Wednesday 25 May 2016

Mad Lists: Top 25 Favourite Movies

Hi everybody, and welcome to yet another edition of Mad Lists! This is the big one, these are my top 25 favourite movies of all time! My buddy Donny made his own list earlier this week, and now I'm going to rip him off like I usually do and make my favourites list! I know a lot people already know what number 1 is going to be, but I figured I should talk about the movies that I love besides that one. So without further ado, here we go! 






25. Robocop



"Come quietly or there will be... trouble."

Kicking off this list is the greatest thing to ever happen to the City of Detroit. Paul Verhoeven had made a name for himself in his homeland of The Netherlands, and the time came for him to come to Hollywood and direct this 80s classic. What so many people (including those involved in the dreadful remake) got wrong about this movie is that it's not an action movie, it's actually a layered social satire disguised a dumb dick-flick. Robocop has all the blood, guts, guns, toxic waste zombies, and explosions you want... All while turning a mirror on Reagan America and showing everyone how ridiculous it is. What's not to love?

PS: Fuck that remake. Moving on...





24. Kill Bill




"That woman deserves her revenge... and... we deserve to die."


You knew you'd be seeing Tarantino on this list at some point. So here he is! This stylized revenge flick has always been a favourite of mine, it was the first Tarantino movie I ever saw and I've been a fanboy of him ever since. You might have noticed that I didn't specify which Volume of this saga I put on here. Well, that's because I look at Kill Bill: Vol I and II as one long 4 hour movie, which is what Tarantino had originally intended. Are you a fan of: Bloody revenge, hot chicks kicking ass, Bruce Lee movies, Akira Kurosawa movies, or Sergio Leone movies? Well you're in luck because Kill Bill has all of that! Bang Bang!



 


23. Batman Begins





"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."

This movie showed everyone that comic book movies can be well made, artistically brilliant movies that can make the Academy take notice. It also showed everyone that Batman can be better than ice puns and bat-butts. Just 8 years prior to this, Batman was nearly killed by his arch nemesis: Joel Schumacher. But, after nearly a decade, Christopher Nolan came to the rescue and took everyone to school on how to make a great Batman movie. The result was a dark, gritty, neo-noir crime drama that set a new standard for not only Superhero movies, but reboots as well... Oh, and Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul doesn't hurt either.



22. Django Unchained



"I like the way you die, boy."

Being a big Tarantino fan, I had always said he should try making a western, because he'd be perfect for it. Well, in 2012, I got my wish, and a new generation was introduced to the Spaghetti Western genre. Jamie Foxx was fantastic as the fake uppity former slave, Django Freeman. But it's really Christoph Waltz that steals the show here. Actually no, what stole the show was that KKK scene.

Anywho, next!




21. Ba
ck to the Future Trilogy



"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 mph, you're gonna see some serious shit."

I know I'm bending the rules a little bit by including an entire trilogy in one spot, but I love all three movies so much it was impossible for me to pick a single favourite out of them! We got the 80's, the 50's, the retro-fitted 2010s, the Old West, and a Chuck Berry cover, all in one fantastic trio of movies. Fun for the whole family and delivering non-stop thrills... They really don't make 'em like these anymore... Which makes me even more glad that these movies will never be remade!

What amazes me most is how these film never seemed to age. How fitting is it that a movie saga about time-travel has in fact become timeless. Ok you get it, I love these movies...

Btw, do you like Huey Lewis and the News?





20. 2001: A Space Odyssey


 


"Daisy... Daisy... Give me your answer do. I'm half... crazy... all for the love of you."

This was the first movie I ever reviewed. Those who remember that should know that I wasn't too big on this film upon my first viewing of it. Well, after seeing it a couple more times, I can safely say I was wrong and 2001 now has a place among my all time favourites! The entire film plays out like some sort of visual symphony, with every note being meticulously played at the exact right time, and leaving its audience to interpret what it means. What impresses me so much about this movie is how this was made in 1968, but the special effects don't look like they've aged a single day! The planets look real, the spaceships look real, the lunar surface looks real, and the spacewalk scenes actually make you feel like you're in space! This movie is gorgeous, awe-inspiring, and makes you want to be an astronaut. Great job, Kubrick!




19. Alien





"You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility."

From one space thriller to another, this classic ends up at number 19 on this list. If 2001 makes you want to be an astronaut, then Alien will make you want to stay as far away from space travel as possible. I'll be the first to say that I'm not the biggest fan of horror movies, as 90% of them are cheap-looking cliché jump-scare fests. But Alien is one of the few exceptions to my rule, as this movie keeps you in a perpetual state of dread from beginning to end, with scares and Xenomorph badassery trickled throughout. It also features one of the greatest death scenes ever put to film. Oh, it also has Sigourney Weaver, enough said.




18. Airplane!
 
 
 


"The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers. There's no stopping in a red zone."

Younger generations may be mind blown by this, but there was a time when spoof movies were actually funny. Well, Airplane is without a doubt the funniest spoof movie ever made! Its unheard of that a spoof movie turns out to be a better and more popular film than the movie it parodied, but that's exactly what Airplane did. In fact, there's actually a double feature Blu-Ray out there that pairs this movie with Zero Hour! If that doesn't tell you anything about this movie's legacy, I don't know what will. Surely, there must be something that could convince you how great Airplane is...



17. Die Hard

 
 


"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs."

I'll just let my buddy Donny talk about this one...

"What makes Die Hard so great? I'll tell you it's not the exciting heist aspect that is unfortunately rarely used in today's films. It's definitely not because it's one of the best Christmas (yes I said it) and action films of all time. Probably not because it's one of the most quotable movies of all time either. No, what sets Die Hard apart is it's great characters. There are very few movies that have an equally appealing hero as it does a villain. Usually the director perceives the characters in such a way that they have already decided for the audience who to root for, but John McTiernan lets the audience decide. Do they root for Bruce Willis' John McClane or Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber. In my opinion you can't go wrong with either."



16. Dirty Harry

 
 



"Well, when an adult male is chasing a female with intent to commit rape, I shoot the bastard, that's my policy."

I know it's a bit of a shocker for me to put this ahead of Die Hard, but I had to, because I'm a sucker for the originals. Dirty Harry was Die Hard before Die Hard existed: A rogue, wise-cracking, no-nonsense cop trying to take down a memorable bad guy and save the day... Sound familiar? Cop movies were all the rage in the 70s and Dirty Harry was the biggest one of them all. It had one of the greatest characters of all time in Harry Callahan, played masterfully by Clint Eastwood in one of his signature roles. It also has one of the most despicable villains ever put on film in Scorpio, and has all the shootouts and one-liners you'd expect in a movie like this. But what separates Dirty Harry from so many of its cop movie contemporaries (and Die Hard) is its social commentary: Why do criminals seem have more rights than the people they victimize? Why do we punish those who antagonize the bad? Why does the law always protect those who break it most? These are the questions this movie asks, and to this day we haven't gotten an answer. This is a dark, dirty, realistic crime thriller, one of the first of its kind, and more than worthy of being placed above Die Hard on this list.




15. Pulp Fiction



"ENGLISH MUTHAFUCKA DO YOU SPEAK IT?"


For anyone who's already sick and tired of seeing Tarantino pop up on this list... don't worry, this is the last one. Yes, Pulp Fiction is widely considered to be Quentin's finest piece of work, and I have to agree. Everything from the acting, the dialogue, the story structure, the humour, and the soundtrack are virtually perfect. The song "Misirlou" - an old Greek orchestra tune re-imagined as a surf rock number by Dick Dale - has now become synonymous with the movie. Dark, funny, quotable, and downright badass... Pulp Fiction is awesome enough to crack the top 15 on this list.



14. The Godfather Part II



 
 
"I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."

Ah yes, this is the final chapter in the Godfather saga, no way Coppola would come back and crap on his own creation and...

*finds out Godfather Part III exists and watches it*

OH GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!

Anyways, did you know that Francis Ford Coppola knew what he was doing at one point in time? Crazy, right? In one decade he wrote Patton, directed The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, and its masterpiece of a sequel that lands at #14 on this list. This movie is part sequel and part prequel, as it shows the near fall of Michael as head of the Corleone family, and shows the rise of a young Vito Corleone in the 1920s. The themes of love, power, family, betrayal and vengeance are prominent throughout... And brought home when young Vito murders Don Ciccio. Man his death is so satisfying!

Yeah, you get it. I love this movie, it's one of the greatest sequels ever made.




13. Once Upon a Time in the West



"How can you trust a man that wears both a belt AND suspenders? Man can't even trust his own pants."

I won't be spending too much time here, as I've gone much more in-depth about this film in my review of it here. I'm just going to say that the opening scene is still my favourite opening scene of all time. The rest of the movie is pretty fucking awesome, too! Moving on...





12. Star Wars




"That's no moon. It's a space station."

I'll be quick about this one too because there's nothing I can say about this movie that hasn't already been said. With that, do you know what my favourite scene in this movie is? It's not the trench run, it's not the cantina sequence, and it's not the destruction of Alderaan... My favourite part is the binary sunset sequence, why? Because we've all been there! We've all been stuck in a rut at some point, and looked to the stars in a hope that there's something better out there for us, and that John Williams theme overtop of it is perfect. Not a single line of dialogue was in that scene, and it told you everything you needed to know about Luke's character. Visual storytelling at its finest.

Next!






11. Aliens




"Game over man! Game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now?"

James Cameron has finally arrived on this list! As you may have seen in a previous list I made, Cameron is my favourite director of all time, and his sequel to Ridley Scott's space horror masterpiece is right up there with his best work. I was debating on whether or not this was better than Alien, because I love both movies. But after seeing both movies in succession again, I have to go with Aliens. Cameron does a great job of keeping the eerie, dreadful tone of the first movie, while putting his own action-oriented stamp on the franchise. Of course, we can't forget Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, who is the most badass chick in movies ever. We also forget Newt, or Hicks, or Hudson, or Vasquez, or Bishop, or that fight at the end. God this movie's fucking awesome! Great characters, great action, great suspense. What more can you ask for? It kills me to keep this out of the top 10.






10. Dr. Strangelove






"It would not be difficult, Mein Führer. Nuclear reactors could - heh, I'm sorry, Mr. President - nuclear reactors could provide power almost indefinitely."

Starting off the top 10 is my favourite Stanley Kubrick movie. Yes, it's not 2001, it's not the Shining, it's not A Clockwork Orange. In my not-so-humble opinion, this brilliant Cold War satire is Kubrick's finest piece of work. I won't get into too much detail about this movie, as I believe people need to watch it in order to truly "get it." But the whole point of this film is that war in general is nothing more than a giant political dick-measuring contest, and the arms race was just generals and politicians compensating for lack of endowment. The sexual undertones in this film are prominent and really hammer the point home. Ironically, Stanley Kubrick showed some massive balls in making this film and releasing it at the height of the Cold War. I can only imagine all the controversy he must've dealt with at the time. This black comedy masterpiece showed us that even a nuclear holocaust can have a funny side, pointing out all the ridiculousness of what was going on at the time and laughing at it. I applaud Peter Sellers in this film too. He had to play 3 different characters in this movie: Captain Lionel Mandrake, US President Merkin Muffley, and title character Dr. Strangelove. Each character is distinct and memorable. What's more impressive was that he ad-libbed most of his lines for each performance! Sellers was truly the Robin Williams of his time, and this movie might feature his best work.

This movie's brilliance is only matched by its hilariousness. I know I've already said this about a few other movies on this list, but they really don't make 'em like this anymore.




9. Taxi Driver





 "Listen, you fuckers, you screwheads. Here is a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filth, the shit. Here is a man who stood up. Here is..."

If you've read my review of this movie, you'll know that I consider this to be greatest pure character study of all time. Taxi Driver follows Travis Bickle around New York as he drives a cab on the night shift. We see him do all sorts of bizarre things, and we really begin to sympathize with the character, even though he's batshit insane. Martin Scorsese was still an up-and-comer at the time, but Taxi Driver is when he really came in to his own. This may also be Robert de Niro's greatest performance, which is saying something. Everybody needs to see this movie at least once, you won't regret it!





8. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly





"You see, in this world there are two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig."

I'm going to pull an excerpt from my review of this masterpiece on this one:

"To put it quite simply, this is one of my all time favourite movies. This is Sergio Leone's finest piece of work, the characters are legendary, the writing and acting is perfect, the cinematography is gorgeous, the music is hair-raisingly great, and, well, it's virtually flawless!"
 

 

7. The Godfather




"She was beautiful, she was young, she was innocent! She was the greatest piece of ass I've ever had, and I've had 'em all over the world!"

Did you really think I would put The Godfather Part II on this list with including its predecessor? No way! I remember watching this movie with my dad when I was 14, and I fell in love with it upon first viewing. While this movie is widely considered one of the greatest gangster movies of all time, I tend to look at The Godfather more as a family drama about gangsters, as we see the daily struggles of the Corleone family as they try to stay on top the underworld and stick together. There are so many classic scenes in this film that I can't even begin to talk about them... And I won't! If you've never seen this movie, what are you doing with your life?






6. Goodfellas






"As far back as I can remember, I was wanted to be a gangster."

Yes, I put Goodfellas ahead of The Godfather. Shocking, right? To be honest, I had a very long internal conflict as to which movie I like more. But after viewing them again, I have to go with Scorsese's gangster masterpiece. Telling the story of mob associate Henry Hill, this movie shows just how violent and out of control a life in the mafia can really get. Ray Liotta puts on a career-making performance as Hill, Robert de Niro nails it as his friend Jimmy Conway, and Joe Pesci completely steals the show as hot-tempered  psychopath Tommy DeVito. Martin Scorsese has never made a better film than this one, and it's amazing enough to land at number 6 on this list.



5. This is Spinal Tap



I'll just play this here...




 Yep, I don't think I need to say anything more... Moving on...





4. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back





"Impressive. Most impressive."

No one in 1980 thought this Star Wars sequel could top the 1977 classic, but that's exactly what it did! Empire took on a much darker tone than the original, leaning more towards character development over how much action can be featured. While the action is less frequent, there's still some memorable sequences like the Battle of Hoth, the asteroid field chase, and the showdown between Luke and Vader at the end. My favourite scene though has to be when Han says "I know" after Leia tells him she loves him. Classic Han badassery. Anyways, not much more I can say about this one. Best Star Wars movie ever!





3. The Terminator





"Fuck you, asshole!"

If you know me, you knew you'd be seeing The Terminator on this list at some point. This is yet another movie I reviewed so I won't get into too much detail here, but I'll give a few points as to why I love this movie. One reason would be Arnold as the Terminator, this is without a doubt his signature role, and its the only role he plays that makes you forget its Arnold playing the role, because he IS the Terminator in this movie. The other reason would be James Cameron's direction. This movie was made on a measly budget of $6 million, and he made it look like a movie that cost 10 times as much. The Terminator is action packed, scary, dramatic, filled with great one-liners and great moments, and more than worthy of the Bronze medal on this list.





2. The Dark Knight







"I believe that whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger."

You saw Batman Begins earlier on in this list, and there was no way I would include that movie and not include this comic-book masterpiece of a film. Just like its predecessor, The Dark Knight proved to the entire world that Superhero movies can be more than just box-office popcorn fluff. They can also be artistic, multi-layered, character driven epics that can blow away even the snobbiest of critics. Had the Academy not been so out of touch, this film would've gotten a Best Picture nomination. This movie set a new standard for comic book movies that neither Bryan Singer, the MCU, or Christopher Nolan himself has ever been able to match. I happen to be in the minority by saying I love Christian Bale's Batman, throat cancer voice and all. Heath Ledger's joker speaks for itself, and the rest of the supporting cast fit their roles perfectly, especially Gary Oldman who in my opinion is the definitive Gordon. The Dark Knight manages to satisfy both Batman fans and film buffs. I think it's deserving of all the praise it will ever get, and it takes the runner-up spot on this list.



Honourable Mentions

Figured I'd list these before my number 1 reveal, so here goes:


Paths of Glory

- This is Kubrick's 3rd best movie in my opinion. This anti-war epic is very enraging to watch, but still amazing and realistic.

The Thing (1982)

- This is another Sci-Fi/Horror masterpiece that just missed the cut. If I did a top 26 list, it would be on here.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

- My favourite animated movie of all time... Hmm... That sounds like a good list to make in the future.

True Lies

- James Cameron's most underrated film. This to me is the greatest buddy cop (or buddy spy, technically) movie ever made.

The Shawshank Redemption

- This one hurt to keep off the list, and its omission might piss a lot of people off, but hey, I still love this movie! Hence the honourable mention

Toy Story Trilogy

- This also just missed the cut, I was debating as to whether or not to put this in the BTTF trilogy's spot, but I just couldn't do it. I still consider this to be one of the most consistently great trilogies of all time, though.

Fight Club

- Donny's gonna kill me for leaving this one off. But don't worry, I still love it! Just not enough to crack the top 25.

Team America: World Police

- No explanation needed. Next!

The Dark Knight Rises

- I feel like I'm in the minority when I say I love this film. It's a terrific closing chapter to the Nolan trilogy, and just missed the cut here.

Deadpool

- This one was hard to keep off as I love it to death, and it's a brilliant satire of today's Superhero movies. Time will tell if I still feel the same way about it as I do now. Maybe this will be in my top 25 in a few years.





And now, the moment you've been waiting for! My number 1 favourite movie of all time is...



Drum roll please...








1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day






"I know now why you cry. But it's something I can never do."

Finally, we have arrived at number 1. I've gone on record in saying this is my favourite movie of all time, and my mind has yet to be changed on that... And I don't think it ever will be. Why is this my favourite? It's simple: Everything I love about movies is in this movie. Relentless action? Check. Great story? Check. Legendary characters? Check. Badass villain? Check. Amazing visuals? Check. Iconic one-liners? Check. There's really not much more I can say. Terminator 2 fires on all cylinders and no element of the film takes a back seat. This was my favourite movie when I was a child, and it's just as mind-blowingly awesome to me as an adult. This is James Cameron's best movie, the greatest sequel ever made, the greatest action movie ever made, and my number one favourite movie of all time.


See my review for a more in-depth look!


There you have it, everyone! Do you agree with this list? Of course you don't, so please feel free to call me a moron in the comments below.

Later!

- Mad Mike of Metal

Sunday 22 May 2016

Director Madness: The Final Four

Welcome back folks! We are underway in the final four of the Director Madness tournament! We got 2 extremely great matchups between legendary filmmakers, but only two of them can move on. You decide! Here we go...




Notable Scorsese Films: Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street

Notable Spielberg Films: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones Series, ET, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan



Notable Kubrick Films: Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket

Notable Fincher Films: Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl