Favorite Films of All Time, Version 2.0
An updated list of my all-time favorite films. Since I am in constant disagreement with myself as to the exact order of this list, I have reorganized it by highest IMDb rating first.
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- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.I didn't actually see The Shawshank Redemption until I was at least halfway through college. How such a film managed to evade me for so many years remains a mystery, but I was eventually fortunate enough to stumble into it during one of TNT's semimonthly airings. It completely rocked my world. Today, it is my favorite film of all time.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.Ah, Schindler's List. A somewhat slow-moving and moderately overrated film to be sure, but still one of the best and the only true masterpiece Steven Spielberg would ever direct. Like most people, I fell victim to one of the final scenes when Schindler speaks about everything else he could have done to save even one more Jew. If that scene doesn't make you cry, you have a heart of stone. It feels as if the entire film builds up to that one scene and, ultimately, the wait is well worth it because the rest of the film is quite excellent as well.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.I popped my brother's Fight Club DVD in so many years ago out of utter boredom. I was in the mood for a mindless flick, but that's not what I got; instead, I got one of the most thought-provoking films I was ever to see. It had only three downsides: (1) too much Brad Pitt without a shirt on, (2) massively popular movies like this one usually suck, and (3) its appeal has decreased as I've grown older. While not quite as mindblowing as when I first saw it in my early teens, Fight Club is still one of the coolest flicks out there.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsJack NicholsonLouise FletcherMichael BerrymanIn the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a great movie with a great thesis and great performances, but I dare say it is a little overrated. I still love it, but I personally don't watch it on a frequent basis because there's just so much blinding whiteness that I almost feel like I'm in the hospital myself.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.I can never quite decide what Akira Kurosawa's greatest film is, but it's usually a struggle between Seven Samurai and 1985's Ran. Seven Samurai has more raw entertainment value while Ran has a deeper, more thought-provoking thesis and eye-popping visuals. Ran ultimately wins due to the performance of its star, Tatsuya Nakadai, whom I believe to be the finest Japanese actor of all time. Seven Samurai is remarkable as my introduction to the films of Akira Kurosawa, an introduction to non-animated Japanese cinema, and an introduction to the jidaigeki. It takes awhile to get used to the different style of acting than American might be accustomed to, but, once you get past that, you're in for one of the most delectable treats cinema has to offer in this legendary film.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMorgan FreemanBrad PittKevin SpaceyTwo detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.I first saw Se7en probably around the time I was fourteen or fifteen years old. The performances were good, the story was great, but I think what most impacted me was the meticulous attention of detail in every last frame of the film. Visually, the film is stunning and its opening title sequence remains the best I've ever seen. After Fight Club (1999) lost a bit of its charm for me, Se7en came to replace it as my favorite David Fincher film, but, long before that, it was already my favorite serial killer film.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.Spirited Away has a much broader appeal than Princess Mononoke, which served as my introduction to the films of Hayao Miyazaki; in fact, Spirited Away is a film I can honestly claim to have introduced to dozens upon dozens of people. The first was my mother, who, at the end, proclaimed that she couldn't believe a "cartoon" could be so good. Then there was the wife, who was similarly blown away. After that, I used the film to reward students after a big test when I was teaching English in Vietnam (of course, I played it with English audio). Not one student was not completely glued to the screen for its duration. Understandable, seeing as how Spirited Away is both my favorite Japanese film of all time and my favorite animated film of all time.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.I first saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day in the early '90s. I recall watching it with my father before my parents divorced, narrowing down my age to at least under eight years old. At the time, I thought it was awesome, but then I didn't see it again for all my teens and my dislike for both James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger made me hesitant to revisit this one just recently, but I was glad I did, finding in it one of the greatest action and science fiction films ever. Even in the extended cut, there's not a scene that drags on too long and the film never really slows down. I dare you to find another film that can keep its pace as well as Terminator 2. Make sure you get the Skynet edition if you get this on Blu-ray.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.While I remain convinced that the rest of the quadrilogy sucks, the first Alien film, though essentially a slasher film in space, is brilliant above all for its amazing art direction. The level of detail is astonishing. The premise, too, is quite intriguing and ultimately makes for my favorite slasher film.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsAdrien BrodyThomas KretschmannFrank FinlayDuring WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.This one I actually saw in the theater. The Pianist, for me, was another one of those films that required some time to digest and perhaps a second viewing to fully appreciate. I'm always hesitant to call any Holocaust- or World War II-themed film a masterpiece because there's a tendency among people to declare anything a masterpiece so long as it deals with a serious subject like genocide. I call it the Schindler's List Effect. The Pianist, however, is genuinely an excellent film that handles its theme responsibly, although it is a smidgen on the overrated side, not doubt due to a mild Schindler's List Effect.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.It's doubtful that any other film has had as strong an impact on my life as a whole than The Shining. This is because I was allowed to see it at an extremely young age, young enough not to recall how young I was. At that age, it terrified me, terrified me to the very marrow of my bones, and quite frankly left me traumatized. I wouldn't get anywhere near a bathtub for the majority of my childhood. Any film capable of doing that to a person must be pretty good, right? Right. Today, I still break into a cold sweat when I watch it. It is my favorite Stanley Kubrick film and my favorite horror film; indeed, it is the one and only film I actually find to be "scary."
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira IshihamaShima IwashitaWhen a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.Believe it or not, my favorite non-anime Japanese film is not an Akira Kurosawa, it's a Masaki Kobayashi. If you're one of those insecure self-proclaimed "adults" who don't consider animated films to be real films, then I suppose you'd consider Harakiri my favorite Japanese film. Simply put, Harakiri is the most scathing indictment of Bushido ever put to film, which contrast starkly with traditional jidaigeki that glorify the samurai. Especially upon my second viewing, I was deeply moved by Harakiri. It is my all-time favorite jidaigeki.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.Rashomon is one of those simple films that feels a bit like a play and I'm a sucker for those. In my collection, Rashomon is remarkable as the oldest film and, as a film, it's remarkable as having singlehandedly introduced Japanese cinema—and, by extension, Asian cinema—to the world when it won the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival. In every way, it is a film without visible or audible flaw and among Akira Kurosawa's finest works.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaOn a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.Princess Mononoke might be a bit slow moving for younger audiences and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this film wasn't really made for younger audiences, this time targeting more mature audiences. It was my introduction to Hayao Miyazaki and probably the best blind buy I've ever made, as this was in the days before the BitTorrent protocol really took off. It's a wonderful story with wonderful animation, but the most striking aspect of all is Joe Hisaishi's magical score, easily ranking among the top three film scores of all time.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.It was the summer of 2007 or 2008 when I saw my first Korean film and it served to pique my interest in South Korean cinema. For anyone interested in getting into Korean cinema, Oldboy is unavoidable. It's probably the most popular Korean film of all among Western audiences. The first time I saw it, I was immediately in love with the first half of the film, but the second act took some time to digest before I could watch the film again and at last declare it a masterpiece of the highest order. Of particular note is the awe-inspiring performance by Choi Min-sik as Oh Dae-su and the excellent score by Choi Seung-hyun. Oldboy is my favorite Park Chan-wook film and my favorite Korean film, but it's definitely not a film for everyone.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneEijirô TônoTatsuya NakadaiA crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.While still among his top ten, I've always found Yojimbo to be Akira Kurosawa's most overrated works. Most people tend to rank it just below Seven Samurai (1954), but I find it to be surpassed by Ran (1985), Ikiru (1952), Dersu Uzala (1975), Rashomon (1950), Red Beard (1965), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957), and Kagemusha (1980) as well. On my list, Yojimbo ranks just above Sanjuro (1962) and Dreams (1990) and just below Kagemusha; yet, Kurosawa was a maker of many masterpieces and Yojimbo remains among them. A bad Kurosawa film (and Yojimbo is, in fact, great) is, by an average director's standards, a masterpiece.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTakashi ShimuraNobuo KanekoShin'ichi HimoriA bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.Akira Kurosawa was known, above all, for his jidaigeki, so his films in a more modern setting are somewhat neglected, some more than others. Ikiru, however, still receives a fair amount of attention, as it should. It is one of the most pensive and thought-provoking films ever made in addition to being one of the most moving. The famous swing scene depicting Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) singing to himself in the snowy park just before his death leaves me bawling like a baby every time and, even thinking about it, I find my eyes grow damp. This is a film with the power to change lives. Its very title, like another film on my list, means "to live," and, if you have not seen it, you have not lived.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.This is probably the slowest-moving film on this list, so I do not watch it frequently, but I believe it to be the first great science fiction film. You just have to be in the right mood to enjoy it to its full potential. 2001: A Space Odyssey is only slightly overrated.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.As the only Akira Kurosawa work that, in my view, surpasses Seven Samurai, Ran is a juggernaut of a film with a powerful thesis. Ran was Akira Kurosawa's highest budgeted film and it shows. The most expensive scene, depicting the battle at the Third Castle which ultimately burns down as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji, expertly played by Tatsuya Nakadai, stumbles out in a daze, is my all-time favorite scene in any Kurosawa film. Fitting that such a grand scene should take place in what I believe to be Kurosawa's greatest film. Avoid the Blu-ray release and stick with Criterion's DVD, which has gone out of print.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsMaksim MunzukYuriy SolominMikhail BychkovThe Russian army sends an explorer on an expedition to the snowy Siberian wilderness where he makes friends with a seasoned local hunter.After his failed suicide attempt, Akira Kurosawa accepted a project in Siberia to make a Russian-language film. Dersu Uzala is a Soviet-Japanese coproduction about the friendship between two men from vastly different backgrounds. Nineteen years before The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Dersu Uzala brought male friendship to the big screen and, like The Shawshank Redemption, the film is a deeply moving experience. Probably Akira Kurosawa's most underrated film.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneYûzô KayamaTsutomu YamazakiIn 19th-century Japan, a rough-tempered yet charitable town doctor trains a young intern.Red Beard is probably Akira Kurosawa's second most underrated film after Dersu Uzala. What I love about it is the growth of Yuzo Kayama's character. I'm a sucker for growing characters and few films show as much growth as we witness in Yuzo Kyama's character. This is one of Kurosawa's most emotional films.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMinoru ChiakiIsuzu YamadaA war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.Throne of Blood is one of those rock-solid Kurosawa films that you probably wouldn't recommend as an introduction to Kurosawa but which are virtually impossible to find flaw with. My only complaint is there is an abnormal amount of shouting.
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsGong LiJingwu MaSaifei HeChina in the 1920s. After her father's death, Songlian is forced to marry the wealthy Master Chen. With three wives already, each living in a separate house, there is fierce competition for his attention and the privileges that are gained.Like Rashomon (1950), Raise the Red Lantern has the simplicity of a play that I so dig in many foreign films. Raise the Red Lantern was Zhang Yimou's first truly great film and overrated only in the respect that people tend to rate it more highly than Zhang Yimou's superior 1994 film, To Live. Films like Raise the Red Lantern show that, contrary to Hollywood's thinking, you don't need multimillion-dollar budgets to make a great film. Why this one was banned in China remains as baffling to me today as it was when first I saw Raise the Red Lantern. It was a blind buy birthday gift from someone who knew how much I loved 1994's To Live.
- DirectorDean DeBloisChris SandersStarsJay BaruchelGerard ButlerChristopher Mintz-PlasseA hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.I see How to Train You Dragon as the only three-dimensionally computer-animated film that has been able to compete with Pixar's finest, such as 2007's Ratatouille. The artwork is brilliant and the story is genuinely touching, although I feel a bit too much effort was put into making Toothless look cute. This film really blew me away and it blew my students away when I showed it to them whilst teaching English in Vietnam.
- DirectorAndrew StantonLee UnkrichStarsAlbert BrooksEllen DeGeneresAlexander GouldAfter his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.The only problem with Finding Nemo is it's not going to be available on Blu-ray until December 2012 and anyone who has seen a Pixar film on Blu-ray knows how amazing they look. Finding Nemo is my second favorite Pixar film after 2007's Ratatouille but falls behind DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon (2010).