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Your Top 10 Movies.

Howie

Donkey in a hat
After the humiliating debacle that was the 'Rank The Star Wars Movies' thread, I could be opening myself up to a whole load of fresh abuse here, but what the hell. I'm a big boy, I can take it.

Now there are 2 ways of going about this; you can be all high-brow about it if you want to, and start reeling off the usual list of pretentious, Sight & Sound 'Top 10 movies of all time' candidates, OR you can be honest about it and talk about the films you actually enjoy. For example, I think Schindler's List is one of the greatest and most important movies ever made, a true cinematic masterpiece, but is it one of my favourites? Do I enjoy it? Would I settle down on a Saturday night with a 6-pack and a pizza to watch Schindler's List? HELLLL no. In those circumstances I'd sooner watch Dunston Checks In.
So keep your Godfathers, your Raging Bull's, your Clockwork Oranges and your Shawshank f***ing Redemptions to yourself, let's hear about the stuff you really like!

*I realise that some of you aren't actually sad enough to have a 'Top 10 Favourite Movies' list but knowing you lot, if you're half as anal about films as you are about rollercoasters you'll have a f***ing spreadsheet! If you haven't, then just 'some films that I really like' will suffice. I'm one of those by the way - mine aren't in any strict order, just 10 films that I love. Here goes, then:

Die Hard
I knew it! From the moment I walked out of that cinema back in 1989 I knew I'd seen something special. People scoffed at the time; 'Don't be daft Howie, it's only a cheesy action film', they said, and yet here we are almost 30 years later and Die Hard still comes out on top in almost every 'Best Action Film' or 'Best Thriller Film' list there is. Breakthrough performances from Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman (RIP), Joel Silver's flair for destruction coupled with John McTiernan's attention to detail make this the ultimate thrill ride. Quite simply the most exciting 2 hours I've ever spent in a darkened room. It also gets a special nod for being the first 18 rated movie I saw at the pictures. Not bad for a spotty 15 year old wearing his dad's blazer and sporting a weeks worth of bumfluff. Still got the ticket stub. I keep it in the sleeve of my region 1, Special Edition Die Hard Trilogy Boxset.
This also gives me another excuse to show off this photograph, which I'm quite proud of. :)
#geek
26527179695_f1b8a920ed_k.jpg


Back To The Future

Be honest, who doesn't love Back to the Future? Literally the perfect summer blockbuster. Doc and Marty make one of the most endearing on-screen pairings ever. Biff is hilarious. Crispin Glover as George quietly steals the show in every scene he's in. The story is brilliant, the effects are fab, it's witty, inventive, exciting, has the best non-John Williams theme tune in existence and still looks as fresh as the day it was released. What's not to love?

Aliens
You gotta have a James Cameron movie in your top 10, right? It's written in geek law. But then so it should be - he's one of the greatest showmen there is. Avatar, The Abyss, Terminators 1 & 2 - all fab. Even True Lies is better than most people give it credit for. But for me, Aliens was his finest hour. It starts out suspensefully enough, but as the danger and tension escalates, Cameron just keeps on tightening the screw.
Choose the theatrical version for a more streamlined, efficient thrill ride, or go for the Special Edition if you want a bit more character depth and emotional wallop, but either way this remains an outright classic.

RoboCop
The original, of course, not that bastardised remake. I love Paul Verhoeven movies, he's one of my favourite directors. Starship Troopers is incredible, plus Basic Instinct, Hollow Man and Total Recall (the original, of course, not that bastardised remake) are all great - but Robo is the pick of the bunch. As a teen I loved it for the cool robots, the gun-porn and the uber-violence, but as I've gotten older I've come to appreciate the many other layers that this film has. Political satire, social commentary, (very) dark comedy, human drama, even some spiritual/religious parallels can be found if you look closely enough (it's no accident that the 'resurrected' Murphy appears to walk on water in the final showdown).
But best of all, it's got a toxic, melting man being splattered all over a car windscreen! :D
I'd buy that for a dollar!

The Blues Brothers
I love John Landis movies, he's one of my favourite directors. Who doesn't love Trading Places, Coming to America, American Werewolf in London, Spies Like Us etc..? And let's not forget Michael Jackson's Thriller - THE greatest pop video of all time.
But yeah, The Blues Brothers is the one for me. I watched it again recently following the death of Aretha (RIP) - still as bonkers as ever! I only recently found out there are 2 versions of the Blues Brothers - the 'theatrical' version which gets shown on tv nowadays (and I had on VHS for years) and an 'extended version' which is on the DVD and BluRay editions. Oddly, the 'best' version would be somewhere halfway between the two. The extended musical numbers are great, as are the extended car chase elements, but several of the additional scenes are unfunny and simply not required. We don't need to see the Bluesmobile being supercharged by an electricity sub-station, for example, we'd always just assumed it was a magic car.
Anyway, I'm rambling - it's still a great film.

Superman
I love Richard Donner movies, he's one of my favourite directors. I love The Goonies, I love The Omen, I love Scrooged and I love all 4 Lethal Weapon films - but Superman is the best. I realise this one might raise some eyebrows, but this goes right back to my childhood, see. It was probably my first 'favourite' film growing up, and I still enjoy giving it a watch now.
There's one truly awful bit - the 'Can you read my mind?'' sequence where Supes' takes Lois flying - I either fast-forward or leave the room when that bit comes on cos it literally makes me want to heave, but the rest of the film, despite some very dated effects, is still pure movie magic. Plus that theme tune...

Jaws
Geek law again - you gotta have a Spielberg in there. You just gotta. But which one? Raiders? Maybe. ET? Nah, too schmaltzy. Jurassic? Hmm possibly. Technically it should be Schindler I suppose, but I can't vote for something that doesn't have one single laugh in the entire movie.
Nah, it has to be Jaws, surely? It's just... perfect. The 'event movie', defined. Even now, over 40 years later, the Jaws effect is as powerful as ever, the thought is always there every time you 'go into the water'. Just those first 2 notes of the theme music is enough to make the blood run cold. (thank you again, Mr Williams).
And that goggle-eyed head that pops out of the hole in the boat? I know it's coming, but it still gets me. Every. Single. Time.
F**k the fake-looking shark, this is a masterpiece. No other word.

You've probably noticed that there's a definite 70's and 80's vibe going on here, but it's not all outdated old tosh y'know. From the 90's we have...

True Romance
I love Tony Scott movies (RIP), he's one of my favourite directors. Well, some of his early work was pants (Beverly Hills Cop 2, Days of Thunder, and I absolutely hate Top Gun) but I love The Last Boy Scout (sorry @witchfinder ), Man on Fire, Crimson Tide etc...
True Romance, though, is the highlight. What a film! Quentin Tarantino's script ably honed into a slick, stylish, violent and extremely funny caper, with a cast to die for. Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Samuel L Jackson - the list just goes on. Brilliant, brilliant film. Makes me cry every time. Also, it features a great sequence filmed on Viper at Magic mountain! :)

Skyfall
Now, I'm not really a massive Bond-y. I've seen them all, obvs, and most of them are varying degrees of watchable. Casino Royale was new and original but a bit dull. Quantum of Solace was a chaotic mess, but Skyfall just nails it. If it wasn't a Bond film it would still be a first-class spy thriller in its own right. It's just a beautifully put-together film that oozes class and confidence. Great villain, spectacular locations, gorgeous photography and some thrilling action to boot. If it wasn't for that naff, miniature looking subway crash it would be just about perfect.

How many is that? 9 right? Ok one more.

Avengers Assemble
Or just The Avengers, if you live in 'Murica. Yes I know, this is a bit of a cheap one. Judging by the 'Rank The MCU' thread, this one won't be a popular choice. I get it, I totally get it - it's just a silly, money grabbing, comic-book movie but the thing is... it's just so damn entertaining. Literally every scene leaves me with a grin a mile wide. See, I'm one of those people that still thinks Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the greatest tv show ever made, and my inner Joss Whedon fan gets immense joy from seeing this huge, mega-budget action spectacle sprinkled with endless little Joss Whedon-isms.
Yes, it's just a load of CGI smashy smashy but it's the most enjoyable dose of CGI smashy smashy there is, and Hulk smashing Loki is still by far the funniest moment of the entire MCU.

So that's my lot, 10 movies that Howie really digs. A few others that were considered include Predator, American Werewolf, Fight Club, Pixar's Cars, Goodfellas, Gravity, American Beauty, The Revenant, LOTR: The Two Towers and, of course, that much loved classic Return of the Jedi.

Let the abuse commence....
<braces one's self>
 
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TilenB

Strata Poster
I've never really thought of making a top10 list when it comes to movies, but my 10/10 IMDb ratings do help to put a list together (this is in no particular order);
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
It's a Wonderful Life
Se7en
Life is Beautiful
Shawshank Redemption
Whiplash
The Dark Knight
Back to the Future
Leon: The Professional
Les Intouchables

And notable mentions to:
Gran Torino (it's been a while since I've seen that one)
Perks of Being a Wallflower
American Beauty
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Rush

It has to be noted I'm still missing quite a lot of the classics, like the Godfather trilogy, Lord of the Rings or even most of the Star Wars movies (please don't kill me).
 

Smithy

Strata Poster
Never really sat and thought about it and I'm not much of a film person anyway. If anything it's usually comedies so my list will be a bit unique, and in no particular order.

Zoolander
Dodgeball
Shaun of the Dead
Jackass
Borat
Happy Gilmore
Big Daddy
Eurotrip
Jingle All The Way

But far and away the number 1 is Kevin and Perry Go Large. It basically got me into dance music, into Ibiza, which led to my first proper holiday without my parents and ultimately kick-started my buzz for travelling.

I could probably chuck Halloween or Layer Cake in but I've not seen either in ages.
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
^^Sorry @TilenB , I've only seen about half of your list, and there's a couple in there that I haven't even heard of! :oops:
Clearly you're one of our more discerning filmgoers! I'm with you on Se7en, Leon and American Beauty though - class!

I think I'm more on @Smithy 's level of intellect - Jackass, Borat, Dodgeball, Happy Gilmore - hell yeah! :D
 

Chris Brown

Mr CoasterForce 2016
Sort of in order but it very much depends on my mood and what I fancy. I like others but these are the most where I end up feeling most satisfied with the ending, I find a lot of films have excellent stories but manage to balls up the ending (10 clover field lane, gone girl, a quiet place are a few off of the top of my head) .

Step Brothers
Layer Cake
Shutter Island
Toy Story 2
Dark Knight
Casino Royal
Along came a spider
Law abiding citizen
Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire
Without a paddle
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
Howie - I was actually really interested in visiting the Nakatomi Plaza from Die Hard for agesss!
Smithy - Kevin and Perry is a real throwback/nostalgia trip for me, I love loads of those classic trance tunes featured.

I don't really have much of an order when it comes to top films, but here are 10 I usually pull up when asked...

1. Casino - Epic scorsese gangster flick, similar to Goodfellas but even more refined in my opinon.
2. The Matrix - One hell of a sci-fi, action epic. The mixture of brilliant story and cinematography/choreographer really drew me in at a young age.
3. This is England - Great soundtrack and again, brilliant storyline. Deals with lots of issues that are fairly important today in various ways.
4. The Godfather pt.II - Sorry Howie, I'm not being pretentious I just love this film!
5. American Beauty - Just another solid story with great visuals.
6. Dead Man's Shoes - Shane Meadows again, sweet British revenge film with some lovely comedic elements. Paddy Considine is gripping throughout.
7. There Will Be Blood - Not explanation necessary.
8. Terminator 2 - Definitely one of the top 3 action films ever made, it's not subjective.
9. Toy Story - Such an easy watch, the godfather of all pixar films, some witty humour and an all round entertaining story.
10. American Pie - Probably not a top 10 film overall but it was always a "go to" film through my younger years, one of those coming of age films for teens to prepare for "growing up" ha. Silly humour but you have to embrace that somewhere.
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire

Surely not?? I can sort of understand a Potter flick being in there, but why this one? Weirdo. ;)

@Sandman - you were doing so well until you dropped Godfather pt.II in there. <yawn>
You're not the first person this week to recommend Dead Man's Shoes. Might have to seek that one out.
 
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jayjay

Giga Poster
I'm not much of a film person, so this is mostly nostalgia picks

Hot Fuzz - My favourite film. Hilarious from start to finish and the plot is ridiculous and intriguing in equal measures
Shawn of the Dead - See Hot Fuzz (apart from 'Favourite Film'). My favourite thing about Edgar Wright movies is how they still work if you strip out all the humour
Robin Hood (1973) - The Disney version. Pure nostalgia pick for me, but it's got great songs, great voice acting and a hilarious villain pair
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Yeah, I'm a Disney fan. This is my favourite, the score is phenomenal (and contains my favourite Disney song about how the villain will either have sex with or execute Esmeralda) and it's visually stunning
Life of Brian - I got bored of Holy Grail, mostly because of oversaturation, but this feels fresh, and with added social commentary
Finding Nemo - Another nostalgia pick.
The Truman Show - Jim Carrey's best movies are the ones where he has to be serious.
The Shawshank Redemption - Cliche, but it's such a well constructed film.
Rush - I'm an F1 fan, so yeah. Daniel Bruehl does an scarily good Niki Lauda impression
Heathers - Dark twist on the US high school chick flick. Basically, I love dark comedies
 

Benenen

Hyper Poster
For some reason I'm a bit simple when it comes to following films so I only really watch horrors and comedies. Top five in no order in terms of how fun and entertaining they are:

-Both The Inbetweeners films - When these first came out I remember sitting in the cinema being unable to breathe because I was laughing too much.

-Hot Fuzz - Just a classic. Every line is either a well written joke, some foreshadowing or something that will be called back later. Not a moment is wasted and I love the excessive amount of gore.

-Shaun of the Dead - Probably the film I've rewatched the most. Not quite as well paced as Hot Fuzz but it's so funny and it has that really British feel to it.

-Cabin in the Woods - Similar to the Cornetto films the amount of foreshadowing in this is unreal, every time I watch it I see a new detail. Plus the elevator scene is so horrifying yet silly at the same time.

I've seen them both really recently so it's hard to compare to my top 5 but Hereditary and Calibre are excellent films. Both of them I sat through completely still with my arse clenched up.
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
^Cabin in the Woods. :) :)
Great film that - another one that appeals to my inner Joss Whedon fan.
Good call, man!
 

Youngster Joey

Strata Poster
In no particular order here's the first 10 movies i love that spring to mind:

The Shawshank Redemption
Blazzing Saddles
Singing in the Rain
The Princess Bride
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Toy Story 3
The Incredibles
Ocean's Eleven (the 2001 version)
Rush Hour
Spirited Away
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
There are probably more recent films that deserve to be here, but I very rarely rewatch stuff these days, so my favourites will mostly be stuff I've liked for years and that I would've watched over and over when I was younger. In no particular order, except maybe the top 3.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Just a brilliant, brilliant film, despite being flawed in how ridiculous it is. Bette Davis as Baby Jane gives one of the best performances ever put on screen. My absolute all-time favourite film.

All About Eve

Sorry, but this is one which always appears in pretentious "best" lists, but it's fully deserved. It's just so well-written and acted, but manages to be very entertaining as well as being technically "good".

Sunset Boulevard

Yeah, the top three have all got quite a bit in common: camp classics with aging actresses as main characters. This one is particularly cruel though. Again, technically great while being massively entertaining.

Mommie Dearest

See the profile picture and signature. Trash. Complete and utter histrionic trash. It's amazing!

The Wizard of Oz

Probably the film I rewatched most as a kid. Scary to think that it's almost 80 years old, but it still really holds up well.

Jurassic Park

The original one. Obviously. None of the others have come close. I just remember seeing it in the cinema and being completely wowed by the whole spectacle of it, but it still managed to have a decent story and didn't rely purely on CGI smashy smashy like the follow ups mostly have.

Candyman

Admittedly, it's been a very long time since I've watched it, so not sure how it would hold up now, but whenever anyone asks for favourite horror films, this pops into my head straight away. I remember it being genuinely creepy, and the Philip Glass soundtrack is fab.

Mean Girls

Not much to say on this one other than it's just brilliantly funny.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

It's just so, so bloody clever, especially the parody aspect when it comes to the music.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Because of Marilyn and fabulous Jane Russel.
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
Mommie Dearest
See the profile picture and signature. Trash. Complete and utter histrionic trash. It's amazing!

And there was me thinking your profile picture was just you and your bestie on a Saturday night out!
I consider myself enlightened. ;)
 

DelPiero

Strata Poster
The Crow - I love this film, great acting, cheesy acting, dark and disgusting, witty, violent, emotional. Won't be on many peoples list but my god I could watch this anytime.
Dark Knight - I love all three of the re-makes, but this one is the best. A well casted Batman with the perfect Joker makes me so happy. I haven't watched this for a while actually. Will be going on tonight!
Human Traffic - Similar to Smithy, this one coincided with my raving days and absolutely typified my life back then, pretty sure I knew every line to this film at some point.
Die Hard - My fave Christmas movie, with one of my fave actors, RIP Alan.
Jurassic Park - The original, and one of the first films I remember seeing with my Dad, totally in awe of this at the time.
The Rock - Yeah, It's **** really but I'll happily stick this on and watch Nic cage deactivate VX rockets!!
Wayne's World - My sister and I spent an entire rainy weekend just watching this when we were kids and it's totally ingrained in me now.
Cabin in the Woods - Yeah, one of my fave horrors as it's just so different.
Ong Bak - I don't really get on with Martial Arts films but this one I do, some of Tony's skills are incredible
Starship Troopers - can't lie, love this film. Poor Diz :(
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
^As much as it grieves me to say this Delly P, that's actually a fairly respectable list.
I was hoping for some real turds. ;)
 

FarleyFlavors

Mega Poster
You gotta have a James Cameron movie in your top 10, right? It's written in geek law [...] Geek law again - you gotta have a Spielberg in there.
Not round this film geek's neck of the woods you don't. Cameron is a journeyman director whose films are hugely popular for some unfathomable reason. Titanic and Avatar are both awful. Spielberg is easily a better director but I find it difficult to get really excited by his films.

Geek law in my book means you've got to have at least one Kubrick, one Lynch, one Scorsese and one Woody Allen. And at least one by Charlie Kaufman - the greatest living screenwriter.

In no particular order:

2001: A Space Odyssey
At a minimum in 70mm and preferably in Cinerama. It's a slow, unwatchable snoozefest on television. On the big screen, it still gives me goosebumps.
Eraserhead
Utterly bonkers. Lynch never made anything quite as mad again, although Lost Highway and Inland Empire came close.
Goodfellas
Yeah, I know - a predictable choice. The Godfather films are terrific too but they don't have half the sheer energy of this.
Love and Death
Tough call between this, Bananas and Sleeper.
Fight Club
Every time I watch this I sit there with a stupid fat grin on my face. Probably the finest black comedy ever made.
Adaptation
Every Kaufman movie is an absolute treat but this just pips the rest for cleverness.
Inside Out
My vote for the finest animated movie ever made. Visually gorgeous and at turns heartbreaking and hilarious.
In Bruges
My vote for the finest screenplay ever filmed. It's a shame the direction is a bit flat - if Martin McDonagh had allowed someone else do the job, I'm convinced this would have been more popular.
Get Shorty
Movie perfection. The cast, the direction, the script, the cinematography and the music are all top notch. One of those films I don't think I'll ever tire of.
The Sting
See above.

Bubbling under: There Will be Blood, Brazil, Touch of Evil, Some Like it Hot, Chinatown, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Big Lebowski, The Stunt Man, This is Spinal Tap.
 

Jamesss

Hyper Poster
It is so tempting to throw in a few film-buff type movies to be all pretentious but when it comes down to it my honest top 10 is actually kind of basic....

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Jurassic Park
Jaws
The Sixth Sense
The Shawshank Redemption
The Silence Of The Lambs
The Dark Knight
Ratatouille
Harry Potter - can't pick one... can I say the series as a whole??
 

tomahawk

Strata Poster
My list is **** but **** it. Not in any real order, but these are the movies I enjoy watching the most.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - you mean to tell me a goofy guy can bag both Mila Kunis AND Kristen Bell? Plus Paul Rudd being himself. Sign me up.
Billy Madison - Childhood favorite, watched every year before the first day of school.
Caddyshack - It's in the hole!
Happy Gilmore - Remember when Sandler made quality?
The Departed - So ****ing good
Dark Knight - Because I'm basic
Super Troopers - Still never seen it high
Mean Girls (guilty pleasure...sue me)
Winter Soldier (one of few marvels that good in general, not just as a comic book movie)
Zombieland - Emma Stone is a goddess

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
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