Top 10 Favorite Movies of All Time

So, this will be the first in a series of lists that I will be doing from time to time. It will generally consist of my rankings of certain films within certain genres or criteria. This list is my top 10 favorite movies of all time, which keep in mind, it changes periodically. Also, I have random taste. Anyway, here we go.

10. Prisoners

Prisoners is a movie that after I saw it, I sat down again the next day and watched it again. It was such a dark mystery thriller that just engrosses you in with amazing cinematography by Roger Deakins and phenomenal directing by Denis Villenueve. That doesn’t even include the gut-wrenching performances by the entire cast, but mainly Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman. Now, I love Jake Gyllenhaal. It is no secret that he is my favorite actor working today, and he just absolutely nails the role as Detective Loki, but he’s not even the best part of the film. I’m not the biggest Hugh Jackman fan, but dammit if he didn’t put on the greatest performance of his career here. He is so painfully honest that you can’t help but feel the pain and frustration that he goes through here. Prisoners has my attention from beginning to end, and the last 20 minutes of the film literally had me at the edge of my seat as I prepared myself for what was to come.

9. Inglourious Basterds

Ah, Basterds. My favorite Tarantino film, and yes, I know he directed Pulp Fiction, but there’s something about Inglourious Basterds that just sits with me every time I watch it. The opening scene between the farmer and Hans Landa, Pitt talking about Nazi scalps, the tension during the strudel scene, the tension when Michael Fassbender throws up his three fingers. This is a movie that has one of the best screenplays ever put to print, and nobody delivers Tarantino dialogue quite like Christoph Waltz. Waltz was made for Tarantino films, as it’s no surprise that his two Oscar wins have come with Tarantino as his director. Waltz makes for such a compelling antagonist here. He is equal parts charming, terrifying, and funny. To be able to take all of those elements and make them as believable as he does is a testament to his abilities. Now, Tarantino is said to be hanging it up soon, but it will be a disservice to the world if Waltz doesn’t go along for the final ride.

8. Spotlight

Amazing screenplay, brilliant performances, and a brutal story combine to make Spotlight such a masterpiece. Keaton, Ruffalo, McAdams are all pouring their hearts out here and delivering visceral performances in this real-life tale that makes you question the foundation of the catholic church and religion as a whole. You truly see the lengths that the catholic church went to in order to hide an issue that is unfortunately still present today. While difficult to get through, and not something you might want to revisit, Spotlight is the type of movie that deserves to be viewed at least once in your lifetime.

7. The Empire Strikes Back

I love Star Wars. I always have, and I always will. The Last Jedi was amazing. There, I said it. Anyway, this is still the best of the bunch. The epitome of what a Star Wars film should be, and exactly what a sequel should be. Story progression, character development, clear motives for the heroes and villains, and damn near the greatest plot twist in movie history. Empire Strikes Back is an absolute classic, and it will always hold up over time. What more can I really say about it? Just go watch it. It’s the greatest Star Wars movie ever made. Stop reading this list right now and go watch it, then go ahead and come back. I’ll understand.

6. The Lion King

The only animated movie in my top 10, and my favorite animated movie of all time. There are many out there that say The Lion King is overrated, but I don’t buy it. The music, the tragedy, James Earl Jones amazing voice telling Simba to remember who he is. This movie has always helped me get through a hard time, and it constantly reminds me that I shouldn’t always take things so seriously, but that I should also follow my own path in life and become who I am destined to be. Those are important lessons to teach your kids, and this is a fun way to teach them. Plus, Timon is sarcastically hilarious. Hakuna Matata, man.

5. A Ghost Story

So, you watch Rooney Mara eat a pie for like 7 minutes straight. This movie has minimal dialogue, and not much really happens throughout the 90-minute runtime. You just watch people go through life through the perspective of a sheet covered ghost. And yet, this movie sat with me for weeks. I talked about this movie for weeks. I couldn’t shut up about it because it just resonated with me. I thought the way that it was shot and directed were beautiful, and I thought Rooney Mara was amazing. The pace of this film is slow, but perfect. You’re made to pay attention to things you don’t normally pay attention to. That being said, this isn’t for everyone. If you decide to watch this, tread lightly.

4. The Dark Knight

The greatest comic book movie of all time. Christopher Nolan took bat nipple Batman and gave us a great take on the dark knight in Batman Begins, but a hero is only as good as its villain, and Batman is only as good as The Joker. They’re the hero/archnemesis pairing that will always be more synonymous with each other than any other, and part of that will be because of this film. Aside from being wonderfully directed by Nolan and shot in the beautiful city of Chicago (I’m biased) you get great performances by Christian Bale (if you can get over the Batman voice), Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, and obviously Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger left such a mark on The Joker as a character that I don’t think anyone will ever be judged fairly as The Joker again (Joaquin Phoenix is going to nail the role). I have watched The Dark Knight about 20 times and I never get tired of it. If you haven’t seen this movie, then what are you doing with your life?

3. Her

It’s hard to put this film at 3, because it can just as easily be 2, or even 1. Simply put, I love this movie. When I first picked it up on Blu-ray, I watched it three days in a row. I couldn’t get enough of it. I have seen it another 5 times since then, and it’s beautiful every time. The directing by Spike Jonze is amazing in here, as he sets such a wonderful pace and chooses amazing shots to display that it’s like eye candy. Joaquin Phoenix gives possibly my favorite performance of all time here, and Scarlett Johansson is phenomenal as Samantha. She has such a comforting voice in here that many will find easy to listen to and watching her interact with Phoenix with just her tone is a sight to behold. It can’t be easy to convey emotion without facial expressions to go with it, but she pulls it off. There’re so many relatable issues in this movie. Dealing with loss, heartbreak, confusion, doubt, discovery, judgement. It’s just such a beautiful film to watch again and again. But make no mistake, it can be sad at times. After all, it is a romance film.

2. The Shawshank Redemption

A classic in every sense of the word. I have seen The Shawshank Redemption more times than I can count. It’s just one of those movies I’m always in the mood to watch, or if I happen upon it on cable, I’ll just leave it on and watch it. The screenplay is perfect, and Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman excel as the one-two punch here. Their friendship is the kind that many people strive for, and the journey involved here is one that you’ll want to see to its conclusion. Not only that, but it also deals with how prison can change an individual, and how corrupt the system can be at times. As a CLJ major, I’m into that. A movie that can be watched any day, and in any mood. The Shawshank Redemption stands alone as not only the best King adaptation there is, but as one of the greatest films of all time.

1. The Social Network

Why is this number one? Okay, hear me out. David Fincher directed the hell out of this movie, for starters. Every shot, every scene, it’s all beautiful. Two, Trent Reznor did a phenomenal job on the score for this film. It’s lovely to listen to, and it all fits with every scene perfectly. Three, the screenplay is magic. This is Aaron Sorkin’s best work to date. Every line of dialogue in here has purpose, and they are spoken brilliantly by the cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, and even Justin damn Timberlake. And make no mistake, this is Jesse Eisenberg’s best performance to date. He’s phenomenal as Mark Zuckerberg. Such a condescending jerk throughout the film, Eisenberg does an amazing job of making him unlikeable, as he definitely should be nowadays. The Social Network has my attention from the opening act to the final panel, and with the combination of Fincher, Reznor, Sorkin, and Eisenberg, it is without a doubt my favorite film of all time.