My Top Ten
Also known as: A few foreign films you should check out.[/b]

1. Infernal Affairs Triology

Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai - Andy Lau - Anthony Wong - Eric Tsang - Leon Lai - Edison Chen - Shawn Yue - Daoming Chen - Sammi Cheng - Carina Lau
Director(s): Alan Mak - Andrew Lau[/size]



Synopsis
The setting is the never-ending war between the police and the traids of Hong Kong. Chan is a cop who's been assigned to undercover work inside the traids for so long that he's been able to rise through the ranks to a position of some authority. Lau, meanwhile, is a secret member of the triads who has infiltrated the police force with an equal level of success. As they feed their bosses information on the plans and counter-plans of the organizations they pretend to serve, they both begin to feel the stresses of their double lives as they become torn between the oppressive obligations they owe to their superiors and the growing camaraderie they share with the foot soldiers around them. As the two organizations become increasingly aware of the moles in their midsts, the race is on for Chan and Lau to try and get out of the game alive.[/size]

My complete favourite. I've loved this film since I first saw it, i've seen it a little too many times, it is just plain great. The characters are fantastic, the acting is unbelievable, and the storyline is beautifully done. Great stuff.


2. Brotherhood

Starring: Dong-Kun Jang - Bin Won - Eun-ju Lee - Hyeong-jin Kong - Yeong-ran Lee - Choi Min Sik
Director(s): Je-gyu Kang[/size]



Synopsis
A group of Korean archeologists find a skeleton and identify it as Lee Jin-Seok. But Lee Jin-Seok is still alive and he is now an old man. It is his brother Jin-Tae who went missing in the Korean War. We travel from the present to 1950, when the Korean War started. Jin-Seok and Jin-Tae, Jin-Seok's brother, are young men who suddenly find themselves catapulted into a bloody world so different from their quiet, rural lives. As the war progresses, the war begins to poison Jin-Tae's mind. Jin-Seok is lost when he finds that he no longer knows who his brother is.[/size]

This is pretty much the Korean version of Saving Private Ryan. I'm not going to compare the two, usually people say this is better, but I'm not going to take sides. This film is one hell of an emotional bombshell. There's also a hell of alot of fighting. Some rambo-esque missions and smoothly done gore. All you want from a good war film. The shots are incredible, and the acting is brilliant. Say no more.


3. Happy Together

Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai - Leslie Cheung - Chen Chang
Director(s): Wong Kai Wai[/size]



Synopsis
Yiu-Fai and Po-Wing arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong and take to the road for a holiday. Something is wrong and their relationship goes adrift. A disillusioned Yiu-Fai starts working at a tango bar to save up for his trip home. When a beaten and bruised Po-Wing reappears, Yiu-Fai is empathetic but is unable to enter a more intimate relationship. After all, Po-Wing is not ready to settle down. Yiu-Fai now works in a Chinese restaurant and meets the youthful Chang from Taiwan. Yiu-Fai's life takes on a new spin, while Po-Wing's life shatters continually in contrast.[/size]

Now, it might seem a bit weird that I have a film of a homosexual nature, but the film itself is just incredible. It's provocative (that would be the homosexual side), the acting is mind blowing, Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Leslie Cheung (RIP) together on screen is a masterpiece. If there was one, this would be classed as a hard boiled drama. It's gritty, it's hella emotional, lots of shouting, suicide attempts. It's all there. And it comes out as an incredible, incredible film. Well worth the watch, if you can pass the sex scene at the start.


4. All About Lily Chou-Chou

Starring: Hayato Ichihara - Shûgo Oshinari - Ayumi Ito - Takao Osawa - Miwako Ichikawa - Izumi Inamori - Yû Aoi -    Kazusa Matsuda
Director(s): Shunji Iwai[/size]



Synopsis
Life isn't easy for a group of high school kids growing up absurd in Japan's pervasive pop/cyber culture. As they negotiate teen badlands- school bullies, parents from another planet, lurid snapshots of sex and death- these everyday rebels without a cause seek sanctuary, even salvation, through pop star savior Lily Chou-Chou, embracing her sad, dreamy songs and sharing their fears and secrets in Lilyholic chat rooms. Immersed in the speed of everyday troubles, their lives inevitably climax in a fatal collision between real and virtual identities, a final logging-off from innocence.[/size]

Now, this is the hardest film to describe. It's a teenage-drama, just filled with suicide, murder, rape and so on. I think the only word to describe this film is traumatic. It's not sad, it's really difficult to watch. The rape scene is really difficult to watch. But there's some dark beauty behind this, possibly from the mellow piano playing over most of the scenes. But this film is an experience, and definately a good one.

5. Election/Election 2

Starring: Simon Yam - Tony Leung Ka-Fai - Louis Koo - Nick Cheung - Ka Tung Lam - Siu-Fai Cheung - Suet Lam - Tian-lin Wang - Maggie Siu
Director(s): Johnnie To[/size]



Synopsis
A drama-thriller centered on a democratic election within an organized crime society.[/size]

I apoligise for the poor synopsis, blame IMDB. It's because it hasn't arrived in America or, anywhere for that matter. Election is plain amazing. Both films infact. It's the Hong Kong version of any gangster film around, and brings it up to another level. If there is one thing that brings the film down is the fact Johnnie To gives in to the mainland China censors. But he doesn't tone down the violence, he tones down the blood. So in some scenes from both films, where there should be blood, often theres not. If you're getting hit by a large and heavy blunt object, you're going to bleed. But that aside, Election is amazing. The cast is top-notch, the cast is pretty much a Hong Kong version of Oceans Eleven. Get ready when it hits the cinemas near you. You'll love it.


6. Sympathy for Mr Vengeance

Starring: Kang-ho Song - Ha-kyun Shin - Du-na Bae - Ji-Eun Lim - Bo-bae Han - Se-dong Kim - Dae-yeon Lee
Director(s): Park Chan-Wook[/size]



Synopsis
This is the story of Ryu, a deaf man, and his sister, who requires a kidney transplant. Ryu's boss, Park, has just laid him off, and in order to afford the transplant, Ryu and his girlfriend develop a plan to kidnap Park's daughter. Things go horribly wrong, and the situation spirals rapidly into a cycle of violence and revenge.[/size]

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is the first in the Vengeance Triology. Many say Oldboy is the best, I disagree and favour the original. Why? I don't know. The gritty backdrop for the film, the gut-twisting violence and gore, the amazing acting. If you've seen Oldboy, and you havent seen this, you really need to. It's beautifully shot (something the Koreans seem to have in a bag) and the dark humour shines throughout. I highly recommend this film.


7. In The Mood for Love

Starring: Tony Leung Chiu Wai - Maggie Cheung - Ping Lam Siu
Director(s): Wong Kar-Wai[/size]



Synopsis
Set in Hong Kong, 1962, Chow Mo-Wan is a newspaper editor who moves into a new building with his wife. At approximately the same time, Su Li-zhen, a beautiful secretary and her executive husband also move in to the crowded building. With their spouses often away, Chow and Li-zhen spend most of their time together as friends. They have everything in common from noodle shops to martial arts. Soon, they are shocked to discover that their spouses are having an affair. Hurt and angry, they find comfort in their growing friendship even as they resolve not to be like their unfaithful mates.[/size]

Yes, even I, hardman Esh has a weak spot for the odd romance film. And this is the best of it's kind. Beautifully acted, beautifully told, everything is beautiful. If you do like the odd romance story, or period dramas, I do recommend. But I doubt there are any guys who do. All I can say is, if you like Wong Kar-Wai, check this film out.


8. Oldboy

Starring: Choi Min Sik - Ji-tae Yu - Hye-jeong Kang - Dae-han Ji - Dal-su Oh - Byeong-ok Kim
Director(s): Park Chan-Wook[/size]



Synopsis
On the day of his daughter's birthday, Ho Dae-su (Min-sik Choi) gets completely drunk and is arrested. His best friend No Joo-hwan (Dae-han Ji) releases him from the police station, and while calling home from a phone booth, Dae-su vanishes. Indeed he has been abducted and imprisoned in a room for fifteen years. One day, he is suddenly released, receives clothes, money and a cellular and meets the Japanese chef Mido (Hye-jeong Kang), and they feel a great attraction for each other. However, Dae-su seeks for his captor and the reason of his long imprisonment. While looking for revenge, Dae-su discloses deep secrets from the past.[/size]

It's really unsuprising this is on my list. It's one of the first to be mentioned for people who want to get into Asian cinema. Oldboy is breathtaking, the fight scenes are incredible, and it has humour and flair. And a beauty of a twist on the end. Saying that, it is indeed overrated. And I have to place it down here, and I know people won't agree, but 8th out of the many many films I have seen is a great feat. Oh well, amazing film, again I recommend.


9. Amelie

Starring: Audrey Tautou - Mathieu Kassovitz - Rufus - Jamel Debbouze
Director(s): Jean-Pierre Jeunet[/size]



Synopsis
Amélie is looking for love, and perhaps for the meaning of life in general. We see her grow up in an original if slightly dysfunctional family. Now a waitress in central Paris, she interacts curiously with her neighbors and customers, as well as a mysterious Photomaton-image collector and one of his even more mysterious photo subjects. Little by little, Amélie realizes that the way to happiness (and yet more subtle humor) requires her to take her own initiative and reach out to others.[/size]

This film is infectious. It's crazy, it's beautiful. If you've had a bad day, and are looking for a film to cheer you up, this does the job right from the first scene. Audrey Tautou is brilliant in this, and the cast is superb, especially the actor above. Recommended.

10. Battle Royale

Starring: Takashi Kitano - Tatsuya Fujiwara - Aki Maeda - Chiaki Kuriyama - Taro Yamamoto
Director(s): Kinji Fukasaku[/size]



Synopsis
At the dawn of the new millennium, Japan is in a state of near-collapse. Unemployment is at an all-time high, and violence amongst the nations youth is spiralling out of control. With school children boycotting their lessons and physically abusing their teachers, a beleaguered and near-defeated government decides to introduce a radical new measure: the Battle Royale Act Overseen by their former teacher, Kitano ('Beat' Takeshi) and requiring that a randomly chosen school class be taken to a deserted island and forced to fight each other to the death, the Act dictates that only one pupil be allowed to survive the punishment. He or she will return, not as the victor, but as the ultimate proof of the lengths to which the government are prepared to go to curb the tide of juvenile disobedience.[/size]

Again! This film is amazingly overrated. For a long time, this was my favourite film (before I discovered Infernal Affairs), the film is a cult classic, it's kids shooting each other? Why wouldn't you love it? But it gets so damn repetitive after a while. The cracks really do begin to show with this film. But it's still such a classic, and I do recommend it to people who hasn't seen it. But who wasn't?






So, there's my Top 10. Posted in such a ridiculous way that it took several hours. I do really question why I bother bulking it up with the graphics and so on, I do it with all my topics. And fail to win the 'Best Topicmaker' awards everytime oh well.

Point of this topic: What are your Top Ten films? And don't forget to discuss the films mentioned.

i can vouch for #7. i watched it in my aesthetics of film class back in college. it's a spectacular film. as much as the two wong kar-wai films i've seen were particularly sappy(the other was Chungking Express), i really enjoyed both of them, particularly in the mood for love.


other ones off the top of my head that i really liked are The Sky Above Berlin(which is usually known by the awful english title wings of desire), A Man Escaped, and Circle of Deceit. i know there are more that aren't in english that i loved, but i'd have to dig up some of my college notebooks to see what i watched. much of my exposure to really great movies came from one particularly good professor i had in college.

Hmm, regarding Wong Kar-Wai, I've seen In The Mood for Love, Chungking Express, 2046 and Happy Together. I really need to get a copy of Ashes of Time, but that'll have to wait for my next order.

He's an amazing director, all of the films I've seen of his are incredible, apart from 2046, which was still a great film. I am looking forward to his American debut. It should be interesting.

1. Star Wars trilogy
You all know by now. Galactic civil war, empire V rebellion, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader. Do I really need to describe it?

This trilogy changed my world in more ways than one. But let's not talk about that. I think these have the record for being one of the few trilogys that actually make sense, (as opposed to "this is popular, let's make two more and claim that's what we intended to do) but anyways it was pretty revolutionary in terms of special effects, and it really spat in the face of 70's cinema where films were becoming adult-only, darker and using contempary soundtracks. Star Wars was family fun, original orchestrial score and a tribute to the old Flash Gordon stories from the 30's.

2.The birds
Posing as a bird shop assistant, a woman becomes flirtatious with a lawyer. She takes some birds down to his home town as a suprise present/trick but then something happens. The local birds start attacking people!

Love this film, it starts off as your typical "goofball comedy" of the time, but then about half way through when you start to think it's a normal film... BANG! Bird in the face!
From then on it becomes pretty freaky. Ony synthetic bird noises were used, and if you've seen how complex the shots were for it's time... unbelievable.

3.The Wickerman
Scottish policeman is called to an island to investigate the disapperance of a young girl, however the locals are less than helpful...

Pretty much THE classic film. Not quite horror, but it's something else. The teasing of the policeman by the locals is pretty cool, how he is completely unaware of what's seemingly obvious to the audience really makes it work. Also... Brit Eckland

4.Battle Royale
Kids stuck on an island, must kill each other etc.

I am no fan of gross-out violent films, but this works brilliantly because it's about the characters. Not the violence. Everyone has their own personality and it's great seeng how different people will do different things in the situation.

5.Ringu
Yeah. Cursed video tap, die in a week, well, no americans.

Fantastic. Exactly what I want from a horror film. No action, no BOO! no painfully obvious clues(like the American disgrace) and no patronising/needless swearing(again featured in the remake). The slow build up, not knowing how they die until the end when you see it. wow. That scene still gives me the creeps.

6.War of the worlds
Mysterious pod crashes near a peaceful town, martians, flying "swans" with "cobra heads" shooting fire. Military useless, barn house, crash, dodgy aliens.

Unlike the recent remake, the original had something called characters in it. Not people, but characters! As in they all had a personality and didn't end up ridiculous by trying to be contempary. Also the battle scenes are pretty awesome.


7.Aliens
Terraforming plant infested by aliens, colonial marines sent to investigate. lots of aliens.

Yeah! This is what sci-fi should be!Giger's designs are fantastic as ever, the alien queen looks vicious and it is a film of pure enjoyment.

8.You only live twice
Blofelt. Japan. Hidden volcano lair. Rockets. Bond. Ninja.

Everything a bond movie should be, and also the only decent performance of blofelt ever. Love this film!

9.Churchill the hollywood years
Everything you knew about churchill was a lie. He's actually an American GI who singlehandedly won WW2 for England.

Basically in the late 90's there were a few American films where they claimed they did EVERYTHING in WW2, and also claimed they were true stories. Upon the release of Enigma, The Comic strip decided to make a movie mocking the American's view of the war. We have everything a WW2 film should have. Cockney Nazis, Americans, Englishmen shooting americans, Hitler, The King, Rap etc. And the best thing about it is that the critics never got it! They all thought it was another american movie making more ww2 claims!

10.The Strike!
A former miner writes a movie about the miners strike, however the hollywood bigwigs decide to completely change the film to make it sell.

Kinda a precurser to Churchill... (and written like 15 years before... by the same guy) to prove a point that hollywood is shit. Staring all the Comic Strip regulars and Alexi Sayle , it's a fantastic reflection of hollywood's views. Such as giving 1980's england a Blacksmith or how Scargil must stop the miners from blowing up nuclear power plants. True british comedy.

Well my top10 is your standard shit really. Films that everyone has seen and that have made huge bucks most of the time. There's a lot of good shit out there and I have a top10 list with a lot more than ten films. In fact nine places of my top ten is Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. But let's see if I can throw some shit out to make a "proper" list.

On shared first place:
1. Star Wars
Directed by: George Lucas, Irvin Kershner & Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Hayden Christensen, Harrison Ford, Ewan McGregor, Carrie Fisher, Natalie Portman, Alec Guiness, Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid, Peter Cushing, Frank Oz, David Prowse, James Earl Jones
When I say Star Wars I obviously think (like everyone else) that the new trilogy isn't all that good. However I'm still such a big fanboy and I live in denial that I'd throw in ALL the Star Wars films for a best-film piece. It has to do with childhood memories, when you want high-fantasy space opera, there's no place better than Star Wars.

1. The Lord of the Rings
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving
I never really had any doubts before it came out. It seemed like the perfect thing and the thing I was hyped up to the extreme about. Before watching Fellowship I had put out the story in my mind, listening to the soundtrack and seeing the scenes how I'd make them in the movie version. In a way I had made a dream version of the story in my head and with that I entered the cinema to see what Peter Jackson and his crew had conjured up.

It was better than what I had in my head. It was even better than the original book. This may be a quite mainstream opinion and all that "list your favorite movies, oh you put in Lotr, how lame are you, EVERYONE has that yadayadayada". Well I'm not ashamed of that because the film is on the list of so many people because it really is that good.

Places 3-10 (or actually just in that general are below these two)

The Nightmare Before Christmas
Directed by: Henry Selick
Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Cathering O'Hara
It's just so goddamn cute and the music is catchy. I rented this a long time ago and watched it a couple of times and it stuck very much into my head that I actually bought it when I finally found it. Unfortunately I only found on DVD and I didn't own a DVD player. I still bought it though. That's how much I love this film.

Der Untergang
Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
verview, first billed only:
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Thomas Kretschmann
I'm a huge fan of WWII, though I'm also a bigger fan of what happends outside of battle than what actual battling. Throw into this a startingly realistic picture of Hitler in his final days and the general despair found in Berlin as Hitler tries to move around armies that no longer exist. Nazis were people too.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst
A beautiful touching film I had heard good things about. About Jim Carrey that wants memories of his girlfriend erased after she erased him. Carrey is really great in it and Winslet isn't too bad either. And I also like the contrast between your usual SF-film where the operations are fairly clinical. This is low-budget memory-erasing by normal people.

A Very Long Engagement
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Dominique Pinon
Actually I could throw in just about any Jeunet film here. They're all pretty awesome but my fascination with the WWI/WWII era just makes this the one to showcase for now. It's a lovely detective story with all kinds of strange characters (as always in Jeunet). The visuals are as always gorgeous and the ending is satisfying, especially after all that hunting. This film works both in the details and in the overall arch.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee van Cleef, Eli Wallach
Like with Jeunet I could probably throw in any Leone western and it would do good. I'll throw this one in though, because it has that classic piece of music in it. And that's all that is important right. The movie might be a bit slow-paced and silent to people who appreciate today's action films (like me), it's still pretty damn intense though.

Kill Bill
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
All Tarantino is probably great. Even if you happen to dislike what he's doing because he happends to enjoy it and because it's cool to rip on Tarantino. I was completely blown away by Kill Bill though, it was one of those films I wasn't sure I wanted to watch because the trailer didn't seem that awesome but I decided to give it a shot anyway and I was hooked from the very first scene. It is style over substance, but I'm not really a substance guy anyway.

Sin City
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller
Starring: Jessica Alba,   Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Hartnett, Rutger Hauer, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood
Style over substance. Do I really need to say more?

The Life of Brian
Directed by: Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Comedies don't usually make top10 lists, so I had to throw one in there. Holy Grail has more sketches that I love but this one works best as a film, which is why I chose to throw this in instead of Holy Grail. This shit is almost as good as the Marx brothers and it is a pointer to comedy all over the world. Nothing that comes out today can even come close to the awesomeness that is the Pythons.


Like BunnyMilk's my top10 changes over time as well. Not everything I'd like is on this list and even then I know there's stuff I've forgot that I'd love to put on this list. The only constant being Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. I'm sorry but I don't think anything will beat that anytime soon. For movie experience that is. An individual film may technically be better, but Star Wars and LotR is so much about the hype, the waiting and the stuff that goes around it. Films aren't just films anymore they're huge experiences, and to me the hype is very important in a film. As is how the director approach it. Peter Jackson, for example, with his extensive video diaries about the making of King Kong, during the making of King Kong. Fanservice is where it's at. Rodriguez is another nice example who has the right attitude about his filmmaking. Being a diva is no longer cool 8^)

Tough question, I like many movies and can't compare them. So here are the ones I can remember in no particular order...

City of the Lost Children
This one is really weird, and good. It's a french movie about a mad scientist in a surreal city who kidnaps children in order to steal their dreams. This movie is visually stunning, and in a word, magical. Good cast (Dominique Pinon in particular), awesome music, a dark evil city, simple but powerful plot, City of the Lost Children has it all, and more!

Pulp Fiction
The last scene in the movie, enough said.

12 Angry Men
The 1957 version. There's a new TV version; not bad but not as good as the old one. It's about a jury in a murder trial discussing the case, which is more complicated than they first thought. It takes a lot of skill to pull off a movie with such a simple story and which is confined mainly in one room, and that's why I love this movie. 12 Angry Men is a 'deep' movie, it isn't about visuals, effects, music, etc. It's about good dialogue, good acting, and great everything!

Se7en
Will add something here later~

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Will add something here later~

Dark City
Will add something here later~

Jurassic Park
Will add something here later~

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds (and pretty much anything Miyazaki)
Will add something here later~

Braveheart
Will add something here later~

Something here...

It seems I'm too busy to add long paragraphs... I will when I have the time!

1. LotR: All three! Too hard to choose!
Same reasoning as Shinan. These movies were just plain epic. Peter Jackson overdid himself.

2. Jurassic Park
I grew up with this movie, and I used to love dinosaurs when I was younger. Jurassic Park is really special to me.

3. Happy Gilmore
Above anything else, comedies are my favourite, I love to laugh. Happy Gilmore is my favourite Adam Sandler movie since it's a bit more realistic than his more far-fetched roles.

4. The Edge
Anyone ever see this? A group of guys (one being Anthony Hopkins) gets stranded in the north and they struggle to return to civilization? Amazing movie.

5. The Shawshank Redemption
I absolutely love this movie and never grow tired of it. Morgan Freeman still blows me away.

6. Forrest Gump
This movie has so much charm, and is undoubtedly one of Tom Hanks' best performances.

7. Death to Smoochy
Dark comedy. Robin Williams. Edward Norton. Danny Devito. Fuck yes.

8. The Terminal
More Tom Hanks. I think I enjoyed the premise of this movie more than the acting.

9. The Awakenings
Touching movie. Robin Williams as a kindhearted doctor, Robert de Niro as a man who has emerged from a vegetative state which he had been in since childhood.

10. Edtv
Once again, I liked the premise and idea of this movie. What if reality TV really does go too far someday?

Esh, You say Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is part of a trilogy with Oldboy but what is the third film? I really want to see Oldboy so I guess I should check out the other films too.

Ah, yeah. It goes:

1. Sympathy for Mr Vengeance
2. Oldboy
3. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

I havent seen the third, so I can't really comment on it.

I don't really have any favorite movies, but off the top of my head, here's ten that I especially enjoyed:

• Forrest Gump
• The Motorcycle Diaries
• Requiem for a Dream
• Nobody Knows
• Akira
• Original Star Wars Trilogy
• City of God
• Trainspotting
• Magnolia
• Enemy at the Gates (more for subject matter than film style)

They're in no particular order.

-edit-
Also, top ten television stuff:

• Band of Brothers
• Lost
• Seinfeld
• Prison Break
• Conan O'Brien
• Kino's Journey
• Paranoia Agent
• Futurama
• Undergrads
• Pretty much anything on the History Channel :sweat:

Again, no particular order.

rather than just list my favorite movies, i will list the best 10 movies i have ever seen that i can remember. i am sure there will be some i have forgotten, but i will try it anyway.

1.  The Trial
2.  Asphalt Jungle
3.  Der Himmel über Berlin
4.  Rashomon
5.  Citizen Kane
6.  The Third Man
7.  Being There
8.  Treasure of Sierra Madre
9.  Brazil
10.To Kill a Mockingbird

ggah this is a pretty awful list. i know i am forgetting tons of really great stuff too, as there are a few movies that realistically should not be on such a list. then again, i have difficulty finding movies that i think are UNDENIABLY GOOD. i can and often do find flaws in everything. also being there is probably not THAT good of a movie, but i kinda think that it's polite to include at least one comedy on such a list. i don't think film scholars  really give superior comedies enough credit.

4.  Rashomon

Rashomon was a pretty great movie.  I remember we watched it in a film class I took two years ago and I was the only one who stayed awake through the entire thing.  Everybody else thought it was boring.  I thought they were assholes!

I'd make a list but I'm supposed to be writing an article for my school's newspaper and I keep stalling so off I go!

Rashomon was a pretty great movie.  I remember we watched it in a film class I took two years ago and I was the only one who stayed awake through the entire thing.  Everybody else thought it was boring.  I thought they were assholes!

yeah, i saw it for the first time in film class and the same thing happened. #2 on my list(asphalt jungle) was the same way, except some students were so bored by it that they went and complained to the professor afterwards. fortunately that professor was REALLY AWESOME and called them fucking retards to their face. i had him for a few classes afterwards and he managed to show it OVER AND OVER AGAIN to piss off the retards who sign up for film classes becuase they like QGUENTIN TARANTINOS AND MKNIGHT SHAYMAELAONS

Holy shit why have I not seen this

because it is an extremely obscure movie! i found out about it almost completely by accident.

Ok, I normally don't like to make Top 10 lists because I always have to change it every five minutes because I realized that I forgot a movie or something, but I'm sick now and I have lots of time so whatever.

1.  A Clockwork Orange

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

This is my favorite movie of all time.  While not necessarily the best movie I've ever seen, it's still my favorite because it had such a great impact on me.  This was the movie that really got me interested in film, so it holds a special place in my heart.  The music, the directing, the story, everything in this film is just so perfect to me.

The book is really great, too (as long as you get the version with the translator in the back).  I'm doing my senior thesis on it.

2.  Fight Club

Directed by David Fincher

This is a really popular and well-liked film, but I think most people like it for... well, not the wrong reasons, but definitely not the reasons that make it such a brilliant film.  Most of the people I know like it because it was COOL.  But I don't think many of them have looked at the film beyond it's "coolness".  It's an anti-commercialization movie with product placement.  It criticizes the images produced by magazine models and movie actors ("Is that what a real man looks like?"), but it stars Brad Pitt.  You would think that these are hypocrisies, but they actually emphasize the points in the movie and are meant to be ironic.  The story is brilliant and very well written (there are thousands of subtle hints about the twist, some obvious, others not so obvious).  This is one of the very few movies that I can watch and get something new out of it every single time.

The book is also really great, and I would have done my senior thesis on it, but apparently the book is more popular in my school than I thought!

p.s.: Just so you know, I REALLY hate product placement.  The inclusion of one product can often ruin a movie for me completely.  I hated Stephen Spielberg's War of the Worlds because of the scene where the camera zooms in on Tom Cruise's RAZR flip phone and Rolex watch.  Ugh.  Stephen Spielberg's not that great, anyway.

3.  Jacob's Ladder

Directed by Adrian Lyne

I heard a while ago that this movie was a major influence on Silent Hill's visual theme, and since I have a major hard-on for Silent Hill, I made it a priority to see this film.  Although it does have somewhat of a throw-away twist ending, it's still implemented very well.  It has a very interesting story (although many people complain that it's a rip-off of short story called A Night at Owl Creek, or something similar to that), and it's one of the few horror movies I've seen that actually tries to scare you without resorting to cliched scare-tactics (like loud bangs and that stupid shit).

4.  The Shining

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

The first time I saw this movie I didn't like it because Shelley Duvall sucks and the story was completely different from the book.  The second time I saw it, I changed my mind about Shelley Duvall (she was still ugly and annoying but I decided that that was a good thing since it helped you to identify with Jack's desire to kill her... hahaha), and I decided that people who complain about the story being different are stupid and shouldn't let that detract from the experience.  But it wasn't until I read this that I decided that this was a great movie, and it has since become one of my favorite movies ever. 

5.  Kids

Directed by Larry Clark

This movie is scarier than any horror movie I've ever seen.  I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend it.  Unlike my other favorite movies, I try to get as many people as I can to see this movie, because I don't think it gets the recognition it deserves.  I really don't know what else to say, just go see it!

6.  Citizen Kane

Directed by Orson Welles

This movie is #1 on AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time list for a reason.  Although half of the list is complete bullshit (E.T. is higher than A Clockwork Orange?  God damnit), I think they got this part right.  This movie was revolutionary for its time, and it still holds up today.  Some people complain that the twist isn't that great, but they usually don't understand the symbolism behind it, which is what makes it such a brilliant twist. 

7.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Directed by Milos Forman

I've never cried while watching a movie, but if there's any movie that's come close, it would be this one.  The ending was so powerful, man.  I know that sounds corny, but how else can I describe it?  I don't know what else to say, just go see it. 

8.  Vertigo

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

I took a film class two summers ago, and in it we watched three of the four Hitchcock classics.  They were Rear Window, North by Northwest, and Psycho.  Vertigo was left for us to watch on our own.  On the last day of class, after watching North by Northwest, our teacher left us with one word to describe Vertigo: hypnotic.  My friend and I rented it, and it was amazing.  Jimmy Stewart has since become one of my favorite actors.

9.  Psycho

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Classic.  I saw this movie at the AFI Silver theatre in Silver Spring, and it was one of the greatest movie experiences of my life.  I especially love the shot near the end where an image of a skeleton (not going to say whose) is very subtly superimposed over Norman Bates's face.

10.  The Wicker Man

Directed by Robin Hardy

This is a pretty goofy movie at first, but when you consider that the people of Summerisle are just really weird people, you realize that it's goofy for a reason.  But whatever.  The point is, this movie has the best ending to any movie ever.  I don't want to spoil it, but holy shit it's so awesome.  Of course, going by that logic, that would mean that the remake would also have the best ending to any movie ever made, but they probably changed it because the original ending was pretty harsh and American audiences would not like that!