Films 10-1

10. The Fountain

This is eye candy. Ya, there is some cool commentary and life and death, but this is eye candy. The visuals are outstanding. The score is fantastic. You don't even need to know what is going on, just sit back and enjoy the dreamlike imagery and don't worry about the rest. I understand what they were talking about, I'm not sure whether I agree with it or not, but I understand....it's a very Eastern approach to the subject in a Western setting, which I really enjoyed seeing.

9. A Scanner Darkly

From the same mind that brought you Total Recall, Minority Report, and Blade Runner comes another sci-fi adventure with philosophical questions posed. The animation adds some uniqueness to it, but it really doesn't need it for it to be unique.The ending wraps it up rather nicely and leaves you with something to think about.

8. The Squid and The Whale

Noah Baumbach is the master of dysfunctional family life. This film follows the aftermath of a divorce where the children are forced to take sides between their parents and deal with the constant conflict and inner moral dilemmas. Jeff Daniels and Jesse Eisenberg give particularly good performances and the film does a rather good job of showing the perspective of each of the individuals involved.

7. A Prophet

A cross between The Godfather, Scarface, and The Shawshank Redemption. A young arab man has to deal with prison life, surviving, and striving for success in his life. There are connections made between his journey and that of the prophet Mohammad (which I never really understood) and also lots of great imagery and tense scenes. The mood was extraordinary and overall this is one of the greatest crime films I have ever seen. It is a shame that it lost Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, but seeing that Kurosawa and Tarkovsky never received much recognition, we can regard that award as a joke.

6. The Science of Sleep

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my all-time favourite movies, and if you also enjoyed it then you are sure to enjoy this movie as well. There are many similarities, from the dream sequences to the story about temporary love, heartbreak, and how love changes you. There are also aspects of cultural alienation, how your job defines you, and more. The style might not be as good as Eternal Sunshine, but in my opinion the two movies are very close in terms of overall quality. A very creative movie, very well acted, and very interesting characters.

5. Bronson

Charles Bronson is Britain's most famous inmate. He wants to be famous. He loves prison and he loves to fight. He has spent the majority of his life in solitary confinement. When he isn't, he's fighting guards and enjoying life. Tom Hardy gives one of the greatest acting performances of all time. This is yet another film by Nicolas Winding Refn, which means that the direction is amazing as well. This film doesn't really have a story, it's a character study, and a damn fine one at that. This isn't for everyone. Be prepared for oddness and an excessive amount of make full-frontal nudity, but at the end of the day you should nothing but respect for Hardy as an actor.

4. Mr. Nobody

Mr. Nobody is a sci-fi adventure that deals with the topic of choice. Life is filled with choices, and instead of this movie pursuing one choice, it pursues all of them. When Nemo makes a life-changing decision, we follow the different paths of his life for each possible decision. Soon, Nemo starts existing in these multiple worlds at the same time. The whole movie is told by Nemo on his death bed as he reflects upon his life. Be prepared to ask yourself some philosophical questions at the end of this, as well as asking yourself what you just watched.

3. Love Exposure

Sion Sono brings us a 4 hour epic that is extremely difficult to define. Despite the long length, I was entertained and never bored from beginning to end. Religious commentary, perverted humour, love, family, and a whole lot more. If you have the maturity of a ten year old boy, you will not be able to get through this movie and not be able to appreciate it. Ya, you can learn something from this film, but a lot of messages are Christian idealism. At the end of it all, this movie is just flat-out entertaining and hilarious.

2. Moon

Possibly the greatest sci-fi film of the decade. In 1977, a film called Star Wars ruined the path of sci-fi. The 70s was filled with slo-burning sci-fi that used the genre to set up interesting worlds, but the movies were ultimately about the stories. Moon marks the come-back of the 70s slo-burn sci-fi and the emergence of another great director, Duncan Jones. Sam Rockwell gives an amazing performance as an astronaut alone in space for three years at a mining base. The mood is amazing, the score is amazing, the writing is amazing, the acting is amazing. Everything about this movie is amazing. If you haven't seen it, watch it....right now.

1. Synecdoche, New York

As far as I can tell this movie is about life. Just life, as told through film. The film is about a director trying to capture life in a theatre play. That's a pretty big topic, and the title is appropriate. There are countless metaphors that are as entertaining and they are obscure. The plot itself is scrambled and somewhat confusing. The acting is right on cue. The imagery just forces you to sit in awe of what you are looking at. To tackle the whole film in one sitting is to set yourself up for too big a task. For me, this film is exactly what the art of cinema should be. I was simply amazed after watching this film, it most definitely requires multiple viewings.


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Films 20-11

20. Land of Opportunities

This is cheating because it's actually two films, Dogville and Manderlay. Both by Danish director Lars von Trier and both in a style I haven't seen in any other film. Almost no set, like a stage play and mostly narrated. John C Reilly was in the second film, but he left when von Trier actually slaughtered the donkey on set for the movie. Ya, we're in strange territory here, but two very good films commenting on the nature of small town folks, racism, and more. Supposedly there is a third film coming out. I eagerly await.

19. The Brothers Bloom

Another movie that I almost left off for being too well-known, yet kept it because it should be a lot more popular. There is so much commentary on being who you want to be versus who everyone else wants you to be. The film is about a con game, but really, it is saying that we are playing a con when we put on a mask for the world. On top of that, it's just a cool story about family, love, and gamesmanship.

18. Irreversible

Don't watch this movie. Seriously. It has graphic gay sex scenes, an excessively long rape scene, and very graphic violence. I can't recommend this to anyone. However, it makes No. 18 on the list for a reason. I really like how they approach the subject of being connected to your past.

...but seriously, don't watch it.

17. Revolver

The first time I watched this movie, I didn't really understand the ending. I liked it because it was classic Guy Ritchie. Style, fast talking gangsters, cool shots, and interesting characters. It's actually a smart movie, even if it is a bit pretentious. You can enjoy it if you're just looking for a simple action movie, but you can also enjoy it if you're one of those people who like to read way too much into films.

16. Blindness

As I mentioned for one of the earlier films in this list, I love movies with an isolated environment. I also love sci-fi films that only exist in future worlds while being about the people. This film has a good combination of both. I loved the way it approached the relationships between people who could relate most to one another and the deteriorating relationship between the blind man and the woman with sight. Once again, I've heard this movie didn't do the book justice, but for me it stood pretty well on its own.

15. Malice In Wonderland

More fast talking British gangsters for this list. This time, a twist on the classic Alice in Wonderland. I'm not a huge fan of the idea of the movie, but I was surprised in how well it was executed. All the characters are very interesting, the dialogue is done very well, and the overall feel of the movie had me gripped from the beginning. You're not going to learn any life lessons, but it's a very enjoyable twist on a familiar story. A plus if you know the Alice in Wonderland story, but not necessary.

14. Primer

A shining example of why talent goes further than a big budget. This film was made on $7000 and is one of those most brilliant movies I've ever seen. I've only seen it once, and I need to see it again to look at all the angles. It is a very interesting look at time travel. Lots of movies try to tackle the parodies that go along with time travel, but this movie does it better than any other in my opinion. This isn't a fast-paced movie, and you'll need your brain when you sit down to this one, but it's well worth it.

13. Noriko's Dinner Table / Suicide Club

When you watch the first movie, Suicide Club, you might think it's a gimicky movie that is based on people killing themselves in funny ways. Yes, it is funny, but there is actual value to these films. The end of Suicide Club left me very confused, which is why I checked out Noriko's Dinner Table. It really clarified both movies for me and left me with some good commentary on how we decide our role in society and how we should not accept a role, instead we should be ourselves and strive for individuality. Some interesting humour and some good social commentary from one of my favourite Japanese directors Sion Sono.

12. The Pusher Trilogy

Nicolas Winding Refn's second entry on the list, which is actually three movies. Each movie follows a different member of a Danish drug ring. Each movie gives a gritty, yet real look at the lives of these individuals, not as drug dealers, but as human beings. Being from Refn, it is all shot quite well, and like all his films it reminds me of Kubrick's and Scorsese's style and storytelling. After watching these, Refn went from a director I had hardly known, to me looking up all the other films that he had done.

11. Exit Through The Gift Shop

If you don't know him, Banksy is the world's most famous graffiti artist. He started by spraypainting the walls of London and now he sells his work for millions. Google him and you'll find his work, it's amazing. What's even better is that he decided to up and make a movie, and that movie was brilliant. It starts as a documentary about the early days of Street Art and goes on to talk about how popularity and conformity affects the mass opinion on art. It's an absolutely brilliant case study by Banksy and I really hope he does more movies. After watching this, I immediately wanted to go out and see more of his work.

                                     #50-41  #40-31  #30-21  ...  #10-1

Films 30-21

30. The Vengeance Trilogy

It is the shame that in the english language we use one word, revenge, to cover such a complex topic. Chan Wook-Park needs three films to discuss the complexity of the term and how many different emotions it covers. Each film takes a different perspective, and each of them are great on their own. Together, they are a masterpiece. Oldboy is the most popular, but it is my least favourite. Watch the video linked to the title, if you don't want to watch them after that, then you have no soul.

29. Following

Before 'Inception' and 'The Dark Knight', Christopher Nolan made a one-hour film about a man who likes to follow other people. Not to stalk them, not to steal from them, just to watch someone for an hour or two and then move on to the next person. This isn't enough though, and eventually he starts breaking into people's houses. Not to steal anything, just to look around, and occasionally to move things around just to make sure they know he was there. Oddly enough, he meets a man who likes to do the same...

28. Timecrimes

In Hollywood, time travel is a gimick. In better films, like Timecrimes, it can be used quite intellectually. This isn't the smartest movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is neat look at time travel and a good thrill ride as well. The trailer that I linked to this actually ruins a bit of it so I recommend going in blindly as I did. If you've seen any of the films at this part of the list, then you have to know that it's quite good to make the No. 28 spot.

27. Tokyo!

3 Short films about life in a big city, Tokyo in this case. One story about transformation (very Kafkaesque I might add), one about Anarchy, and one about Rebirth. At least that's what the trailer says. The first story is quite good, the second is weird, and the third is very metaphorical. I love it for its social commentary but also because they are all very well done. This movie does for Tokyo was 'Paris je t'aime' did for Paris.

26. Days of Glory

While being very reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan, this film is unique and good for different reasons. It is World War II and France needs liberating, so African soldiers in french colonies are called in to fight. This sets it up very nicely to show how Algerian soldiers were patriotic to France, but also alienated by it. This film is a tribute to all the African soldier who bled for a country that barely respected them. An amazing movie by a great director, and if you liked this movie then I also recommend watching 'Battle of Algiers' to see what happened to Algeria in the aftermath of World War II.

25. Fish Tank

Despite this film being in English, you might actually need subtitles to understand what is being said half the time. If you do understand what they're saying, then you'll really enjoy this movie. It is a classic coming-of-age story about a rebellious teenager in a bad family who becomes disillusioned by love and ultimately learns a lot about her world. It reminded me a lot of 'An Education' which came out at about the same time and which I judged way too well-known for this list. This is a grittier version of the same story, but just as good in my opinion. An outstanding debut by Katie Jarvis, who I hope to see in other good movies in the future.

24. 44 Inch Chest

A group of old, retired British gangsters get back together when one of their own finds out his wife has been cheating on him with a younger man. His friends do him a favour and capture the young man and tie him up in a room as a present. The remaining hour and a half is something Carl Jung would be very proud of, as the cheated old man goes through the moral question of what he should do. What really makes this movie good is a group of very good actors, and in particular, John Hurt playing a foul-mouthed old man that fills the film with more curse words then I thought a film could possibly have.

23. 2046

If you've never seen a Wong Kar Wai film, then you're missing out on one of the greatest directors of our time. Some of his films are too well-known to make this list, and the ones that weren't just barely fell out of my Top 50. This one, however, makes the list, and I'm glad that I was able to include at least one Kar Wai. Like all his films, this film is about love. It's about a main character who falls in love with many women but can never stay in love. His love is never fake though. Kar Wai does a very good job of showing how love can be real and yet very temporary.

22. Choke

You can't expect anything normal from Chuck Palahniuk, the author who also brought us Fight Club. It's a shame that only two of his books have been made into movies, and even more of a shame that most people don't know about the second one. It's a story about a sex addict who chokes on food at expensive restaurants to get people to love him and send him money....so, there's no shortage of oddness here. To put the cherry on top, Sam Rockwell plays the lead role. It's not as good as the book, but it's still a pretty damn good movie and hilarious as well.

21. Sunshine

I had a really hard time adding this to the list because it is pretty well-known. However, I decided to add it because not enough people know about it. It has a similar premise as The Core, except you can actually get caught up by it all because it's well made and not a pile of crap (like The Core). Yet again, this list sees a sci-fi film that I like because while it takes place in a sci-fi world, it's about the people and the story. Ya, it gets cheesy and kind of stupid, but I still love every bit of it.



                                      #50-41  #40-31  ...  #20-11  #10-1

Films 40-31

40. Dead Man's Shoes

The trailer for this movie isn't very good. Seriously, the production quality is garbage. The film however, is quite interesting. It takes place in northern England, where a man returns from the military to find out his younger retarded brother has been taken advantage of by a local gang. He takes the law into his own hands. Sounds like a generic story, and it is, but there's a reason why this film found its way to No. 40. It's not just violence and revenge....it's 'Taken' with an actual storyline and where you actually care and feel for the main character.

39. The Square

There really isn't enough Film Noir in this world, and this gritty Australian mystery shows why. If you like the Coen Brothers, then you definitely need to check this out. It's a simple movie but it is extremely well written and it's one of those stories that just really comes together and is wrapped up very well. This isn't a Hollywood-type movie, I loved how it ended, and it keeps you at the edge of your seat the entire time.

38. 3-Iron

A young homeless man finds a way to survive by breaking into houses of people who are on vacation. He 'pays' for his stay by cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and so on. In one house, a resident has stayed behind, and without exchanging words he stays. Then it gets weird, they fall in love, her husband returns, he gets thrown in jail. There is almost no dialogue in the entire movie, but it is still a very beautiful love story. It is unique and I'm sure a lot of people will hate it. I loved it.

37. The Station Agent

I feel bad being surprised that the midget in the lead role gave such a good performance, but he is really is a good actor. This film gives you great perspective into living that life, but in the end this isn't a film about what it's like to be a midget. This film is about friendship. Three lonely soles with not much in common coming together just to hang out. I suppose it's also about learning to understand people who are different than you, people who have different interests and are coming from different places in life.

36. Peacock

Cillian Murphy has gained notice as an actor in recent Christopher Nolan films, but this film is by far his greatest performance to date. In 1950s America, Murphy's character likes to dress up as his own wife. This is fine until the town finally meets the wife that no one thought he had. It gets a little creepier in the way that his wife tells him what to do, makes him breakfast, does his laundry, and how he hides things from her. Needless to say, it gets strange.

35. Monsters

Giant alien monsters have crash-landed on Earth. This movie isn't about the fight, or about space, or even about the aliens, which is why you've most likely never heard of it. This has a feel somewhere between 'Cloverfield' and 'District 9'. There is no fighting in it, giant aliens are on Earth and everyone seems to have accepted that. The area is contained and all a reporter wants to do is get the daughter of his powerful boss home, and that means cutting right through the containment zone. It's a very simple, low-budget movie that you shouldn't watch if you want a sci-fi action adventure. It's this type of real world sci-fi that makes me really love the genre.

34. Hunger

When I first heard that Steve McQueen had directed a movie, I thought of the 60s movie star. Apparently this is a different guy, and yet with his first film he shows me that by the end of his career he could be just as well known. This is a movie with three distinct parts. One about prison life, one about a conversation, and one about a hunger strike. All three are shot with incredible imagery, the mood is captured in such an extraordinary way that words are pointless and unneeded (there is quite a bit of dialogue though, just in case you were wondering).

33. Mesrine

This two-part movie chronicles the life of legendary french gangster Jacques Mesrine. Before watching this, I never even knew who that was. Afterwards, I wondered how could I not. He lived an extraordinary life of prison breaks and robberies. He went from suave frenchmen to fat-hippie idealist. Robin Hood or John Dillinger? Either way, these films are great and are a must-watch for anyone not familiar with Jacques Mesrine. One of the best gangster movies I've ever seen.

32. JCVD

Jean-Claude Van Damme, the champion of bad action movies. He can barely find work now and he surely can't act, right? He found a role that he can play though, the role of Jean-Claude Van Damme, a washed up action hero. He's pressed for cash and times are tough, so is he really holding up a bank? This movie is a very personal reflection by JCVD on his life and career. After seeing this film, I instantly gained a ton of respect for the man. He put it all out there and even gave an amazing performance. If that's not enough for you, then go on YouTube and look up the opening scene. One of my favourite movie openings.

31. Terribly Happy

A disgraced cop gets sent to a remote village where the residents are weird and take the law into their own hands. Yes, this is the same joke set-up that Hot Fuzz made fun of. However, this is actually a good movie. Better than good.....great. Why? Because it's weird, quirky, real, and the direction is amazing. The plot is almost exactly what you'd think it is, but it's everything along the way that makes this a great movie. The dialogue and some of the shots remind me of Kubrick, just a little bit.


                                       #50-41  ...  #30-21  #20-11  #10-1

Films 50-41

50. Brick

I couldn't possibly complete this list without adding a Joseph Gordon-Levitt indie flick. Alone, this film wouldn't have made my Top 50. But I added it in a way to mention Miracle at St. Anna, The Lookout, and Uncertainty. This film is my favourite of the four, a high school stylish film noir with a great performance by JGL. It gets cheesy at times, but it's a simple, fun movie that is sure to entertain you.

49. Equilibrium

This film shows more than a few similarities to George Orwell's 1984 (Okay, let's face, it's a straight up rip-off). However, it's still worthy of this list because when I first saw it I was talking a class in Social and Political Philosophy. This film is loaded with pretty much everything I was learning at the time and I found it to be neat in that regard. I re-watched it and it's kinda hokey, but it combines two great movies, The Matrix and 1984. Not everyone will like it, but it'll at least entertain you.

48. The Escapist

Prison movies are among my favourite types of movies. The isolated environment provides an excellent way to analyze people and societies. This one is no different, and yet still unique. It's your basic prison-break movie, but Brian Cox steps in and delivers a great performance in the lead role. I can't really say much more than because I might ruin a good ending, although I'm sure there are people out there who will say the ending was bad.

47. The Wackness

Remember the 90s? Well, if you were alive during that decade and remember anything, then this movie will bring back a bunch of memories for you. The music, the slang, and the fashion. Aside from the setting, this movie is about a young drug dealer with troubles finding love and is suffering from depression. Ben Kingsley makes a good role character as his customer and shrink. This is a solid coming-of-age film that you're likely to enjoy more if you can relate somewhat to the main character.

46. Four Lions

Is it too soon to make jokes about terrorism? No, definitely not, not with this film around. This is a film that follows an inept group of terrorists as they try to blow themselves up and take innocent civilians with them. Not your normal set-up for a comedy, but I'm glad someone took a chance and made this film anyway. Just watch the trailer, and you won't be able to stop yourself from trying to track down your nearest copy to watch the whole thing. This is among my favourite films of 2010.

45. Red Riding Trilogy

A gritty trilogy telling the real-life story of a serial killer in Northern England and the investigation in the decade that followed. Sounds like some similar movies, such as Zodiac, but really worth checking out. Each movie follows a different person and a different year of the investigation. Ya, there's a serial killer mystery, but what these films are really trying to show you is the north of England, and how little the law matters in comparison to the powers that be.

44. Mystery Team

If you know who Derrick Comedy is, then you've probably already seen this movie. If you don't know who they are, then you're probably looking at this film and wondering why it would make any Top 50 list. A movie about teenagers trying to solve mysteries sounds stupid, even for a G-rated kids movie. This isn't a kids movie though, it's rated R...but yes, it is stupid, in a very good way. It somehow mixes g-rated and r-rated humour, and pulls it off pretty well. With no discernible target audience its no wonder why this didn't do very well, but if you're looking for a laugh, look no further.

43. Southland Tales

I've been told my numerous people that this is one of the worst movies ever made. I disagree but I see where they're coming from. I really don't know how to describe it, it's a sci-fi movie with dream-like sequences, bad writing, bad characters, and an overall fun atmosphere. I couldn't really tell you what it was about or how it ended, but I liked it anyway. You might hate it, but this isn't your Top 50, it's mine, and I enjoyed every bit of this film. Also worth pointing out, same director as Donnie Darko.

42. Valhalla Rising

This is first of three Nicolas Winding Refn movies on this list. If you don't know who that is, it's time for you to find out. This movie might not be your cup of tea though. Don't be fooled by the trailer, just about every action scene in this 90 minute movie in contained in that 2 minute trailer. It is long and slow and quiet. This movie requires patience. That said, Mads Mikkelson is a bad-ass in the lead role and this movie shows why he's one of my favourite actors. This is imagery, meditation, war, religion, and a whole lot more....but beware, this movie requires a brain and some reflection time.

41. Defendor

There are many opportunities for this movie to be made into a generic, Hollywood, little-man fights big evil bad guys story. What makes this a good movie, is that it never does. Woody Harrelson plays a semi-retarded man who picks up his WWI trench club and fights crime. Lime juice, marbles, slingshots...these are only a few of the weapons at his disposal....and yet, through it all there is a very realistic feel to it all. This story is funny, touching, and almost inspiring. This is by far Woody Harrelson's greatest performance.


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