My Favourite Films
by FoxMulderIMDB | created - 14 Oct 2011 | updated - 19 Oct 2011 | PublicThis will be short list. These films stretch across a variety of genres, but they have on thing in common; all of these films are films that have stuck in my head for weeks after viewing, and I've often watched them repeatedly within a short period of time.
I will describe a highlight of each film, usually the most haunting or memorable aspect for me. There will be spoilers.
There are some older films on this list, but most are from the 80's onwards, as those are the ones that I feel are more culturally relevant to me. There are many films I have not seen that most likely do belong on this list. This list is entirely subjective.
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1. Memento (2000)
R | 113 min | Mystery, Thriller
A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
Votes: 1,322,323 | Gross: $25.54M
Probably the most definitive non-linear narrative ever portrayed on screen, in that not only are events revealed in the most interesting manner, but it's also completely justified. What stood out to me in this film is that no matter how many walls and mechanisms you build, no matter how well you think you know how life works, it can all fall apart so easily, sometimes without you even knowing it.
2. Drive (I) (2011)
R | 100 min | Action, Drama
A mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks
Votes: 704,135 | Gross: $35.06M
It takes a lot to get so high on this list, and considering this film has only been out a matter of days, it is quite an achievement. I don't often use the word "beautiful" in a sincere sense, but it is the first word that comes to mind when describing this film. The shot composition was astounding, the soundtrack was challenging, yet absolutely perfect, and the cast was fantastic. Everything about this movie was perfectly considered and is a joy to watch. Credit goes to Carey Mulligan in what has to be one of the greatest, yet subtle "fish-out-of-water" roles I've ever seen.
3. The Prestige (2006)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine
Votes: 1,440,450 | Gross: $53.09M
A uniquely interesting plot about magicians, yet the greatest trick of all lies in the hands of director Christopher Nolan. This film makes you question concepts such as sacrifice, dedication, and passion. The great tragedy of all lies in the many role reversals, making you wonder was it really worth it in the end. If only Nikola Tesla could invent a machine to rewind time.
4. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,798,025 | Gross: $100.13M
A very refreshing change to the "serial killer" genre, in that for once, the killer seems as human as the main characters. What stood out for me was the fact that there was no "plan", no "big reveal", just cops doing their job, a killer doing his, culminating in one of the most spectacular train wrecks ever witnessed in cinema.
5. Never Let Me Go (2010)
R | 103 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
The lives of three friends, from their early school days into young adulthood, when the reality of the world they live in comes knocking.
Director: Mark Romanek | Stars: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Izzy Meikle-Small
Votes: 153,208 | Gross: $2.43M
This is a film with a premise we've all seen before, but it's released so gently, as opposed to the typical twist we are used to that you can not help but feel the pain the characters feel. This film makes you question the sanctity of life, and you won't be able to watch an onscreen death the same way again. Contains the most heart-wrenching mental breakdown I have seen in a film.
6. Seven Pounds (2008)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
Director: Gabriele Muccino | Stars: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy
Votes: 315,147 | Gross: $69.95M
The most powerful chord struck in this film is the sheer power of the human heart. You are never sure if Will Smith is a sympathetic character, but eventually you realise that he only ever had one priority, everything else was secondary, even though he tried so hard for it to work while it could. This confliction is perhaps more pronounced than most that we would feel, but it will resonate with anyone who has ever benefitted from someone else's sacrifice.
7. The Big Lebowski (1998)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi
Votes: 859,991 | Gross: $17.50M
A wonderfully paced film, starring Jeff Bridges in a defining role. It's hard to look at any of his work since and not think of the Dude. The real star here is Steve Buscemi who manages to both embody every stereotype of his typecast and still surprise us. The integration between the characters here is something you won't forget, and is far more important than the plot.
8. The Breakfast Club (1985)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a great deal more in common than they thought.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
Votes: 436,317 | Gross: $45.88M
Perhaps the defining coming-of-age drama for most young people of the era, and yet it is still relevant today. Sure, it's a bit flawed in places, blaming everything on authority figures (parents, princpal, et al), but overall, we can relate to all of the characters. Everything from the scene where they all get high to the one where they are brought back down to Earth by Brian's revelation that he considered suicide is fascinating and well paced. We were all idiots when we were kids.
9. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 822,737 | Gross: $32.87M
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..." Even that speech is enough to make this film stand out, and is still singly the most haunting part for me personally. But when you look at the bigger picture, this question asks so many questions, about identity and control.
10. Starship Troopers (1997)
R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Humans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey
Votes: 320,971 | Gross: $54.81M
I like to think of this film as more of a war/coming-of-age film than a sci-fi to be honest. There is something terribly exciting about seeing people unite to defeat their common enemy, and the patriotism expressed throughout is so tangible, so convincing that it gets under your skin, right down to the basic level. This feeling is something that few films achieve, but all the while, it is tinged by the tragic stories of the characters, their relationships torn apart by the roll of dice. Imagine seeing your friend being sent to the meat grinder while you're sitting on a cosy ship, one cannot help but feel guilty.
11. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy
A popular high school student, admired by his peers, decides to take a day off from school and goes to extreme lengths to pull it off, to the chagrin of his Dean, who'll do anything to stop him.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones
Votes: 386,269 | Gross: $70.14M
What can I say? Ferris Bueller accomplished more in one day than most of us did in our entire teenage years. Stylistically, this film is supreme, with a healthy confusion between reality and fantasy, without ever taking that too seriously. Even over the course of day, the character development is very noticeable. What stands out to me here is how the film shows you that there are so many opportunities every single day, and yet we miss out on them all.
12. Love Actually (2003)
R | 135 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
Director: Richard Curtis | Stars: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney
Votes: 531,377 | Gross: $59.70M
An ensemble cast like no other; this film has many of my favourite actors. But probably it's greatest feat is all the stories it tells. Everyone has been in almost all of those situations, all those different flavours of unrequited love. Being able to simply relate to a story isn't enough though, you need that extra something, and Love Actually delivers.
13. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, James Fleet, Simon Callow
Votes: 166,034 | Gross: $52.70M
I watch this film at least five times whenever Christmas comes around. The interaction of the characters amongst the mundanity of finding "true love" is so believable it is outstanding. A film that simultaneously questions everything you know about fairytale love while unashamedly conforming to all typical romcom tropes. Andie MacDowell is the only thing that lets this film down.
14. Mad Max (1979)
R | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley
Votes: 222,202 | Gross: $8.75M
15. 12 Monkeys (1995)
R | 129 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Joseph Melito
Votes: 646,500 | Gross: $57.14M
16. In Bruges (2008)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.
Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Berrington
Votes: 461,320 | Gross: $7.76M
17. Source Code (2011)
PG-13 | 93 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
A soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.
Director: Duncan Jones | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 549,543 | Gross: $54.71M
18. Primer (2004)
PG-13 | 77 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.
Director: Shane Carruth | Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya
Votes: 114,110 | Gross: $0.42M
19. Deja Vu (2006)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
After a ferry is bombed in New Orleans, an A.T.F. agent joins a unique investigation using experimental surveillance technology to find the bomber, but soon finds himself becoming obsessed with one of the victims.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Val Kilmer
Votes: 327,515 | Gross: $64.04M
20. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
After being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.
Director: Shane Black | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen
Votes: 237,335 | Gross: $4.24M
21. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris | Stars: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Abigail Breslin
Votes: 517,836 | Gross: $59.89M
22. Fargo (1996)
R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Votes: 726,319 | Gross: $24.61M
23. The Cable Guy (1996)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller
A designer makes a grievious mistake when he rejects the friendship of a borderline cable guy.
Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, Jack Black
Votes: 178,027 | Gross: $60.24M
24. Sucker Punch (2011)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young girl institutionalized by her abusive stepfather retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone
Votes: 252,684 | Gross: $36.39M
25. The Graduate (1967)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, William Daniels
Votes: 288,290 | Gross: $104.95M
26. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
Votes: 702,754 | Gross: $37.63M
27. Groundhog Day (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky
Votes: 684,778 | Gross: $70.91M
28. There's Something About Mary (1998)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Romance
A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from high school, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.
Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | Stars: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans
Votes: 328,768 | Gross: $176.48M
29. S1m0ne (2002)
PG-13 | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
A producer's film is endangered when his star walks off, so he decides to digitally create an actress to substitute for the star, becoming an overnight sensation that everyone thinks is a real person.
Director: Andrew Niccol | Stars: Al Pacino, Catherine Keener, Rachel Roberts, Benjamin Salisbury
Votes: 62,452 | Gross: $9.68M
30. 12 Angry Men (1957)
Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama
The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler
Votes: 864,446 | Gross: $4.36M
31. The Apartment (1960)
Approved | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston
Votes: 196,689 | Gross: $18.60M
32. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 719,131 | Gross: $56.95M
33. Cube (1997)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.
Director: Vincenzo Natali | Stars: Nicole de Boer, Maurice Dean Wint, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller
Votes: 247,547 | Gross: $0.50M
34. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
R | 97 min | Drama, Romance
A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid 1970s.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, James Woods, Kathleen Turner
Votes: 169,106 | Gross: $4.86M
35. The Quiet Earth (1985)
R | 91 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A scientist awakens to find himself alone in the world. In a desperate attempt to search for others, he finds only two who have their own agenda.
Director: Geoff Murphy | Stars: Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Pete Smith, Anzac Wallace
Votes: 27,610 | Gross: $2.12M
36. The Man from Earth (2007)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he has a longer and stranger past than they can imagine.
Director: Richard Schenkman | Stars: David Lee Smith, Tony Todd, John Billingsley, Ellen Crawford
Votes: 200,095
37. Three Kings (1999)
R | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, four soldiers set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait, but they discover people who desperately need their help.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze
Votes: 180,405 | Gross: $60.65M
38. The Terminal (2004)
PG-13 | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chi McBride, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 495,072 | Gross: $77.87M
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,050,836 | Gross: $293.51M
40. The Social Network (2010)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara
Votes: 758,286 | Gross: $96.96M
This movie is on this list for two reasons. The more obvious one is that it chillingly portrays the point at which an entire generation changed irreparably, but more interestingly is the character journeys. On one hand you have Jesse Eisenberg's character becoming more and more lonely as time goes on, and he only ever spots it too late. On the other, you have Andrew Garfield's character whose despair consistently emanates throughout. Anyone who has ever watched a friendship fall apart will appreciate the tragedy of this film.
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