My top eleven. Just cos i'm special.
11 - 21 Grams
Just a very well made drama. It uses an interesting technique where it'll intersperse what's going on in the main narrative with a quick snapshot of the immediate future. usually random enough to cause intrigue rather than irritation. the leads are wonderful here, and it's just pretty amazing to see everything somehow tie together in the end.
10 - The Godfather
Classic gangster story. I actually like Goodfellas more right now, but in terms of an all time top ten list you gotta go with The Godfather. Al Pacino is just fantastic. Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall, it's just great, great, great acting. And to think Ford Coppola almost got fired as director for this movie.
9 - Zatoichi
Not the old skool zatoichi, but the Takeshi Kitano take on the blind swordsman. It's got just the right blend of action, humour and drama. The characters are great, with the film focussing on the secondary characters rather than the title character, which i thought was really wise. Zatoichi is just such a limited character in terms of development, which is not necessarily a negative. I also loved the quirky little touches like the farmers with their picks and shovels in rhythmic perfection, and the total randomness of the village festival dance at the end, one of the most entertaining credit sequences for sure.
8 - Groundhog Day
Hmm, I can't say for sure why i love this movie so much. i guess it's just that bill murray is pitch perfect in every single scene, the script is unbelievably good. just one of those movies i could watch over and over and over, ironically.
7 - Desperado
Well, I wanted to put in Pulp Fiction in my top ten, but to be fair, this movie is so shamelessly fun, and there's only one spot in my top ten for a Tarantino connection, so here it is. Great action, comedy, endlessly quotable, very, very silly, and salma hayek is smokin' in this movie.
6 - Eternal Sunshine
The movie is just so creative, well acted, and such a visual feast. Carrey is surprisingly great.
5 - Memento
Memento, master of the gimmick, but oh what a gimmick. Like 21 grams, it's shown in a somewhat unconventional fashion that allows the audience to see the world as Leonard sees it almost, setting up a scene by introducing it at a totally different point, and then joining the dots. lather, rinse, repeat. and sammy jankis, that story was heartbreaking.
4 - The Shawshank Redemption
Morgan Freeman, master of the inner monologue. I like this movie cos it's just so... uplifting. strange to say, for a prison movie that involves a guy getting raped, but it truly is inspiring. not the rape part obviously. fantastic story, stephen king wrote the original novella for this, which might surprise some. Infinitely watchable movie.
3 - Lost in Translation
Bill Murray again. Scarlett Johansson, she's so yummy. i'm sure everyone's felt that kind of loneliness before, just the feeling that everyone around you is a little alien. i loved at the end, how Bob whispers something into Charlotte's ear, but you don't hear what it is. i can't explain, i just loved it.
2 - Fight Club
Ed Norton, new master of the inner monologue. this movie is just... epic. nihilism was never sexier. brad pitt and marla singer are awesome too. david fincher uses CGI in the best possible ways, giving us the coolest shots and angles. That apartment exploding scene, where the camera flew like a fly around the gas lighter then down to where the fridge sparks, and similarly, the shot where the camera drops 20 storeys straight through the pavement, and around the TNT inside the parking lot. great, great stuff. It's a neat movie what can I say.
1 - Donnie Darko
This is probably subject to change, but i love this movie to death. it's just so... offbeat, the soundtrack is amazing. it's got a great mix of humour and drama. That scene with Frank inside the movie theater when he tells Donnie to 'burn it to the ground', it just sends chills up my spine. just an unbelievable movie.
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