Everyone has their favorite movies, and this is my top 10 favorite movies of all time. If you haven't seen these movies then I would recommend that you check them out at some stage in your life before it's too late..
10) Se7en (1995)
Crime thriller can't get better than this. Se7en has a strong cast, staring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey. It has a very intriguing storyline that is full of suspenses and twists. The movie also contains horror and neo-noir elements, and is stylishly made. Se7en will keep you at the edge of your seat from the beginning to the end, one heck of a ride..
However, beware that there are heavy violence, and a lot of swearing in this movie for those who are easily offended by films with strong contents.
9) Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Despite its failure at the box office release in 1994, Shawshank Redemption was still nominated with 7 Academy awards, and is commonly praised by critics. What I really liked about this movie are the main themes of redemption, hope, salvation, the original sin, and faith in an afterlife. I wonder if this movie can be interpreted as a Christian parable.
If you haven't seen this yet, watch it. It's good.
8) Rocky (1976)
There is no doubt that Silvester Stallone has had a successful career as an actor, the man is 65 years old and he is still making action films... The first Rocky movie, in my opinion is one of the best drama films ever made. The film won 3 Academy awards, and Stallone was even nominated for best actor. The story of Rocky, is a "journey from poor to rich American dream" type of plot. While this might sound a bit clichéd, but Rocky is such an inspirational character that really came to life in the first Rocky movie. I always watch Rocky 1 whenever I feel downbeat and defeated by life, and I recommend this masterpiece to you.
7) Godfather (1972)
"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse..". I think many people have heard of this line. Based on the novel by Mario Puzo, Godfather, is one of those films that forever changed the way crime drama films are made. Following its success, media entertainment has produced so many Italian Mafia movies or TV series: Untouchables, Sopranos, Scarface, Carlito's way, Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas..etc. Godfather, is the pinnacle of crime drama films where Marlon Brando really brought the character of Vito Corleone to life.
Out of the many themes of the Godfather story, the most obvious one is the warning to us how easy it is for people slip off into the wrong side of things, and how that will affect you and your generations to come.
If you haven't seen this yet, watch it.
6) Good, the bad and the ugly (1966)
Clint Eastwood, is awesome.. period. This 1966 Western flick, is hall of fame material. It can be best described as a perfect blend between soundtrack use and cinematography. You haven't, and will probably never see anything quite like this.
This film has two of my favorite soundtracks of all time: The good, the bad and the ugly, and Ecstasy of Gold. The cinematography is great, at the end of the movie, the final showdown between the Good, the bad and the ugly at the cemetery will always be one of the best final showdown scene ever made.
5) Rebel without a cause (1955)
My parents always bragged about how good and meaningful the movies were back when they were young, and how much "cooler" James Dean was compared to modern day movie stars. I always thought they were just old and boring, to prove them wrong, one day I decided to watch Rebel without a cause, because my parents always said to me how good this movie is.
Well, after watching the movie. I had to agree with them that James Dean really is very cool. To be honest, I had a man crush on James Dean after I saw this movie for the first time. The story of the movie is about the gap between parents and alienated teenagers in the 50's, behind the society's rise to prosperity in the post WWII era, the movie shows how ill equipped parents were that they could not communicate with their teenage children, and the negative effects it had on families. Somehow I think this problem is even worse today, especially in our increasingly materialistic society. I think this movie is great for the whole family.
4) Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
There are films that are influential, and there are films that are beyond influential that they actually leave legacies. Lawrence of Arabia, is without doubt one of the most epic movies ever made. The story of Lawrence of Arabia is based on the historical account of Arabia during WWI, by British officer, T.E. Lawrence (author of 7 pillars of wisdom).
In this 3 and half hour film, everything is well done. From music, acting, cinematography production value to directing, everything is perfectly done. T.E. Lawrence is an interesting character, and the story in this film is epic beyond description and engaging despite its slow pace.
3) Seven Samurai (1954)
Akira Kurosawa, is a master director in heroic epic films. Seven Samurai, is probably the best movies he has ever done. Despite its age, this film stood up to the test of time and is still one of the best heroic epic films ever made.
This black and white film, was made in 1954. The story of Seven Samurai is very similar to The Magnificent 7. It took place in feudal age Japan, where constant war ravaged the land and people were suffering from raiding bands of former samurai and bandits. One particular village was under the threat of a group of bandits, in desperation the village send out messengers to the outside to try to hire a group of samurai to protect them against the bandits.
The characterization in this film is really well done, all 7 samurai have their own distinct characters and are extremely memorable. The classical theme of sacrifice, justice and servitude are constantly present throughout the film. This is a film not to be missed.
2) Citizen Kane (1941)
Rosebud, Rosebud.. what is Rosebud? Well, I am not going to spoil it for you. Watch the film to find out for yourself.
Citizen Kane, is on No.2 of my most favorite movies of all time. The film was made in 1941, and is in black and white. The story follows a extremely wealth proprietor, Charles Foster Kane. Kane lived a secluded life in his private residence, a palatial estate. Upon his death, Kane's last word was "Rosebud". The news reporter decided to determine the mystery of "Rosebud" to find out why is this Kane's last word, and what is the significance of this "Rosebud" in this wealth man's life.
Citizen Kane, is one of those movies that has something important to say, and that something is what you can take with you after the movie ends. I will leave you to discover what this "something" is after you find out for yourself what is "Rosebud". This movie is at No.2 on my list of top 10 movies for a very good reason.
1) Schindler's List (1993)
Yep, my favorite movie of all time is Schindler's List. Directed by Steven Speilberg. Personally, I think Schindler's List is the best movie ever made. The story is also the most disurbing, shocking and sad story ever told, but full of hope, and full of life. Based on a true event, the story of Schindler's list depicts humanity's darkest moment, but also the brightest side.
The story of Shindler's list is based on the historical account of the heroic deed of a German businessman and opportunist, Oskar Schindler, and his actions of saving Jewish people from being sent to concentration camps. Schindler tried to save as many Jewish people as he could by employing them as his factory workers. In the end, Schindler went bankrupt in his business, but managed to save 1000 people. There is a documentary on the DVD that shows all the descendants of these 1000 people saved by Schindler. When I saw this documentary after the movie, I realized that no matter how small a good action is, it will always matter.
Some people don't like this movie because of the violence and nudity scenes, but I think the violence and nudity scenes were necessary, because these scenes provided the necessary information for audiences to understand the gravity of the situations, and characterizations portrayed in the film.
Honestly speaking, I was really emotional while watching this movie. The scene of a little girl wearing a red jacket, a little boy jumped into the sewerage pit to avoid being captured by the Nazi, and the final scene when Schindler broke down crying as he left for Russia. These scenes are exceedingly haunting yet simply beautifully done.
Here you have it, a list of my top 10 favorite movies. Most of these movies are quite old, and are in black and white. Despite the age of these movies, when considering aspects such as story, cinematography, soundtrack and directing, these movies are some of the best films ever produced, providing both style and substance, with meaningful stories but without pretentiousness and over the top CGI.
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