My Top Ten Films List (Please act surprised)

Well, this weeks topic seems all too perfect for my little set up I have going here, does it not? When writing out my list prior to writing this piece I noticed something- many of the films I have already discussed also coincide in my top ten list of favorite films (although my top three favorites have yet to get a blog entry of their own). Considering this, I have decided to only include films I have yet to blog about, in order to prevent stagnant discussion. So, here we go, my top ten favorite films I have not yet talked about.

10. This Film is Not Yet Rated. I am starting my countdown with a documentary, a documentary on film making itself, actually. This movie follows Kirby Dick, an Oscar-nominated director as he tries to expose the twelve secret board members of the MPAA with the help of a private investigator. Throughout this journey, Dick also teaches the viewer of the MPAA's biases against sexuality and independence. The film really does make you think about how exactly one sees the films they see, and the censorship that goes on behind closed doors on behalf of the major film studios. In my opinion, this documentary falls under the category of "must-see" more than many other films on this list, just to learn of the great amount of censorship that exists within our film industry. This Film is Not Yet Rated Trailer

9. Reservoir Dogs. Quentin Tarantino's first movie and my first Tarantino movie I ever saw. This film explores Tarantino's signature non sequential plot structure as well as his breaking films into sections. The movie itself is about the before and after of a failed jewelry heist, following many principle characters as they try to find out how to find out which of their six man team is actually an undercover police officer. Reservoir Dogs just screams out Tarantino's style and simply is just a whole lot of fun to watch. The opening scene of Reservoir Dogs

8.Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Look at that title! This film marks Stanley Kubricks venture into comedy, black comedy. Released in 1964, Kubrick's film shows its insane amount of bravery, as the film turns the nature of the Cold War into a very comedic matter (this was released just months after Kennedy's assassination and written just after the Bay of Pigs incident, mind you). Strangelove has the most interesting and unique comedic styles I have ever seen, mixing deadpan, black comedy, and slapstick together into a masterpiece of film making. This scene is my absolute favorite in the film, as actor Peter Sellers completely improvises the entire conversation (this was one of the only times Kubrick ever let anyone improvise, as he was a notorious perfectionist).

7. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father. By talking about this documentary I am breaking one of the primary rules I abide by when recommending this film: do not tell them anything about it. IMDB describes the film as "A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered when his ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son" and that's really the best way to describe it without saying too much.  This film has had the greatest emotional impact on me out of any film by a long shot. I am not ashamed to say that have cried for minutes after both times I have viewed it. I recommend it to you all, but advise you to set aside some of your day after watching, you will need it (I'm not including any video for this for obvious reasons).

6. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. The first and only foreign language film on the list, this movie is the first of Park Chan-Wook's "Vengeance Trilogy", a trilogy of thematically connected films dealing with, obviously, vengeance (I discussed the middle film of this trilogy, Oldboy, in a previous blog, by the way). Korean film really brings out the moral ambiguity of our world, especially in this film as the two protagonists, both deeply flawed seek revenge upon one another for various reasons. I take great joy out of watching this with friends, as they all tend to take different stances on which protagonist deserves to die more than the other. A deeply dark drama, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance really does show the shift towards an international film industry and the extent of what human nature can drive us to. Here's this one's trailer.

5. Children of Men. A dystopian film without any world destroying diseases, bombs, or wars, Children of Men focuses on the future of an earth when humans can suddenly no longer reproduce. The cinematography of this movie completely blows my mind, with expansive long-takes and interesting camera angles. It also explores the word of the ability to hope and forgive (quite relate able to our book). They do not pull any punches on this one and it creates very intense action, emotional drama, and questions the viewers philosophies regarding life, another "must-see", in my opinion. A scene from the film, it does have some minor spoilers (all in one take).

4. Taxi Driver. The film that almost killed President Reagan, Taxi Driver functions as a character study on the elusively sociopathic Travis Bickle, as well as the rotting city that is New York. I first saw this movie around six years ago and can say that it sparked the great passion I have for films today. Scorsese really does put all he has into this film, and one can not help but fall into the dark world he creates within the character's mind. Probably the most famous scene from the film.

3.The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. The essential western film. This Clint Eastwood classic really does, in my opinion, exemplify all of the films in this genre. Lying, stealing, murder, sex, you name it, its here and this movie does it all so well that it really does not need an explanation. Movies like this are American classics and a "must-watch" at some point in every American citizen's life. A fan compilation of the film

2. The Shining. The second and final Kubrickian masterpiece on the list, and my favorite film of my favorite director. When I say this that this movie scared me more than any other I usually get weird stares, as the film rarely tries to scare you in a conventional manner. Kubrick takes the viewer in between a level of immersion and awareness, you become engrossed in the world, yet at the same time are aware the world is fictional. It creates this horrible sense of impending doom that just builds and builds as the film progresses. The Shining does not work as a make-you-scream type of movie, it gets you extremely nervous, you keep repeating "I know something awful is going to happen" but it seemingly never comes. When I first watched it it drove me to the point to where I had to stop the film repeatedly to calm down due to how nervous I was watching it. This scene really shows what I mean, the conversation shifts from simple small talk to "how to murder your wife and child" seamlessly.

1. There Will Be Blood. Finally, my favorite film of all time (this is the one with the famous "I drink your milkshake" scene). I love this movie for its acting (anyone who knows me well enough knows that I have an unhealthy obsession with the lead actor, Daniel Day-Lewis), characters, and message. The film at its most basic level serves a very interesting character study on the "Oil Man" Daniel Plainview. DDL pulls this part off amazingly and rightfully won an Oscar for the performance to just give a brief example. On a deeper lever, There Will Be Blood examines the conflicting relationships between America's love of capitalism and religious family values, as the two leading characters serve as symbols for them, Daniel, the Oil Man, as capitalism, and Eli, the preacher, as religious values. This is absolute "must-see" material in my opinion, so please watch if you have not already. Just a scene from this wonderful film.

Well, that about does it, if I had to pick just three for you to watch (this is for anyone who wants just a general overview) I'd say #10, #5, and #1. Thank you and goodnight, my friends.