The 10 Best (and My 10 Favorite) Movies of All Time
2014 Edition
There is a fine line between what’s “the best” and what’s your “favorite.” The former leans towards objectivity. If something is the best, it has to possess some universal qualities of best-ness. On the other hand, the latter is all about subjectivity. When we’re talking about favorites, we’re talking about personal itches getting scratched.
With all that in mind, I thought it would be cool to start thinking about what movies are the best movies and what ones are my favorite movies.
When selecting the Best, I’m pulling from movies that I have seen. So if there are glaring omissions, it could be because I simply haven’t gotten around to seeing a particular movie. Then again, that particular movie might not be on here because I don’t think it’s a Best. To me, Best movies aren’t just the ones that are popular or classics (though, both of those things factor in). Best movies have to have a true specialness to them. They need to be extraordinary.
Favorite movies, though, those are really a window into my soul. I love every entry on my Best list, BUT usually not like I love the entries on my Favorite list. These are the movies I buy merch from. These are the movies I will someday have tattooed on my body. These are the movies I re-watch over and over again.
So read, (hopefully) enjoy, discuss and, above all else, go watch these movies. Thanks!
Best
Annie Hall (1977; written by Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman; directed by Allen)
Annie Hall is one of the unique character studies in cinema. It shirks traditional narrative big time. Instead, you’re plunged into the mind of protagonist Alvy Singer (Woody Allen). Time shifts between recent and distant past in a very “stream-of-conscious” way. Singer and other characters frequently break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience. But, none of it feels like a gimmick. In a movie about psychoanalysis and a neurotic, it’s genius that everything feels like it’s taking place inside someone’s head.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982; written by Melissa Mathison; directed by Steven Spielberg)
Few movies are as emotionally powerful as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Whether its fear during Elliot (Henry Thomas) and E.T.’s first meeting, wonder and awe at their moonlit flight in the woods, excitement during the bike chase through the suburbs or a profound mix of sadness and joy during the movie’s final moments, this one aims for the heart and always hits its mark. Steven Spielberg has made seven masterpieces and this is his best one.
The Godfather (1972; written by Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola; directed by Coppola)
You can’t really point to one thing and say, “That’s what makes The Godfather great.” This is a perfect example of “EVERYTHING in this movies makes it great.” From top to bottom, all aspects of this movie (screenwriting, directing, cinematography, acting, so on and so forth) excel and work together to form one of the most satisfying “wholes” in cinema. There’s a reason this movie is continually considered the best of all time.
Goodfellas (1990; written by Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese; directed by Scorsese)
When it comes to mafia movies, The Godfather is a symphony while Goodfellas is a rock concert. The energy in this movie is incredible. From opening to closing credits, you’re sucked into this exciting but frightening world of organized crime. Everyone in it is great, but the stars of this movie are Martin Scorsese and his career-long editing partner Thelma Schoonmaker. They’ve assembled a movie that’s as propulsive and entertaining as they come.
Pulp Fiction (1994; written and directed by Quentin Tarantino)
With Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino proves that character is king. This movie boasts one of the most memorable ensemble casts ever. It proves the old adage “there are no small parts,” because even the characters that appear in a few scenes (or even one scene) make an impression. The way they talk, act and interact is so well realized by Tarantino that this is one of those movies where you feel sad when it comes to its end. And every time you re-watch it, you feel like you’re catching up with old friends.
Seven Samurai (1954; written by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto & Hideo Oguni; directed by Kurosawa)
Patient moviemaking is rare, and Seven Samurai is the perfect example of it. Akira Kurosawa makes every second of this movie’s 3.5 hour running time count. Yes, the huge climactic battle is coming but the slow crawl to that event enriches both the battle and the buildup to it. You get a chance to know, understand and ultimately care for these seven samurai and the tiny village of farmers they’re hired to protect. So much so that you, like them, come to dread the inevitable showdown with the bandits. However, that showdown does come and because of the care Kurosawa takes in setting it up, it ends up being one of the most exciting and gut-wrenching battles in cinema.
Star Wars (1977; written and directed by George Lucas)
Star Wars is one of cinema’s greatest examples that it’s not really about the the tale; it’s about the telling. George Lucas wrote a beautifully simple and straightforward story that draws heavily from both myth and adventure serials from the ‘30s and ‘40s. But he told that story with such amazing trappings (from Industrial Light and Magic’s groundbreaking visual effects to John Williams’ instantly iconic score) that it immediately became a classic. What’s more, it changed the landscape of cinema to this day by bringing genre moviemaking to the A level.
Taxi Driver (1976; written by Paul Schrader; directed by Martin Scorsese)
Supreme among character studies, Taxi Driver is an incredible movie. It’s an unflinching glimpse into a profoundly troubled soul. Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is broken and misguided and this movie drops you completely into his sad, lonely life and it does not let you look away. As such, it’s less of a movie you enjoy and more of a movie you wallow in. But De Niro’s performance is so superb and so fully realized (it doesn’t feel like acting at all) that he makes all the ugliness powerful and riveting.
There Will Be Blood (2007; written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson)
Sure, it barely follows through on the promise of its title, but There Will Be Blood is the greatest modern movie. It lays bare two of humanities’ fundamental failings: blind ambition and greed. The primary agent of this examination is Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) and he’s a character for the ages. Complex and compelling, Plainview is alternately repellant, admirable, terrifying and pitiable. All of this is made possible by Day Lewis’ monumental acting chops. He truly transforms with this role, going so far as to change the way he moves and emotes. It’s tremendous stuff.
The Wizard of Oz (1939; written by Noel Langley & Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf; directed by Victor Fleming, Richard Thorpe [uncredited] and King Vidor [uncredited])
Few movies have permeated pop culture as significantly and as long (75 years) as The Wizard of Oz. And it’s easy to see why: this is a perfect example of cinema at its most enchanting. The people (and creatures) and places of Oz are as vividly beautiful today as they were in ‘39; this is a movie that understands the power of movies as a visual medium. It also captures you aurally. From the deep emotion of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to the clever whimsey of “If I Were King of the Forest,” this movie’s music, like everything else about it, is endearing and enduring.
Favorite
Akira (1988; written by Katsuhiro Otomo & Izo Hashimoto; directed by Katsuhiro Otomo)
An American Werewolf in London (1981; written and directed by John Landis)
Dawn of the Dead (1978; written and directed by George A. Romero)
Dazed and Confused (1993; written and directed by Richard Linklater)
Django Unchained (2012; written and directed by Quentin Tarantino)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980; written by Leigh Brackett & Lawrence Kasdan; directed by Irvin Kershner)
The Evil Dead(1983: written and directed by Sam Raimi)
Hot Fuzz (2007; written by Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg; directed by Wright)
The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003; written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson and Stephen Sinclair [The Two Towers]; directed by Jackson)
The Thing (1982; written by Bill Lancaster; directed by John Carpenter)