Letterboxd is the one and only website I would call completely clean and innocent in this world of toxicity. It exists purely as a safe space for movie lovers such as myself to discuss cinema, and anything that comes with it. You can post an unpopular opinion or a hot take free from the risk of being personally attacked for it with insults and profanity. Even if someone comments saying they disagree, 99 times of 100 it's a respectful statement that could lead to an intelligent and educated debate. Which is what sites like Twitter SHOULD be. It's a fast, easy and convenient way for me to have my opinion seen by people. Don't get me wrong I love writing these articles WAY more than reviewing on Letterboxd. But there it's easier for people to find me and see my reviews and opinions, and that means a lot to me.
Die Hard (1988) will always be the most iconic of the series, but as I will continue saying, iconic status means nothing to overall greatness. Die Hard: With A Vengeance is the one that feels most like it cares about good filmmaking and storytelling. They made so many great decisions with this third movie that went down so well. The christmas theme was long overdue to be gotten rid of, adding a cat-and-mouse element with the villain did wonders for the entertainment standpoint. And adding Samuel L. Jackson as a co-lead in this movie was absolutely genius. He is incredible in this role and provides a much more natural opportunity for interesting dialogue that the original film didn't really have.
The Dark Knight Rises.
Alien is an absolute marvel of a film. In 1979, Ridley Scott gave us a movie that outdoes a huge majority of modern horror films. This is how Halloween SHOULD have made me feel. (No disrespect to Halloween though because it's still a good film with great suspense.) Watching the characters sneak through the hallways as they are unwittingly hunted by one of the most terrifying creatures in the history of cinema makes my stomach drop all the time. This movie makes me feel genuine raw fear every time. And that's what a good horror film should do. If a horror movie can succeed at making the viewer feel such fear as consistently as Alien does, that is how you can tell it has succeeded.
I adore this movie. This one of the greatest thrillers I've ever watched. I was captivated and focused the entire way through. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and dramatic when it needs to be. The cast is all acting on the top of their game. And the ending, oh GOD! Of COURSE I'm going to talk about the ending it's one of my favourites in all of cinema!
What really can you say about the Dark Knight? It is a phenomenal film that gives an elite performance in all aspects. Everything positive you could say about it has been said before and it has picked up a huge fanbase of people claiming it to be perfect and the greatest film ever made. And while I find this movie to be a masterpiece and flawless, it is definitely not perfect and it is nowhere near the greatest film ever made. Even out of the movies that I've watched it isn't top 20 for me. And once I finish watching the rest of the masterpieces like Parasite, Interstellar, Inglourious Basterds, Reservoir Dogs, Apocalypse Now and so on, it will probably not reach my top 50!
And then of course there's Heath Ledger. Holy hell.
This is easily one of my favourite performances in cinematic history. Ledger is subtle when he needs to be. Doing all the little things that show his character's insanity, twitching, muttering, stuff like that. But he never oversells them or tries too hard to make you notice what he's doing. And then when you need him for big payoffs of all the tension buildup, (scenes such as Joker's interrogation or the final battle) he lets it all go and perfectly pulls of these batshit crazy moments of pure anarchism. He fully embodies the pure evil that is the character of Joker and to this day remains as the greatest performance in comic book history. 
We have undoubtedly moved up a tier. The gap between this movie and the rest of the films I have talked about before it is immense. With a story spanning only 9 hours, John Hughes tells a magnificent, thought-provoking story about the American teenger and their constant struggle to be understood. By adults, and more importantly, by themselves. It explores the the pressure put on teens to fit in to the societal hierarchy that segregates them by their defining trait, and then doesn't allow them to be anything else but a one dimensional stereotype without facing criticism, judgement, and bullying. A system built by the teenagers that came before us and is upholded by the modern ones who don't know anything different.
You can see over the course of the first two acts the five main characters each have their own moments where they show their true feelings as the begin to let their guard down and realize that they're finally in a safe space where they can be themselves. And then the third act rolls around and one by one they each break down and fully let out years of unexpressed emotions of anger, insecurity, and sadness. It's truly beautiful.
One thing I really appreciate about Gladiator is how they were able to incorporate incredibly entertaining popcorn action while also making it feel relevant and not completely disconnected from the story. The scenes inside the Colosseum are my favourite action sequences in cinema, and that's because they took that extra minute to write them into the story and make them make sense, rather than put them in just to provide cheap, hollow entertainment that makes the movie more money. You know why Maximus is able to take a leadership role so easily. You know why the Gladiators are working together with such effective chemistry. And you know enough about Commodus that you know why Maximus hates him with such a passion.
The reason for this is because the film casts perfectly and had the fortune of landing each of these stars at their absolute pinnacle of their careers. This is Matt Damon, Robin Williams, and Ben Affleck all at their peaks. Each of their performances are absolutely flawless. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck both permeate these arrogant-yet-lovable personas that make you fully invested in their stories. You care about them because they both have many flaws in their humanity, but their flaws aren't so huge that they become irredeemable people. You care about them and like them as people.
And then of course Robin Williams is just a perfect human who incessantly radiates this aura of comforting kindness. And that leaks into his character in this film.
Anytime Robin Williams and Matt Damon are on screen together, the scene is perfect. But even when they're not, Good Will Hunting is a true masterpiece, and an A-Tier 10/10.
Scream is one of the most borderline perfect films I've ever seen. There are countless scenes that are absolutely phenomenal and go down in history as some of the greatest in horror history. Drew Barrymore's ten minute opening scene is suspenseful and terrifying, when Tatum tries to escape through the pet door is absolutely brutal, and Randy explaining the "rules" of surviving a horror movie is so funny in a clever way.
For starters, the cinematography is excellent.
The movie was shot by director of photography Bill Butler, who overcame many challenges throughout filming to set the scene for the greatest moments of the film. He does this right from the beginning. By painting Chrissy Watkin's annihilation in a glistening, alluring ocean. A quiet, serene paradise broken by a force of nature and a loom of terror on her face.
He also uses many clever camera techniques to elevate the story and emphasize the tension. Such as keeping the background in focus during a POV shot to demonstrate Brody's split, or taking a page out of Hitchcock's book and using the dolly zoom (used in vertigo), to amplify the horror when Chief Brody's world is turned upside down as the shark quietly takes the life of the young child Alex Kintner.
Speaking of tension, as you've heard, the suspense of this film is what makes it truly great in my eyes.
And lastly, I know this has nothing to do with Jaws' overall quality, but I think it's so incredible how Spielberg made this the first movie to be shot on the ocean. He battled through so many different issues on set and went far over budget, but he and the rest of the crew persevered, and made a film with such groundbreaking accomplishments. The techniques they used to make the film feel as real as possible are insane and so much fun to watch and read about almost 50 years later. And these kinds of things are what attribute to my respect for Jaws rather than its overall quality.
Yeah this is without a doubt my favourite comic book movie. Much like The Batman, this movie is hugely divisive for the fans of comic book films. Some love it, while most strongly dislike it.
And that tier begins with number 11, Dead Poets Society.
There's no better way for me to start explaining my thoughts on Dead Poets Society and what an influence he's been on my and many other people's lives. He is the perfect example of a positive role model with a beautiful message, and a method of teaching that makes it so he can spread it to as many people as he can.
Argue with me all you want, but the 90s were truly the golden age of Hollywood. I know the 30s-60s are seen as the golden age of Hollywood and whatnot but to me 90s films just have this sense of unique wonder and magic to me. Where directors had the freedom to pursue original and creative ideas, and the resources to make those ideas come to life. Goodfellas is a perfect example of this. Martin Scorsese made this film nearly three hours long, yet it never drags, never slows down, and keeps you invested and immersed in it the entire way through.
Moving on from the tenth spot I have Jojo Rabbit at number 9.
I don't really have much else to say about Jojo Rabbit. It's a complex, gut wrenching that I loved enough to write over 3,000 words about it in its own review. But if you haven't read that I have two things I would like to stress about this film.
The second thing I would like to say is that if you are planning on watching this film. Watch it one night, sleep on it. And then rewatch it the next day. On my first watch of Jojo Rabbit I initially had it at an 8 out of 10. Then i rewatched it two days later and rose it up to a 9 in my review. And now as I write this it has risen once again on the third watch to be what I consider a 10/10 film. And one on the S tier of this list.
Much like Jojo Rabbit and The Batman, I have already written this movie its own review before detailing my thoughts on it.
What I will say though is that this is my favourite film of 2021 with almost no competition. It perfectly displays the struggles that come before success. It shows the perseverance you need in order to succeed by doing the thing you love and how you need to be able to handle failure, again and again, until finally something sticks to the wall. Every character in the movie is likeable and endearing, the story is great, but the acting is what really stands out in this film.
Andrew Garfield is absolutely flawless as the eccentric lead role and the rest of the cast are amazing as well. The fact that not one of these actors got nominated for a supporting actor/actress award may just be more egregious than Don't Look Up getting nominated for best picture.
The Shining is honestly the most terrifying film I've ever witnessed. Keep in mind, movies don't scare me easily. I can only say I've been genuinely scared by one 3 times.
Fight Club is a great movie. A Masterpiece even. More people need to accept this.
People who explicitly dislike this film are honestly the worst possible types of movie fans in my opinion. It seems that Fight Club haters have taken it upon themselves to try and invalidate the opinion of anyone who loves it. They just expected to be treated with higher respect by people just because they hate on this film. They so pathetically want attention that they'll go on any video or article talking about Fight Club or expressing their love for it and label the creator as a "Film Bro" who "hasn't watched enough movies" or some bullcrap like that. They take second place as the worst movie fans of all time to the people who try to invalidate your opinion if you're younger than a certain age and disagree with them.
Life is Beautiful is a film about Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who falls in love and starts a family, only to have his happy little life taken from him by a force of pure German evil.
What I love about this film is its message of unwavering optimism. It shows us that evil only wins when it breaks your spirit. Your soul. The passion that drives you to try and accomplish anything with your life, the very thing that makes you a human. That is the most important part of you. The thing that you must protect with every breath you take.
It was never particularly close for me. The gap between this and any other film I've ever watched is so incomprehensibly massive that it's not even funny.
So since last December, I have been compiling a list of all of the films I have given the illusive 10/10 rating to. Which I am definitely a stickler for. I believe there are many 10/10 films out there. At least one hundred in mainstream cinema, but I'm also much less quick to give that rating than most other people. There has to be ZERO flaws, I didn't like something or a specific scene, too bad. 9/10. (Evidently this is the reason Silence Of The Lambs will not be making an appearance). However, I have just recently gotten this list to 25 movies. So I thought it would be fun for me to rank these 25 movies from the weakest to the strongest.
I'd like you, the reader to keep in mind as you read through this list, that I am young, and I am nowhere near to watching all of the movies that I will probably give a 10/10 to. So this is probably not the only time I make a list like this. So as I watch more films like The Godfather or 2001: A Space Odyssey, they will almost definitely show up here. So these are just the first 25 movies I have given this to. Not the only ones that I will give it to.
So with that out of the way let's start out with number 25, Predator.
Whatever you call it, dumb action movies, bruised forearm movies, taco bell movies, we all know what it means. Predator isn't another nonsensical action movie, Predator is a movie that realises what it is and uses the simplicity of its plot for its benefit. If it was made in the modern age, the studio or the director would have insisted on adding unnecessary complexity to its plot and uninteresting background to its characters. And we don't want to see that. We all know that's just filler. The best example I can think of for this is 2018's Skyscraper. A decent film, but one burdened with unnecessary exposition and plot complexity because "That's what the audiences want!" No, that's what we want from movies like Goodfellas or Fight Club.
Predator understands this and makes a film that entertains and amazes through creativity, not complexity.
Whenever action movies enter a conversation, people always talk about how Die Hard was so groundbreaking and the greatest action movie of the 80s, Predator has been right there with it the entire time. And in my opinion is by far a better overall film. And absolutely deserving to be on this list as a C-Tier 10/10 film.
Predator is definitely better than the original Die Hard film, but that doesn't go for the whole series. Because taking a substantial step up is Die Hard: With a Vengeance at the 24.
Die Hard (1988) will always be the most iconic of the series, but as I will continue saying, iconic status means nothing to overall greatness. Die Hard: With A Vengeance is the one that feels most like it cares about good filmmaking and storytelling. They made so many great decisions with this third movie that went down so well. The christmas theme was long overdue to be gotten rid of, adding a cat-and-mouse element with the villain did wonders for the entertainment standpoint. And adding Samuel L. Jackson as a co-lead in this movie was absolutely genius. He is incredible in this role and provides a much more natural opportunity for interesting dialogue that the original film didn't really have.
The Die Hard franchise should've felt old, repetitive, and unbelievable by the third film. After all, how many times can one cop be in the wrong place at the wrong time and end up taking down a terrorist attack? And while, granted, it does feel like that in some ways, it changes and alters many elements to make that a less relevant issue.
It is by far my favourite Die Hard movie and in my opinion is another C-Tier 10/10.
We're already taking a HUGE step up in the quality of movies on this list. Although 25 through 22 are films you wouldn't expect to be here. (Keep in mind what I said earlier).
Anyways number 23 is Bruce Almighty.
Wait for a second! I see you clicking the close button on this article! Hear me out.
Bruce Almighty is not on this list because it is a 10/10 movie that's better than films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, A Clockwork Orange, Seven Samurai, Parasite or The Shawshank Redemption.
Bruce Almighty is just a movie that deserves to be given the 10/10 rating that I just happened to watch BEFORE those films.
That being said. This movie is phenomenal. Way too many people automatically give it a bad rep due to it being a comedy, but not only does it hit PERFECTLY in its comedic duties, but it delivers surprisingly beautiful dramatic scenes in the final act. Tom Shadyac's accomplishment in this film is nowhere near talked about enough. He figured out a way to allow Jim Carrey to do his normal going crazy acting, but funnel it into a dramatic situation, and he somehow made it work! Not to mention the fact that Jim Carrey was unexpectedly great in this. When he's kneeling in the middle of the street, finally defeated near the end of the film, I was thinking, "This is the guy who played the mask, why is he delivering a performance this great!?". It's incredible. Needless to say he's also hilarious. He leaves his goofy, Dumb & Dumber type humour for a more witty, David Spade-esque joke telling. And those are the type of jokes I laugh at. Not the ones that insult my intelligence, but the ones that trust me to understand a witty comment or a snyde rebuttal.
This is a hill I will never leave. Bruce Almighty is an incredible, flawless film that teaches us that everything in life (even being literal GOD) has its downsides and the most reliable way to fix your life is through hard work and dedication. And it absolutely deserves to be on this list as a C-Tier 10/10.
And with that we are through with the movies that you could argue don't belong on this list. Now at 22 is one of the most divisive and argued upon films in mainstream cinema, The Dark Knight Rises.
The Dark Knight Rises.
The Batman fanbase has been disputing about this film since its release, some think it's an atrocity, most think it's mid. But that small group that think this movie is truly a masterpiece is what I'm a part of. While I still find this to be below the Dark Knight, the gap between these two films is MUCH smaller than most people would say. This being a result of me thinking that The Dark Knight is nowhere near as good as people say it is and that The Dark Knight Rises is way better than people say it is. Let's start out with the obvious. Tom Hardy's Bane is absolutely unbelievable in this. Tom Hardy is a brilliant actor. He was electrifying in Peaky Blinders and definitely my favourite part of that series. Sure his costume design is a little bit, eccentric. And the voice changer they put him in sounds, odd...
but I weirdly love Bane's voice in this and it makes him sound like the mixture of brain and brawn that he is.
I love the cinematography in this film, the atmospheres created here are so immersive and I feel like I'm in the sewer watching Bane fight Batman, and I feel like I'm sitting on that snowy street while the city is torn apart by disgusting and shameless Liberalists.
The action and fight choreography is also significantly better than that of The Dark Knight and it provides some of my favourite Batman fight scenes I have ever seen. The sewer fight, the bank heist, the final battle, all of these are top-tier Batman scenes.
While The Dark Knight is in my opinion, a better film than this, the gap is much smaller than people say and The Dark Knight Rises deserves more credit than it gets. It does plenty of stuff better and has earned the status of our final C-Tier 10/10 movie.
I really hope there is no huge disagreements with this as we move into the B-Tier section of this list. But this is humanity so let's be real. Anyways number 21 is Ridley Scott's classic, Alien.
I think it's a safe way to tell that I love this movie when I use it as the bar to which I judge any horror movie.
Ridley Scott masterfully increases the suspense ever so subtly scene by scene for 40 minutes at a time, until it all comes crashing down on you with a chiling payoff. Be that the Xenomorph baby coming out of the man's stomach or Ripley finally killing it by shredding it in the engine.
Alien toys with my nerves like they're a rubik's cube and shows off an excellent display of writing, characters direction, and creativity. While introducing one of the most menacing movie monsters to ever exist.
It is an intense, thrilling, and beautiful movie. And a B-Tier 10/10 on this list.
It is an intense, thrilling, and beautiful movie. And a B-Tier 10/10 on this list.
Now I love Alien, but I'm not half as passionate about it as I am the rest of the movies on this list. And kicking off my top 20 is Byan Singer's 1995 mystery thriller The Usual Suspects.
I adore this movie. This one of the greatest thrillers I've ever watched. I was captivated and focused the entire way through. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and dramatic when it needs to be. The cast is all acting on the top of their game. And the ending, oh GOD! Of COURSE I'm going to talk about the ending it's one of my favourites in all of cinema!
People say this movie is boring and forgettable until the end. I cannot disagree strongly enough. My attention could not be broken for a SECOND when watching this. On the first watch the element of intrigue and mystery had me captivated for the full runtime. And while the watches were a bit less satisfying on the second, third or fourth time; I found that the sharp, witty dialogue, interesting plot, and perfectly crafted tension were plenty to get me through.
And then there's the ending (Spoiler warning ahead), god damn this is one of my favorite twists in cinematic history. Christopher McQuarrie sets up sudden drops at the perfect points in the script so that we would learn something important, let that fool us into thinking we found the answer to the question, let our guard down and get comfortable, and then the third act would roll around and everything we thought we knew gets turned on its head and decimated to reveal multiple plot revelations. Bewildering you while also being simple enough that you're not completely lost and disconnected from the plot. I could still follow what everything meant and how it impacted the plot, but there was no way in hell I was ever figuring out who Keyser Sozë was. And that is the most important thing you have to accomplish in order to write a successful plot twist.
I also loved everything they did with Keaton's character. He was absolutely crucial to the overall effectiveness of the plot. They set him up as the boss, the leader of the team. Even a little bit protective of Verbal at times because of how he's weaker and much less physically capable than the rest of the group. So Keyser Sozë, this urban legend, master manipulator, would obviously be the one to assume control right? Wrong. Keaton is the red herring. The most likely suspect is never the direction movies take. And we as a society have seen enough of them to figure that out.
However, the movie PREDICTS that we would think this about him. So at the tail end of the second act they make enough subtle moves or hints to make me think they doubled-back because why would we assume that the red herring is the actual villain.
And now just to be cruel, they drop ANOTHER layer on us about how verbal was just playing everyone the whole time and took the role of weak, quiet one so as not to attract attention. Which I probably would have figured out on my own but throughout the movie I'm too distracted trying to make up my mind about Keaton.
And so, after that complex and mind-bending, yet finely tuned and well made third act. The movie ends with verbal walking out of the police station, a free man, we think the movie has ended. But then the twist finally comes. The chief is looking around the interrogation room and notices that everything Verbal said in his story was improvised based off of the details and photos on the wall he was facing. The chief calls the entire station out to get him back, and the film closes with Verbal slowly walking with his crippled leg, then slowly transitioning to a normal walk as he gets to his car. It was all a lie.
"The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled Was Convincing The World He Didn't Exist".
Flawless film. B-Tier 10/10.
And with that we're going to move right on to my number 19 pick, The Batman.
I've heard a lot of people online calling this movie "mid" or "overrated." I'm here to tell you that its not. This film is absolutely flawless.
"But it's too long! Not all of the scenes are necessary!" So what!? If a film wants to tell a great story, and they bother to make every extra scene well crafted and entertaining, why should they cut it to be a shorter, barebones version of a once great story just to fit our short attention spans? The short answer is, it shouldn't.
A lot of Marvel fans are going to hate this one, and film is almost impossible to find objectivity in. But I have no trouble or doubt in saying that The Batman is better than every film the MCU has ever made. Because while the MCU makes movies with the primary goal of earning money. While The Batman is a film with the primary focus going to good filmmaking. By hiring talented actors, writing a great screenplay, and giving a director the liberation to take a risk and tell exactly the story he wanted to tell. (Which is something DC movies should try doing more often).
"But it's too long! Not all of the scenes are necessary!" So what!? If a film wants to tell a great story, and they bother to make every extra scene well crafted and entertaining, why should they cut it to be a shorter, barebones version of a once great story just to fit our short attention spans? The short answer is, it shouldn't.
A lot of Marvel fans are going to hate this one, and film is almost impossible to find objectivity in. But I have no trouble or doubt in saying that The Batman is better than every film the MCU has ever made. Because while the MCU makes movies with the primary goal of earning money. While The Batman is a film with the primary focus going to good filmmaking. By hiring talented actors, writing a great screenplay, and giving a director the liberation to take a risk and tell exactly the story he wanted to tell. (Which is something DC movies should try doing more often).
But the thing is, when you put good filmmaking first. You get the bonus of making a crapload of money, while also becoming a respected film in the industry of great movies.
But that's just my surface level thoughts. Check out my last article for more. The Batman is a B-Tier 10/10. Bordering incredibly close on A-Tier.
I swear if I see one more Marvel fan complaining online about how there weren't any jokes I'm going to lose my mind.
And that's going to bring us right along to number 18, The Dark Knight.
You also might be confused why I called this film flawless and then insisted it wasn't perfect. Well in my mind flawless and perfect are two different words. Flawless to me means a film without any glaring issues or huge problem that act as a detriment to its quality. However perfect for me means that every single small detail or aspect is made as great as humanly possible. So not only does it have no huge problems, but every detail is cranked up to ten. So while I think The Dark Knight is a film free of any significant problems, it doesn't perform perfectly in every category.
My favourite part of this film has to has been Harvey Dent and his character arc. Gotham is a crime ridden hellhole and has been for years. And Harvey was their only chance at redemption and safety. He was a good honest person and the perfect example of what a human should be. So watching him be slowly broken down by the Joker's many mental and physical attacks is an incredible and devastating concept that is executed immaculately. Each attack targets a different part of Harvey's morality, and they're paced perfectly so that they feel random and scattered, but a relevant and impending threat at any given point. And Aaron Eckhart's performance as a man desperately trying to hold onto his morality and optimism while being put through the worst horrors the city had to offer was absolutely perfect and in my mind the most underrated performance in cinematic history.
And then of course there's Heath Ledger. Holy hell.
This is easily one of my favourite performances in cinematic history. Ledger is subtle when he needs to be. Doing all the little things that show his character's insanity, twitching, muttering, stuff like that. But he never oversells them or tries too hard to make you notice what he's doing. And then when you need him for big payoffs of all the tension buildup, (scenes such as Joker's interrogation or the final battle) he lets it all go and perfectly pulls of these batshit crazy moments of pure anarchism. He fully embodies the pure evil that is the character of Joker and to this day remains as the greatest performance in comic book history.
Riddler from The Batman is still the best villain though. The Dark Knight is a B-Tier 10/10.
And now finally taking a break from the comic book movies for a while, number 17 is The Breakfast Club.
We have undoubtedly moved up a tier. The gap between this movie and the rest of the films I have talked about before it is immense. With a story spanning only 9 hours, John Hughes tells a magnificent, thought-provoking story about the American teenger and their constant struggle to be understood. By adults, and more importantly, by themselves. It explores the the pressure put on teens to fit in to the societal hierarchy that segregates them by their defining trait, and then doesn't allow them to be anything else but a one dimensional stereotype without facing criticism, judgement, and bullying. A system built by the teenagers that came before us and is upholded by the modern ones who don't know anything different.
You can see over the course of the first two acts the five main characters each have their own moments where they show their true feelings as the begin to let their guard down and realize that they're finally in a safe space where they can be themselves. And then the third act rolls around and one by one they each break down and fully let out years of unexpressed emotions of anger, insecurity, and sadness. It's truly beautiful.
I can't say I relate to all of this very well. The struggle to be understood, the social anxiety and whatnot.
But I can say I appreciate what John Hughes has done here and how he did it. On paper, The Breakfast Club is just another high school movie. But what makes it stand out for me is how they portrayed their teenage characters. Almost every high school/teenager movie I've ever seen doesn't even try to show us accurately. They just write all of their teenage characters as overly superficial and moody, with little to no character traits other than being dependant on social approval and obsessed with their phones.
But John Hughes made his films differently. He portrayed teenagers differently. Rather than take the easy way out and write down a half-assed, surface level versions that symbolize the worst parts of modern teenagers, he takes the time to show the real us.
He shows that, while on the surface it looks easy to just assume the entire character of teenagers based off of a few generic stereotypes, we are complex humans just like the rest of humanity. And John Hughes portrays that in a way that makes teenage emotions feel validated rather than using them as scapegoat for jokes about our ever-changing moods.
John Hughes was a legend. He will always be respected by me for his writing of teenage characters and skill in screenwriting.
John Hughes was a legend. He will always be respected by me for his writing of teenage characters and skill in screenwriting.
The Breakfast Club is an A-Tier 10/10 film, and a true underrated masterpiece.
And that brings us on to number 16, Ridley Scott's second appearance on this list, Gladiator.
Gladiator is a flawless film in all aspects, the cinematography is brilliant and fully delivers the aesthetic of 180 A.D. Rome. And the script written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson, paired with the masterful directing by Ridley Scott transform this movie from yet another revenge story into a film with its own unique feel and qualities.
I haven't even begun to talk about the acting. The performances by the two leads were able to take these rather simple characters and make them feel so deep, and so real. Russell Crowe as Maximus is incredible casting, and he does a great job. Definitely worthy of his Oscar win. But Joaquin Phoenix, holy hell, he is incredible as Commodus. The countless levels of charismatic yet chilling, twisted, and evil he can display through one character and his facial expressions. When you stare into Commodus' eyes, you see the wretched anguish, and rotten evil running through his mind. And for him not to even be nominated for such a captivating performance is truly baffling.
I haven't even begun to talk about the acting. The performances by the two leads were able to take these rather simple characters and make them feel so deep, and so real. Russell Crowe as Maximus is incredible casting, and he does a great job. Definitely worthy of his Oscar win. But Joaquin Phoenix, holy hell, he is incredible as Commodus. The countless levels of charismatic yet chilling, twisted, and evil he can display through one character and his facial expressions. When you stare into Commodus' eyes, you see the wretched anguish, and rotten evil running through his mind. And for him not to even be nominated for such a captivating performance is truly baffling.
One thing I really appreciate about Gladiator is how they were able to incorporate incredibly entertaining popcorn action while also making it feel relevant and not completely disconnected from the story. The scenes inside the Colosseum are my favourite action sequences in cinema, and that's because they took that extra minute to write them into the story and make them make sense, rather than put them in just to provide cheap, hollow entertainment that makes the movie more money. You know why Maximus is able to take a leadership role so easily. You know why the Gladiators are working together with such effective chemistry. And you know enough about Commodus that you know why Maximus hates him with such a passion.
Overall Gladiator is definitely a flawless film and an A-Tier 10/10
And with that we enter the top half of this list with number 15, Good Will Hunting.
I don't have too much to say about this masterpiece but let me just say this...
Good Will Hunting is a movie that will mercilessly and incessantly hit you in the heart in multiple different ways. It will make you sob while Matt Damon is talking to Robin Williams, it will devastate you when Damon is destroying his relationship, Robin Williams will bring tears to your eyes while he reveals his character's story, and the ending will emotionally destroy you as tears of joy and sadness conflict against each other in your mind. Ben Affleck's character was an incredible friend.
The film is an emotional rollercoaster that plays with your emotions countless times yet is able to pull off every scene to make you feel exactly the way they want you to.
The film is an emotional rollercoaster that plays with your emotions countless times yet is able to pull off every scene to make you feel exactly the way they want you to.
The reason for this is because the film casts perfectly and had the fortune of landing each of these stars at their absolute pinnacle of their careers. This is Matt Damon, Robin Williams, and Ben Affleck all at their peaks. Each of their performances are absolutely flawless. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck both permeate these arrogant-yet-lovable personas that make you fully invested in their stories. You care about them because they both have many flaws in their humanity, but their flaws aren't so huge that they become irredeemable people. You care about them and like them as people.
And then of course Robin Williams is just a perfect human who incessantly radiates this aura of comforting kindness. And that leaks into his character in this film.
Anytime Robin Williams and Matt Damon are on screen together, the scene is perfect. But even when they're not, Good Will Hunting is a true masterpiece, and an A-Tier 10/10.
Moving on with the top half of this list, I have Scream at number 14.
Scream is one of the most borderline perfect films I've ever seen. There are countless scenes that are absolutely phenomenal and go down in history as some of the greatest in horror history. Drew Barrymore's ten minute opening scene is suspenseful and terrifying, when Tatum tries to escape through the pet door is absolutely brutal, and Randy explaining the "rules" of surviving a horror movie is so funny in a clever way.
These scenes in Scream could not go down so well without establishing amazing characters. The characters and their dynamics are what make this movie so interesting to watch again and again. Sidney is an incredible final girl and one of my favourite main protagonists in Horror films. Gale Weathers is usually insufferable but she has some funny moments and redeeming qualities that makes her interesting to watch. Then of course Dewey is absolutely legendary and unironically one of my favourite characters in fiction.
And then of course there's Ghostface. The killer and the face of the series. Ghostface is my favourite villain of the slasher genre. And he gets way more hate then he deserves. Everyone likes to make fun of him for just being some guy in a mask and for being so weak. And the thing is, that's what makes him great! He doesn't have the durability of a nuclear war bunker. He doesn't have any supernatural abilities that render you useless to fight back against him. He's a guy in a mask, who needs to use intellect, patience, and planning to get his job done. He doesn't walk up to his prey, tanking bullets, he stalks his victims and lures all of them into his elaborate traps. It's the same reason I loved The Riddler from 2022's The Batman. And I spoke very fondly of that character in my review of that film. And I love the character of Ghostface just as much if not more than The Riddler.
One thing that I believe makes Scream stand out from the rest of the films in the slasher subgenre is its ability to incorporate humour into the film without completely ruining the tone. As you know the Scream series is famous for the meta quality it includes in each film. And I think that is the backbone of this film's originality. It acts as a way to calm your nerves after a brutal, gory jumpscare, but it also makes the next jumpscare scene even more effective because your nerves have been calmed and you've let your guard down again, only to be hit with another brutal jumpscare.
It's also just a pleasure to watch a film poke fun at the almost half century of history that the horror genre had established before it.
It's also just a pleasure to watch a film poke fun at the almost half century of history that the horror genre had established before it.
Overall, Scream is a film that means a lot to me. I will always have a special place in my heart for this series and anytime I rank films based off of personal preference is will always be up near the top.
Flawless film and an A-Tier 10/10.
Following up Scream is another giant in the Horror industry. Steven Spielberg's suspense-filled masterpiece Jaws at number 13.
What can you even say about Jaws anymore? This is one of the most critically acclaimed films ever made; and people have been praising it for almost half a century now. It is clearly one of the greatest films ever made and will have its place in history for decades to come.
There are countless reasons as to why this is one of my favourite films ever made. And while you'll have heard things similar to the points I'd like to make, I'd like to point out a few aspects of the film and tell you why I love Jaws.
There are countless reasons as to why this is one of my favourite films ever made. And while you'll have heard things similar to the points I'd like to make, I'd like to point out a few aspects of the film and tell you why I love Jaws.
For starters, the cinematography is excellent.
The movie was shot by director of photography Bill Butler, who overcame many challenges throughout filming to set the scene for the greatest moments of the film. He does this right from the beginning. By painting Chrissy Watkin's annihilation in a glistening, alluring ocean. A quiet, serene paradise broken by a force of nature and a loom of terror on her face. He also uses many clever camera techniques to elevate the story and emphasize the tension. Such as keeping the background in focus during a POV shot to demonstrate Brody's split, or taking a page out of Hitchcock's book and using the dolly zoom (used in vertigo), to amplify the horror when Chief Brody's world is turned upside down as the shark quietly takes the life of the young child Alex Kintner.
But aside from these complex camera movements and techniques, Jaws doesn't get nearly enough credit for how visually stunning it is. I feel as though every other scene I'm getting a beautiful sunset or a crystal ocean. It's scenes like those that make me eager to watch Jaws again and again.
Speaking of tension, as you've heard, the suspense of this film is what makes it truly great in my eyes.
You not physically see the shark for over an hour into this movie. Instead, you see small bits and pieces from the shark's point of view as it slowly swims up to its next target and attacks from underneath them. What I love about older movies like these, is that you know what's going to happen. In Rear Window, you know from the plot description that someone's wife is going to be murdered. But, Hitchcock doesn't hit you with that immediately, it shows long, lingering scenes of many different married couples and small hints from each that it could be them, leaving you paranoid for each different scene as it ever so slowly builds up to the payoff.
It's no different in Jaws. You know that at any minute the Shark is going to attack and kill someone, but it doesn't drop that on you right away, it slowly builds up the tension through many instances where it could have been an attack, but was just innocent fun, it does this enough times to cloud your judgement of what's danger and what's not. You're on the edge of your seat, your eyes unbreakably fixated on the screen, waiting for that moment where the suspense can let go of your heart. Then it hits you with that sweet, mortifying payoff.
It's no different in Jaws. You know that at any minute the Shark is going to attack and kill someone, but it doesn't drop that on you right away, it slowly builds up the tension through many instances where it could have been an attack, but was just innocent fun, it does this enough times to cloud your judgement of what's danger and what's not. You're on the edge of your seat, your eyes unbreakably fixated on the screen, waiting for that moment where the suspense can let go of your heart. Then it hits you with that sweet, mortifying payoff.
Then of course, you can't praise Jaws without talking about John Williams' score. The music goes hand in hand with the aforementioned suspense to escalate the tension of any scene it's played in.
For the longest time I have been wondering why I loved this particular score, and why I see it as one of Williams' best. I couldn't quite place it. But then I realized just how well it works with the shark's lack of appearance in the film. The score puts you in an instant sense of dread. The second it starts playing, you know something bad is about to happen. So it acts as the sinister force even when you see nothing.
Williams was also smart when it came to judging when to leave music out of scenes. He he smartly decides that Quint's USS Indianapolis monologue doesn't need music to amplify its effect. In fact, the dead silence as he starts to share his story helps to make the atmosphere more chilling. As does the quieter, subtle undertone that plays as Quint begins to share the horrors of his first shark encounter. It's smart decisions like this that play more to Jaws' success and quality.
For the longest time I have been wondering why I loved this particular score, and why I see it as one of Williams' best. I couldn't quite place it. But then I realized just how well it works with the shark's lack of appearance in the film. The score puts you in an instant sense of dread. The second it starts playing, you know something bad is about to happen. So it acts as the sinister force even when you see nothing.
Williams was also smart when it came to judging when to leave music out of scenes. He he smartly decides that Quint's USS Indianapolis monologue doesn't need music to amplify its effect. In fact, the dead silence as he starts to share his story helps to make the atmosphere more chilling. As does the quieter, subtle undertone that plays as Quint begins to share the horrors of his first shark encounter. It's smart decisions like this that play more to Jaws' success and quality.
I believe this score is truly a testament to John Williams' genius that he could turn a score that is just two chords, the E and the F baseline repeated over and over, into one of the greatest themes in cinematic history.
And lastly, I know this has nothing to do with Jaws' overall quality, but I think it's so incredible how Spielberg made this the first movie to be shot on the ocean. He battled through so many different issues on set and went far over budget, but he and the rest of the crew persevered, and made a film with such groundbreaking accomplishments. The techniques they used to make the film feel as real as possible are insane and so much fun to watch and read about almost 50 years later. And these kinds of things are what attribute to my respect for Jaws rather than its overall quality.
In conclusion, Jaws is not only one of the most iconic films in cinematic history, it's also one of the best. It takes everything I said about Predator and using simplicity to its advantage, and amplifies it to a cinematic masterpiece.
A flawless film that is borderline perfect, and an A-Tier 10/10.
A flawless film that is borderline perfect, and an A-Tier 10/10.
Moving on to number 12 we have the last comic book film on this list (I promise), Joker.
Yeah this is without a doubt my favourite comic book movie. Much like The Batman, this movie is hugely divisive for the fans of comic book films. Some love it, while most strongly dislike it.
The majority consensus is that Joker is slow moving and ruined the character of the Joker. Now I'm not to big on comics but I have to say I strongly disagree with both of these.
This is what comic book movies have turned cinema in to. If your movie doesn't have at least one huge action sequence it's immediately labelled as "boring" by a large amount of people. (Generally MCU fans).
Now here's a shocking idea. Maybe look at this film real quick, watch a trailer, read the plot description, whatever. And as you're turning it on to watch it for the first time acknowledge that a comic book film can be great without CGI and explosions.
And that's what this is. Films of this genre often tend to base all of their movies around comic book fantasy to attract audiences. Superman's Powers, Iron Man's Suit, Thor's Hammer, and what have you.
even in the case of Batman, who's character and movies are praised for being more grounded and realistic than the rest. He is still a man with superhuman IQ, outlandish gadgets and The BATMOBILE. He is in no way realistic.
But what makes Joker so great is that his character and story are both profoundly human. From the birth of his mental defects to his final destruction, they make all of this seem like it could fit into the narrative of any random person you see while walking down the street.
And that's what this is. Films of this genre often tend to base all of their movies around comic book fantasy to attract audiences. Superman's Powers, Iron Man's Suit, Thor's Hammer, and what have you.
even in the case of Batman, who's character and movies are praised for being more grounded and realistic than the rest. He is still a man with superhuman IQ, outlandish gadgets and The BATMOBILE. He is in no way realistic.
But what makes Joker so great is that his character and story are both profoundly human. From the birth of his mental defects to his final destruction, they make all of this seem like it could fit into the narrative of any random person you see while walking down the street.
And then obviously there's Joaquin Phoenix. I had mentioned earlier when I was talking about Gladiator how great he was in that, now imagine that performance but 20 times better and the craziness escalated to 100. He portrays the sudden ups or downs of a mentally ill person so perfectly. In one scene he seems like a sweet, kind guy who cares for his mother and (aside from his laughing tick) appears to be perfectly normal.
And then in the next scene he's murdering three College students in a subway station or murdering a man by repeatedly slamming his head into the corner of a wall, and it reminds you that he's the incarnation of pure evil. Phoenix acts as both these halves of the Joker's character perfectly, so watching him on his good days, you feel sad for him. Future actors should be watching this film and studying Joaquin to learn how to play a sympathetic villain. He is so phenomenal that I never really hated the Joker in this film. Regardless of the atrocities he'd committed.
And then the ending rolled around and he dove so far into his madness that there was no redeeming him. He kills the talk show host on air and by that point on I hate him so much that he changed my stance on the death penalty for 5 minutes.
After the host's murder, a riot erupts. An army of Joker supporters flood the streets of Gotham. Dressed in their best clown masks. They're the type of people who believe that the government has overstepped. They think that they should get to choose what's right and what's wrong by their own individual terms. (A nice metaphor for the fact that all Libertarianists are in fact, clowns.)
And while I don't personally agree with the messages that this movie puts forth, (the rich don't deserve to be richer than us, society is the reason people turn to crime, etc.) I think the movie does a great job of projecting its messages in an intelligent way where it presents what it believes but doesn't expect you to fully agree with its views. It also doesn't make you feel stupid to disagree, it just presents its opinion and lets you think about it yourself. And that is crucial in pulling off a major political statement through film.
After the host's murder, a riot erupts. An army of Joker supporters flood the streets of Gotham. Dressed in their best clown masks. They're the type of people who believe that the government has overstepped. They think that they should get to choose what's right and what's wrong by their own individual terms. (A nice metaphor for the fact that all Libertarianists are in fact, clowns.)
And while I don't personally agree with the messages that this movie puts forth, (the rich don't deserve to be richer than us, society is the reason people turn to crime, etc.) I think the movie does a great job of projecting its messages in an intelligent way where it presents what it believes but doesn't expect you to fully agree with its views. It also doesn't make you feel stupid to disagree, it just presents its opinion and lets you think about it yourself. And that is crucial in pulling off a major political statement through film.
All of this makes Joker a film standing right on the edge of perfection. But it's not quite in that S tier for me. It is definitely a flawless film and an A-Tier 10/10.
And now with Joker out of the way we're moving on to the films I've placed in the S tier of this list. These are the films I consider perfect. 10/10 in every aspect. The 11 films in this tier are ones that I couldn't find anything remotely wrong with, even if I tried. And they are all some of my favourite films ever made.
And that tier begins with number 11, Dead Poets Society.
There's no better way for me to start explaining my thoughts on Dead Poets Society and what an influence he's been on my and many other people's lives. He is the perfect example of a positive role model with a beautiful message, and a method of teaching that makes it so he can spread it to as many people as he can.
His influence on each boy's individual life is so magnificent to watch and overall I think this is Robin Williams at his best. The movies he's in do such a fantastic job of harnessing his unbreakable positivity and uplifting spirit and turning it into a majour plot device that works perfectly with the story. Think about it. In Good Will Hunting, Williams uses his kindness and energy to save the promising young Will from losing himself to drinking and mental illness. In Good Morning Vietnam, he plays a radio DJ in the middle of the Vietnam War. And he uses his spirit to provide laughter and morale boost for the soldiers in combat, and is tested and conflicted for it the entire way through the film.
This is no different in Dead Poets Society, Williams plays a character who uses his signature kindness and unbreakable spirit to light a fire in each boy's heart and ultimately save (almost) everyone in that class's lives.
The boys in this film start out their journey in this film just like any other student at their school. They are all promising young men who are granted with the opportunity to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the country. it is unquestioned that all of these students are set to prosper and lead great lives. But something is undoubtedly missing inside all of them.
These boys have been taught from a young age that prosperity is the thing that matters most and you must spend almost every waking minute of your lives working to achieve a respectable career. This would be fine, prosperity is one of the most important thing a young man/woman can focus on. But the problem is that these parents used that fact to twist the narrative and feed their children the lie that their opinion on the subject doesn't matter. In order to be successful they have to listen to their parents and teachers and not ask any questions or have other passions. So as the boys grow up to believe that their only worth lies within becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer, (etc.) and obtaining a respectable living. If this mindset is left unchanged, each and every member of that new generation would have their lives doomed to becoming yet another member of the endless rat race.
Enter, John Keating. He is one of the very few that treat these students as human beings, not dolls to control. In his short time at the school, he wakes up a small group of these students and teaches them that they are the one in control of their future. Seize the day and don't let others choose your interests. If you are passionate about something, pursue that and don't let anyone else put you down for it. Because if you can make an honest living doing the thing you love, you're the biggest success of all.
Enter, John Keating. He is one of the very few that treat these students as human beings, not dolls to control. In his short time at the school, he wakes up a small group of these students and teaches them that they are the one in control of their future. Seize the day and don't let others choose your interests. If you are passionate about something, pursue that and don't let anyone else put you down for it. Because if you can make an honest living doing the thing you love, you're the biggest success of all.
Everything about this movie is executed so flawlessly. But I'm almost guaranteed to talk about this movie in a more individual article. So I'll save the rest of my cards for then. But Keating is by far my favourite aspect of this film and it is definitely an S tier 10/10 film.
And with Dead Poets Society just falling short, we're moving on to the top ten. These are not only the top ten films on this list, but some of my favourite films of all time. So starting off a list this important to me is none other than the iconic masterpiece itself, Goodfellas.
Argue with me all you want, but the 90s were truly the golden age of Hollywood. I know the 30s-60s are seen as the golden age of Hollywood and whatnot but to me 90s films just have this sense of unique wonder and magic to me. Where directors had the freedom to pursue original and creative ideas, and the resources to make those ideas come to life. Goodfellas is a perfect example of this. Martin Scorsese made this film nearly three hours long, yet it never drags, never slows down, and keeps you invested and immersed in it the entire way through.
What else can you really say, this is one of the greatest films ever made. And to absolutely no one's surprise, I love it.
While Goodfellas is possibly one of the most praised films in history, I don't think the soundtrack gets the credit it deserves. It is my favourite soundtrack in cinematic history. When I'm rewatching Goodfellas, no matter what I'm doing, the music will always grab my attention before anything else. Songs like Then He Kissed Me, and Life Is But A Dream not only work inside of the film by creating an atmosphere of 50s elegance, but are also just great songs in general that you can add to your playlist and listen to in your daily life, and I believe if a soundtrack can do both of those things it can become one of the most important parts of your movie.
Goodfellas is a perfect film that perfectly captures both the amazing life a mafia member can live, and the hellscape that their life can turn into when they get out of line. It is elevated by incredible performances from everyone involved, beautiful cinematography and camera work by Michael Ballhaus, and perfect direction from Martin Scorsese in
his best work I've seen to date.
Moving on from the tenth spot I have Jojo Rabbit at number 9.
First of all. Jojo Rabbit is not what it looks like. It is not a story about a young nazi who gets mentored by Hitler himself in a light-hearted, goofy comedy about Nazi Youth and the Reich.
This is a film about a young boy learning to overcome his blind nationalism in a after being surrounded by nothing but lies and propaganda. The film is about the main protagonist Jojo, and therefore the plot and story are told through his eyes. So in the first act, everything feels light and carefree as Jojo's stance on his country hasn't been remotely challenged yet. In the second act he begins to see some of the atrocities committed by Germany with the help of his mother and the Jewish girl. And by the third act the blindfold is completely ripped off and everything Jojo thought he knew about his country is turned completely upside down. It's a beautiful story and a perfect character arc for Jojo.
This is a film about a young boy learning to overcome his blind nationalism in a after being surrounded by nothing but lies and propaganda. The film is about the main protagonist Jojo, and therefore the plot and story are told through his eyes. So in the first act, everything feels light and carefree as Jojo's stance on his country hasn't been remotely challenged yet. In the second act he begins to see some of the atrocities committed by Germany with the help of his mother and the Jewish girl. And by the third act the blindfold is completely ripped off and everything Jojo thought he knew about his country is turned completely upside down. It's a beautiful story and a perfect character arc for Jojo.
The second thing I would like to say is that if you are planning on watching this film. Watch it one night, sleep on it. And then rewatch it the next day. On my first watch of Jojo Rabbit I initially had it at an 8 out of 10. Then i rewatched it two days later and rose it up to a 9 in my review. And now as I write this it has risen once again on the third watch to be what I consider a 10/10 film. And one on the S tier of this list.
And moving on to number 8, a movie I have been dying to talk about for quite some time. The Trial Of The Chicago 7.
the day of the 2021 oscars I went into Netflix and put this on. I had wanted to see it for a while and watched it on the afternoon before the ceremony. When I started the film, I was expecting a low 8 out 10 movie that entertains me for two hours or so. No this is one of my favourite films I've ever watched.
The Trial Of The Chicago 7 is a film where it is expected that justice will fail to be done. By the start of the film the characters have already come to terms with the fact that they stood no chance in defeating a system corrupted by the far, FAR right.
This film is a perfect commentary on the time it came out in. Trump and his cronies were still running the white house, racism was running rampant within the people in control of the country and the world was setting itself up to become the craphole it is this year. Aaron Sorkin saw this and made the perfect connection to another dark time from the U.S. where almost everything is similar.
This film is a perfect commentary on the time it came out in. Trump and his cronies were still running the white house, racism was running rampant within the people in control of the country and the world was setting itself up to become the craphole it is this year. Aaron Sorkin saw this and made the perfect connection to another dark time from the U.S. where almost everything is similar.
The Trial Of The Chicago 7 is the perfect example of the fact that when enough people who believe in the same horrible ideals occupy the right positions within the system, they can change the entire country in order to fit their beliefs. That's exactly what happened with this film's Trial. Everyone in control of deciding the Chicago 7's fate was either racist, completely biased against them with political vendetta, or even both. The film is incredibly entertaining and is comedic at times, but it's mainly a subtle warning to the people of the United States to not let themselves get to the point where they're completely controlled by the far right or the far left ever again.
The themes of this film are incredibly deep and well written, and I also appreciate the fact that Sorkin made the film so that it's really entertaining to watch. It never fails to hold my attention the entire way through and makes outside distractions like scrolling through Letterboxd or watching YouTube not as fun as sitting down and watching this film for 2 hours. All in all, I can never really go wrong with The Trial Of The Chicago 7. It's a good way to spend some time of your afternoon and is worth every second of its runtime. Overall. A damn near perfect film and an S Tier 10/10 in my opinion.
Moving closer and closer to the top 5 we have the other Netflix Original Film on this list, and also one of the more recent ones, 2021's Oscar Snub victim Tick,Tick...Boom!
Much like Jojo Rabbit and The Batman, I have already written this movie its own review before detailing my thoughts on it.
What I will say though is that this is my favourite film of 2021 with almost no competition. It perfectly displays the struggles that come before success. It shows the perseverance you need in order to succeed by doing the thing you love and how you need to be able to handle failure, again and again, until finally something sticks to the wall. Every character in the movie is likeable and endearing, the story is great, but the acting is what really stands out in this film.
Andrew Garfield is absolutely flawless as the eccentric lead role and the rest of the cast are amazing as well. The fact that not one of these actors got nominated for a supporting actor/actress award may just be more egregious than Don't Look Up getting nominated for best picture.
If you want more detailed expressions of my thoughts on this film, go check out my review, but for now I'll just say that Tick... Tick, Boom! is by far my favourite film of the last few years, and one of my favourite films of all time.
S tier 10/10.
S tier 10/10.
Moving on to number 6, the film coming in just shy of the top 5, Stanley Kubrick's Masterpiece of horror, The Shining.
The Shining is honestly the most terrifying film I've ever witnessed. Keep in mind, movies don't scare me easily. I can only say I've been genuinely scared by one 3 times.
So what makes The Shining so fearful?
Well, in order for a horror film to work, it needs tension, atmosphere, and mystery.
Kubrick puts you on edge the entire film as you watch Jack Torrance's mind slowly dissolve into madness due to isolation and feelings of entrapment. His descent is beautifully written and is fine in its own. But finally addressing the elephant in the room, Jack Nicholson is the reason why Jack Torrance, and ultimately this movie, are so haunting.
He brings his own aura of off-putting intensity by delivering his lines in a certain tone, with a look that makes you feel in your gut that something isn't right. Whenever he's talking to Wendy he looks like he could jump up and attack her at any given second. You know that's going to happen eventually. So everytime Nicholson is on screen, I'm filled with this feeling of dread and anxiety, waiting for that moment where he snaps. That's why I don't think there's anyone in Hollywood history who could have pulled this off as well as Nicholson did. And why I think he just might be the greatest actor of all time. (I haven't put 5 seconds of thought into this statement so don't take me too seriously on that).
The score of this film is something I believe gets overlooked as well. Not because it's a particularly good piece of classical music or anything, but more so because of how well it integrates with the rest of the film. It provides the atmosphere from the aforementioned three main components of an effective horror film. Whenever the score kicks in, the atmosphere of the film changs from odd, to chilling and intense.
The score induces a sense of off-putting dread. Things are going as planned. But something about the setting seems off. It feels somewhat alike to the feeling that I'm being watched. As though there's some ungodly presence stalking me. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike through the film, using its malicious power to attack me with moments of raw terror.
As you could probably tell from the fact that we're talking about 10 of my favourite films in cinematic history, so obviously at one point or another I'm going to rewatch and review all of these. But I feel as though I've given enough reasons in this short summarization of my views to prove my point on why this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. And why it is in my mind, an S tier 10/10.
And now after a long, crazy ride, we've made it to my top 5. My favourite films ever made. The perfect way to start a list like this is none other than Cameron Crowe's legendary, Almost Famous.
My thoughts on this film haven't changes in the slightest since my review of it in late january.
William Miller is still the character I relate the most to without question. We've both been allured by a particular form of artistic expression. We've both had our moment of supreme epiphany. The moment we realised that THIS is our passion. We want to share our opinions, and discuss with people. We want to make a career from writing about our passions, and we would both go to extreme lengths to achieve that goal. (I have that exact moment in mind. But, to avoid spoiling a film in the later stages of the list, I'll keep my mouth shut for now.)
William Miller is still the character I relate the most to without question. We've both been allured by a particular form of artistic expression. We've both had our moment of supreme epiphany. The moment we realised that THIS is our passion. We want to share our opinions, and discuss with people. We want to make a career from writing about our passions, and we would both go to extreme lengths to achieve that goal. (I have that exact moment in mind. But, to avoid spoiling a film in the later stages of the list, I'll keep my mouth shut for now.)
That's not to say I only like this film because of sentimental value. Every performance, scene, conversation, and frame are beautiful. And each actor gives an underrated performance that perfectly encapsulate the energy of the times and the lifestyle their characters are living in.
Characters like Russell Hammond and Penny Lane, paired with the incredible acting and great writing, are so charismatic and just pure enigmas of human beings. They're mysterious, yet warm, confident, yet not arrogant. They show William the benefits of living the life of a 70s rock group, and further attract him to that life against the wishes of his mother.
But the thing I love about all of this is, they're real about it. They show William this lifestyle not to further their own gain, but because they genuinely like him and enjoy his presence in their lives. They eventually even want to help him with his own goals just as he's helping them with theirs.
But the thing I love about all of this is, they're real about it. They show William this lifestyle not to further their own gain, but because they genuinely like him and enjoy his presence in their lives. They eventually even want to help him with his own goals just as he's helping them with theirs.
Of course they started out the movie by seeing Will as merely a tool to earn more credit to their name. But what's the point of character development if we don't believe people can change? After getting to know him, they see Will for who he is, this bright, quiet, awkward young man with a good heart and loads of integrity. And they like that. So they open up to the guy and show him a whole new world of liberation and riches.
Even without that beautiful display of character development, Stillwater had some negative experiences with Rolling Stone (and other Rock journalist outlets like that), and were lead to believe that all Rock Journalists were only looking out for themselves and would jump at any chance to completely destroy Stillwater's reputation purely for the sake of achieving that hollow, 15 minutes of fame.
So of course when Will came along, they were expecting nothing. Only to be pleasantly surprised with a great human being that they could open up to and build a coexisting relationship, and maybe even friendship with. I think it's a perfect message displayed here that show business is only as malicious and cut-throat as the people inside of it.
Even without that beautiful display of character development, Stillwater had some negative experiences with Rolling Stone (and other Rock journalist outlets like that), and were lead to believe that all Rock Journalists were only looking out for themselves and would jump at any chance to completely destroy Stillwater's reputation purely for the sake of achieving that hollow, 15 minutes of fame.
So of course when Will came along, they were expecting nothing. Only to be pleasantly surprised with a great human being that they could open up to and build a coexisting relationship, and maybe even friendship with. I think it's a perfect message displayed here that show business is only as malicious and cut-throat as the people inside of it.
Overall, while it's a more unconventional pick, Almost Famous is definitely one of my favourite films ever made. And in my opinion is an S tier 10/10 film.
And with that we move right on to number 4, Fight Club.
People who explicitly dislike this film are honestly the worst possible types of movie fans in my opinion. It seems that Fight Club haters have taken it upon themselves to try and invalidate the opinion of anyone who loves it. They just expected to be treated with higher respect by people just because they hate on this film. They so pathetically want attention that they'll go on any video or article talking about Fight Club or expressing their love for it and label the creator as a "Film Bro" who "hasn't watched enough movies" or some bullcrap like that. They take second place as the worst movie fans of all time to the people who try to invalidate your opinion if you're younger than a certain age and disagree with them.
Now don't get me wrong, if you don't like Fight Club that's fine. Just keep it to yourself unless you're actively debating with someone about it, or agreeing with. a video/article that's expressing their distaste for the film.
What I think makes Fight Club such a great film is how beautifully it explores the psyche of the average everyday male and its bipolar nature. It displays how the male brain is torn between the sensitive, cautious, and mild qualities symbolized by The Narrator, and the macho, impulsive and carefree Tyler Durden. It perfectly shows us how these two sides of our brain at some point in our lives will begin to conflict. Making us feel defeated or entrapped.
It also shows that there is no stability in perfection. The moment you achieve your goal, there's going to be something else to work for, new dreams to aspire towards. You're never going to be able to stop at complete perfection. So relish in those small victories and cherish them when you can.
It also shows that there is no stability in perfection. The moment you achieve your goal, there's going to be something else to work for, new dreams to aspire towards. You're never going to be able to stop at complete perfection. So relish in those small victories and cherish them when you can.
And one more thing. You cannot for a second convince me that the film's displays of "toxic masculinity" is a valid argument for calling it bad. Have any of this film's haters heard of the word "satire" before? Because Fight Club is LOADED with it. David Fincher is criticising the views of overly toxic men by showing how outlandish and unreasonable their views and actions can get when they're left behind by a capitalist society.
Overall Fight Club is a film WAY deeper than its haters will give it credit for. And if they would just stop and think about what it is they're hating on in this film, they would realize that. Absolutely one of my favourites and an S tier 10/10
And working our way closer and closer to the point where I can start working on other things, Jurassic Park is at number 3.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of why I love Jurassic Park is how the film is able to have such a major tonal shift between the first act and the other two. The first act of Jurassic Park is overflowing with a sense of wonder and amazement felt by the characters as they have everything they thought they knew about the possibilities of biological science turned completely upside down. The lighting is bright and sunny, showing us the sense of naiveté circling each character as their better judgement is completely thrown aside due to the characters being awestruck by what they'd just witnessed. The score playing in the first act is this majestic, sweeping melody that perfectly emulates the wondrous spectacle that Jurassic Park is.
And then the second act rolls around and the tone of the film is flipped entirely on its head and now it's an horrifying story about having to escape an island rampant with murderous beasts. Normally tonal shifts this drastic in a movie would get eaten alive by critics. But Jurassic Park pulls it off so flawlessly and naturally that it feels real. The whole film feels so real despite the outlandish plot.
Another thing that I think heavily contributes to how grounded and real this film feels is the casting. The thing Jurassic Park did that so few blockbuster movies do is chose actors for their roles based off of how well they could play the character and their chemistry with the other members of the cast. Whereas the majority of blockbusters select actors based off of how large of an audience they can attract, Jurassic Park chose its actors in order to maximize the quality and effectiveness of the audience. Just like Die Hard did with Bruce Willis. And that's why I think it stands above the average summer blockbuster and became the timeless classic that it is.
And moving even closer to the end of this list (Holy shit I've hit 10,000 words)
Number 2 is the World War 2 dramatic comedy, Life Is Beautiful.
What I love about this film is its message of unwavering optimism. It shows us that evil only wins when it breaks your spirit. Your soul. The passion that drives you to try and accomplish anything with your life, the very thing that makes you a human. That is the most important part of you. The thing that you must protect with every breath you take.
My taste has been criticized in the past due to it including a lot of war dramas. I've been told it's messed up to love so many movies that are based around the worst times in human history.
But the thing is, I don't like war movies because they're war. I adore these films because for whatever reason, a war based film seems to bring out the best in any director who makes one. Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, 1917, Dunkirk... hell, even The Good The Bad and The Ugly. The filmmakers understand that they have to portray the subject matter with complete seriousness and realism. And when that happens their films make me feel the most profound emotions cinema has ever gotten from me. That's no different in Life is Beautiful. It is a hilarious, yet heartbreaking story filled with joy and tragedy at every turn. It truly is a stunning achievement in film and my second favourite movie of all time. And absolutely and S tier 10/10 film...
But the thing is, I don't like war movies because they're war. I adore these films because for whatever reason, a war based film seems to bring out the best in any director who makes one. Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, 1917, Dunkirk... hell, even The Good The Bad and The Ugly. The filmmakers understand that they have to portray the subject matter with complete seriousness and realism. And when that happens their films make me feel the most profound emotions cinema has ever gotten from me. That's no different in Life is Beautiful. It is a hilarious, yet heartbreaking story filled with joy and tragedy at every turn. It truly is a stunning achievement in film and my second favourite movie of all time. And absolutely and S tier 10/10 film...
Saving Private Ryan is number one.
Saving Private Ryan is a film I have watched ten separate times now and for the life of me I cannot find a problem, flaw, or even a nitpick that could make me speak of it in a remotely negative manner.
The plot is brilliant. I find it comical how many people I see on Letterboxd saying it's "stupid" and "unrealistic". Mate, it's based off of a true story! The four Niland brothers all enlisted to fight and were split up into different legions of the military. With 3 of the brothers dying around roughly the same time. And upon hearing that the Nilands would be receiving all 3 notifications at the same time, the final one was sent home. So don't you ever tell me the plot is unrealistic.
Secondly, this is one of the most raw and realistic (or so I assume) interpretations of war I have ever seen. I rewatched this recently, and about 15 minutes in I was already fighting back tears. The visual effects perfectly encapsulate the miserable, gory, and traumatising time that the second world war was and the accuracy and care they showed when portraying war can never be questioned.
And then we get to the true greatest part of this film. The acting. This is the greatest all-around performance by an entire cast in cinematic history. (That I've seen of course, but I truly don't believe anyone will be beating it).
Every single actor or actress, no matter the size or significance of the role, delivers a perfect performance worthy of its own reward. I do not exaggerate when I say every last performance in this film, from Tom Hanks' sympathetic yet hardened captain, to the random french family that they encounter for 5 minutes, is perfect.
Every single actor or actress, no matter the size or significance of the role, delivers a perfect performance worthy of its own reward. I do not exaggerate when I say every last performance in this film, from Tom Hanks' sympathetic yet hardened captain, to the random french family that they encounter for 5 minutes, is perfect.
If you can sit there and say Saving private Ryan "glorifies war", all you're doing is exposing the fact that you only watch movies to find ways to hate on them. I don't know how. blind you have to be to watch that opening sequence, or any scene in this movie really, and say that it's a glorification of the worst times in human history. But you're just wrong. I don't hold my opinions on movies to be factual ever. But I can safely say you are completely, 100% wrong if you think anything that happens in this film glorifies war.
Overall. Saving Private Ryan is a film that undoubtedly changed my life for the better. I have it to thank for me even beginning to see film as more than a method of entertainment. It is why film is my passion. Thank you Spielberg. Thank you Tom Hanks. And thank you cinema, for producing such masterpieces beyond what humanity had thought to be possible. Every film on this list and the ones I have yet to see are the reason why film truly is the superior form of artistic expression.
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