My Top 5 Movies of All Time

Hope I'm not spamming. Just really love talking TV & Movies and really excited about this new platform. But today, I wanna discuss my top 5 films in a bit of detail, no real spoilers but definitely a good recommendation as they are unreal.

5 - Blade Runner (1982) ANY CUT - Final Cut is on Netflix AUS (Not US or UK), Theatrical I have on DVD but I can't seem to find it on streaming services

I remember the first time I watched this film in a year 10 class about 4 years ago and I feel like my reaction scared a lot of my classmates at the time. Based on Philip K Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of an Electric Sheep' (a book that I found incredibly difficult to read), the film is set in 2019 Los Angeles, telling the story of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a notorious Blade Runner for the Los Angeles Police Department and his mission to kill the remaining 6 Nexus-6 Androids left on the Earth.

It would be such a simple film, IF IT WEREN'T directed by Science-Fiction legend Ridley Scott. The ways in which he explores the dystopian future of the world is masterful. Capturing the essence of 40's & 50's Noire film and plunging it forward into a future 37 years after it was produced, it creates beautiful symbolism and cinematography that is jaw-dropping. Wacky characters like Roy, J.F, Rachel and obviously Leon are unforgettable with some scenes that are hauntingly beautiful.

Highly recommend to watch this on a big screen/projector as well as the big question, watching the extended or final cut. In my opinion, both are fantastic. I really love the theatrical (despite it being a bit longer and not as clean cut), get the experience you need with this film as it will blow your mind. The final cut is excellent but I feel like it lacks some of the scenes that make the theatrical version so cohesive as well as a sense of closure I feel is not as well received with the final cut.

Rating: 9.5/10

4 - Fight Club (1999) - Hulu and Amazon Prime Video (I think)

I feel like every man and his dog has made a review about the notorious 'Fight Club', but its with very good reason. My number 4 and 3 on this list are both Fincher Films and the way he sets up character development from the beginning with the tiniest of details is so beautiful and what truly captures the essence of film. It never feels like he is using a template or mooching others ideas as he takes these devices and turns them and morph them into his own techniques. Anyway....similar to Blade Runner, Fight Club was a novel first written by Chuck Palahniuk and the movie does the book very good justice.

Following Edward Norton's struggle with insomnia, he needs an out from all these feelings of shame, boredom and stress. This is when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter). It is a film that is so much more than its surface as it begins to tackle various problems of society today. From consumerism, masculinity and rebellion to paranoia, identity and death, Fight Club passes comment on a lot of different social issues and does so effortlessly. Elements of a crime drama juxtaposed with eerily dark comedy make this film a rollercoaster of emotions with great cameos such as Jared Leto and Meat Loaf.

I nearly made it all the way through my little recommendation of the film without mentioning Norton's narration through the film. The monotone, defeated and submissive tone is so iconic and you can never forget JACK. A film you only need to see once as I promise you, you never forget it.

Rating: 9.6/10

3 - Se7en (1995) - NETFLIX UK (not US or AUS), Also think its on HBO

Oh baby here we go. The TOP 3 and we start with a banger. This film has everything, drama, comedy, suspense, a tiny bit of horror (but not too much) and beautiful messages through some of my favourite actors of all time. I don't know what it is about David Fincher, but the way he starts films are unreal, opening up the film and giving us these beautiful cinematic shots of the drizzly US city that goes unnamed for the film. The film follows Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and newly transferred Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) and their quest in pursuing criminal John Doe and his killing of 7 people, one for each deadly sin.

Yes I know the question your asking, MORGAN FREEMAN SADLY DOESN'T NARRATE THIS FILM. However, I think this is a better performance than him as Red in 'The Shawshank Redemption'. His chemistry on screen with Brad Pitt such as that less insignificant scene at the dinner table are just scenes where you can't help but smile to see them all together having such a great time on set.

This film is 2hrs and 8 minutes but feels like an hour. So many pieces of amazing dialogue, relentless critiques of society and the messages around judgement and true sin is second to none. Just a thoroughly entertaining film and a must watch

Rating: 9.7 (obviously)/10

2 - Amadeus (1984) - NETFLIX UK (not US or AUS) & HBO as well (I think)

This is a new addition to my top 5. I only first saw this on the 7 of November as I had downloaded it to my computer to watch for a flight. The best flight I ever had. Firstly, this is a long film. Unless you have 3 hours to kill in one go (in a lockdown perhaps), you can't split this up over two nights. There is so much to take in and I immediately had to watch it again after I had finish so maybe 6 hours if you can (I'm joking, but also definitely worth a rewatch eventually).

Amadeus obviously is a biographical drama about the the rise and pursuit of popularity of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) but is told from the viewpoint of his fierce rival Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). Salieri, an unbelievable composer who can truly comprehend the talent of Mozart, becomes plagued by his jealousy and lack of skill in comparison, and begins his scheme to destroy him.

There is no better picture for the 1984 Academy Awards and no more worthy 'best actor' nominee than F. Murray Abraham. His performance was "ASTOUNDING....actually, it was beyond belief", his passion for the music within the evil eyes is so overtly evil and you can never forget the smile (if you know, you know). Tom Hulce contrasts this darkness with his unforgettable positivity and laugh. He acts as an imbecile, immature and a blatant alcoholic, yet more talented than everyone as he lives life under the wings of Salieri, the court composers and Emperor Joseph II of Vienna. Miloš Forman did a stellar job in directing this film and while some plot points may not be 100% historically accurate, it is a beautiful story told in the best manor.

Rating: 9.8/10

BEFORE number 1. I wanted to do 10 honourable mentions, these are films I really love and if you wanted to comment which ones you would want to see a review of, that would be great as I do love all of these films and could write for hours on each and every one of them.

In no particular order: The Godfather (1972), Goodfellas (1990), Taxi Driver (1976), American Beauty (1999), Trainspotting (1996), Whiplash (2014), Leon: The Professional (1994), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The Intouchables (2011) & WALL-E (2008) are all fantastic. Highly recommend

And in the words of Bruce Buffer, ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT'S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME

1 - The Usual Suspects (1995) - ON NETFLIX AUS (not US or UK)

If I could go back in time and rewatch one TV show again not having watched it in the first place, it would be Breaking Bad. But if it were a movie, The Usual Suspects is unmatched. I agree there is a lot of stigma around this film and many other films that Kevin Spacey is in due to his controversies and allegations off-camera (which I do believe he is guilty), it does not take away from the art form and he was my favourite actor and based off pure talent, he still is in my opinion, one of the most talented there is.

Alright the film....Bryan Singer's neo-noire crime thriller tells the story of 5 criminals who meet in a line-up after they are questioned and eventually released, they scheme a meticulously crafted heist on a boat to make millions of dollars. The aftermath of this heist leads to Detective David Kujan (Chazz Palminteri), looking for answers and find the conclusions to what happened that night on the boat. All having different skills as criminals, Verbal (Kevin Spacey), McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), Hackney (Kevin Pollak) and Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) work so well together their chemistry is so effortless and gorgeous. The dialogue in this film is in my opinion, the pinnacle of film dialogue. MAJESTIC. This could have been written as a police transcript and it would still be legible, it is perfect. Every scene is important and when you add in Jack Baer (Giancarlo Esposito) and Kobyashi (Pete Postlethwaite), it really satisfies every quota you would want from a film.

It has comedy, drama, love story, action and violence. What more could you want and I can say to date, it is the only film I have ever watched where I stood up and clapped after I finished it. It's also ONLY 1 HOUR AND 48 MINUTES, so much in such short time and could not recommend this film more.

Rating: 9.9/10 - Nothing is a 10 in my eyes, it can't be perfect perfect, but this imo is as good as it gets

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