Amelie
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| "Amelie, an innocent and naive girl in Paris, with her own sense of justice, decides to help those around her and along the way, discovers love."-IMDB |
The thing I love most about this film is Amelie herself. She's quirky, clever, a do-gooder, and so much fun to watch. I promise you'll fall in love with her! Amelie was the very first foreign language film that I ever watched, and it ultimately launched my passion for them. It was nominated for 5 Oscars including cinematography...it's beautiful and the colors are amazing! If you've never seen a foreign language film, please give this one a shot. It's magical.
American Beauty
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| "Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter's attractive friend."-IMDB |
I was a bit thrown off at the beginning of American Beauty the first time I saw it...because it actually gives away a crucial part of the ending. After seeing it in it's entirety though, I appreciated that. Keeping it in mind made me focus more on everything that was happening as the story progressed. Although the movie is mostly focused on the happenings in Lester's life, all of the other characters are heavily focused on as well. It actually came away with 5 Oscars wins that year! If you've never seen it-I highly recommend it. My top 10 list wouldn't be complete without it.
Edward Scissorhands
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| "An uncommonly gentle young man, who happens to have scissors for hands, falls in love with a beautiful adolescent girl."-IMDB |
Edward Scissorhands has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. It's one of those movies that I watched repeatedly as a child...and as an adult. Tim Burton's creativity blows me away and I have to say that Edward Scissorhands is definitely my favorite Burton character. I think it would have been so much fun to be part of the makeup, costume, and set design during the making of this one don't you? I would love to have a pastel house with dinosaur shaped hedges outside. All around...it's just a really fun quirky film and I love it.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
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| "A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with."-IMDB |
Eternal Sunshine is another one of those films that would just make my list incomplete if it were missing. It deservedly won Best Original Screenplay that year at the Oscars. It really is one of the most creative ideas in movie making in my opinion. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet were absolutely perfect with each other and Clementine is easily one of my favorite characters of all time. She's super quirky, carefree, and sometimes annoying (but in a likable way). As a side note: I'm kind of a sucker for Mark Ruffalo in this one as well. He's obviously not the headliner in the film...but he is SO freakin' adorable!
Lost in Translation
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| "A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo."-IMDB |
When I'm having a quiet day alone and want to watch a slow feel-good sort of movie-this is my go-to. Lost in Translation won Best Original Screenplay and was written and directed by Sofia Coppola (Virgin Suicides). Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson seem like they would be such a mismatch, but they actually work really well together and I love watching them in this movie. Both characters are unhappy and experiencing a kind of "lost" feeling in their lives, until they meet each other. Sofia Coppola has a real gift for creating the true-to-life experience in movies. I love her use of color and the dialogue between characters doesn't seem scripted. I love it.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
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| "King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for the Grail, encountering many very silly obstacles."-IMDB |
I've probably seen this movie more than I've seen any other movie...ever. I never get tired of the insane silliness that IS Monty Python. It is unquestionably one of the funniest movies EVER created, and even if I watched it every single day for the rest of my life...I would never stop being amused by it. If you're having a really shitty day...watch this movie. You'll be laughing in no time.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
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| "A newly engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter."-IMDB |
If you've seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show...you might guess that I named this here blog after a line in it...and you'd be right! I saw this movie for the first time about 5 or 6 years ago, and it became an instant favorite. Tim Curry, in my opinion, is the KING of "character acting". It's B-movie/sci-fi/horror at it's best. It's also a musical and all of the songs are SO much fun! Especially The Time Warp. The first time I got my sister to watch it, I lost count on how many times we did The Time Warp dance. It's so much fun!
Secretary
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| "A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one."-IMDB |
I can't remember if someone recommended this to me, or if I randomly watched it on Netflix, but it was instant love for me. It made Maggie Gyllenhaal one of my favorite actresses, and James Spader is really great as well. As you can see from the movie still that I chose to share...it's pretty odd. After being released form a mental hospital for a possible attempted suicide, Lee decides to get a job to occupy her time. Once she gets settled in, she develops a sadomasochistic relationship with her boss...which ultimately helps her to overcome her depression and self mutilation. It's definitely a quirky/sexually charged movie, but a feel-good one at the same time. A real must-see.
Shame
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| "In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay."-IMDB |
The Director of Shame, Steve McQueen, quickly became one of my very favorite Directors after I saw this film. Although the content of the film is at times disturbing, it is absolutely a visual masterpiece. One of the things I love most about this film, and McQueen films in general, are the "longer-than-usual" uncut scenes. Typically you'll have a scene where the camera cuts back and forth between characters to keep the audience intrigued...but there's a lot of focus on a particular character...uncut...dialogue or not in this film. I like that. There's a really great scene like this where Carrie Mulligan's character Sissy sings New York at a classy restaurant, and it is absolutely beautiful. If I could pick one movie that I would consider the biggest Oscar-snub ever...it's this one. It baffles me to no end that it received no recognition at the Oscars.
The Shining
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| "A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future."-IMDB |
As a child, this was hands down my favorite horror film. I rented it so many times, that my step mom finally told me that the video store said we weren't allowed to rent it anymore because it was never available to anyone else (obviously she was just tired of having to watch/listen to it hahaha). Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors, and this is my favorite performance of his. I'm actually planning on getting a tattoo closer to Halloween this year in honor of this film. If that doesn't scream The Shining movie fan, I don't know what does.
So there you have it! My top 10 Favorite Films of all Time! What are your top 10?
