Hello ComicBookMovie.com! Movies love them or hate them they have affected and changed all of our lives. Do you want to know what one of my favorite feelings is? When you're in the theater, the lights turn down low and then you know the movie is about to start. You know that for at least 2 hours you are going to be transported on to a brand new adventure to lands you've never experienced before. Whether you prefer westerns or thrillers or sappy romantic stories movies have always been there for us and hopefully they always will be. I'd like to share with all of you what some of my favorite movies are and hopefully clearly express why I love them so. Before I begin though I wanted to warn you that I will not be including any comic book movies on this list since I already covered what my favorite comic book films are in a previous editorial and I felt it would be a tad redundant to cover them again here. I would also like to add that these are my personal favorite films, everyone has different opinions so if one of your favorite films doesn't appear please don't be offended. So without further ado here are some of my favorite films that have both affected and changed my life!
Alien (1979)
This is in my opinion is Ridley Scott's masterpiece and he truly out did himself with this film. I know many people prefer James Cameron's action packed Aliens (1986) to the original, but in my opinion these two films aren't even on the same level. Well Aliens (1986) may have a quicker passed story and a clearer narrative, I feel like it took away from what the original film was supposed to be. In Alien (1979) the slow pace allows the tension to slowly build and build, until as audience member you literally are about to explode with fright. I also like how Ridley Scott's film left more mystery surrounding the Xenomorph, so that when the film ended you had numerous questions about the creature and its origin. Also every character is so fleshed out and full of so many details. What is even more amazing is that Ridley Scott managed to fully flesh out these characters with only a few short scenes. I couldn't talk about this film without mentioning how brilliant the late H.G. Giger's designs where either, this film wouldn't be the same without him. Do yourself a favor if you haven't seen this film and watch it as soon as you can get your hands on it.
City of God (2002)
I find it incredibly hard to explain this movie; I would honestly recommend going into this film completely blind so you can have the full experience. This movie tells the story of a deteriorating city in Rio de Janeiro through showing the interlocking events of the different characters lives. One of the best aspects of this film is that it makes you sympathize with every character, no matter how despicable they are. I have to warn you though this is a really hard film to watch and it is truly haunting. The directors of this film seem heavily influenced by Martin Scorsese, so if you are a fan of any of his work I strongly urge you to give this a go. Check it out it's on Netflix so it's not like it is hard to find. I don't want to discuss this further, because I do not want to ruin this magnificent film for any of you who haven't seen it yet.
Spirited Away (2001)
I can not express how beautiful this movie is, it truly creates a fantastic world that you want to explore. It is directed by Hayao Miyazaki who is a brilliant director, if you haven't seen any of his films I suggest you check out as many as you can because they are all worth seeing. However this is by far my favorite of his films. The basic plot follows a young girl named Chihiro who is moving into a new town, however when her parents try and take a shortcut and she soon finds she is lost in a new world full of spirits and monsters. This is a fantastic film that both adults and kids can enjoy. It kinda has an Alice in Wonderland vibe to it, I strongly suggest you to watch this amazing and inventive film or really any film that involves Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki.
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
One of my favorite quotes from this movie is "This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story." This is such a special film for me; I watched it when I was going through a similar situation as the main character so it really spoke to me. This is also one of the most realistic relationships that I have seen on screen, I don't care if you think it's cheesy I love this film. It was directed by Marc Webb who has also directed The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), but don't hold that against him when he has less study pressure he is a really strong director. It stars Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a young Chloe Grace Mortez. This is a very unique romantic movie and I don't like to describe it this way, but it is kind of a chick flick from the guys point of view. I have heard from a lot of people that they don't like (500) Days of Summer (2009) because it reminds them of their own past experiences. Have any of you seen this film?
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and Lord of Rings: Return of the King (2003)
I really consider all three of these films to be one long individual film, I know that is a bit of a cop out so if I have to choose one movie out of the whole trilogy I would have to say Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) is my favorite. This was the first time I ever realized how powerful and inspiring films could be, this trilogy of films really just opened the door for me into the world of movies. I actually hadn't read any of the books before I saw these movies, but afterwards I devoured all of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. I couldn't talk about this film without mentioning the groundbreaking work of Andy Serkis as Gollum/Smeagol, I am a huge fan of his and his roles have just kept on getting better and better. I also am one of those people who will only watch the extended version of the films, in my opinion the extended version tells the story better and fleshes out more characters. Once a year I always try and have a marathon with all three of the films in order to properly celebrate them.
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
The basic story of Cinema Paradiso (1988) revolves around an old director thinking about how he grew to love movies when he hears that an old friend of his has passsed away. This simple and yet beautiful film is a love letter to all of cinema. It is also a very endearing coming to age story. If I do have one problem with the film is that the beginning of the film is so amazing that it is almost over shadows the rest of the movie. At its core though this is a very simple movie; It has no huge special effects, no giant action scene, and no A list stars. It is just telling the story of the many trial and tribulations of one man's life and because of that you can't help relate to the story and "Toto" the main character. This is also on Netflix you won't regret watching it.
Pirate Radio (2009)
This is another one of my feel good movies, whenever I am in a bad mood I can simply put this movie on and all my troubles melt away. This is a delightful film with a great cast, some of the actors in this film are; the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Nighly, Rhys Darby, Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd, Kenneth Branagh, Gemma Arterton, January Jones, Emma Thompson and Rhys Ifans. This film is set in the sea around London in the 1960s when Rock n Roll was banned in Great Britain. A group of DJs decided to set sail and form an illegal radio station on the high seas to protest this ban. Since this film is basically a celebration of Rock n Roll it would have to have some amazing music in it, and it does. The soundtrack is just plain awesome and if you don't watch the movie at least go out and download the soundtrack. This is a fun little comedy full of some hilarious performances.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Some of my favorite directors are Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, the Coen Brothers and of course Wes Anderson. I love all of Wes Anderson's work and I do think all of his films are worth seeing, but The Darjeeling Limited (2007) is by far my favorite. I don't know what it is about it but in my eyes it is just such a beautiful and perfect film. It has a great cast with all the Anderson regulars including; Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston and many more. The basic story is about three brothers reuniting to go on a spiritual journey through India in an attempt to rebond with each other. One of my favorite parts of this movie is the cinematography, it captures the land of India wonderfully. If you are familiar with Wes Anderson and even if you aren't I really hope you give this quirky little film a chance. Are any of you Wes Anderson fans?
The Circus (1928)
I am also a big Charles Chaplin fan, he is actually one of my favorite comedians. I do enjoy a lot of his films including; City Lights (1931), The Great Dictator (1940), and The Kid (1919). However this is by far my favorite of all of his films. I think it was because I could actually relate to the story and what his character was going through. Also I find this to be one of his funnies films and it is full of iconic scenes and moments. I don't understand why many people consider this to be one of Chaplin's weaker films, to me this is one of his best films. I also don't understand how come some people consider The Circus (1928) to be boring or tedious, it has so many moments of Chaplin at his best!
There you go! I hoped you enjoyed it and thanks for reading! What are some of your favorite movies? Please let me know below. Thanks!