All Time Top 20 Films

Any list like this will never be perfect or final, but here's an attempt at my possible top 20 films. I've tried to go with films that are close to my heart, films that I've grown up with and the ones that blew me away at the time.

I have a bad habit of saying a film is a top 100, or 'a top 10 of this genre', and people always say 'there must be hundreds of films in your top 10'. So, I decided to give it a go and put them down on paper (or blog space). This is quite a 'geeky' list...


20. Toy Story



The original feature length, fully CG animated film and in my opinion it's still the best! Pixar at their very best, funny, touching and inspiring. I could watch this every week.


19. Stand By Me



I think it captures childhood and friendship in a lovingly told tale, kinda like a darker more serious companion piece to 'The Goonies'.

18. Labyrinth



Don't judge me! I grew up on this film; I love the tunes, I love Bowie, I love the puppet work and sets. As soon as I hear the music at the start of the film, along with that badly computer generated owl I'm hooked in.

17. Akira



I have Akira on my list because it was one of the first animated films to truly disturb me in a way I didn't think possible with animation. Cerebral and weird, it’s like the 2001 of anime. It also was the film that properly got me into Anime.

16. The Lost Boys



Yeah, ‘Lost Boys’ is in my top 20. I think this film actually looks great, yeah it‘s pretty cheesy, but it works and it‘s got that certain something that makes it timeless. But, I mostly hold this film so close because I grew up with it.

15. Ghostbusters



A great cast, loads of fun and laughs. Great writing, and Bill Murray at his best!

14. Amelie



Amelie is a brilliant feel good movie, that I find pretty magical and stunning to look at.

13. Back To The Future



80's were the best years in film for me. Adventures don't get much better really.

12. Survive Style 5



Quirky, colourful, surreal, dreamy and utterly bonkers.

11. Pulp Fiction



I’d go as far to say that this is probably the best written film of all time, the dialog is fresh, sharp and clever. Tarantino also gets great things from all of his cast, he directs with effortless style and energy. Pulp Fiction is one of my favourite films because for me, it was definitely a life-changing experience.

10. House of Flying Daggers



I'm a big Martial Arts movie fan, it was hard picking my favourite. HOFD is visually stunning, the story is solid and the action is breathtaking.

9. Spirited Away



Ghibli’s masterpiece is beautiful, weird and wonderful. Breathtaking animation, a magical story and incredible attention to detail. A great achievement.

8. 2001



A work of timeless art, 2001 is an audio/visual masterpiece and mind pummelling trippy. You don't exactly 'enjoy' it, it's more like an experience. It’s all in the painstaking attention to detail and photography with Kubrick, on a technical level the best director of all time imo.　

7. The Thing



John Carpenter’s atmospheric masterpiece makes my top 10 list because it’s psychological enough to please intellectual fans of the genre and splashes sufficient gore around to satisfy the rest. The traditional special effects are still amazing today and Carpenter's trademark music compliments the themes of isolation.

6. Leon



Leon works on many levels; there’s moments of intimate, tender drama, thrilling action, playful humour and gritty suspense. Reno is subtle and emotive in the lead, Portman shows fantastic talent for her years and Oldman’s over-the-top, scene stealing villain sets the screen on fire. A near perfect movie.

5. Goonies



I love an adventure, this sums up being a kid for me really. I watch The Goonies when I feel down, I watch it when I'm feeling nostalgic, I watch it at Christmas, and I might go watch it now...

4. Alien



A slow-burning, skillful and atmospheric tension builder. Subtle acting from the entire cast, and spectacular set design make the science-fiction believable. Genre defining and the best of its type.

3. Empire strikes back



I love Star Wars, I grew up on it. Empire is by far the best film in the series; a timeless masterpiece that surpasses the original in every way. It's a benchmark in visual and audio effects and it has some of the most iconic scenes in cinema history! I only have to hear that first bar of music from the theme and I'm a little kid again. Oh, and Luke training with Yoda on Dagobah is one of the greatest moments in film for me.

2. Oldboy



Korean revenge film 'Oldboy is a visceral and unforgettable experience that drags you into its dark world. An intriguing and twisting story, with superbly dynamic acting from Min-sik Choi. It looks outstanding, with excellent photography, flawless direction and brutally stunning choreography. Needs to be seen really.

1. Blade Runner



A visionary dystopian future, Blade Runner has actually got better with age! Skillfully paced, grand set and costume design, excellent music and truly great acting from Hauer and Ford. On a technical and artistic level Ridley Scott's film is arguably only surpassed by the best of Kubrick's work. But this bags my top spot!

Best Games of 2011 (90% LOADED)

I'm writing this very early on, in terms of the 'gaming year' there's still; Assassin's Creed Revelations, Skyrim, and the latest offerings from Call of Duty and Battlefield to come. 4 of the biggest games of the year no less.

But, I will review my choices at the end of the year. Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed are both gonna have to do something pretty spectacular and new this time to make my top 5 games, another re-hash wont cut it. I only bought the last COD because of the inclusion of Nazi Zombies, unless it's got a co-op campaign I can take it or leave it. And I never got into Oblivion, infact the choppy frame-rate pissed me off and I got bored of it, I liked Fallout though. I still need to play 'Dark Souls' and 'Rage', I'm hearing great things about both of them and they could also make the final list.

Anyway, my list so far looks like this;

5. Bulletstorm

It's obviously by the makers of Gears, and it's a brave attempt at doing an original FPS. The only thing that let it down was the ridiculously short campaign, but the gameplay is unique and innovative enough to make my list. The leash is a cool addition and the points system and destructive environments make it a fun ride!

4. Deus Ex

When it was being raved about as Mass Effect meets Metal Gear Solid meets Half-Life and then I saw the trailer, drawing comparisons to Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell, the sci-fi nerd in me was a bit excited! It's not quite up there with Mass Effect 2 (my game of the year for last year) and Metal Gear Solid 4 (my game of the year in 2008). I found the controls and movement a little awkward at first, but as I progressed and started to get confident with them and started upgrading my character it won me over.

3. Gears of War 3



It starts slowly, but just gets better and better. More of the same with a few added additions. It's all about the co-op and 'Horde' with Gears, a great finale to the story arc.

2. Portal 2



The most innovative co-op experience I've ever played, and for that alone it almost got my game of the year! The 'tests' are extremely clever in Portal and the added addition of co-op play really takes it to another level. Brilliant and infuriating in equal measures.

1. Batman: Arkham City

Read review in previous post.


Previous years;

2010:
1. Mass Effect
2. Vanquish
3. Fable 2
4.Army of Two: 40th Day
5. Halo Reach

2009:
1. Batman: Arkham Asylum
2. Resident Evil 5
3. Left 4 Dead 2

2008:
1.Metal Gear Solid 4
2.Left 4 Dead
3.Gears of War 2

Best Films of 2011

Nearing the end of the year, I thought I'd list my top films. There's still a few I need to see, but I think this list is quite solid.

***UPDATED TO INCLUDE SOME I'VE SEEN SINCE***

In reverse order:

15. X-Men: First Class

What do you do when you've run a blockbuster franchise into the ground? Start again...this is a stylish reinvention of our fave mutants and the best of the years Marvel and DC movies.

14. Everything Must Go

Will Ferrel's shown he's a great drama actor before (Stranger Than Fiction), I loved him in this quirky indie film.

13. Rare Exports

A very different 'horror' take on the Santa mythology. I thought this started to get really good just as it ended, still good enough to make my list.

12. Hanna

This was a big surprise for me, it's quite weird and cerebral with moments of quiet drama, it's not your usual action film. There's plot holes in there, but one of the most enjoyable action films of the year.

11. Source Code

An intelligent blockbuster action sci-fi from Duncan Jones (director of the brilliant debut feature 'Moon')

10. Arrietty

Ghibli does it again! Charming animation, with scenes of cinematic brilliance that are simply breathtaking.

9. Warrior

What's that? A powerful drama that's about MMA? YEAH! A little cliched in places, but brilliant acting from the main cast and some exhilerating action make for a great movie!

8. Super



It's much more than just a Kick-Ass clone, it's not really that much like it, in tone anyway. A very weird, dark and quirky alternative.

7. Hesher

An absolutely original, cool, emotional, funny and brilliant little gem! And a Superb cast!

6. Planet of the Apes

This surprised and impressed me, they actually pulled off a great prequel!

5. 13 Assassins



Takashi Miike's samurai film is truly awesome, the 45 minute action finale is stunning!

4. Super 8



Good old fashioned Summer popcorn flick!

3. Submarine



Great debut! A quirky British coming of age film, very funny.

2. Drive

Coolest film of the year, stylish, visceral and a cool soundtrack. I think this will become a timeless classic!

1. I Saw The Devil



A massively original and inventive thriller. This is destined to be (badly) re-made by Hollywood.

Top 10 Badass Videogame Characters

Kick-Ass videogames need characters who can, urm, well, kick-ass!

Obviously this is my own personal list, not everyone's favourite bad-ass will make the cut! Leave a comment with who you'd have. I've tried to avoid characters that are more known for their comics or films (i.e Batman).

In reverse order;


10. Dante - Devil May Cry



He's part Devil and slays Demonic beasties for a living! And he somehow makes that gothic-red leather shit look cool.


9. Jack - Mass Effect 2



I could have gone for Commander Shepard, that would have been the obvious choice. But, Jack just OOZES bad-ass! A dangerous criminal locked away in a space prison, with her shaved head and tattoos, not to mention her powerful biotic powers! She would have brutal animal sex with you! And then probably eat you afterwards.

8. Kazuya Mishima - Tekken series



Kazuya is pretty bad-ass; he's survived being dropped from a mountain! And was once thrown into a volcano! WTF!? He's beaten on his old man and even his own son! And he's got the 'devil gene'...


7. Sam Gideon - Vanquish



From massively underrated shooter Vanquish, Sam slides across the screen at break-neck speeds wearing a super cool mech suit. He drop-kicks robots in the face!

6. E. Honda - Street Fighter series



Ryu may be the face of classic beat em' up 'Street Fighter', but a 300 pound Sumo wrestler bitch-slapping his enemies one hundred times a second is way more bad-ass!


5. Starkiller - Star Wars The Force Unleashed



Darth Vader's secret apprentice and hunter of the remaining few Jedi after order 66. Starkiller's skills with the force and a lightsabre make even the best of Jedi look like Jar Jar Stinks.



4. Marcus Fenix - Gears of War



Cole Train's got more beef, but Fenix is way more bad-ass. Stomping on the Locust Horde is like playing a round of golf for this dude.


3. Sephiroth - Final Fantasy 7



He looks like a Goth girl, but he would still cut you in half and then set you on fire. The quintessential RPG baddie!


2. Master Chief - Halo



The Halo fanboy in me couldn't leave the big chief out of this list. It's MASTER CHIEF! He's a 7 foot tall one man army. He teabags his enemies too, smooth.


1. Solid Snake - Metal Gear Solid



Solid Snake. Nuff said!


...ok then, he single-handedly took on a tank and won! He's knacked up a vampire, a cyborg ninja, various mechs, and even his Dad! He's the epitome of bad-ass! And in MGS4 he's got a moustashe! Win



Snake? SNAKE?! SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!

Top 10 Film and TV Geeks

The best nerdy nerd nerds on the big and small screen.


1. Egon Spengler (Ghostbusters 1 and 2).



"Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light"


2. Doc Brown (Back to the Future Trilogy).



"Let me show you my plan for sending you home. Please excuse the crudity of this model, I didn't have the time to build it to scale or to paint it. [reveals intricate tabletop model of the town square]"


3. Seth Brundle (The Fly).



Genius physicist, inventor, twitchy, tweed jackets...


4. Steve Wiebe (The King Of Kong).



Devoting your life to beating the Donkey Kong world record is pretty nerdy.


5. Comic Book Guy (The Simpsons).



"I've spent my entire life doing nothing but collecting comic books...and now there's only time to say...Life well spent!"


6. Mulder and Scully (X-Files).



They spend their days investigating extra-terrestrial and paranormal activity…


7. Moss (IT Crowd).



"You see the driver hooks a function by patching the system call table, so it's not safe to unload it unless another thread's about to jump in there and do its stuff, and you don't want to end up in the middle of invalid memory...hello?"


8. Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).



Nuff said.


9. Doctor Sam Beckett (Quantum Leap).



"Oh boy"


10. Sheldon (The Big Bang Theory).



"You have about as much chance of going out with Penny as the Hubble Telescope has of finding that at the center of each black hole there's a little man with a flashlight trying to find the circuit breaker"

Top 10 Weird, Deranged and/or Utterly Bonkers Films

1. Eraserhead



What list of weird films would be complete without Mr Lynch? The king of weird films and master of surreal cinema. They say if you ask 100 people what Eraserhead is actually about you’ll get 100 different answers. For me, it’s a nightmare and the anxieties of everyday life contorting it. One of my all time favourite films, Eraserhead is a work of art that you experience. It gets under your skin, it’s like nothing else you’ll ever see. And the benchmark for all other strange films.


2. Visitor Q



You know with a Takashi Miike film it’s not going to be your every day ‘normal’ flick, and this is probably his most extreme film. Breaking pretty much every taboo, it crams in so much fetish imagery it’s too much for most. It’s about as completely batshit crazy as it gets.


3. Tetsuo



Industrial body-horror from genius Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto about man fusing with machine. A hyper-kinetic assault on the senses! On a technical merit it's worth watching just for the stunning editing alone.

4. Begotten




The plot synopsis pretty much says it all; ‘God disembowels himself with a straight razor. The spirit-like Mother Earth emerges, venturing into a bleak, barren landscape. Twitching and cowering, the Son Of Earth is set upon by faceless cannibals’. I found this a hard watch, and it’s full of unsettling, grainy imagery.


5. Inland Empire




Probably Lynch’s ‘hardest’ film, think Mulholland Drive X 10! With Laura Dern on great form.


6. Gozu





Miike again, I could have probably listed 10 of his films and had a decent weird films list. Gozu reminded me of Miike doing a comedy version of a David Lynch film. In a good way.


7. Gummo



It’s surreal, yet it’s very real. Shows how weird real life can be.


8. Meet the Feebles



Way before Peter Jackson got knee-deep in orc and elve shit he was making some pretty mental films, this might be his craziest.


9. Save the Green Planet



Manages to be simultaneously funny and heart wrenching, not to mention completely mad.


10. Naked Lunch



Cronenberg’s gone a bit straight-laced lately with his crime thrillers (History of Violence, Eastern Promises), not that they’re bad films, I really like them! But he used to make pretty demented schlock, this is probably his weirdest.