Favorite Films

[Spark Of Spirit]

Top 25 Comedies (not counting stuff already on my horror comedy list):

25. Shaun of the Dead
24. The Pink Panther (original)
23. School of Rock
22. My Cousin Vinny
21. Army of Darkness
20. Airplane!
19. A Shot in the Dark
18. Police Story
17. Monsters, Inc.
16. Monty Python's Life of Brian
15. Ghostbusters
14. Futurama: Bender's Big Score
13. Shaolin Soccer
12. God of Cookery
11. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
10. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
9. Kung Fu Hustle
8. 21 Jump Street
7. Silver Streak
6. Groundhog Day
5. The World's End
4. Little Miss Sunshine
3. Hot Fuzz
2. The Return of the Pink Panther
1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

I extended my list. There's just too many great comedies for me.

I just noticed this.

No Big Trouble in Little China?

It's been so long since I've last seen that movie. It's due for a re-watch some time.

That said, those top 10 make me laugh out loud on a consistent basis. BTILC is an excellent film, but I tend to think of it more as a fun adventure film with great humor than as a straight-up laugh out loud comedy from beginning to end.

Ah, I could see that. The movie is just so funny that I often forget it isn't a pure comedy.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Good list, CX.

For Q, I recomnend Quiz show, and for U, The Untouchables is one of my favorite movies.

Also, you picked a lot of my runner-ups for other letters, like An American Werewolf in London and The Thing.

On another note, I changed my letter L entry to Little Miss Sunshine. I can't believe that I forgot that one.

....And letter E to Ed Wood. Man am I off today.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Thanks, E-K. I'll look into those films whenever I get the chance to. 

[gunswordfist]

i'll give it a try.
A: Alien or A Better Tomorrow
B: Big Trouble In Little China
C: Collateral
D: Drunken Master 1 and 2
E: Evil Dead
F: Fist Of Legend
G: Goldeneye
H: Hard-Boiled
I: In The Line Of Duty IV
J: John Carpenter's The Thing
K: Kill Bill
L: LOTR Trilogy
M: Magnificent Warriors
N:
O: Once Upon A Time In China
P: Police Story
Q
R: Rush Hour 1 and 2
S: Shaolin Soccer
T: Terminator 2
U: Undisputed II
V:...V For Vendetta?
W: Wonder Woman
X: X-Men
Y: Yojimbo
Z:...Zombieland? I need to finish it, though

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I updated the list that I made a while back of my favorite films from each year since I was born.

I bolded my choices for the years where I changed my mind on my favorite, and also included picks for both 2013 and 2014 (though, those are also still subject to change).

1989: The Killer
1990: Goodfellas
1991: The Terminator 2: Judgement Day
1992: Unforgiven
1993: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
1994: Ed Wood
1995: Casino
1996: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1997: Donnie Brasco
1998: Pleasantville
1999: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
2000: Battle Royale
2001: Training Day
2002: Insomnia
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004: Collateral
2005: Serenity
2006: Little Miss Sunshine
2007: The Lookout
2008: The Wrestler
2009: Summer Wars
2010: Toy Story 3
2011: Headhunters
2012: Argo
2013: The World's End
2014: The Babadook

[Avaitor]

I'm going to try something new- a scorecard for every 2015 release that I see. I'll include Paddington when I get to it, even though I believe that's technically a 2014 film. But I'll just update this post at my own pace-

Avengers: Age of Ultron- B+. In enough rights, this is a superior outing to the first. Whedon has improved his action direction skills (some unnecessary use of shaky cam aside), as he's also getting better at giving his characters equal attention. Ultron is also easily among the most exciting MCU villains to date, being an entertaining nuisance with the right commanding demeanor that the film needs. This does feel a little rushed and in some areas underdeveloped, though, and there are also moments when it doesn't seem like Whedon is having much fun making the thing, as evident by his own words. That's why I can't personally rank it among the first, as flawed as that is, but this is hardly the trainwreck that certain critics want you to think it is.
Mad Max: Fury Road- A. A glorious marriage of practical and technical effects, this is everything you could ask for in an action movie and more. Great characters that drive the story, rather than being driven by it. Nonstop action sequences that never tire and only continue to impress, not irritate, as they go along. Glorious shots of Australian wastelands that keep the film's atmosphere as tight as needed. And little need for obnoxious exposition to get the film's point across. Just pay attention to what is being shared on the screen, verbally and visually, and you're good. The only thing preventing me from giving this the plus is that I only have The Road Warrior and one viewing to compare it to. Once I get to the original trilogy in full, and maybe a rewatch, I'll come back and potentially adjust my score.
Paddington- B+. I won't lie, this has a lot of the typical family movie tropes you'd expect at this point- conflicting but loving parents, an awkward teenager, a younger child who just wants to explore their passion and have their family get along, a cooky villain, a little potty humor and a lot of pratfalls to make it all go around. What makes the movie work is the feeling of love present. The family feels real, despite their cliches, and Paddington is lovable throughout it all. And thankfully the teenager isn't as bad as your average Disney Channel brat, which is always nice. This is just a good, enjoyable family film, definitely modern enough for today's kids, but with a teeny bit of that classic charm that made Disney's older live-action films pop. I'd recommend it if you're into that thing at all.
Inside Out- A-. Whether or not you think that they've lost their touch, it's hard to deny that this is Pixar's best film since Toy Story 3. It's a wholly original idea fully brought to life by a strong cast, as each of the five emotions are fantastic at their job. Riley's general lack of personality even works for the benefit of the movie, since she's meant to be an avatar anyway. If anything holds this back for me, it's the same reason that I'm a little more reserved about Up than most- Pixar's buddy film formula feels a little too worn even now, but it still works more than well enough.
Ant-Man- B.  The Marvel formula is starting to show serious fatigue, particularly its origin films. A smart and conventionally attractive, but flawed enough straight white male is put into a situation where he has to either take a great risk or lose someone he cares about dearly in the process. Add in a promising, but underdeveloped villain and a capable love interest who doesn't have much of an agenda for herself, and there you go. But they're still making it work well enough to make it worth the price of admission, and this really was a smaller-staked change of pace that the franchise needed. Enough of Edgar Wright's general charms are still there, and some fun cameos help to keep it engaging throughout. In terms of a (relatively) small risk heist scheme movie, this is pretty fantastic. And while it took some time for Paul Rudd to fully get comfortable in the role, he has enough charm to pull it off. Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lily are excellent throughout, though.
It Follows- B-. I really wanted to like this film, and in some regards, I did. For one thing, the soundtrack is among the best John Carpenter tributes of them all, a gorgeous mesh that completely compliments the material throughout. On top of that, this is genuinely a well-written film, a couple of awkward passages aside. But the pacing is strong and allows for what turns into some great thrills, including a surprisingly brilliant jump cut. But my problem with the film comes down to the main character- Jay just isn't a very good actress. Her performance comes off as stilted from beginning to end, with only the slightest improvement as it transpires. And considering how she's supposed to anchor the film, that's a pretty big turn-off, and why I can't give the film all of my love. See The Babadook first, and then maybe come to this afterwords.
Beasts of No Nation- A. A sprawling, magnificent epic that is as gorgeous to look at as it is bleak as all hell. Cary Fukunaga proves that he understands the camera for more than just how to frame it well, making for a subtle beast that never lets itself down. Not to mention that it contains some of the best child acting that I've seen. Easily among the finest of the year.
The End of the Tour- C. Meh. Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg do a fantastic job of portraying Wallace and Lipsky, but for someone who is increasingly becoming visually entranced by film, it takes some beautiful dialogue to make such a visually average film work for me. And while the film has its poignant moments, especially as it hints towards Wallace's tragic suicide, it's just not much for me. If you want something a little sad, but with some semblance of humor, maybe you'll like it better than I did, but it's just not something that I plan to go back to.
The Martian- A-. Wow. This film totally lived up to its hype, even though it took me a while to get interested in it. But man, is it funny, and despite its setting and the genre's recent fascination with visuals, is more of a deserving character piece. Everything that Gravity and Interstellar promised, but didn't pull off. And does Matt Damon knock it out of the park! But he isn't even alone, as the rest of the cast is fantastic. In fact, I think that the only reason that I gave it a minus is because Donald Glover didn't get enough screentime. But don't sleep on this one. Please.
99 Homes- C+. The film works best when it lets its intense nature take control, like Nash's eviction, and the intelligently ambiguous ending. The cast is solid, living up to and beyond the script's requirements, but that's about it for things that are above average about the film. It's a mostly flat experience that should resonate for me more, given its environment and the recent increase in foreclosures still stinging today, but there doesn't seem to be a clear consensus on whether Nash and the banks in general were in their rights or not, and its attempts for world and character building are flat. I don't think that this is a total dud, but I don't see it picking up any major nods. And I don't understand why the movie was dedicated to Roger Ebert, either.
Ex Machina- B. A clever modern sci-fi film built on strong performances and a unique idea, but one that I'm strangely distant to. A big part of that comes from the direction, which I don't find to be different or superior to most other films of its kind today. I feel like I've seen this exact aesthetic and framing so many times in just the past few years, that there isn't much else to separate it. And on top of that, the ending comes off as untrue to the movie's beats. It marginally makes sense, but seems to betray its main ideas for a concept that just barely fits. Still, it's a well-made film, just one that I find a little overrated. Also, that dance scene.
Steve Jobs- B-. First of all, am I the only one who was unimpressed with Fassbender as Jobs? He had one tone throughout the entire film, and it's not exactly a distinctive tone. And sadly, I just don't think that there's too much to this one on the whole. I give Sorkin's screenplay a lot of credit, but at the same time, I felt nothing while watching this. There's no reason for this movie to be made, when so much has already been said about Jobs already. The main point seems to be that it's trying to sell how much of an asshole Steve Jobs was, which, yes, okay, but Sorkin already did a better job of doing this with Zuckerberg in The Social Network. He at least felt real, and not like an accessory to the script, which despite some strong acting, including a highlight from Kate Winslet, did not help to make anyone feel real. This is a problem with Sorkin in general, but his best material is able to be lifted from his issues, usually thanks to strong direction. Which makes me wonder how this would have turned out if Fincher stuck around after all, since Boyle's style does not mesh. Overall, meh.
Truth- C. A strong cast and fantastic performances can't elevate tired direction or pedestrian writing, resulting in form that is completely unremarkable in concept and execution. While the film's subject matter is important, everything throws itself at your face to make you evident of it, to the point that it becomes tiresome instantly. There's a reason that the reception for the film is mixed at best.
Love & Mercy- A-. This is how a biopic should be made. Not to say that this is a standard biopic, mind you, but that's why this film resonates. Of course, as a big Beach Boys fan, I'm especially drawn to the subject matter, but even then, it's easy to appreciate John Cusack and Paul Dano's takes on Brian Wilson, each during separate, important parts of his life- Dano playing Wilson's younger self around the peak of his creativity and the start of his paranoid schizophrenic tendencies taking over, and Cusack portraying the musician in the 80's, overly medicated and drowsed to the point of isolation. Both segments give you plenty of insight into what made Wilson who he became after the band's glory days, primarily how the loss of his brother Carl affected him. And then Elizabeth Banks gives a career-best performance as his future wife Melinda, who sees Wilson's charms being hidden away from poor management and sinking depression. It's surprising to say this, since there's no humor in her performance, but Banks has such sincerity and range to the character, that this doesn't detract. The only real weakness of the film, besides the director taking his time to find his style until the last third, is Paul Giamatti's one-note performance, which is apparently reminiscient of his character in Straight Outta Compton. Otherwise, this is a music-based movie that I can safely recommend to people who aren't familiar or interested in the music. Which is a pretty high compliment.
The Good Dinosaur- B-. A lighter, but still pleasant Pixar film, there isn't too much for older audiences to chew on as opposed to some of the studio's best, including their other picture from this year. And you know what, that's okay. Sometimes, Pixar needs to make something that deliberately skews younger, because hey, that's where the bulk of their income comes from, and this is still more enjoyable than their Cars film, and the moral isn't as misguided as Ratatouille's. At the same time, though, make no mistake that this is not upper-tier Pixar. Their buddy comedy formula has seriously started to grow tiresome, and there's little here that you haven't seen before. Even the storytelling beats feel derived from other Disney films. Not to mention that the film's diversions away from its core storytelling elements, such as a hallucination sequence and a western tribute, feel out of place and ultimately confused. I wouldn't recommend seeing this in theaters unless you're a Pixar completionist, or need a babysitter for whatever children you have to watch, but it's at least worth a Redbox if you're at least modestly interested.
Spectre- B. Definitely not up there with Casino Royale or Skyfall, but still loads better than Quantum of Solace. This starts off with one of the best, most vibrant Bond openers of all, and has plenty of great action to keep things going. The thing is, the action and intrigue work, and even the lack of a great plot doesn't hurt the film too much, since 007 films have always had confusing or downright stupid stories. The problem is that Sam Mendes can't seem to decide if he wants to continue with Skyfall's scope and the more modern tone of the Craig age, or to have a throwback of sorts to earlier Bond eras, and this shows in the final product with mixed results. Even Craig seems bored of Bond, as further evidenced by his responses in interviews. The rest of the cast is pretty solid, though, even though Christoph Waltz's character doesn't really do anything.
The Big Short- B+. I was not expecting Adam McKay to make such an inspired and powerful political drama, but here we are. Wow. This is a much better look at the mortgage crisis of 08 than 99 Homes, and even its preachier moments aren't detractions. Add in clever cameos from Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez to explain some of the trickier market share scenarios, and you're bound to have some fun. The amazing thing about this film is that it never ceases to be funny, even as there's a melancholy nature present throughout. McKay makes no qualms in showing you how despicable some of these people, and their schemes are, even when you get the chance to laugh along with these characters. It's all connected into a bleak, but important experience. I'm not giving it a higher score right now, since it feels like it took McKay a while to gel into the film's style, but before long, it all fits. That, and I wish that the use of metal in the soundtrack was better than Metallica, Pantera, and Mastodon, but I guess that fits how douchey Christian Bale's character could be. Regardless of how interested you are in the evils of big business or how we're still reeling from the recession, please give this one a chance.
Tangerine- A-. We actually had a screening of this on campus, but I had to pass that night. At least it came to Netflix shortly after, but if I knew how good this was, I wouldn't have passed. What a hilarious, engrossing film, though. I was hooked the moment it started, and never let go. The verbal and visual language is simply outstanding, allowing for this to be a completely original experience, funny from start to end with just the right touch of tragic and experimental flare to keep it alive. Not to mention how shooting the film entirely via an iPhone app helps to make it look and feel so unique. Definitely worth a watch.
Concussion- C. You can tell that this came from a first-time director, given how dead and quiet the mise en scene is. Everything is framed so perfectly to a point, that there's almost nothing to grab on to, and the lack of a solid script to back the film up is immediately apparent. It's a shame, since this is a strong message, and Will Smith gives one of his best performances in a while, but I felt very little while watching this.
Carol- C+. Man, I was disappointed by how little I enjoyed this, considering the hype it's been getting. And it's funny, I actually came out of this feeling a bit more positive at first, but the more I think about it, the more that it hits me that I just don't care, since it feels like Todd Hayes didn't care. The only character that was given particular attention was Cate Blanchett's Carol, and she's pushed to the side by Rooney Mara, who despite being incredibly game for the role, was given such a flat character with no incentive to receive the romantic attention she obtained. She's basically the kind of girl that doesn't say or do much, but somehow ignites the attention of the bitter, horny nerdy guy. Probably because she doesn't say anything, actually. And while it feels like Blanchett was giving her all, I have to knock some personal points off, since she just doesn't do much for me as an actress. It feels like every line she delivers is the. Most serious thing. Ever. and my patience for that runs thin. Speaking of thin, the score is taken from The Thin Blue Line, and while it worked wonderfully there, here it doesn't mix with the film's tone, being far too distracting for no reason. And Hayes keeps on shooting everything from a window or car screen, which seems cool at first, until he does this with almost every other scene. And then there's the random outburst with Carol's gun, that almost comes out of place. Blah. The script is effective enough, and Mara is great with what little character she's given, but this isn't worth all of the awards it's getting.
The Hateful Eight- A-. This score can go higher or lower at any given moment, honestly, but wow. Whether you're a Tarantino fan or not, this is absolutely worth seeing in 70mm. There's no other experience like this coming any time soon, and he uses the form to great effect. Everything about this movie, from the frozen wasteland of the first third, to the cozy, but increasingly distant haberdashery feels ginormous, and is gorgeously framed. But nearly as good as the film's camera work, is it's score. Ennio Morricone pulls off some of his best work in his career, as a thudding bass line adds its way into the film's underbelly. I really do hope that Morricone taking some of his unused cues from The Thing doesn't effect the score's Oscar eligibility, since it deserves the win. As for the script, there are moments when Tarantino gets a bit too indulgent in his dialogue. The first half is a little more chummy than usual, while the second adds a lot of exposition, however necessary, into the fray. I can see how someone can prefer one half to the other, and while I do enjoy Tarantino's relaxed dialogue enough to prefer the film pre-intermission, I don't think that it ever really drags on, despite running near 3 hours. The help of an excellent cast is proof of that. This might be a little too indulgent, even for Tarantino, which is why I won't drop the minus, but I truly enjoyed just about everything about it, enough to recommend it and to rank this among my favorites of the year.

[Spark Of Spirit]

100 Greatest Movie Lines of All Time

Helps for giving context when you're in one of those awkward moments.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, since I've had the opportunity to see a bunch of 2014 movies, I figured that I'd rank the ones that I've seen so far from my least favorite to my favorite:

27. Neighbors
26. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
25. 22 Jump Street
24. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
23. Interstellar
22. The Theory of Everything
21. Boyhood
20. Nightcrawler
19. American Sniper
18. Godzilla
17. Big Hero 6
16. Birdman
15. Gone Girl
14. The Lego Movie
13. Selma
12. John Wick
11. Life Itself
10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
9. The Imitation Game
8. How To Train Your Dragon 2
7. Guardians of the Galaxy
6. X-Men: Days of Future Past
5. Edge of Tomorrow
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2. Whiplash
1. The Babadook

And yes, I count Snowpiercer as a 2013 film. Overall, though, 2013 was a good year for movies. Only the last five are particularly weak films, IMO, and even then I don't downright hate any of them.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Re-watching Jaws recently got me to realize just how much I love a good monster movie. The best of these are entertaining enough as spectacle, but also have a lot to say about human beings, ironically enough. With Jaws it's more about comradery and has as an optimistic view on people risking their lives to do the right thing (unless we're talking about the novel, in which case all human beings are dicks who only look out for themselves). Godzilla and Jurassic Park are cautionary tales about humans messing with nature. And Gremlins is about how out of hand consumerism can get.

With that said, I wanted to list off some of my personal favorite monster movies so far. That said, I'm excluding Zombie movies, which is its own sub-genre, as well as ghosts and demonic apparitions. Slashers are out as well. As are the Universal monster movie franchise characters. And while I adore movies like Pan's Labyrinth and The Babadook, I consider those to be more psychological films by nature. A monster movie, to me, can be of any given tone from Sci-Fi to grounded in reality with actual animals, but the "monster" itself should be inhuman in nature, and there should be no question that it really exists in that world and is not just a figment of some character's imagination.

Anyways, given that criteria, here are my personal favorites so far:

Honorable Mentions: Pacific Rim (2013/Guillermo Del Toro), Gremlins (1984/Joe Dante)

15. Night of the Creeps (1986/Fred Dekker)
14. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990/Joe Dante)
13. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996/Robert Rodriguez)
12. King Kong (1933/Ernest B. Schoedsack; Merian C. Cooper)
11. Jurassic Park (1993/Steven Spielberg)
10. Tremors (1990/Ron Underwood)
9. Alien (1979/Ridley Scott)
8. The Host (2006/Bong Joon-ho)
7. The Fly (1986/David Cronenberg)
6. Godzilla (1954/Ishir? Honda)
5. Predator (1987/John McTiernan)
4. An American Werewolf in London (1981/John Landis)
3. Jaws (1975/Steven Spielberg)
2. The Thing (1982/John Carpenter)
1. Aliens (1986/James Cameron)

There are still some other classics as well as modern takes on the genre that I need to get around to (like Attack The Block and Slither), but these are among the best that I've seen, ranging from humorous, to action-packed, to tragic, to terrifying. It's a really great and underrated genre, now that I think about it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It's about time that I updated my list a little bit:

50. Kung-Fu Hustle
49. Psycho
48. The Last Samurai
47. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
46. Serenity
45. Scent of a Woman
44. Dances With Wolves
43. Casino
42. Hotel Rwanda
41. The Babadook
40. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
39. Snowpiercer
38. Headhunters
37. The Host
36. 3:10 To Yuma (2007)
35. Letters From Iwo Jima
34. Godzilla (1954)
33. The World's End
32. The Shining
31. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
30. Rear Window
29. Hard-Boiled
28. The Omen
27. The Silence of the Lambs
26. An American Werewolf In London
25. Forrest Gump
24. Predator
23. The Exorcist
22. First Blood
21. Jaws
20. The Godfather
19. Little Miss Sunshine
18. Hot Fuzz
17. Scarface
16. Collateral
15. John Woo's The Killer
14. Unforgiven
13. David Cronenberg's The Fly
12. Dial M For Murder
11. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
10. John Carpenter's The Thing
9. The Dirty Dozen
8. Rain Man
7. Ed Wood
6. Back to the Future
5. Goodfellas
4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
3. Aliens
2. The Untouchables
1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I decided to exclude animation this time to make it less complicated.

[Spark Of Spirit]

No Marvel movies?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Nope. I love superhero movies. But none happen to mean as much to me as my top 50 on this list.

That said, unlike some pretentious ass-holes, I don't look down on the genre at all. I love Captain America and Batman as much as most people. I just love these films more. They are more personal loves for me, if that makes sense.

[Foggle]

I honestly don't know what would go in my top 50 past maybe 25 or so. There'd definitely be some superhero movies in there somewhere, though.

[Dr. Insomniac]

For me, it's always some combination of Silence of the Lambs, Hot Fuzz, Ikiru, Pan's Labyrinth, Ed Wood, M, Oldboy only to space out and be undecided for everything after.

[gunswordfist]

I honestly don't know what would go in my top 50 past maybe 25 or so. There'd definitely be some superhero movies in there somewhere, though.