Ever since I started The Cainage Critique just under two
years ago in October 2013, I’ve been writing more than I ever have before. New
ideas have come and gone and I’ve managed to spread my work to several
different sites. Writing reviews and other opinion pieces on films and video games
has been a much enjoyed hobby of mine for quite a while now, and to celebrate
my 100th post, it’s time to share my favourite films with you.
Thanks for reading and here’s to the next 100 posts.
Honourable Mentions (Maybe I might put these and others into a top 20-11 list someday)
• Downfall
Downfall is one of the greatest foreign films ever made;
taking on a perspective that had never been done before in war films, Der
Untergang as it’s known in Germany took us into the perspective of Hitler and
chronicled his final days in World War Two. It’s incredibly absorbing stuff,
with every single performer bringing to bear the break-down of the Nazi regime
in detailed and emotive ways. At the film’s centre is Bruno Ganz who gives an
exceptional performance as Adolf Hitler, creating a vivid picture of how and why
he fell as a dictator. The film also delves into the lives of the German
people, showing how they were caught in the middle of a besieged Berlin.
Downfall offers a perspective on World War Two like no other and you should
definitely take the time to watch it.
• The Dark
Knight and The Dark Knight Rises
As far as superhero movies go, there’s plenty in terms of
overall quality; but my favourites are The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight
Rises. Christopher Nolan knew exactly what he was doing when he rebooted the
Batman character in 2006 and things only got better as the series went along;
the dark and brooding tone was a perfect fit for the Caped Crusader. I believe
that The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are just as good as each other.
The Dark Knight was an incredible leap forward for the series, not to mention
having a stand-out villain with Heath Ledger’s Joker, whilst The Dark Knight
Rises featured some incredibly sombre moments and one of the best climaxes in
any superhero film to date. Batman Begins is the odd one out in the trilogy,
which is mostly down to the lacklustre editing of the action sequences and
other idiosyncrasies which keep it from reaching the same level. It’s a shame
that DC hasn’t quite been able to make movies of this calibre since the trilogy
concluded in 2012, but I’ll remember The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises
as films which took Batman to the next level on the big screen.
• Predator
Directed by action veteran John McTiernan, Predator is one
of my top picks for the best action film of the eighties. With all an all-star
cast, awesome action scenes and sudden twists, Predator bestowed us with one of
the most memorable movie monsters in history. The film’s foreboding and
sinister soundtrack by Alan Silvestri is an outstanding compliment, rising and
building as the stakes for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Major Dutch Schafer and his
men rise with every passing minute. The creature designs and special effects
are great; chock full of real-stunt work and grotesque looking creature
designs. While the cast all does a fine job, showing the camaraderie and
teamwork, the monster itself is the star of the show. It’s a fantastic design,
with an interesting set of technology and a deadly motive that always keeps the
viewer guessing.
• Platoon
There have been several films based on the Vietnam War, but
the one I always go back to is “Platoon”, directed by Oliver Stone. Stone, who
was a US Infantryman in the Vietnam War himself, understands the nature of
ground combat in the war better than any other filmmaker and it really shows in
what could be considered one of his finest films. Platoon is a shocking, gritty
and often brutal portrayal of the Vietnam War and it puts you right into the
perspective of the soldiers who often lost their humanity in a war many had
argued was not necessary. The main performances from Charlie Sheen, Willem
Dafoe and Tom Berenger are all equally excellent, showing how they and the
other soldiers cracked under the pressure. Then of course there’s the iconic
use of Adagio for Strings which sets a sombre and lamentful tone that hangs
over the film. The composition placed against the reflective speech from
Charlie Sheen’s character in the film’s final moments still stands as one of
the most memorable monologues in any film I’ve seen.
• The Descent
What is the prime objective of a horror film? There’s a
common misconception in modern audiences that a good horror movie is defined by
how many times it made you jump out of your seat, but really that’s just lazy
filmmaking. The best horror films employ an array of tactics to build the
atmosphere and scare the viewer in gradual steps. The Descent is one such film;
I don’t usually suffer sleepless nights from horror films, but this one scared
me senseless. The film has so many things which send shivers down my spine; the
idea of being trapped in a claustrophobic environment with no way out, the grim and
bleak tone that persists throughout and of course, the utterly hideous
creatures hunting you down at every turn. It’s a visceral and terrifying movie
that shows modern horror films how it should be done.
10. Locke
Locke is an obscure gem indeed; it’s one of the simplest
plots I’ve ever seen in a movie. One man in a car driving home down the
motorway, talking to his various acquaintances; yet this man has a lot to him,
both good and bad. We learn everything there is to know about Ivan Locke over
the film’s 84 minute running time; his work, family and darkest secrets all
come to light. A vast majority of the film’s performances come through voice
work, resulting in some standout moments; you believe in every single character
that partakes in the drama as well as the situations they are involved in.
Rounding off the film is Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke, whose detailed facial
expressions go a long way towards conveying the stress and pressure that mounts
throughout the film. It’s a very slow paced film, but if you enjoy dramas which
put characters and their real life struggles first, Locke will not
disappoint you.
9. Saving
Private Ryan
Stephen Spielberg is one of the best directors ever to grace
the Hollywood scene and while I did enjoy the Jurassic Park series as a child,
the film that really showed me just how powerful Spielberg’s films can be was
Saving Private Ryan. The film is an absolute assault on the senses, putting the
audience in the thick of World War Two battles better than perhaps any other
war film ever made; the action sequences are framed so authentically and with a
visceral quality that puts across the frightful nature of the combat. Both the
Omaha Beach landings on D-Day and the final battle in a crumbling town are so
impactful, so hard-hitting in their violence and tension, that it’s said real
war veterans refrain from watching them because they bring back traumatic
memories of the battles they fought. Saving Private Ryan is a masterfully
executed and full-bodied war film; it gives a vivid picture of war while
managing to make violence frightful and disturbing in its portrayal.
8. Cast
Away
Of all the films I’ve seen, Cast Away starring Tom Hanks is
the only one which can claim to hit me in the heart and bring a tear to my eye
just about every time I see it. It’s probably the most emotional and
heart-wrenching film I’ve ever seen. Cast Away follows Chuck Noland, a
deliveryman for FedEx; on a seemingly routine flight, the plane crashes in an
uncharted area of the ocean leaving him the only survivor. From here Chuck is
all on his own, forced to survive with no other people for company. It’s held
together by an outstanding central performance by Tom Hanks and one of the most heartfelt themes I’ve ever listened to. There’s a genuinely
powerful sense of pathos that hangs over the entire film, which gradually draws
the viewer in and gets them more and more invested in Chuck’s struggle and the
film’s final act is filled to burst with powerful, hopeful moments. Robert
Zemeckis may be best known for the Back to the Future series and Forrest Gump,
but Cast Away comes pretty close to matching them in terms of overall quality. (And don't watch the trailer if you haven't seen the film yet, it's loaded with spoilers!)
7. The
Pianist
There have been several films based on the Holocaust and
while some believe Schindler’s List to be the best of these, I personally
enjoyed The Pianist a lot more. It tells a moving tale of one man’s struggle
during the most terrible genocide in human history. It follows Władysław
Szpilman, a pianist, who like many Jewish people was forced to live in the
Warsaw Ghetto with his family. After some truly horrifying scenes in the Warsaw
Ghetto in the early years of the Nazi occupation, the perspective switches
entirely to Szpilman’s perspective as the lone survivor. You become incredibly
invested in his story all the way through, the kinds of things he had to do to
survive and the sheer amount of luck that kept him from the fates that awaited
thousands upon thousands of other Jews. Adrien Brody gives an outstanding main
performance; it really is one of the most believable characterisations ever put
to a World War Two film. It’s often a ghostly, eerie film which brings even
more poignancy, particularly at the point where Szpilman wanders through the
deserted ghetto, in tears at the loss of everyone he knew and held dear. The
most hard-hitting image for me though is Spzilman stumbling back through the
devastated ruins of Warsaw; it’s a perfect summation of the utter destruction
caused by World War Two.
6. Tarzan
While I watched some Disney films several times in my youth,
the one that stole the show for me is Tarzan; it’s easy to take a quick look at
the movie and nit-pick certain details such as the villain from an adult
perspective, but ultimately the film has everything I’d want in a story about
the vine-swinging ape-man. Fast paced and action packed moments, plenty of
heart and a riveting soundtrack from Phil Collins all come together to produce
my favourite film from the mega-corporation. It ended up being the last of the
Disney Renaissance series, yet I see it as fully capable of standing on the
same level of the other popular Disney classics.
5. King
Kong (2005)
I saw the 2005 remake of King Kong, quite fittingly in New
York City with my family; I had been looking forward to the film for most of
the year and when it finally came to watching it, I was blown away and then
some. The film is, as Roger Ebert put it, “a flowering of all the possibilities
in the original classic film”. Combine both natural progression of the plot and
characters alongside updated tech and the result is one amazing film. The only
real gripe most people have with King Kong 2005 is its length; Peter Jackson
has always loved to make really long films and while this hasn’t worked too
well in The Hobbit Trilogy, here I feel that it really works to build and
expand on the source material of the original film. Everything from the
slow-burn of the Venture, to the deadly plunge into Skull Island, all the way
up to the final conclusion kept me invested the whole way through. King Kong is
more than just a sweeping and emotional epic; it can also be considered one of
the best remakes ever made.
4. The
Alien trilogy
While the Alien series hasn’t frightened me as much as The
Descent, I’m nonetheless a huge fan of the series for its deep
characterisation, detailed worlds and memorable villain. The Alien franchise
had a massive influence on both horror and action films and still stands to
this day as one of the most popular sci-franchises ever made. The characters
are some of the most memorable in sci-fi history; leading the series is
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, one of the strongest and most detailed
heroines in any film. The first film was an incredibly claustrophobic and
imaginative movie with a stand-out cast and nail-biting suspense, not to
mention a fascinating depiction of space travel and the alien planet. The
second film was a brilliant sequel, expanding the series into the action genre,
while also building on top more layers of character development and the Alien
creature itself. Whilst Alien 3 was a step down from the first two, I still
consider it a worthy close to the trilogy in the way it brings both Ellen
Ripley and the Alien’s story to an end in a thoughtful way. I don’t rate Alien
Resurrection or indeed any of the other films in the series outside of
Prometheus; they all abandoned the serious tone the franchise once prided
itself and ended up laying to waste most of the traits that defined the series.
3. The Toy
Story trilogy
Of all the animated movies I saw as a child, none have come
close to matching Toy Story and the trilogy only got better as I grew up,
noticing all kinds of little details and even relating to Andy on some levels.
The first film utterly dazzled me when I was three or four years old and the
second film further expanded my enjoyment of the trilogy. The third came out at
just the right time, allowing for a different perspective in my teenage years.
The series has done so much right, so much to change the space of animated
films. It has also provided us with so many memorable moments and likeable
characters that I’m finding it hard to get excited for a supposed new trilogy.
The first three films are perfect on their own and many other people, as well
as myself will no doubt continue to watch them time and time again.
2. The
Departed
The Departed is my all time-favourite crime film and
Scorsese’s absolute best effort in the modern age of filmmaking. While its
roots lie in the 2002 Hong Kong film Internal Affairs, Martin Scorsese puts his
own spin on it and in doing so, claimed his first Oscars for both best picture
and best director in 2006. The film is both entertaining and tense from start
to finish with Leonardo Di Caprio and Matt Damon playing two informants in the
police and criminal gangs who must find each other before their own cover is
blown. It’s a deadly game of cat and mouse which just keeps on building over
the course of the film, making for one of the most unpredictable plots I’ve
ever seen in a movie. But it doesn’t stop there; the supporting cast is
massive, varied and all equally excellent and the soundtrack perfectly ties in
with the rough and gritty nature of the film. The 2006 Oscars didn’t get it
wrong; The Departed really is an excellent film from beginning to end, nothing
less from the master of the crime drama.
1. Avatar
My favourite film of all time is Avatar; there is not one
thing in this movie which I don’t like or detracts from my overall enjoyment.
First conceived in 1994, but delayed time and time again due to technical
limitations, Avatar more than lived up to expectations, becoming the highest
grossing film of all time. First you take the classic story of Pocahontas,
inject a beautiful and futuristic world with two distinctive factions, mix in a
set of thoughtful themes that juxtapose technology and nature, and finally push
the boundaries with ground-breaking 3D visuals that aren’t there just to rake
in money, but instead significantly up the audience’s immersion in the world
the film creates. Avatar is the ultimate film for me, something so
awe-inspiring, absorbing and incredible that it makes almost every other film
out there look tame by comparison. It’s also further proof that James Cameron
remains one of the best and most influential directors in the Hollywood scene.
I’m eagerly awaiting the upcoming sequels from 2016 through to 2018.
(All film trailers used are the property of their respective owners)
