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!

So, I Finally Watched Avatar...

Yeah, I took the plunge. It's only been 2 years! I avoided it on the initial release for a few reasons, mainly all the hype. Hype often puts me off a film, that combined with the fact Cameron's last film was the bloated and equally 'hyped' Titanic didn't put it to the top of my must see pile.

Now I've seen it, has it changed my mind?



Despite all the hype I had considerably low expectations for this film, and it pains me to say this, but I found myself enjoying it! Mainly because of all the eye candy, I watched it on bluray and the film is quite incredible visually. Scene after scene impressed and wowed me, on an aesthetic level anyway, and this was before I'd even been taken away to the forests of 'Pandora'.

One of the other things that put me off it originally was the art design of the 'Na'vi', I thought they looked cheesy, and all the spiritual, connected to nature shit that comes with them is a bit cringe worthy. But, somehow the film immersed me in its world, and it got me caring about them. I also found the lead female character Neytiri (played brilliantly by Zoe Saldana) strangely attractive!




I'm not the biggest fan of Cameron, I prefer Ridley Scott's Alien over Cameron's Aliens and I still think his best work is the original Terminator. And I absolutely hate Titanic! I have to give him credit for one thing though, he can direct action with the very best, Avatar is more like a thrill ride than a film.

Now, the story isn't exactly original, it begs, borrows, steals and blatantly rips off a lot of other ideas! But a very famous person once said; 'good artists borrow, great artists steal', I wouldn't call this a work of art, but it is damn impressive visually. Flaws and fluffy plot aside, this is a technical achievement, in the forests of Pandora I was completely spirited away.

There was a ton of films that I thought were better than Avatar in 2009 (Moon, District 9, Watchmen, Zombieland and Inglorious Basterds to name a few). Not quite as good as the hype, but I did enjoy it all the same.

8/10

Star Wars on bluray

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...

ahem, Star Wars is one of my biggest passions, so the thought of seeing my childhood memories in HD was a little exciting! I bought the original boxset on blu, didn't bother with the full set, I'm not as keen on the prequels (owning them on DVD is enough!). That said, I did actually like 'Revenge of the Sith' quite a lot.

Anyway, with the original set you just get the films, a bit stingy really. I almost took it back to exchange for the full-set with the shoddy prequels, just for the bonus supplements and a nice box. But, I just couldn't really justify the price difference. A shame I traded in my DVD boxset (along with the bonus features! ARRGH!). Ah well, after a mammoth movie marathon, here are my thoughts...



Star Wars

Well, the picture quality almost made me cry (in a good way), it's amazing to see 'A New Hope' looking so crisp and shiny! Over the years the classic has started to look a tad stale, even with the remastered version. And the transfer doesn't lose any of the charm, it's still got the same tone as before, but now it's in HD! And the sound design! WOW! Some scenes do look better than others, the first film has some saturation issues in the desert scenes, but nothing major. In dark scenes the film excels, it looks very slick indeed. The sheen of the droids, the inky blacks, and all the tiny details on actors faces can be seen.

The added CG Jabba doesn't look as bad, don't get me wrong, you can't polish a turd and it's still ugly as hell! The film would be better without this scene and a lot of the other added stuff too! The minor CG guff didn't spoil my enjoyment and scene after scene wowed me. Nostalgia was in full throttle! I have to say some of the model work on the ships and the battle sequences look truly stunning seen for the first time in high-definition!


Empire Strikes Back

Empire is one of my all time favourite films, and is my fave in the series. Being a dark film it really benefits from the HD upgrade. Empire seems to be the least effected by tacky CG too. Which is a good!



Empire is consistent and looks great, as films go it's pretty much perfect!

Now for the one that people are talking about...

Return of the Jedi

There's a lot of online nerd rage going on about the added sound tweaks on this one. But, I will get back to that later. The thing that pisses me off the most about Jedi is that scene that was added on the DVD release near the start. You know the one! During the attempts at rescuing Han Solo from Jabba there is a scene in his lair with a really irritating singing CG alien. It's truly awful! The worst thing to happen to Star Wars, even worse than Jar Jar!

'Return of the Jedi' was fine before this monstrosity was added, and the original scene is way better! The musics better, the puppets are better than the crude CG, and it just doesn't go with the tone of the film at all! WHY? WHY LUCAS? WHY!! Except for THAT scene I really like Jedi, it's a good fun action flick, I even like the Ewoks! Getting back to the Bluray review, the forest scenes in particular look really nice!

The added sounds I talked about earlier didn't bother me that much to be honest, the purist in me wanted it to be exactly how it used to be though. Was it better when Darth stood silently watching the Emperor attack Luke, contemplating his actions? I don't think you need to watch each version and properly analyse them to work that one out, fuck yeah it was better before! It's way more chilling and atmospheric that way. But, the added sound isn't as bad as the 'NOOOOO!' at the end of 'Revenge of the Sith', like all the rage seems to suggest! So, swings and roundabouts.

I would say the bluray upgrade is definitely worth a purchase, the difference in picture quality is something to marvel at, and the sound is cinematic perfection!

Super 8

The trailer for this impressed me so much straight away I thought this was going to be my film of the year without even seeing it! I know you can't judge a film by its trailer, but it had that old 80's Spielberg magic and I got carried away with nostalgia.

So, now I've actually seen it do I still think the same?



JJ Abrams has captured that old movie magic perfectly, it's like watching a Spielberg film when he still made films with heart and soul. Yet somehow it's completely fresh and new. It's a good balance of old movie charm and modern film making.

It's 'E.T', 'The Goonies' and 'Stand By Me' all rolled into one with a hint of Cloverfield for good measure! And it all works wonderfully. For me, one of the highlights was the rapport the kids have, and their acting! It's rare enough to find one good performance from a child in a film, but here there's several! A whole gang of them! My only minor critique is that it seems to build and build to the grand finale, and then sorta fizzles out a bit at the end...

BUT, it's definitely a cinema experience, any film geek of the late 70's - 80's will come over all warm and nostalgic viewing this on the big screen. It's all about the films integrity. This is REAL movie making! ...'They don't make them like they used to!' ERR, YEAH, actually they do!


8.5/10

Quick Film Review Round-up

Catching up on some of the films I've seen recently;

Raging Phoenix



Firstly, I have to say; I absolutely love Jija Yanin's debut martial arts flick, ‘Chocolate’. It was fresh and original and the unique lead character really gave Jija room to showcase her amazing talents. As soon as I saw this was available, I had to see it! It was good to see her in a film playing a more standard role and how she’d handle it, and I think Jija's got enough charisma to command the screen. She starts out as a regular dysfunctional teen with ‘issues’, and everything seems to be going wrong in her life. When things turn for the worse and she's kidnapped by a gang, she’s fortunately rescued by a skilled martial artist and taken in by a group of drunken, life-loving misfits. These likeable oddballs see her potential and train her.

The first half of the film is pure, quirky fun and the rescue sequence and training montage are highly entertaining. The martial arts used in the film mixes Thai kickboxing, with a kind of hybrid drunken style, hip-hop break dancing, which is really enjoyable to watch. However the film seems to lose its way towards the end and the tone change becomes severely dramatic, yet too ridiculous to take seriously. The main issue for me is Jija doesn't get enough screen time to display her skills, it’s not until the finale where she really gets room to breathe, and it’s a little too late. It’s not really the vehicle for her to truly shine, but it’s fun and does have some moments of flare. 7/10

Natural City



I decided to give this a watch because of all the talk of it being the ‘Korean Blade Runner’. Being a massive fan of Ridley Scott’s futuristic dystopian masterpiece, and with Korea churning out some excellent cinema in recent years, I was pretty excited at the prospect. The influences from Blade Runner are pretty clear; cyborgs living among people, rouge cyborgs rebelling at their short lifespan, and a military cop (or MP) who has fallen in love with a artificial dancer close to expiring. The films focus is the struggle to extend her existence and go against his profession. Visually the film is great for the most part, some nice cinematography and subtle special effects complement some pleasing static shots.

But, the film fails to deliver in the action department. There are some good sequences hidden in there, but the way the action is shot, ruins any impact; too much slow-motion, muffled audio, and clumsy editing that’s trying to be flashy, but doesn't work. The film works better in the quiet scenes, but the pacing is too slow and I didn't really feel any empathy towards the lead characters plight. The acting is solid enough and I don't think the actors are to blame, Ji-tae Yu is good in the lead role (more known for playing the villain in Oldboy). It's just the general direction, pacing and script don’t do the story or actors any justice. 5/10

Ip Man



Biopic about the Chinese icon, who shaped Wing Chun Kung-fu, rebelled against Japanese dictators during World War 2 and later in life (after the credits) went on to train Bruce Lee. The film obviously takes artistic merit with the story and fabricates events for a more entertaining film experience, but it’s more about capturing the essence of the man and his legend. The film looks stunning, with first-rate production values giving the film a rich vibrancy, but the film never becomes overly grand, telling its marvellous tale in a rather quiet, intimate manner and I think this reflects the kind, gentleman character of Ip Man brilliantly.

The drama balances the action perfectly and Donnie Yen’s charm and effortless authority lights the screen on fire. The action really is outstanding, with choreography by legend Sammo Hung, one particular scene where Ip takes on a group of Japanese martial artists is breathtaking and you believe every limb snapping brutal moment of it. The Chinese Kung Fu versus Japanese Karate is a sight to behold. Absolutely captivating! 9/10

Dance of the Dead



‘Zom-Com’ involving a high school prom night. I know this is supposed to be a harmless, cheap and cheerful little flick, but I found it lacked the fun and charm that made films like ‘Brain Dead’ and ‘Shaun of the Dead’ good movies. It’s more like Idle Hands, which on a recent re-watch I also found lacking. Overall tiresome and I can’t think of anything to be complimentary about. It’s got some pretty good ideas that could have been the ingredients for a entertaining ride, but doesn't deliver them effectively enough. 4/10

Cult Classic Reviews #1: Repo Man

This forgotten gem is the epitome of a cult classic; a film adored and worshiped by a small number of devoted fans. For some unknown reason, I only recently watched this. After the strength of a friends recommendation and reading reviews online, I decided to make the purchase. As soon as I saw the cover box, I recognised it from my early ventures to the local video shop in my youth and it brought back fond memories.




It launched the career of Emilio Estevez, who is actually really good here playing the lead character Otto, a young suburban punk that unknowingly becomes a repo man. The plot revolves around the search for a Malibu Chevy carrying a mysterious cargo. The film is b-movie grade trash, but it’s well made trash and the bad special effects, quirky plot (UFO's and punks) and absurd characters all add to its charm and it captures the anything goes attitude of the 80’s perfectly. The punk ethics of the film are accompanied by a fitting punk rock soundtrack featuring tracks by Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Iggy Pop and Suicidal Tendencies.




Everything in the film works, it wouldn't benefit from a bigger budget, and with the bad FX aside it doesn't feel like a cheap film. It kinda feels like the exploitation films of the 70s, and I can definitely see some influences from it in Tarantino's early work. The acting is good for this kind of film, it’s a tad dodgy in places but never in a bad way and with a great supporting cast of familiar faces. Of the cast I really liked Harry Dean Stanton, he’s always been a great character actor and his portfolio of roles speaks for itself (Alien, Escape From New York, Inland Empire etc). He’s perfect as the grouchy, veteran Repo Man and Otto’s mentor.




Repo Man, is a fun slice of weird, unique cinema with plenty of balls! And there’s ample bizarre goings-on, whacky humour and stabs of violence to satisfy any cult film fan. Highly recommended, if like me, you missed it first time around. 8/10