Change Your Image
m_livingstone2000
IMDb member since March 2010
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try again
My Top 20 Favourite Disney Animated Features
20 titles |
Public
Don't we all just love Disney? Is there anything in the world more synonymous with childhood? Disney has been around almost since the dawn of cinema, and has enchanted generations of children ever since. Until it became a money-grubbing corporate giant that everyone accused of brainwashing a generation, that is! :-)
Of course, it's pretty easy to figure out the cons of Disney: a good chunk of what they've done since the year 2000 is a con. But let's forget about all that and hearken back to the golden age, Disney's timeless animated classics.
In fact, there are so many truly great ones that I just couldn't keep this to a top ten! So I'm actually going to make it a top twenty list. I won't get into the direct-to-video sequels, or Disney's collaborations with Pixar or anything; I'm only going by what Disney considers their official line-up of animated motion pictures.
And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend that you view this in reverse order, like a countdown.
So, get ready. These are my top twenty favourite Disney animated features.
Runners-up: Cinderella (1950) Dumbo (1941) Meet the Robinsons (2007) Moana (2016) Mulan (1998) 101 Dalmatians (1961) Sleeping Beauty (1959) Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Runners-up: Cinderella (1950) Dumbo (1941) Meet the Robinsons (2007) Moana (2016) Mulan (1998) 101 Dalmatians (1961) Sleeping Beauty (1959) Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
My Top 10 Favourite Movies of 2022
10 titles |
Public
It's the last day of 2022, which means two things. One: happy New Year's Eve. :-) Two: it's time to look back on my favourite movies of the year, as has been a tradition of mine since 2011. You might have your own idea of what movies were released in 2022, so if you're not already familiar with the criteria I set for these lists, let me explain my own definition. I only count movies that were first released publicly (be it in cinemas or on streaming platforms) in the year in question, so no movies that haven't yet been seen outside of film festivals, and no movies that were released in another country in an earlier year.
With that said, how was your year overall? :-) For me, at least in terms of the movies it offered… to tell you the truth, this was one of the most underwhelming years in recent memory. Just like 2020, there weren't even any movies that I liked enough to rate five stars; even the ones at the top of my list only scored an 8/10 from me, which means I'd describe them as very good but not great. This lack of anything exceptional took a heavy toll on my overall level of joy and excitement throughout the year. Other things in life may be contributing to that, but hardly any movies I saw this year did anything to help. In fact, it was so uninspiring that I started to wonder if it was even worth continuing these year-end lists. Then again, if I were still doing "top ten worst of the year" lists and actively seeking out films with a bad reputation, I think my outlook would have been far more actively bitter.
On that cheerful note, let's start talking about the movies I did like this year. :-)
Now, keep in mind, this is only going by what I've seen to date. There are a few movies that I've heard good things about but haven't seen yet. For example, I didn't get a chance to see Bones and All, Violent Night, Barbarian, Aftersun, Decision to Leave or Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Films like Tár, Pearl, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Damien Chazelle's Babylon and Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans haven't been released yet in my part of the world.
So, with that said, here are the ten instances where I'd say the year's movie output shone the brightest. These are my top ten movies of 2022.
And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend you view this in reverse order, like a countdown.
Runners-up: The Banshees of Inisherin The Batman Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons The Northman Lightyear Prey Turning Red
Runners-up: The Banshees of Inisherin The Batman Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons The Northman Lightyear Prey Turning Red
This Year's To-Do List
37 titles |
Public
These are all the movies scheduled for release this year that I'll be keeping an eye out for – mostly because they're on the résumé of an actor or director that I'm a fan of.
James Bond Movies: My Ranking, Best to Worst
25 titles |
Public
What can you say about James Bond? It's one of the biggest franchises in all of cinema, and the central character is one of the definitive British icons. Based on the books by Ian Fleming, the film franchise began in 1962 and still continues to this day.
Me personally, I'm not a huge fan of the James Bond movies generally speaking, but there are some that I very much enjoy. I think the movies range from great to god-awful, with several in between that are just okay. And I'm here today to arrange them all in my personal order of preference.
I'm only counting the Eon films, the franchise that we're all familiar with. There have been two non-Eon Bond films to date: a comedic adaptation of Casino Royale in 1967, and Never Say Never Again in 1983, which was the second adaptation of Thunderball.
So here we go. This is how I personally rank all the Bond movies.
My Top 10 Favourite Movies of 2020
10 titles |
Public
Well, the year 2020 is about to end, and I'm sure none of us are sorry to see it go! I don't think anyone would deny this has been one of the worst years in recent memory. To perfectly sum it up, all you need is two words: "social distancing". Anyone who was trying to predict the future and what great developments would unfold in the first year of a new decade, there's no way they could have foreseen a highly contagious virus that would almost cripple society altogether! Personally, I'm thankful that neither I nor anyone I know has contracted the virus, but obviously a lot of people weren't so lucky.
We were all affected in other ways, though. A lot of public places were forced to close, including cinemas. As a result, my movie-watching experience this year was an especially lame one. Not in the sense that there were tons of bad movies, like in some previous years. I said last year that I was retiring my worst-of-the-year list and therefore giving up on actively seeking out bad movies, and I meant it. So an overabundance of bad movies wasn't the problem. It's more that my schedule was starved of anything super exciting. In the absence of any big tentpole releases in cinemas, my main source of information this year was the films page on Letterboxd, which is sorted by popularity by default. That's how I kept track of what were the year's biggest hits, as it were. I didn't see nearly as many movies as in previous years, but on the plus side, there weren't too many stinkers among the ones I did see. I still saw enough that I disliked for a top five of the year's worst, but I stand by what I said before: I'm not going to make that list.
So this will be my only year-end top ten list this year, but before we get started, let me go over my usual reminder of my year-end list's criteria, my definition of what movies qualify for a particular year. The movie simply has to have been released for public consumption by the end of the year – which, in this case, usually meant streaming. So anything that's only been seen at a film festival so far doesn't count. Neither does a movie that was released in another country in a previous year. After all, most of what I saw at the cinema in those first two months was 2019 movies that were only just making it to the British Isles, including The Lighthouse, Jojo Rabbit and Parasite.
So now let's move on to my ten favourite examples of movies that fit that bill for 2020. :-) Like I said before, this wasn't exactly a spectacular year in terms of movies. There were several good movies, but none that impressed me enough to even warrant a five-star rating. In any other year, several of the movies on this list wouldn't even have made the shortlist of runners-up, let alone the top ten. So should the ones that came out on top consider themselves lucky or not? Now, when I do these year-end lists, I usually list off some examples of popular movies that I haven't seen yet, but I wouldn't even know what to include this time. I've seen just about everything that sounded appealing to me. I've heard it suggested that part of the reason cinema seemed so meagre this year was that, because the cinemas were closed, there was no film journalism either, so there was almost no way to stay informed on what was being released. It'll be interesting to see other people's lists and find out what comes most highly recommended. But for the time being, these are the movies I personally saw and enjoyed the most. So sit back and enjoy my top ten favourite movies of 2020. And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend that you view it in reverse order, like a countdown.
Runners-up: The Devil All the Time Extraction Greyhound Guns Akimbo The Hunt Never Rarely Sometimes Always Possessor Uncle Frank
So now let's move on to my ten favourite examples of movies that fit that bill for 2020. :-) Like I said before, this wasn't exactly a spectacular year in terms of movies. There were several good movies, but none that impressed me enough to even warrant a five-star rating. In any other year, several of the movies on this list wouldn't even have made the shortlist of runners-up, let alone the top ten. So should the ones that came out on top consider themselves lucky or not? Now, when I do these year-end lists, I usually list off some examples of popular movies that I haven't seen yet, but I wouldn't even know what to include this time. I've seen just about everything that sounded appealing to me. I've heard it suggested that part of the reason cinema seemed so meagre this year was that, because the cinemas were closed, there was no film journalism either, so there was almost no way to stay informed on what was being released. It'll be interesting to see other people's lists and find out what comes most highly recommended. But for the time being, these are the movies I personally saw and enjoyed the most. So sit back and enjoy my top ten favourite movies of 2020. And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend that you view it in reverse order, like a countdown.
Runners-up: The Devil All the Time Extraction Greyhound Guns Akimbo The Hunt Never Rarely Sometimes Always Possessor Uncle Frank
My Top 10 Favourite Movies of 2021
10 titles |
Public
Happy New Year's Eve. We've come to the end of 2021, so you know what that means. :-) It's time for me to look back on the year and pick out my ten favourite movies.
So how was the year overall? Well, I got my vaccine and, among the year's movies, saw at least one that I rated five stars; that alone makes it a huge improvement on 2020! :-D Unfortunately, the virus shows no sign of slowing down, so not only will many people's stories be a lot sadder, but it'll probably be a long time before our everyday life returns to what it was two years ago, if at all. For better or worse, this year did at least take a few steps in that direction. Most relevant here is the reopening of cinemas on a more permanent basis – though still under heavy restrictions, obviously.
If this is your first time reading one of my year-end lists (or if you just need a reminder), let me briefly go over the criteria I set for what qualifies as a 2021 movie. It simply has to have been released for public consumption within the year, be it in cinemas or on a streaming platform. Movies that haven't been seen outside of film festivals don't count, and neither do movies that were released in another country in an earlier year. This year was especially problematic in that regard, because the release schedule towards the end of 2020 was very messy indeed! Several awards contenders weren't released publicly until the early months of the following year, including Nomadland, which may have won Best Picture for 2020, but its earliest non-festival release date makes it a 2021 movie in my book.
So how was 2021's movie output in general? Like I said, unlike 2020, I did at least give one movie a five-star rating, but that's not really indicative of the year's movies as a whole. For obvious reasons, these last couple of years have not been good for movies. There were so many that I found mediocre or at best mildly enjoyable that it severely dulled my overall happiness level and left me pretty despondent. Obviously, other things in life were also contributing to that ennui, but it's pretty depressing when not even the media you consume can bring you much joy. So, let's start talking about the movies released in 2021 that did. :-) Now, I say this every year, but it's worth mentioning that I haven't seen everything I wanted to. For example, I haven't a chance to see West Side Story. I watched the original in preparation (back when the new one was due to be released last year, admittedly) and wasn't overly impressed, so it's entirely possible that I'll greatly prefer the Spielberg version. Other movies that come highly recommended are Spencer, Titane, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Nightmare Alley, The French Dispatch and The Green Knight. Like in 2020, the movies on the lower end of the list would never have made it past the runners-up stage on my year-end lists from the previous decade, but this year they happened to be among the ten movies I enjoyed most (another sad indication of how few brilliant movies I've come across lately). So, without further ado, let's finally get to the full list of what those ten were. :-) And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend you view it in reverse order, like a countdown.
Runners-up: Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One Boss Level The Harder They Fall Last Night in Soho Nobody A Quiet Place Part II Raya and the Last Dragon
So how was 2021's movie output in general? Like I said, unlike 2020, I did at least give one movie a five-star rating, but that's not really indicative of the year's movies as a whole. For obvious reasons, these last couple of years have not been good for movies. There were so many that I found mediocre or at best mildly enjoyable that it severely dulled my overall happiness level and left me pretty despondent. Obviously, other things in life were also contributing to that ennui, but it's pretty depressing when not even the media you consume can bring you much joy. So, let's start talking about the movies released in 2021 that did. :-) Now, I say this every year, but it's worth mentioning that I haven't seen everything I wanted to. For example, I haven't a chance to see West Side Story. I watched the original in preparation (back when the new one was due to be released last year, admittedly) and wasn't overly impressed, so it's entirely possible that I'll greatly prefer the Spielberg version. Other movies that come highly recommended are Spencer, Titane, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Nightmare Alley, The French Dispatch and The Green Knight. Like in 2020, the movies on the lower end of the list would never have made it past the runners-up stage on my year-end lists from the previous decade, but this year they happened to be among the ten movies I enjoyed most (another sad indication of how few brilliant movies I've come across lately). So, without further ado, let's finally get to the full list of what those ten were. :-) And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend you view it in reverse order, like a countdown.
Runners-up: Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One Boss Level The Harder They Fall Last Night in Soho Nobody A Quiet Place Part II Raya and the Last Dragon
Top 10 Movies That I Hate But Everyone Else Loves
11 titles |
Public
Are there any movies that you seriously disagree with everyone else on? I'm sure everyone has one or two, and I'm no different. Usually if everyone else likes or dislikes a movie, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be on the bandwagon, but of course there are exceptions.
So, in this first of a pair of lists highlighting a few such exceptions, I'm going to talk about the top ten movies that I can't stand – they just annoy the hell out of me – but everyone else seems to enjoy them. So I hope I don't piss on any of your favourite movies here! :-) Or if I do, let's hope I can explain myself well enough.
Be sure to also check out the opposite list, the top ten movies that I like but everyone else seems to hate: http://www.imdb.com/list/vTq_-uLVTp4/
And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend that you view this in reverse order, like a countdown.
So these are the top ten movies that I hate but everyone else seems to love.
Star Wars Movies: My Ranking, Best to Worst
12 titles |
Public
What can you say about Star Wars? It's probably the most beloved franchise of all time. It's more of a phenomenon than I can even begin to describe. What can I say about it that hasn't already been talked into the ground? Well, I suppose I could briefly describe my own relationship with the franchise as a whole. :-) I consider myself a very casual fan of Star Wars. I didn't grow up with the movies; I didn't even see them until I was in college. It was James Rolfe's 2009 video review of the original trilogy that really got me interested. Even though I wasn't introduced to them at as young an age as most people, the original trilogy still very much impressed me regardless. The prequels… not so much.
With that said, this is my list of how I personally rank all the movies thus far. Of course, this is just a ranking of all the Star Wars movies I've actually seen. The only one I haven't seen yet (aside from the two made-for-TV Ewok movies, which hardly anyone talks about anyway) is The Clone Wars. I'll watch it when I get around to the TV series of the same name, because apparently it's basically the first episode. But by all accounts, it's a terrible movie.
Now, don't expect to be surprised by what's at the top of my list. :-) I think most would agree that the original trilogy just can't be topped.
And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend that you view it in reverse order, like a countdown.
My Top 10 Favourite Hitchcock Movies
10 titles |
Public
What can you say about Alfred Hitchcock? He's one of the most famous and influential film directors of all time, and aptly named the Master of Suspense. Throughout his career, he made over fifty movies, and a great many of them have become classics.
Now, I'll freely admit to having not seen all his movies yet, so this list may not be definitive. For example, I haven't seen The Lady Vanishes, which, from the sound of it, would be a sure-fire contender for this list.
But, out of the Hitchcock movies that I've seen to date, I'm here today to count down my ten personal favourites.
And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend that you view this in reverse order, like a countdown.
My Top 30 Favourite Movies
31 titles |
Public
I'm sure the first thing you'll be wondering about me is what my favourite movies are. Well, I really count every movie I rate five stars (and that includes 4½ stars, or 9/10) as a favourite, but only the top thirty are the ones that I consider truly special. Maybe someday I'll do a list of every movie I rate 10/10 – in other words, every runner-up – but for now, let's just focus on the best of the best. I would never be so arrogant as to say these are the thirty best movies ever made; they're just my personal favourites.
So these are the movies that mean the most to me, the ones that stand head and shoulders above the crowd. And, as with all my lists, I'd recommend you view it in reverse order for the captions to make the most sense.
I present to you, my top thirty favourite movies.
Runners-up: If I were to extend the list just a tad bit further, the top ten out of all the runners-up would be, in alphabetical order: Amadeus (1984) Beauty and the Beast (1991) Citizen Kane (1941) Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Jaws (1975) The Jungle Book (1967) Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) North by Northwest (1959) The Wrong Trousers (1993)
Runners-up: If I were to extend the list just a tad bit further, the top ten out of all the runners-up would be, in alphabetical order: Amadeus (1984) Beauty and the Beast (1991) Citizen Kane (1941) Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Jaws (1975) The Jungle Book (1967) Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) North by Northwest (1959) The Wrong Trousers (1993)
See more »