My favourite films
by mrmjb1 | created - 11 Sep 2014 | updated - 07 Mar 2018 | PublicThese are usually the films I'll mention when asked, save for one or two.
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1. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 822,762 | Gross: $32.87M
Seminal science fiction. In atmosphere, story and special effects Blade Runner really does have it all. Several decades years later Scott's masterpiece is still influencing modern sci-fi with its expert use of a rain-soaked futuristic noir tale kept from branching out on a tangent and thus losing its key focus - a simple plot that explores what it is to be human. Existential themes are given welcome musical support from Vangelis in one of the great scores. An obvious understanding of what they were doing was not only a huge tribute to Dick's original story, it served as the basis for many to replicate it in the years since Deckard first had that steaming pot of noodles on a dark, wet LA evening.
2. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During 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.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 848,794 | Gross: $10.06M
Like any film should do, Spirited Away tells a wonderful and exciting story that caters for all those watching. Similar to Toy Story in that it's accessible to all ages for different reasons and without being overly sentimental or pretentious. For me it's all about the innocence of childhood and the yearning for adventure that we all had. It being entirely free of the sadly now standard heaps of CGI is a refreshing experience too, Miyazaki is a champion for what he does and Ghibli thoroughly deserved their Oscar for this.
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean
Votes: 2,006,159 | Gross: $315.54M
An epic in the truest meaning. The sense of wonder and intrigue into Tolkien's world was brought to the big screen so lovingly by Jackson that a whole new generation was introduced to one of the most incredible stories. Essentially a road movie about an innocent man out of his depth in a world capable of crushing him at any moment, yet blessed - or indeed cursed - with a ring that gives him such power that it essentially elevates him to the highest position in the land, Fellowship is all about friendship and resisting the lures of evil. Such wonderful supporting characters and another absolutely fine musical score come together to treat us to 3 hours of pure, magical escapism.
4. Sin City (2005)
R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller
An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba
Votes: 793,626 | Gross: $74.10M
Maybe the first great comic book film of the 21st century. The characters are desperate, turning to extreme measures to save loved ones and solve their mysteries. The dialogue is sleek and delivered with menace, dripping with a cool jet black humour that tempts out the teenager in all of us. Visually it's unique. Predominantly black and white with splashes of colour that jump out like a glint of light hitting the gloomy canvas. You want to mock it and roll your eyes at the obvious casting (Rourke the psychotic vigilante, Alba the gorgeous damsel in distress, Willis the grunting hard boiled cop, I could go on) but you remember there's a reason they're involved. It's violent, sexy, misogynistic and hugely shallow perhaps, but Sin City is a genuinely superb ride that reminds you why you love cinema.
5. Martyrs (2008)
R | 99 min | Horror
A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
Director: Pascal Laugier | Stars: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin, Robert Toupin
Votes: 106,347
Personally I prefer horror films to deal with situations that actually are horrifying and difficult to watch. Martyrs is exceptionally hard to experience as the leads are so convincing you will feel you are there with them trying to survive their ordeal, willing them on with your armchair support and feeling their every bout of abuse. It's disgusting and ultimately massively depressing but it will leave you with thoughts that linger long afterwards...if you don't turn off before it can ask such upsetting questions.
6. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
G | 86 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi
Votes: 379,975 | Gross: $1.11M
Totoro is one of the nicest films ever made. It's full of youthful innocence and humour, it doesn't contain anything remotely 'adult' and leaves you feeling content and safe. As a film that is essentially for children, it hints at the sadness of a loss of anyone's childhood, the fear of the loss of a parent and impending adolescence. It's not sad however, the film contains so much fun and happiness you probably won't stop to think about the deeper issues it explores until after it.
7. Watchmen (2009)
R | 162 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
In a version of 1985 where superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach on the trail of a conspiracy that will change the course of history.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman
Votes: 582,295 | Gross: $107.51M
8. Stalker (1979)
Not Rated | 162 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Alisa Freyndlikh, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Nikolay Grinko
Votes: 144,677 | Gross: $0.23M
9. Timecrimes (2007)
R | 92 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
Director: Nacho Vigalondo | Stars: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga, Nacho Vigalondo
Votes: 68,751 | Gross: $0.04M
10. Elf (2003)
PG | 97 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Raised as an oversized elf, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs, who doesn't know he exists and is in desperate need of some Christmas spirit.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel
Votes: 310,730 | Gross: $173.40M
11. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
R | 169 min | Drama, War
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
Votes: 1,495,796 | Gross: $216.54M
12. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,869,327 | Gross: $534.86M
13. The Proposition (2005)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Western
A lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Richard Wilson
Votes: 54,977 | Gross: $1.90M
14. Toy Story 2 (1999)
G | 92 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.
Directors: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer
Votes: 619,434 | Gross: $245.85M
15. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Votes: 2,218,877 | Gross: $107.93M
16. No Country for Old Men (2007)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Votes: 1,059,610 | Gross: $74.28M
17. The Edukators (2004)
R | 127 min | Drama, Romance
Three activists cobble together a kidnapping plot after they encounter a businessman in his home.
Director: Hans Weingartner | Stars: Daniel Brühl, Julia Jentsch, Stipe Erceg, Burghart Klaußner
Votes: 32,374 | Gross: $0.18M
18. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
R | 121 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Ranch foreman Pete Perkins looks to fulfill the promise to his recently deceased best friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico.
Director: Tommy Lee Jones | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones
Votes: 41,877 | Gross: $5.02M
19. Philadelphia (1993)
PG-13 | 125 min | Drama
When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman
Votes: 257,985 | Gross: $77.32M
20. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
R | 120 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Salvador Allende
Votes: 148,712 | Gross: $21.58M
21. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 949,942 | Gross: $78.90M
All the members of the Alien anthology are very different. The first one was horror. Whilst the seldom seen xenomorph is clearly terrifying, the true villain in Alien is space itself. Never has a film's tagline been so stunningly accurate. Utterly nail-biting tension very rarely achieved in the modern day (an atmosphere so intense it led to a video game based purely on it) and an inspirational role model of a female protagonist that went against the 70s/80s male standard for heroes. The classic chest bursting scene is an example of why, with the right make up, actors and a large helping of patience you can achieve moments that will not date or descend into farce. The cat survives too, which is nice.
22. Anything for Her (2008)
96 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
With no legal means left to him, a high school teacher devises a daring plan to rescue his wrongfully imprisoned wife from jail.
Director: Fred Cavayé | Stars: Vincent Lindon, Diane Kruger, Lancelot Roch, Olivier Marchal
Votes: 9,768
23. The Intouchables (2011)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama
After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.
Directors: Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano | Stars: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot
Votes: 928,915 | Gross: $13.18M
24. Tell No One (2006)
Not Rated | 131 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An accidental discovery near a doctor's estate stirs up some painful memories eight years after his wife's hideous murder, and now, things are bound to take a turn for the unexpected. Does the good doctor know more than he's letting on?
Director: Guillaume Canet | Stars: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 57,970 | Gross: $6.18M
25. Cloud Atlas (2012)
R | 172 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.
Directors: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 374,317 | Gross: $27.11M
26. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
G | 103 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Votes: 165,379
27. GoldenEye (1995)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Years after a friend and fellow 00 agent is killed on a joint mission, a secret space based weapons program known as "GoldenEye" is stolen. James Bond is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using the weapon.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen
Votes: 270,167 | Gross: $106.60M
28. Coherence (2013)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Strange things begin to happen when a group of friends gather for a dinner party on an evening when a comet is passing overhead.
Director: James Ward Byrkit | Stars: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Elizabeth Gracen
Votes: 145,817 | Gross: $0.07M
Every once in a while I hear of a film, usually independently made, that warrants a watch because it's influenced by other, more famous movies and might be worth a watch. More often than not these films are not so great at all. Coherence takes that trend and blasts it into another dimension. A budget of seemingly nothing and a virtually unknown skeleton crew acting out a script that was written and given to them on a day to day basis really makes you wonder how so many multi-million pound productions are so woeful. This is a film where you can tell they used every second and cent they had to tell a remarkably complicated story in an equally astonishingly simple way.
29. Another Earth (2011)
PG-13 | 92 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident.
Director: Mike Cahill | Stars: Brit Marling, William Mapother, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, DJ Flava
Votes: 99,989 | Gross: $1.32M
30. Synchronicity (IV) (2015)
R | 101 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A physicist who invents a time machine must travel back to the past to uncover the truth about his creation and the woman who is trying to steal it.
Director: Jacob Gentry | Stars: Chad McKnight, Brianne Davis, AJ Bowen, Scott Poythress
Votes: 11,326 | Gross: $0.00M
31. Take Shelter (2011)
R | 120 min | Drama, Thriller
Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.
Director: Jeff Nichols | Stars: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Tova Stewart
Votes: 108,042 | Gross: $1.73M
32. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,256,737 | Gross: $46.84M
33. Cube (1997)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.
Director: Vincenzo Natali | Stars: Nicole de Boer, Maurice Dean Wint, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller
Votes: 247,557 | Gross: $0.50M
34. Mulholland Drive (2001)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 383,652 | Gross: $7.22M
35. Contact (1997)
PG | 150 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Votes: 293,001 | Gross: $100.92M
36. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After 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.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 719,157 | Gross: $56.95M
37. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
R | 99 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody
Votes: 886,161 | Gross: $59.10M
Kooky, zany stories with kooky, zany performances may not be to everyone's liking but to shun this film because of its director's reputation, its poster or its title is a mistake. It's an utter joy from start to finish as we're told an elaborate, hilarious tale set in a serious period. Bizarre angles, strange accents and surprisingly violent set pieces that wouldn't look out of place in the loudest, angriest Vin Diesel film. A charming central turn from a first time actor motoring the story with doe-eyed looks questioning clearly exaggerated details from older, wiser characters gives us a relatable hero and a fine young star. If you catch TGBH even twenty minutes in, you'll soon be shocking yourself another ninety later when you see you've been glued to the rest.
38. Ex Machina (2014)
R | 108 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
Director: Alex Garland | Stars: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
Votes: 588,748 | Gross: $25.44M
39. Enemy (2013)
R | 91 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini
Votes: 215,069 | Gross: $1.01M
40. Sicario (2015)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal
Votes: 476,381 | Gross: $46.89M
41. Prisoners (2013)
R | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo
Votes: 808,972 | Gross: $61.00M
42. Midnight Special (2016)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.
Director: Jeff Nichols | Stars: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver
Votes: 84,011 | Gross: $3.71M
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