My Favourite Films Of All Time - Part 2

My Favourite Films Of All Time - Part 2

Hi everyone and welcome to the conclusion of me listing my favourite films of all time. As we go further down the list, from number seventeen to the number one spot, placing certain features is going to be a lot harder than selecting the films that I've already mentioned; since I've purposefully opted for a system that exhibits a wide-range of films and different genre's. What's annoying is that, in a few months or so, this ranking will be probably change...😓NEVERTHELESS, here are my top choices for my favourite films! Enjoy! 😁

17. Saving Private Ryan - Steven Spielberg (1998)

In realistically portraying World War II combat in the most visceral and pragmatic way, especially the sequence depicting the Omaha Beach Landings, there's no reason as to why Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan shouldn't be considered to be one of the most impactful war films to grace cinema history. Of course, what's so intersting about the 'war' genre is the interpretations visually exclaimed by a singular director in their respective film. While someone may be touched by another one of Spielberg's war endeavours in the heart-breaking Schindler's List, there are other war films that visually showcase the extreme battle-horrors of war, as seen in last years Dunkirk. However, upon reflection, it's arguable that Spielberg's 1998 Academy Award winner does both; creating an emotional-edge whilst expressing the harrowing side of war-combat. It's these two factors which are then escalated by the performance of Tom Hanks; who's synonymous in enacting slick and versatile roles. 

16. Gladiator - Ridley Scott (2000)

From modern-warfare to Ancient Rome, Ridley Scott's Gladiator rightfully takes its place in being one of my favourite films simply because it never becomes stale on repeated-watches as it should be. For a lengthy film such as this which pragmatically conveys the bloody-nature of the gladiatorial games of the Roman Empire and delves into the political intrigue of the said civilisation, it never once becomes a bore for me whenever it randomly shows-up on T.V. Similar to how Spielberg found Saving Private Ryan to be one of his hardest film-making feats, it's feasible to consider how Ridley Scott must have found Gladiator to be just as hard to direct and co-ordinate large battling skirmishes to subtle scenes of characters talking and interacting with one another. If anything else, Gladiator showed at the time of its cinematic release that a lengthy historical epic is just more viable and more rewarding as your average action-flick.

15. 28 Days Later - Danny Boyle (2002)

While many cinephiles will have been introduced to Danny Boyle from his earlier efforts in directing Trainspotting and The Beach, my introduction to the said director came in the form of his one most 'underrated' pieces, 28 Days Later; a post-apocalyptic horror film that both terrified and wowed me at the same time. Everything, from the terrifying opening scene of the animal activists being infected by the chimps to the subsequent scene of Cillian Murphy's character wandering around the deserted streets of London, had me hooked and it's incredibly heightened by Boyle's use of the DV cameras; small and manoeuvrable film cameras which metaphorically emphasise the chaos that has happened in the story. It's underestimated how lively and appropriate Boyle's 28 Days Later really is and, having played the games here and there, it feels like you're watching what the Resident Evil game-to-film adaptations should have been...

14. Blade Runner 2049 - Denis Villeneuve (2017)

It's not often that a sequel would turn out to be a better viewing experience than its preceding film. However, considering how much Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 deepens and expands on its predecessors story (in the form of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner), and induces visually sumptuous camera-work and arcane lighting to inspire awe and wonder, it's very much a film that can be considered to be a film-making achievement of its own right. Admittedly, while I didn't grant the aforesaid sci-fi feature as the number one film of last year, I now regret not placing the film in that very spot considering what it does so well. After recently watching the film and listening to Hanz Zimmer's appropriately grandiose musical score and seeing Roger Deakins' illuminating cinematography, it's arguably one of Villeneuve's best films and certainly one of my favourite science-fiction adventures...

13. In Bruges - Martin McDonagh (2008)

Effectively mixing dark-comedy dialogue with generic crime-thriller elements, similar to what Quentin Tarantino seamlessly executes in his plethora of films, Martin McDonagh's In Bruges is oddly endearing in the way it presents its comical charm; through the contrasting relationship that both Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) bicker with one another as though they were father-and-son. Out of most films in this entire list, In Bruges is one of the only select few features that occupies a written language that ultimately feels natural in accordance with each character that plays their part of the story. Whether it's Ralph Fiennes' character taking his anger-out on the phone or Farrell's character explaining the difference between a dwarf and a midget, it's as if McDonagh's film wasn't entirely going off the written-script at times, and was actually happening off-the-cuff...

12. Your Name - Makoto Shinkai (2016)

In kinetically amalgamating an overly-detailed and eye-gasmic animation style with an emotionally satisfying premise that all demographics can be impacted by, it's not wonder why Makoto Shinkai's Your Name went on its way in becoming the second-largest gross for a domestic film in Japan, with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away being the first. What's overly telling in viewing Shinkai's best work is this idea of juxtaposition; how both comedy and tragedy effectively coincide with one another within a premise that see's gender lines blurred. From the attitudes and reactions of the two central characters, in the forms of Taki and Mitsuha, to the distinct differences between city and countryside and the entanglement of the past and present, it's all of these contradictions which all culminate into urban fairy-tale that compelling varies between its natural comical yet melancholic story. As I said in my review of the film, Makoto Shinkai's Your Name is not only one of the best animated films to have been released in 2016, but it stands firmly as one of the most beautiful animations to be released in contemporary times...   

11. The Sixth Sense - M. Night Shyamalan (1999)

Out of the many films that I've chosen to be placed in this list of favourite films, I think it's understandable that many of you might question why I've selected M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense since the said director occupies an infamously diverging filmography filled with features that are great and horrifically, and funnily, bad. While The Sixth Sense has notoriously been meme'd and comically used for comedy-sketch shows ever since its cinematic inception in 1999, there are a lot of reasons to suggest that this supernatural film is one of Shyamalan's best cinematic works to date. Similar to the way I first witnessed Alejandro Amenábar's The Others, I was also creeped out by this film and how it subtly manages to exhibit ghosts in a plain yet oddly nightmarish way. It stands as a film in this list that is well thought-out and made with an intention to make people think...And scare...

10. Terminator 2: Judgement Day - James Cameron (1991)

As highlighted when discussing Blade Runner 2049, it's very rare to find a sequel that ultimately works better than its preceding film. One of the most important factors in making a sequel work to its fullest is establishing a premise that not only retains the better aspects of the previous film, but introduces new contextual ideas that evokes intrigue and progression. A sequel that does this perfectly is James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgement Day since we're greeted with a twist, in the form of Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 character being a protector for John Conner rather than a killer, which adds rich depth to presented world. It's a twist that, at the time of its release, no one saw coming and it is greatly accelerated by the explosive action sequences and a villain that poses a true threat to the father-son duo of John and the T-800...

9. Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino (1994)

Along with the decision to place The Sixth Sense a highly as I have, contemplating and choosing Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction wasn't necessarily concrete to say the least, considering how many of the said directors films I very much like; from the Kill Bill films to the irreverent Inglorious Basterds. However, if I really have to think about which film of Tarantino's I enjoy watching the most, despite some people's qualms of the said directors style and his obtuse manner in displaying violence in his vast filmography, Pulp Fiction would be the film to go to since it ultimately features characters that are likeable and memorable.

8. Shaun of the Dead - Edgar Wright (2004)

As understandable as it is for those of you who are reading that you rather favour one of the Monty Python films as your favourite British-comedy feature pick (I mean, Life of Brian is a good laugh), it's hard to not mention the savvy and funnily gruesome outing of Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead. While it's acceptable for any lover of Wright's film-making to indulge in Hot Fuzz, which wittily tributes cop-films in a small English town setting, there's amiable inkling to Shaun of the Dead which see's me favour it more than the said directors 2007 feature. It adopts horror and zombie conventions and topples it over; making for a good-laugh that subtly and ironically jibes at conventional horror aspects. It's a workable premise which distinctively shows the differences between American and British comedy and will remain to be one of my favourite British comedy films for this montage scene alone...😏

7. Children of Men - Alfonso Cuarón (2006)

Taking visual and mise en scène inspirations from the likes of A Clockwork Orange and Blade Runner, Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men deservedly takes its place on this list in being a dystopian-thriller that seemingly works on every-level. Not only are we greeted with Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography, which vividly exploits the use of single-shot sequences to make us feel as though we're watching a documentary about modern-day warfare, but we're presented with a premise which perfectly interweaves different messages and motifs all in accordance with each. Whilst we have the central story of Theo helping and caring for Kee, an immigrant who's the first woman to be pregnant in eighteen years, we're also presented with ideas on patriotism, religion and science-fiction that all work in tangent with one another and never feel out of place. It's one of the more sophisticated human-drama's that expressively details societies struggles to live and scarily mirrors the events of today...

6. Drive - Nicholas Winding Refn (2011)

In somehow being a film that is jointly gritty and glossy, Nicholas Winding Refn's 80's-infused and inspired Drive is a vehicular noir-drama that ostensibly begets a loveable outlook thanks to its hyper-stylised blend of violence, music and striking imagery. Unlike most action films of similar ilk which annoyingly cuts-up the action into different perspectives, Refn eclipses out gaze in making us clearly see the events that are taking place with beautiful wide-shots that showcase the beautiful lighting and visuals that are being showcased. Besides its perfected formalities however, Drive is greatly aided by its other cinematic credentials in the form of its charismatic performers, in the forms of Ryan Gosling as Driver and Carey Mulligan as Irene, and the wondrous soundtrack that compliments perfectly with the setting and premise. 

5. Alien - Ridley Scott (1979)

Is there any other film quite like Ridley Scott's Alien which easily permits an intoxicating atmosphere that sticks with you long after you've seen the said space-horror in its entirety? Perhaps, but what this films does so well, which many films long after its release have tried to emulate and even perfect, is establish a premise that blends science-fiction, horror and originality into a seamless whole. It's a slasher that, on repeated-viewings, makes you appreciate the artistry and writing that went into making the very film. Of course, from the aforementioned franchises inception we've been delivered multiple films that wowed or disdained our viewing experience. Yet, for all the mishaps that have happened afterwards, Alien remains to be one of the better monster-slasher films in this day and age...

4. The Dark Knight - Christopher Nolan (2008)

As a proud 90's kid myself, Batman was a constant fictional superhero that kept on invading my childhood space. From the beloved animated series to the films of Batman Returns and Batman Forever, the famed caped-crusader was always a joy to watch and never once got old as I grew older and older. Yet, if there was a perfect re-iteration of the DC protagonist that fans of the hero wanted to see for a long time, it's Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight which would have supplemented people's pleas in seeing Batman in a realistic manner. Gone are the awkward dutch-angle zooms of Batman fitting into his suit and the outlandish and Dark-Deco production designs which are fittingly replaced with a desired sequel, to Nolan's other film of Batman Begins, that exclaims realism through the plethora of skirmishes and the central performances of both Christian Bale and Heath Ledger as Batman and Joker respectively.

3. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Peter Jackson (2001)

....Need I say more? While a certain other franchise subdued my very imagination in my upbringing, of which I'll discuss, it wasn't until I ventured off to the cinemas with my family to see Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring where I became enthused by cinemas prowess and the said fairy-tales majesty in emphasising escapism and adventure. Whereas others will point towards later entries in the franchise as their favourites, this first part of the story, upon reflection and critical thinking, remains to be the most imperative feature since it nicely builds-up the world of middle-earth and structures a story that is coherent and engaging. It's a fantastical epic that doesn't mock its very own source and being, in featuring wizards, elves, trolls and orcs, and remains to be a contemporary classic that I can easily go back to.

2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - Irvin Kershner (1980)

In similar vein to my appreciation of The Lord of the Rings franchise, Star Wars is another film series that I will always hold dear, even despite its recent decline since the emergence of The Last Jedi and the criticism its received from fans and critics alike for its corporate influence. While my introduction to the mentioned series came in the form of a VHS of A New Hope, it's hard to look past what was achieved in Irvin Kershner's sequel of The Empire Strikes Back since it not only followed the formula of what a good sequel should do, but it intriguingly expanded on the original in so many ways. From the baddies culpably 'winning' the situation by the end of the film to the infamous twist of Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father all this time, Empire can be very considered to be a stand-alone in what is to be the most popular cinematic franchise of all time.

1. Howl's Moving Castle - Hayao Miyazaki (2004)

For those select few who know me well, were you even surprised?! 😅 I think in this moment in time, considering that I always bang on about these films and having written a dissertation about the person responsible in making these films, that it's only natural that I put Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle as my number one favourite film since it marks a time when I first became infatuated with Japanese animation and went onto watch a plethora of anime that I adore. It's a film that mirrored how I felt at a specific moment in time and that's thanks to the wondrous and magical world which upholds characters that are forever engaging and complex. To talk more about the film would be pointless of me, considering I've mentioned the film in a lot other Blog Posts beforehand. Everything from its luminous animation style to the fantastical story-line is good enough to warrant it as my favourite film of all time...

Well...I think on that bomb-shell, it's time for me to wrap things up! As always everyone, I've hoped you have all enjoyed reading this Blog Post and the preceding entry (of which I'll leave a link down below) and if you have an opinion on my listing, then you're more than welcome to comment down below. For next week, I hope to be back in full-force with a Film Review (Finally!!) and share my thought as always. Once again, thank you for reading my latest Blog Post series and I hope you're all having a nice week! Until next time...Adieu!! 😎👋 

My Favourite Films Of All Time - Part 1 - https://rabbittevision.blogspot.com/2018/08/my-favourite-films-of-all-time-part-1.html