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The Ten (or maybe more) Greatest Films of All-Time

In the last week and a half, I have written blogs about the best movies of each decade.  I had started this last year, but never followed up.  I broke down, reverse chronological order every decade from 2000-2009 to the 1930's.  Only one film before 1930 would have received 5-stars and that was F.W. Marnau's Nosferatu.  The first real Dracula movie.  Still resonates today and in my opinion is still the best vampire movie ever made.  Sorry Twilight fans.  The only one that even comes close is the Swedish picture Let The Right One In, which was remade in America as Let Me In, which is magnificent in its own right and probably #3 on my list of Vampire films.  The Japanese film, Thirst should also be noted, as nobody I know has seen it, and it's very interesting.

To make my ultimate top ten list I looked over all of the decade lists and started to narrow them down.  Out of the eighty-one films to make my list, I easily cut it down to thirty-seven films.  Now the hard part, because so many of these movies are great in such different ways.  This was going to be nearly impossible.  How can you choose between war movies like Patton and Apocalypse Now?  Period pieces like Becket and Hero?  Gangster greats like the first two Godfather's and Miller's Crossing?  I can't.  So I've decided to go with my top twenty five.  Since I've given a synopsis of the movies in the decade lists, I'll only leave little notes on each. 

So here it is.  In my humble opinion, the top ten movies of all-time

Honorable mention (or those that missed the boat): Fantasia, On the Waterfront, Citizen X, The Virgin Spring, Let the Right One In, Hero, Giant, Star Wars, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, No Country for Old Men, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  The last two didn't make the cut because I've only seen them once and can't judge their watchability.

25. Patton - the single greatest acting performance by an actor.  George C. Scott
24. Becket - Richard Burton & Peter O'Toole. Enough said.
23. The Bad News Bears - if you love sports an political incorrectness, you'll love this movie.
22. Apocalypse Now - Sheen, Brando, Hopper in one of the greatest war movies ever made.
21. Hard Eight - one of, if not the most underrated performances of all-time.  Philip Baker Hall.
20. Young Frankenstein - the funniest movie ever made.
19. Grand Illusion - Jean Renoir's masterpiece.  A study in the humanity that lies within us all.
18. Magnolia - A plethora of stars that actually works this time.  And what a soundtrack by Aimee Mann.
17. Cinema Paradiso - hands down the greatest ending scene of any movie I've ever seen. I cry every time.
16. Nosferatu - Vampire story?  It's a story of loneliness and the need for the human touch.
15. The Godfather II - Deniro's Italian speaking only role is amazing.  Almost as good as the original.
14. The African Queen - my favorite movie for years.  Hepburn and Bogart are movie chemistry magic.
13. The Godfather - Everyones (but mine) favorite mob movie.  Even I was shocked it didn't break top ten.
12. Miller's Crossing - Sorry to my Italian friends, but this Irish mob movie is just a little better.
11. Lethal Weapon - before I really started seeing cinema as an art, this was my favorite. Still packs a punch.

And now, the top ten:

10. OldBoy - Korean masterpiece that is completely indescribable.  Better every time I see it.
9. The Believer - makes American History X look like a Disney movie.  Riveting Neo-Nazi tale with Gosling.
8. The Seven Samurai - Kurasawa's masterpiece is still today one of the most copied films.
7. The Lion In Winter - Hepburn, O'Toole, Hopkins. Incredible historical film. It disects a family at odds.
6. To Kill  A Mockingbird - arguably the greatest "hero" in film.  Atticus Finch's name resonates even today.
5. Jaws - the most realistic horror movie ever.   Helps that it has three incredible actors banding together.
4. Silence of the Lambs - Hopkins and Foster are dynamic.  Greatest villain outshines greatest hero.  Wow!
3. The Seventh Seal - the most thought provoking, non-documentary I've ever seen. Bergman's finest.
2. Twelve Angry Men - the greatest filmed "play" ever, with a cast that is brilliant.  Lee J. Cobb is the best!
1. The Killer - a Chinese shoot 'em up.  Maybe not the greatest in terms of acting or plot, but if I had to pick one movie to be stuck with for the rest of my life, it would be this one.  Non-stop action, great buddy film, with a good sub-plot and hands down the craziest and most operatic ending of any action film.  John Woo's classic that changed the way action movies are made.

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