A very personal list: my top 20 favorite films

It seems that nowadays everyone on the Internet has been posting a list of their favorite films. I blame Roger Ebert, who recently updated his top 10 list in a much-viewed column. Since I’m a lover of cinema (and also hate to be left out), I’ve compiled my own list. It is, like all such lists, a personal one, as it should be – movies that provoke a strong reaction, whether it’s love or hate, often doesn’t have a broad appeal. My list contains some “obvious” choices and some not so obvious ones… As I said, it’s my list and I like different things than you.

20. Scrooge: A movie I will be revisiting in my Neglected Cinema series, Scrooge is a musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol and I absolutely adore it. It features the amazing Albert Finney in the title role, and he pulls off one of the best performances of the role ever. Even while singing!

19. Blue Velvet: Oh, where to start. It was this movie that introduced me to the universe of David Lynch, and it was the perfect way to start. It is one of the great films of the last century, and one that haunts me still.

18. 2001: A Space Odyssey: A perennial favorite, 2001 was the first movie that I studied, and I still have a ragged copy of the Making of 2001 paperback I must have read a dozen times. As Blue Velvet sparked my interest in the films of David Lynch, 2001 made me a rabid Kubrick fan, and for that I am extremely grateful.

17. Vertigo: I love this film, and I think it’s the best movie Hitchcock ever made… Though as you will see I prefer a couple of his other films more. Jimmy Stewart’s performance is a marvel, an acting studio into itself.

16. Casablanca: My favorite “studio” film, because it just works so perfectly. The script, the acting,the cinematography, the directing… It’s just a fantastic reflection of a system long gone.

15. Star Wars: No, not Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, it was Star Wars when I saw it in 1977 and it will forever be Star Wars – the one, the original, the imperfect blockbuster that changed everything. It took SF out of the B-movie ghetto and made it respectable for top talent to play in this “space”.

14. Psycho: I just love this movie, the first true slasher film, and the way that Hitch pulls together all the moving parts with such aplomb… It looks effortless.

13. The Ruling Class: Peter O’Toole plays the heir to an English estate, a man who will soon inherit immense royalty and prestige. He’s also mad as a hatter, and thinks he’s Jesus Christ. Another movie I will be revisiting soon, The Ruling Class is a dark comedy so black it borders on the ultraviolet. It’s also a musical!

12. Manhattan: Woody Allen’s masterpiece. The best written, best directed, best acted, and best shot film he ever did.

11. Goldfinger: It’s THE Bond film, the template that was replicated and imitated so many times over the past four decades. It’s the movie to pull from the time capsule in a thousand years to reply to historian’s when they ask, “Why was the world so crazy about James Bond?”

10. North by Northwest: Hitch has three movies on my list, and my favorite of the three has to be North by Northwest. It just crackles with energy, and modern blockbuster directors should be forced to sit and watch this film before they start work on any movie. It IS the modern blockbuster, only it’ what the blockbusters SHOULD be – filled with great characters, dialogue and acting. And speaking of blockbusters…

9. Die Hard: The best Christmas action movie ever made, Die Hard is another movie that should be viewed by every director in Hollywood at least once a year. “You want to do an action movie, pal? This is how ya do it!”

8. Singin’ in the Rain: When I think of the word “joy” I think of this movie. Depressed? Down on your luck? This movie will lift your spirits by the time the credits roll.

7. Alien: The most simple premise ever – a haunted house in space – became a classic film, thanks to the fantastic performances, the brilliant directing of Ridley Scott, and the incredible design work of Syd Mead and H.R. Giger.

6. Raiders of the Lost Ark: I have nothing to say except I just love the film, flaws and all.

5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Star Trek is a special love of mine. Not all of it, mind you… I love the original series, and some of The Next Generation… And that’s about it. The pinnacle, the best Trek ever… Well, that was KHAAANN!

4. Chinatown: “Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown.” The best script ever written, the best performance Jack Nicholson ever gave, and one of the best movies ever.

3. Citizen Kane: No, it’s not #1, like in so many other top 10 film lists, but it’s close. A masterpiece, a film school in a box, and the best thing (unfortunately) Orson Welles ever did.

2. Jaws: If I had to choose only two movies to watch for the rest of my life, Jaws is definitely on the list. Immensely rewatchable and incredibly entertaining, Jaws just works flawlessly.

1. The Godfather: Some say that Apocalypse Now is Coppola’s masterpiece, and I disagree – Apocalypse has always left me… Well, cold. The Godfather, however, is the film that put him on the map and the film that I consider my personal favorite. I have run out of superlatives, but I don’t need any anyway. The Godfather’s greatness is self-evident and undeniable.

So, there you go, my favorite films. I have plenty of runner-ups, including Network, The Dark Knight, The Incredibles and The Shawshank Redemption… And I reserve the right to revise my list from time to time.

Now, some useless trivia:

My favorite studio: Paramount, with five in my list (4 of my top 6)
My favorite director: Alfred Hitchcock, with three films in my list
Favorite film decade: The 70s, with eight films in my list released in that decade.
Favorite genre: Drama
Number of best picture winners in my list: 2
Number of films my list shares with Roger Ebert’s (current) Top 10 list: 3

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