Over the past few days, Jimmy Bean and Patrick McCoy have released their lists for the top 10 favorite movies of all-time. To read my own addition to these lists as well as our exciting announcement, read more!
In case you missed our previous posts, take a look at Jimmy’s favorites, as well as Pat’s list.
Before getting into my official top 10 list, here are some titles that were (and still are) under serious consideration for inclusion in this exclusive list:
Honorable Mentions: (Alphabetical Order) 28 Days Later, Being John Malkovich, The Fall, Garden State, The Godfather, In Bruges, Inception, In the Bedroom, Memento, Pulp Fiction, and Se7en.
And now, my top 10 favorite films of all-time as of this moment in time:
#10 Brick
I don’t know what’s more impressive, that Brick was Rian Johnson’s first directorial feature, or that Brick was Rian Johnson’s first writing feature. This movie is absolutely dynamite! A stunning entry to my favorite genre, the film noir, which seamlessly weaves together tension, dark humor, a superb script and direction, as well as a fantastic performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Rich with character, style, and originality, Brick is a roller-coaster of mood, dark humor and an extremely intriguing mystery. An absolute must-see, complete with twists and turns that are wonderfully enjoyable.
#9 Casablanca
Casablanca. Need I say more? This film is absolutely stunning and one of the crowning achievements in cinema history. Not only is it chock-full of all our favorite plot structures, full of romance and intrigue, but Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman simply have fantastic chemistry that I could watch all day. When you add arresting visuals and numerous of the most iconic moments in cinema history, Casablanca is simply superb!
In terms of cinema classics, Casablanca is the cream of the crop that truly has it all. A wonderful love story thanks to the tremendous chemistry of the two leads, the relationship and the film never become too familiar or predictable. An absolutely iconic film that demands multiple viewings!
#8 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
It is truly a magical experience when a piece of art can transport you into another mindset or state of being, it is perhaps with this film above all ese that can succeed in this rare feat. Put simply, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has a fascinating premise, coupled with a superb Michel Gondry directing a fantastic and smart script from Charlie Kaufman. What an unbelievable concept, the idea of deleting painful memories of a breakup. The movie avoids any convention, from casting the likes of Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, and Tom Wilkinson, all in roles that are at least somewhat foreign to them, to the stunning visuals which capture the beauty of the human brain better than any other film.
Additionally, the film begins to explore higher concepts and themes which relate to this film. In the forefront of these, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind illustrates the importance and fragility of the human brain and our memories. No matter how hurtful a breakup or experience, they all contribute to creating who we are in the world.
#7 The Lord of the Rings
This expansive, epic trilogy simply demands to be included as a single film. Witnessing the 9 hours and 14 minutes of brilliant storytelling in one sitting is a rare and breathtaking experience that is ultimately unique to the vision Peter Jackson has given to J.R.R Tolkien’s masterpiece I don’t think any filmmaker has every created a more satisfying adaptation, which is at once massively faithful to its source material, while creating a wholly cinematic experience for the moviegoer that can be revisited time and time again.
Every aspect of these films are top-notch, from terrific casting which give life to some our most beloved characters, to unparalleled technical achievements by everyone from Peter Jackson to the team at WETA digital, and one of the most memorable scores in cinema history by Howard Shore. What’s not to love and adore?
#6 El Laberinto Del Fauno
El Laberinto Del Fauno, better known as Pan’s Labyrinth, has been described countless times as a fairytale for adults, the reasoning is that Guillermo Del Toro has painted a portrait of war, pain and sadness but added in new elements of innocence, imagination, and the fantastical to create a rich and stark world.
Set against the harsh, real world background of the Spanish Civil War and its fascist regiem, we wander between terror of the war and the fantastical world that is Pan’s Labyrinth, all through the eyes of the young Ofelia, who is trying to cope with all too real occurrences in her own life. With El Laberinto Del Fauno, Del Toro has fashioned a rich, harsh, unique, and fantastical world which makes the film an absolute magnificent one.
#5 Atonement
Like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I caught this film well after it had hit DVD or Blu-Ray. But when I did, boy was I blown away! So much, in fact, that I saw the the film three times before returning the Netflix copy. I then preceded to by a Blu-Ray copy just a few weeks after that!
I am truly in love with Atonement. Joe Wright is able to capture numerous tones to the film and intertwine them together into a marvelous story of love, loss, and regret. Featuring magnificent performances, particularly from its three leads, James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan, and a magnificent scope which fantastically delivers as a love story and an epic. Finally, as if merely icing on the cake, the film delivers one of the most heart-wrenching, beautiful single-take shots I’ve ever seen executed on film — perhaps rivaled by another film on this list — which transcendes both delicate emotions with technical and visual brilliance.
#4 Un Prophète
Un Prophète (A Prophet) is the most utterly brilliant crime film I’ve ever seen. It’s a harsh and gritty take on The Godfather meets Shawshank Redemption, with a powerful performance from Tahar Rahim, as a muslim man who must survive and fend for himself in the French prison system after attacking a police officer. Director Jacques Audiard has created a complex and complete vision of survival and humanity wrapped into a magnificent story, told through the medium of language and world issues — the film features three different languages prominently — as powerful as can be.
#3 Children of Men
What a monumental achievement this film is. Visionary Alfonso Cuarón has taken the brilliant concept of a world without children and created a world that is simultaneously harsh and tender. Children of Men is brimming with character, style, technical brillance and a story that doesn’t stop. If there were a scene to best Atonement‘s beach scene, it would be the penultimate scene of Childeen of Men that is perfectly indicative of the journey the film puts you through. Not to mention the social commentaries and overtones that power it, Children of Men is an absolutely gorgeous film.
#2 The Third Man
For my second favorite film I’m going to harken all the way back to 1949, and the Carol Reed masterpiece that is The Third Man, as I cannot think of a more fascinating mystery or noir than that of the mysterious “Third Man.” Joseph Cotten is brilliant as Holly Martins, a tourist in post-war Vienna who attempts to figure out the disappearance of his friend Harry Lime, played by the marvelous Orson Welles. This movie is brimming with mystery, intrigue, amazing performances, ideas and story that has captivated my mind to this day. Complete with Oscar-winning cinematography which captures an intoxicatingly surreal black and white take on the mystery and romance of Vienna.
#1 Moon
Here it is, my favorite film of all-time and there’s a decent chance not only have you never seen the thing, but you may not have even heard of it. My number one goes to the recent sci-fi masterpiece Moon. This debut feature from Duncan Jones is the rare thing of beauty that is an understated sci-fi, made on an extremely modest budget of $5 million, the film features one actor for — let’s say — 98% of the film, that is the stellar Sam Rockwell. Accompanied only by a robot named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey), the film follows Sam (Rockwell) as he nears the end of a 3-year stint on the Moon, mining for a natural energy resource called Helium-3 (it really exists!), all by himself.
Taking place almost exclusively within the Moon base, the film captures the psychological and emotional troubles that begin to plague Sam as he deals with the boundaries of reality. Duncan Jones puts his faith solely on the performance of Rockwell, who delivers a (I absolutely never use this phrase) tour-de-force performance, which works on numerous levels and powers the film to new levels that I continue to discover after well over ten views. Moon is an understated powerhouse which challenges both the audience on an emotional and psychological level.
Well there you have it, so ends our series of top 10 movies lists. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as we’ve enjoyed writing them! So now, without any further ado, the exciting announcement we’ve promised you:
It is with great pleasure to announce the launch of Hypable’s official film podcast, Cinema Hype, which will be a regular podcast featuring the latest film news, reviews and analysis from Myself, Jimmy Bean, and Pat McCoy. Our inaugural episode is set to be released very soon, and we’ll have more information for you soon, including all the fun information such as Twitter and iTunes links and the like.
Feel free to comment on your thoughts for what you’d like to see from the show, or if you have your own “Top 10” list to share with us, in the comments!