| Steve's Top 20 Favorite Movies of All Time | ||
|---|---|---|
My favorite films of all time tend to exhibit:
Honorable mentions: | ||
20. |  The Seven Samurai (1954)Akira Kurosawa's geniusly-directed masterpiece explores the interesting comradery between a seasoned leader, a disagreeable rogue, a skilled swordsman, and four other altruistic teammates. Unlike most Hollywood battle sequences, the defenders continuously plot strategy in a long, drawn-out siege. They methodically bolster defenses and even tally the number of dead attackers. This careful detail, along with likeable actors and strong sub-plots, makes "The Seven Samurai" an outstanding work of art. | |
19. |  Star Trek: First Contact (1996) | |
18. |  Wicker Park (2004)Masterful suspense/romance/drama plot. If Hitchcock, Shakespeare, and Machiavelli ever collaborated on a movie, I think it'd come out something like this. :) Personally, the movie spoke to me in the following ways: Admittedly, I'm a cynic about love so someone can probably make a counter-argument that the movie exemplifies how wonderful love can be. Probably depends on which character in the movie that you identify the most with. :) Side note: Perhaps watching this American version tainted me, but I did not like the original French version at all. | |
17. |  The Matrix
Reloaded (2003)What an incredible sensory experience: like hi-tech performance art. Special effects beyond belief! Breakthrough (albeit mindless) kung-fu action. | |
16. |  Run Lola Run (1998)A German, fiery-haired woman races to collect the cash needed to save her desperate boyfriend. Her three trials, differentiated by mere seconds, serve to change everyone's lives like a spinning roulette wheel. This movie's electrifying directing, visual energy, and upbeat soundtrack comprise a mandatory audio/visual experience for any moviegoer. | |
15. |  Spirited Away (2002)Epitomizes Japanese animation with its rich, finely-crafted detail and amusing background hijinks. In my view, Hayao Miyazaki (the director of "Princess Mononoke") created a journey similar to "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice in Wonderland". But while the girls of those films just casually trivialized the reality around them, Sen (of "Sprited Away") expressed genuine reactions of fascination, depression, and bewilderment. Moreover, her dramatic timing enriched the classic, unspoken moments of the movie, allowing me to gaze and gape at the same curious sights as her. An example: when Sen waited in an elevator with a bipedal elephant creature, the two of them stared at each other sideways for awhile. That just scratched the surface of all the imaginative ideas in this film. | |
14. |  Enchanted (2007)One of the only movies to ever brighten my mood from really bad to really good. I found Amy Adams particularly charming--not just because her character symbolized pure innocence, but because she played the role so convincingly. I particularly enjoyed how her presence enchanted everyone around her (including New York's vermin). Patrick Dempsey played the perfect foil: a rational divorce lawyer with a cynicism toward true love. Even a stubborn cynic like me found their chemistry on the ballroom floor hopelessly romantic. Finally, props to Disney for daring to satirize itself--even though I can't recall any Disney princess ever acting that naive. :) | |
13. |  The
Godfather (1972)A timeless classic that makes me think of the cliche, "honor among thieves". For me, this movie epitomized respect in that Don Vito premised his enterprise around it. We think alike, actually. I admired how he helped people out for only minor favors in return. Also liked how he stood against drug trafficking. Of course, I wouldn't murder people but at least the family targeted those who deserved it. :) | |
12. |  The Godfather:
Part II (1974)I've yet to see any prequel-sequel approach the benchmark set by this absorbing film. In my mind, this movie showcased the best of both worlds: the rise of a principled Vito Corleone (big props to Robert De Niro's soft-spoken Italian dialogue) and the deterioration of a shockingly ice-cold Michael Corleone. Pretty gutsy characters, those two. | |
11. |  Ratatouille (2007)Three words for Brad Bird's latest Pixar-animated movie: inspirational, touching, and laugh-out-loud. I consider Brad Bird a comedic genius. Nobody animates expressions like he does. I enjoyed his previous works, "Family Dog" and "The Incredibles" as well. His latest animation brilliantly humanized a rat who longed to cook fine food in a world prejudiced against rats. Amusingly, he could only communicate to the humans with gestures (his English only sounded like squeaking to them)--and had to escape whenever a human spotted him. Naturally, humans found the congregation of he and his buddies rather upsetting. :) | |
10. |  Shaolin
Soccer (2003)Hilarious beyond belief. Showcases fun applications for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"-type action. Each character excels at a different signature talent. For example, one player kicks the soccer ball so hard that the whirlwind launches all of the opposing players into the net! | |
9. |  Ju-On: The
Grudge (2003)The scariest movie that I have ever seen. Filmed by the creators of "Ringu", and similar to "The Ring"--but decisively more terrifying. So much so that I'd prefer that curse over the "Ju-on" one. :) Because at least Samara afforded a seven-day reprieve. Imagine trying to stay sane with wide-eyed ghosts startling you all the time. Even as I left the theater, I could picture their unnerving stares. | |
8. |  Pulp Fiction (1994)Even after repeated viewings, I've never grown tired of the witty dialogue and keen observations in "Pulp Fiction", Quentin Tarrantino's second (and in my opinion, greatest) film. The screenplay won a well-deserved Oscar and set the precedent for black-humored musing. My only reservations of the film: slow scenes that I always fast-forward through. These include Christopher Walken's meandering monologue, the taxi driver, Bruce Willis' girlfriend, and the cafe standoff. | |
7. |  The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)Thrilling from beginning to end thanks to Paul Greengrass' energetic directing--even the scenes with just credits or dry conversations excited me. Right off the bat, I liked how the movie hit the ground running with John Powell music and ended with Moby's "Extreme Ways" theme. Big props to the suspenseful reporter surveillance scene, the Tangier chase (including a cool part where everyone in the chase paused), and David Strathairn. I'd easily hail the Tangier chase as the best action sequence since "The Matrix Reloaded". | |
6. |  The Bourne Supremacy (2004)What a difference that a director makes. Whereas "The Bourne Identity" struck me as a shallow popcorn movie, "The Bourne Supremacy" engaged me like a grown-up spy thriller. Paul Greengrass' handheld documentary style made me feel like a part of the movie. Everything felt realistic even when the action seemed totally impossible. I liked this movie slightly better than "The Bourne Ultimatum" because of the thrilling, emotional climax and Bourne's atonement. | |
5. |  Memento (2001)In this clever thriller, Guy Pearce works to avenge his wife's murder while struggling to overcome one glaring setback: he periodically loses his memory. To convey the disorientation that he feels, director Christopher Nolan shows all of the scenes in reverse order. So much like the main character, we witness his predicaments for the first time with no knowledge of what transpired beforehand. To complicate matters, everyone in the movie selectively lies in order to exploit his condition. Also--if you pay attention, you can catch flaws in the main character's notetaking regiment. While the premise alone made "Memento" worthwhile, I felt that the main character's attempts to discipline and rationalize his tragic life made the movie that much more meaningful. | |
4. |  Sunshine (2007)Personal record: I watched this movie six times at the theater. I felt a rush from it each time--a sense of "passion" as these characters vented their convictions, sacrificed their bodies, and "screamed at the sky" in the name of humanity. The music and directing masterfully fueled the emotion. | |
3. |  United 93
(2006)Given the sensitivity of the subject matter, I felt that director Paul Greengrass depicted the events in an appropriate, realistic way. Although the film initially started slow like a disaster movie (I grew uneasily restless waiting for the crashes to occur), it employed none of the cliches such as personal sub-plots, catch phrases, or summaries of the situation. The film basically followed the disarray among the air traffic employees, military personnel, and Flight 93 passengers in torturous real-time. I began to feel ashamed that I had slept through all of this on the morning of 9/11. In conclusion, brace yourself for this film's final sequence--oh man. The intensity and emotion of it. Every muscle in my body tightened up. | |
2. |  Fearless (1993)Peter Weir intended "Fearless" to be a cross between artsy and Hollywood styles. In my opinion, he accomplished the perfect balance. I can analyze this movie over and over again. The main character is Max Kline--who, after a traumatic commercial airplane crash, suppresses all of his mortal weaknesses. Exhilarated by a new-found "immortality", Max becomes an inspirational icon to his fellow passengers. However, in order to stay elevated in this state long enough to save a grieving mother from her guilt, Max neglects his family and jeopardizes his own life. So the film climaxes to the pending question: can he himself be saved? In one scene, Max touched on an intriguing point during a theological discussion with Rosie Perez. Why would an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God allow plane crashes (arguably, the most senseless way to die ever) to happen? What if everything happened for no reason instead of some divine plan? A scary thought--but in my mind, makes sense of everything in the universe. Rosie Perez had an interesting retort. A senseless universe would have no "love". In my interpretation, this implies: "what's wrong with embracing a belief--truthful or not--that enriches our life?" Point well taken. Moving and profound, I once regarded "Fearless" as the epitome of Weir's films. | |
1. |  The Truman
Show (1998)I believe Weir outdid himself and blew away all other movies with "The Truman Show". It features a meticulously thought-out world that satirizes our obsession with television. Like a grown-up child trying to escape the protective custody of an overbearing father, I sympathized with Truman's need to live his own life. Yet I also sympathized with Christof, who genuinely strove to protect Truman in an Eden-like utopia. I saw merit in his arguments that the real world represented the "sick" world and that Truman would face the same deceits there. Ultimately, though, I accepted Truman's decision to tackle "real life." In every movie, I watch closely for exceptionally creative plot developments. The above average movie usually features one or two of them. This film sported the most that I've ever seen, e.g., the crew's interviews at the beginning; "natural" blockades that diverted Truman; the whole town cringing from mic feedback; Truman's run from suited actors; Christof's direction of the Truman-Kirk story; the documentary; and the great Christof-to-Truman exchange at the end. | |
Guilty pleasure: Mortal Kombat (1995) | ||
