Friday 23 March 2007

Top Ten Films

Hello. I'm back. And to distract myself from the hundreds of boxes that we still have to unpack, here's a little diversion.

My Lovely Young Wife copied me in on an email going round her office. Everyone had to name their favourite top ten favourite films.

So, without too much thought, and more or less off the top of my head, here are my top ten, in no particular order:

Airplane! (1980)
What can you say, a gag every second and 30 years later you still have to concentrate to get them all.

Citizen Kane (1941)

The classic to beat all classics and the film which invented the language of modern movie-making.

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

I'll start blubbing if I even think about the ending to this one.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

A chick-flick really, but I like it very much indeed because it's honest and true to itself.

Duck Soup (1933)

The Marx Brothers had to be here somewhere, so here's their most consistently funny film.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Fantastic. To be watched again and again and don't let anyone tell you that Stephen King can't write a decent story!

Alien (1979)

Will someone please tell Harry Dean Stanton not to go after Jones, the cat? I have to watch that bit between my fingers every time. Aliens nearly made the cut too ("They mostly come at night. Mostly").

Double Indemnity (1944)

Genius. Simply genius.

Donnie Darko (2001)

OK. I don't follow this one 100%, but it's so atmospheric. And Maggie Gyllenhall's in it.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

What the...? Makes Donnie Darko look like The Brady Bunch. David Lynch needs to make more films to confuse us and make our brains bleed.

Of course, as John Cusak says in High Fidelity (or possibly it was Nick Hornby) your top ten is never definitive and will change according to mood and as to what purpose the top ten is for. Personally, you could ask me for my top ten comedies, or films noir, or animated features and I'd have to mull it over for a week to do the question any justice.

Anyway - it's your turn now. Your top ten films please. Don't think too hard and just write them all down as quickly as possible.

Finished? Put them down in the 'comments' box then.

And now surf on over to the IMDB Top 250 films to see how many great ones you've missed. There will be at least another 10 or 20 for which you'll say "damn! I wish I'd included that one".

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

OK, here goes...

Memento
Donnie Darko
What's Up Doc?
Citizen Kane
Rear Window
Groundhog Day
Schindler's List
The Italian Job (the original, of course)
Withnail & I
Shaun of the Dead
Blade Runner (the Director's cut)
Roxanne
The Little Shop of Horrors

Er, how many is that? Ten is just far too small a number for something as important as a favourite movies list.

Right, off to update my blog...

Delmonti said...

Hmmmm, I've just unboxed my vids... so here goes...

Memento
It's a Wonderful Life
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Aliens
The Big Lebowsky
Fight Club
The Hitcher (1986 version)
The Shining
Seven
The Castle
Office Space

Hmmm, yes.

jomoore said...

Donnie Darko (What do you mean you don't get it all?)
The Graduate
Memento
American Beauty
Brokeback Mountain (sob)
Ghost Rider (joking)
Shawshank Redemption
When Harry Met Sally (I'm not copying - you're just right...)
Moulin Rouge
Secretary
LA Confidential
Singin' In The Rain

That's 11 because I wasn't paying attention, but I can't possibly choose one to take out.

MaryB said...

There's too much pressure here. You guys are much artier than I am re: Top 10 films. I'd be embarrassed to list mine!

Congrats on the new digs, PT. Make sure I know how to track you down next time I'm on your side of the pond. I've finished unpacking here, so feel free to visit NYC anytime!