies have ever developed. Star Wars changed the movies forever and had a personal effect on the imagination of kids everywhere, myself definitely included. I don't really know what else to say. I mean, its Star Wars. I will mention that I really struggled with my #1 and #2 and which should be where. They really are interchangeable, but I am giving the slight edge to my number #1, a movie every closely related to Star Wars...

1. The Empire Strikes Back



Its easy to think of the Star Wars trilogy as my favourite films of all time, and they have always been associated as such. But when I made this list, I revisited the question, okay but which one of those is my favourite. After much debate I landed with Empire. The first film has a lot of power in how complete of a story it feels and with how successfully it built the world. Empire however really took it to a new level. The stakes felt ore personal, the drama was deeper, and the overall look of the picture was much richer. Not to mention that it contains tons of my favourite movie moments; the Hoth snow battle, almost any scene with Yoda, the Millennium Falcon in the asteroid field, and of course the final showdown between Luke and Vader. Therefore, I am declaring The Empire Strikes Back as my favourite film.

That's one hell of a top ten.