(Image by IMDB)
On Saturday I am going to see the new Spiderman film and I am very excited (unless I see some spoilers beforehand then I am going to be extremely angry). I’m so excited in fact that it made me think about which films had some of the most profound impact on my life and shaping me as a person, from my morals to my aspirations. Some of my favourite films that may not necessarily be on everybody else’s top 10, but films that have a personal connection to me at a specific moment of my life. Before we get into this, just a heads up that I have surprisingly not seen every film under the sun, so if a film you like isn’t in this list, chances are I have either not seen it, or didn’t deem it worthy of this most prestigious list. But seriously this list is just a bit of fun and I would love to hear what you think and some of your favourite films in the comments section below. This list is not going to be the most pretentious list in history, just a list of films I really love. Just a quick ground rule first (because that’s always fun…), I am going to limit myself to one film per franchise, so for example I can’t just make this list entirely of Star Wars films, even though that would be very accurate, just to bring more variety to the list. There might be a few spoilers, but I will try my best to keep spoiler free, so just bear this in mind and tread with caution. Let’s go!
Toy Story 2
Pixar animations are responsible for some of the most creative and beautiful animated films of all time, and for me this one takes the cake. Our lovable group of toys make their return as Woody is kidnapped and flirts with the idea of immortal fame and glory and trading his life as Andy’s toy to live out stardom. The plethora of detestable villains in this film had little Dave clinging onto his seat when he saw this for the first time, whether it was Al the chicken man, or Stinky Pete trying to influence Woody’s life and trying to separate him from Buzz and the gang. I personally think this is the best one out of the franchise, with the perfect blend of animation, jokes that both kids and parents can giggle at, and a compelling story that has you desperately wanting the gang to find Woody and reunite him with Andy. I remember the game of this on the original PlayStation being incredible, with it still holding up today as a collection-based platformer with mechanics that make it a challenge not only for the kids playing it at the time, but with some tricky platforming sections that would make even me now sweat a little more than I would care to admit. The animation absolutely holds up today as well, compared to the ground-breaking at the time but sadly now dated style of the original classic. I have so much appreciation for the team that made this film and how incredibly talented they are, especially with the sequence where Woody’s ripped arm is being repaired by the repairman, the mix of music and animation in that montage is truly beautiful and satisfying as anything modern cinema can throw at me nowadays.
The Shawshank Redemption
You can’t beat a classic. A completely unoriginal entry on this list and I can guarantee that this film will be number one on a million lists around the globe, and they are all completely justified in their choices. I was until rather recently one of the very few people that had not seen this masterpiece, always met with the typical dropped jaws along with raised voices of those that couldn’t fathom that I hadn’t seen it. Over the first COVID-19 lockdown I finally bit the bullet and watched it and I was not disappointed one bit. I can absolutely understand why it tops many people’s lists of greatest films of all time. A gripping story complemented by incredible performances.
Joker
The most recent entry on this list. A lot of people thought that Heath Ledger’s Joker (that also makes an appearance on this list FYI), could never be topped as his iteration of the insane clown had always been considered the peak of the character as well as the peak of villainy in any superhero film, period. However, Joaquin Phoenix gave that monumental task a very good run for its money, displaying the transition from the mentally ill Arthur Fleck, into the notorious role of Joker. The manipulation of the narrative and the constant second guessing as to whether Arthur is a reliable narrator to his story, with frequent exaggerations or fantasies as to the life that Arthur thinks he is living rather than the life he is living. Some of the best scenes in this film are crafted excellently due to the combination of imagery and music as opposed to the actual diegetic sounds that would be happening, almost an insight into Arthur’s brain and this makes for some creepy and downright terrifying scenes in some instances that you can’t take your eyes away from. It isn’t just Phoenix’s performance that stands out in this blockbuster, Robert De Niro’s depiction of TV host Murray Franklin is an incredible character that Arthur latches onto as a father figure and idol, all for him to shatter his illusions upon confrontation and the realisation that he is being mocked on national television, leading to one of the most chilling scenes in the whole film towards its climax. Another thing that makes me appreciate this film is how it connects to the overall lore and timeline of Bruce Wayne becoming Batman. Storytelling so well-crafted and executed that I don’t think it needs a sequel at all, it stands incredibly well on its own.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Leonardo DiCaprio shines in the role of Jordan Belfort in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 depiction on the life of Belfort as told in his 2007 memoir. DiCaprio was a producer on the film and plays the main character as we see Belfort’s fortunes in the stock breaking world and how he takes over Wall Street until his greed and lust for money and power eventually overcomes him and leads to his downfall. A cast with incredible star power with DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and Jonah Hill that has become Scorsese’s highest grossing film to date. This film has some of the most iconic lines and scenes in cinematic history, such as the famous speech where Belfort is supposed to announce that he is to leave his company and put this life behind him for a while to lay low during an imminent investigation, only for him to assertively say that ‘I’m not fucking leaving’ to rapturous applause and cheers.
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
South Park is some of the most genius and brilliant comedy to ever be written and broadcast. And yes, whilst the title of the film is a penis joke, Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s debut film is an incredible critique into political correctness, censorship, and the hypocrisy of those that are so against crude humour that go as far as to start an entire war to try and keep their children safe. The musical numbers in this film as well emphasise the creative talents of Parker and Stone, with the songs being incredibly catchy, emotional, and side-splittingly hilarious when they need to be (with ‘Blame Canada’ being nominated for an Academy Award but losing to Phil Collins… boo.). A very funny and smart story that can reach deep into the emotional side, with Satan’s ballad about being hidden away in the depths of hell when all he wants to do is frolic through the flowery fields up there on Earth brings a tear to my eye every time. This is then completely juxtaposed by Cartman then singing about how much of a bitch Kyle’s mum is. Genius. This project was very much make or break for the pair, and without it, South Park might not be around anymore, making it such an important piece of cinematic history. I remember going to a friend’s house in primary school and watching this for the first time, much like the boys in the film watching ‘asses of fire’ for the first time. The only difference being that there would have been a lot worse than a war between the USA and Canada if my mum and dad heard me repeating the expletives that the boys copied from the film, that’s for sure.
Spiderman
Now this was a tough one, I could have easily had a couple of the Raimi trilogy on this list or even the incredible animated “Into the Spider-Verse” on this list, but to follow my own constrictive rules, only one film per franchise, so the original will most definitely do. The original that got me hooked with some incredible performances by Tobey Maguire as our beloved hero, and Willem Dafoe in particular as he was perfect in that terrifying villain role of The Green Goblin, with his scenes being incredibly traumatic as he slowly transforms into his alter ego. J.K. Simmons (who might appear again on this list), is brilliant as J. Jonah. Jameson, the uptight owner of The Daily Bugle and Spiderman’s number one hater. A personal highlight is the cameo of Macho Man Randy Savage as the maniacal wrestler ‘Bone Saw’ in the scene where Peter Parker wrestles to try and get some money using his newly found powers *chef’s kiss*. The action scenes were revolutionary and set an incredibly high standard for the typical superhero film for the next few generations, with the original trilogy in my opinion still being the superior collection of films from our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman, (bear in mind this could all change when I see No Way Home). On top of this, the slightly campy acting from the main characters makes this film even funnier, even if that’s not the complete intention, with Tobey Maguire’s bumbling Peter Parker uttering some completely hilarious lines when in both in and out of context. The best iteration of Peter Parker we have seen.
Spirited Away
One of the most beautiful pieces of cinema I have ever seen and was an incredible gateway into the magnificence and magic of Japanese cinema and anime that I have slowly become more and more invested in ever since. The only hand-drawn and non-English language animated films to win an Academy Award and receiving universal praise. The film tells the story of Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl that enters the world of Kami (or Japanese spirits of folklore) and works her way to escape and find her parents who have been transformed into pigs in this world, and to return to the human world. When I first watched this film as a child I had absolutely no idea what was going on, all I cared about was the beautiful animation and the vast array of wonderful characters. I gave this film another viewing recently after being a little bit more clued up on Japan and the spirits etc so that I understood what was happening this time around and I loved it even more. I would say that this film is an absolute must see, even if you are new to the Japanese animated films, it is a perfect gateway into the wonder of Japan.
Whiplash
The second time that Simmons has featured on this list which says a lot about how talented of an actor he is, with his role as the antagonist in this phenomenon being one of the finest examples of how strong character work can do so much more than any special effects or explosions in terms of making an incredible film. A good story will win every time. Simmons plays the terrifyingly realistic conductor and bandleader of Shaffer Conservatory Studio Band, Terrence Fletcher, a man hellbent on perfection in music and resorts to mental and physical abuse to get the best out of his musicians. The film has a tragic protagonist story, where Andrew Neiman (played by Miles Teller) is being conditioned to these cruel methods of coaching and his sensibilities and personality is completely warped in his attempts to impress Fletcher, with the ending being one of success as he performs the piece admirably, but also of failure as he has allowed Fletcher to have complete control over his entire life. He sacrifices friendships, family, and romance in order to pursue his cursed dreams of becoming a legendary jazz musician. The music in this film is phenomenal to boot, with an unreal amount of skill being required to play music at that level. The film’s moral dilemma and ambiguous ending amongst its flawed characters made me adore this film, and slightly terrified but admiring of J.K Simmons as well as Jazz music as a whole.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Now, I know. The prequels to the original Star Wars trilogy are critically panned by the purists of the Star Wars fandom, and I can hear them crying in the distance, “but what about The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi?” And absolutely they are cinematic masterpieces for the time they came out and feature some of the most iconic pieces of cinematography and storytelling of all time. But I can’t help what I love. Episode 3 will always be the one that me and my friends quote to each other on a scarily frequent basis, it will be the one with some of the best fight scenes in the entire franchise, and one of the saddest stories of a rise and fall of a powerful Jedi into the cold and cruel hands of the Sith. I have a lot of the script to this masterpiece permanently etched into my brain and makes me chuckle thinking about angsty Anakin, or cocky Obi Wan, or even the spluttering coughs of General Grievous. A lot of my love for this game stems from the fact that I had the game of this film on the original Xbox, and I have a profound nostalgia for the time I spent playing that game as a child.
The Dark Knight
This I feel will always be my favourite film of all time, a mixture of absolutely everything I adore about cinema. Batman will always be my favourite superhero, purely for the films such as this one and the video games such as Arkham Asylum that were integral parts of my early teen years. This film is littered with some of the most incredible uses of cinematography and action in film history, so much so that I analysed the opening scene to this film in my A Level Film Studies final assessment (which I got an A in I’ll have you know) so this scene is very much ingrained into my brain. This is before we address the obvious element as to why this film was so incredible, the performance of Heath Ledger as Joker. One of the most frightening examples of method acting, Ledger went to extremities to prepare himself for the role, and this resulted in one of the most spine-tingling villain performances in cinematic history.
Yorumlar