User blog:Wassboss/Top Ten Favourite Movies

Number Ten: Lion King
In all honesty this film is purely on this list because of Nostalgia. The Lion King was one of the first movies I watched back when I was a toddler and my interest in animals meant I loved it immediately. Scar is probably my favourite Disney villain and is one of the few who actually succeeds with his evil plan even if it eventually comes crashing down around him in the end. The songs in this film are fantastic and I enjoy every single one of them from the grandness of the “Circle of Life”, to the dark and vile “Be Prepared”, to the infectiously happy ear-worm that is “Hakuna Matata.” Lion King also has one of the greatest openings to a movie I’ve ever seen (not the greatest but I’ll get to that later) with the gorgeous animation paired with the aforementioned “Circle of Life” to make a truly epic opening scene. Of course, there are flaws and some of the story beats don’t hold up that well, but the Lion King will always hold a special place in my heart.

Favourite Scene: The Birth of Simba

Number Nine: Shrek 2
The first Shrek film was ground-breaking in its effect on animated films but for me the second film was a massive improvement. For me personally I found this movie much funnier than the original because the jokes just kept getting thrown at you one after another instead of the slower pace of the first film had. The deconstruction of fairy tales and their tropes is continued from the first film with the fairy godmother turning out to be evil, Prince Charming being not so charming and the Poison Apple where all the fairy tale villains hang out. Speaking of which the new characters introduced such as Puss in Boots, Fiona’s Parents, the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming really add to the story and hold their own with the already established characters like Shrek, Fiona and Donkey. The soundtrack for Shrek 2 is also amazing, with each song fitting the scene it’s used in perfectly. I also can’t not talk about the phenomenal “I Need A Hero” sequence which combines the high-octane action of Shrek and his friends trying to breach the castle defences to get to Fiona while a cover of the previously mentioned song playing over top to crank up the urgency. The greatest movie sequel of all time in my opinion and badly let down by the Shrek films that came after it.

Favourite Scene: “I Need A Hero” Sequence

Number Eight: Spirited Away
This is a rare example of a film I watched as a kid which didn’t just hold up when rewatching it as an adult but actually got better. I remember being unsettled by Spirited Away when I watched it in my early years and not really understanding what was going on. Upon stumbling upon in when I was older, I was blown away by the stunning animation and colourful cast of characters. The whole film is dripping with symbolism relating to Japanese mythology and uses this to tell a relatively simple story about helping a young girl to come to terms with change and become more responsible and confident. One of my favourite aspects of this film is its atmosphere; the strangeness of the spirit world is just as unnerving to us as it is to Chihiro and the film takes time away from the hecticness of the world to have quiet moments to just let everything sink in with the train journey being the standout scene in this regard. A wonderful film with great character growth it’s a film you can watch and enjoy no matter your age.

Favourite Scene: The Train Ride

Number Seven: Up
The last animated film on my list and one which I actually didn’t first watch until I was a teenager. The part that everybody remembers about this movie is the first ten minutes telling the story of Carl and Ellie’s life together and yes, this part is the highlight of the movie. It’s told with almost no dialogue but the expressions on the characters face tell the story beautifully, better even that it could’ve been done through dialogue and for me it’s the best movie opening I’ve seen. It would have been very easy for the rest of the film to falter when held up to this first ten minutes so it’s quite the achievement that it is also fantastic. The banter between Carl and Russel is great and you can feel the friendship between the pair grow as the movie goes on. Doug is my favourite character from the film because of how brilliantly the writers got down the personality of a dog and this extends to the other dogs as well. The villain is admittedly a bit weak but it’s not a big problem as the heart of the film isn’t in the conflict but in Carl’s journey to accept the death of his wife and finding something to live for. The fact that this is my favourite “kids” movie despite me not seeing it till I was a teenager is testament to its quality.

Favourite Scene: Carl & Ellie’s Life Story

Number 6: Hot Fuzz
The second film (and in my opinion best) in the Cornetto Trilogy Hot Fuzz is a hilarious comedy from start to finish. While I do enjoy Shaun of the Dead and The World’s End as well the endings for both those movies were a bit too sombre and dramatic than what I’d like out of a comedy. Hot Fuzz has those dramatic scenes as well, but they flow better with the movie and don’t distract away from the comedy. Subjectively I also find the humour in this movie funnier than the previously mentioned two and the jokes are fast paced and come at you thick and fast. There’s also a very good murder mystery plot with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes and the reveal of exactly who is behind the murders is both shocking and hilarious. The small details put into this movie are genius and there is a ton of foreshadowing, background jokes and reincorporated jokes; in fact, I’m still finding things I never noticed before despite multiple watches.

Favourite Scene: The Fight for Sanford

Number 5: Black Dynamite
My favourite comedy film of all time Black Dynamite is a BLAST to watch (apologies for the shitty pun). A homage to and parody of old 70’s blaxploitation films it’s full of hammy acting, “jive talk” and action clichés all mashed together to create an unforgettable experience. The level of detail put into this movie is insane with actors not just playing the characters but also the fictional actors playing the characters and people we don’t even see like the director and the sound team are also technically “actors” to make the whole thing delightfully meta in its execution. The comedy in this film comes from all over the place from the cringy dialogue, to the over the top performances and at even intentional “errors” such as the boom mic dipping into the shot. Even the soundtrack gets in on it with songs literally explaining what’s happening in the scene you’re watching as it happens. The best part is that even if you don’t notice all these elements it’s still enjoyable just from the sheer ludicrousness of the scenario, making it a great watch for all types of film watchers.

Favourite Scene: The Pimp Meeting

Number 4: The Shawshank Redemption
It’s actually kind of surprising that I like this film as much as I do considering I don’t tend to enjoy slower paced films with long run times, but the Shawshank Redemption is the exception to that. I think this is because you get really sucked into the characters lives inside this prison and they all feel like real life people with Morgan Freeman giving a brilliant performance as Red. As it’s set inside a prison there’s a lot of dark scenes about the violence inside the prison system but somehow the film still manages to keep an optimistic and hopeful tone throughout which again, I think is down to the chemistry we get between Andy, Red and the other prisoners in Shawshank. I also love how the film likes to play with the idea that criminals aren’t always the people locked up in prison, shown perfectly between the dichotomy between Andy and Warden Norton, where the alleged murderer ends up being more honest and “good” than the straight-laced bible thumping Warden. There’s something fascinating about watching these men just go about their daily life in this grim situation that I just can’t put my finger on but whatever it is it sure is a very interesting and at times moving film. It’s this is the highest rated movie on IMDB for a reason after all.

Favourite Scene: Brooks was here

Number 3: The Raid (1&2)
This is the first and only tie on the list because I honestly can’t pick between these two. Now I’ll fully admit that on a character and story basis the Raid films are pretty bare-bones, not bad, not good just sort of there. However, these films have the best choreographed, most realistic and intense fight scenes in any movie ever made. Nearly all the main actors are highly skilled martial artists and it really shows in the many breathtakingly awesome fight scenes littered throughout these movies. The first film is gritty and claustrophobic with a SWAT team trapped in a building full of violent criminals and it wastes no time getting right into the action. The second film takes it time a bit more and tells a more complex story but the combat by no means takes a back seat and the set pieces are a step up in complexity and creativity from the first film. Objectively the second film is probably better on a technical level but the first film has a much gritter and realistic feel which I also greatly enjoy. If you’re looking for a big dumb action movie with brilliant fight scenes to watch with a group of mates then this is the perfect series for you.

Favourite Scene: Rama & Andi vs Mad Dog

Number 2: Pulp Fiction
Objectively the best film on this list there isn’t a whole lot I can say about Pulp Fiction that hasn’t already been said a million times by critics and casual movie fans alike. It’s strange really; the majority of the movie is just characters talking to each other, punctuated with the occasional burst of action or violence and yet at no point does it ever get boring. Obviously, a lot of this is down the highly stylised world these characters inhabit and stellar performance by the likes of Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman and John Travolta among others who bring these characters to life. My personal favourite parts are the two stories with Jules’ character as for me he’s the most interesting character in the movie and has the most quotable lines out of anybody else. Vincent and Mia’s story is also fascinating as we watch Vincent struggle between loyalty to his boss and the obvious chemistry between him and Mia. I personally find Butch’s story less intriguing than the other two as it loses a lot of its shock upon repeat viewings but it’s still a good segment, just the weakest of a great bunch. Weird, violent and amusing I would recommend anyone that hasn’t seen this masterpiece to do so but I’m not sure there is anybody who hasn’t.

Favourite Scene: The Bonnie Situation

Honourable Mentions
5 centimetres per Second: Just over an hour in length 5 centimetres per second tells a realistic and relatable story about the melancholy of losing touch with those you used to be close with. This isn’t exactly the sort of film I’d recommend watching over and over, but the raw emotion and stunning animation make for a tragically sombre experience. Beauty and the Beast: Not the shitty live action remake but the original animated film by Disney. With memorable and enjoyable songs, the best Disney princess in my opinion and a delightfully evil villain in Gaston this film is a classic.

Mary and Max: A very dark Claymation film which touches on thing such as mental health issues, suicide, depression and many more unpleasant themes. You’d think a film like this would be too dark and depressing to work as a comedy, but it weaves the jokes and the heavier hitting stuff together really well and the ending is truly touching.

The Shining: I’ve never been much of a fan of horror movies, but the Shining is an exception. I think this is largely down to the horror being more psychological and coming from the unsettling atmosphere rather than load of gore and jump scares. It has quite a slow pace especially in the first half, but it helps build up the unease until the frantic climax when Jack Torrance loses himself to the insanity of the Overlook Hotel.

Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street: As a general rule I hate musicals and would rather stamp on rusty nails than watch one all the way through. Sweeney Todd is the exception to this rule though with a story about revenge, murder and meat pies. The songs are naturally catchy as you would expect from a musical but the dark humour and violent death scenes are what makes it stand out from more colourful and cheery musicals.

Number 1: Cool Runnings
I be you never expected to see Cool Runnings top somebodies’ favourite films list. I know this because when I started compiling films for this list, I never thought this would end up at the top either. But as the list started to shape up and I started really thinking about the films I’d selected Cool Runnings slowly but surely began to climb up the rankings. It’s the film I’ve watched more than any other and whenever I see it on the television, I just have to watch it. It’s your standard underdog sports movie where a team of quirky outsiders try and succeed in a sport where nobody gives them any chance but I like how it deviates from the formula of these films slightly, most notably the ending which subverts the “underdogs win through perseverance against the odds” trope in a truly heart-warming way. I find feel a real connection to the Jamaican Bobsled team who share a great comradery with each other and their coach Irv Blitzer. There’s a fair amount of cheese on display throughout the movie and can perfectly understand people being turned off by that but for me it hits all the right spots. I laugh along to jokes I’ve seen dozens of times before, root for the Jamaicans to succeed even though I know how it all ends, I get a fuzzy feeling from the heart-warming scenes throughout the movie and the ending gives me goose bumps every time I watch it. Is it the best movie of all time? Of not, it isn’t even close. Is it the best movie on this list even? No not even that. But this film is the one that I have the most personal connection to, the one I keep coming back to time and time and the one that never fails to fill me with joy every time I watch it. That is why it’s my favourite film and I don’t think I can explain it better that that.

Favourite Scene: Finish the Race