Movies have been a part of my life for as long as I remember. As I have gotten older, I have realized that I love cinema and I wish to be involved with it in any way possible. I see cinema as a way to escape reality and be in a world outside of our own. I love analyzing film and trying to figure what any particular shot in a movie meant or what it was supposed to show. Movies have a way of affecting certain people in certain ways and that's what this list is about. The following list is NOT what I consider to be the greatest films of all time. They are simply the films that have impacted my life significantly. This list might contain minor spoilers/plot points but I will do my best to keep that to a minimum. I hope you guys enjoy this list and I encourage you to watch any of the films on here that you may not have already seen before. This list is not in any particular order.
1. Hercules (1997)
Disney's Hercules is one of those movies that I wish people would bring up more often when speaking about the greatest animated movies. Maybe it's because I love Greek and Roman mythology, or maybe I just relate Hercules. Whatever the reason may be, I love this movie. It is a wonderful story about a young man trying to find his place in the world. He's an outcast who means well but struggles to fit in because he's different. This story ultimately teaches us what it means to really be a hero and I think it is an important movie for kids to watch and learn from. It is funny, charming and has some great music. "Go The Distance" remains one of my favorite songs from any Disney movie.
2. Locke (2013)
When I first heard about Locke, I wasn't sure that I wanted to waste my time seeing it. After all, watching a movie where it is literally just one character driving on a road for 80 minutes doesn't exactly sound thrilling...but it is. Tom Hardy stars as Ivan Locke, a seemingly perfect man who never appears to break any rule or commitment. Except that he does and now Ivan finds himself driving to a different city instead of going home after work. During this drive, he has various phone conversations with the people that were immediately affected by Ivan's decisions. I love this movie because it speaks about taking responsibility for your actions no matter what the consequences might be. Carrying a movie completely by yourself is extremely difficult but Tom Hardy makes it look easy.
3. The Usual Suspects (1995)
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist," says Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint in one of the most famous movie quotes in recent years. I love film noir and The Usual Suspects is one of the best examples of the neo noir movies of our era. There is not a whole lot I can say about this movie without spoiling it except that it's a great story with incredible twists and turns that will keep you guessing the entire way through as you try to answer the question: Who is Keyser Söze?
4. Psycho (1960)
I once read a quote from Alfred Hitchcock that went, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." If you have seen any of Hitchcock's movies, then you know how accurate this quote is. In Psycho, this is seen repeatedly but the best example comes from the legendary shower scene. Marion Crane is in the shower when a silhouette suddenly appears at the door and approaches the unknowing Marion. At that moment, you think that something is about to happen to her but at the same time we know that she is the protagonist so she can't possibly die in the middle of the movie. You sit there in anticipation waiting to find out what happens next, only to be struck with shock as the events that follow unfold on the screen. Psycho does things that most movies would never try and it is so far ahead of its time because of it. Psycho isn't just one of the best horror films of all time, it's one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever regardless of genre. That is something I believe in wholeheartedly.
5. Brooklyn (2015)
I have to admit that I'm a sucker for romantic movies. When done right, a romantic movie can move the viewer in ways that most other genres can't. After all, most people strive to find their one true love and these types of movies reminds us of that and gives us hope. But while Brooklyn excels at doing these things, it is so much more than just that. It is an immigrant story that deals with the emotions one goes through when leaving their country and family behind in hopes of having a better future. It is an altogether beautiful movie with essentially no flaws and as an immigrant myself, it is a movie that I can fully identify with.
6. The Fighter (2010)
If there is something everyone should know about me is that I love combat sports. A large portion of my life has been devoted to both practicing and watching different disciplines. What is ironic about The Fighter being one of my all-time favorite movies is that I don't really like boxing (I prefer MMA because I love the mixing of different styles). The Fighter is just such an incredibly powerful and inspiring movie based on the life of now-retired boxer, Micky Ward, and his unprecedented run to become the light welterweight champion of the world. I love that this movie doesn't shy away from showing what kind of a person Micky's brother, Dicky Eklund, really was. The boxing fights that we see in the movie were choreographed to look as close as they could to the real fights. It's a fantastic movie about perseverance and not giving up on your dreams even when the whole world believes you are going to fail.
7. The Avengers (2012)
If there was one moment that made me realize how much I truly love cinema, it was at the midnight premiere of The Avengers. To this day, this has been my single-greatest cinematic experience and I don't know that it is something that will ever be equaled. For many of us that grew up watching the old superhero cartoons and reading comic books long before Marvel began its cinematic universe, this was a dream come true. Seeing the Avengers come together on the big screen for the first time was great by itself but what made the night even more memorable was sitting in a sold-out room filled with people I knew (I grew up in a very small town so this is not an exaggeration). We all laughed and cheered together as we saw one of the greatest comic book movies unfold in front of our eyes. I can't pretend like The Avengers is the best movie ever made, because it isn't, but no movie has ever given me the kind of joy and excitement that this movie did. At the end of the day, that's what cinema is all about.
Disney's Hercules is one of those movies that I wish people would bring up more often when speaking about the greatest animated movies. Maybe it's because I love Greek and Roman mythology, or maybe I just relate Hercules. Whatever the reason may be, I love this movie. It is a wonderful story about a young man trying to find his place in the world. He's an outcast who means well but struggles to fit in because he's different. This story ultimately teaches us what it means to really be a hero and I think it is an important movie for kids to watch and learn from. It is funny, charming and has some great music. "Go The Distance" remains one of my favorite songs from any Disney movie.
When I first heard about Locke, I wasn't sure that I wanted to waste my time seeing it. After all, watching a movie where it is literally just one character driving on a road for 80 minutes doesn't exactly sound thrilling...but it is. Tom Hardy stars as Ivan Locke, a seemingly perfect man who never appears to break any rule or commitment. Except that he does and now Ivan finds himself driving to a different city instead of going home after work. During this drive, he has various phone conversations with the people that were immediately affected by Ivan's decisions. I love this movie because it speaks about taking responsibility for your actions no matter what the consequences might be. Carrying a movie completely by yourself is extremely difficult but Tom Hardy makes it look easy.
3. The Usual Suspects (1995)
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist," says Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint in one of the most famous movie quotes in recent years. I love film noir and The Usual Suspects is one of the best examples of the neo noir movies of our era. There is not a whole lot I can say about this movie without spoiling it except that it's a great story with incredible twists and turns that will keep you guessing the entire way through as you try to answer the question: Who is Keyser Söze?
I once read a quote from Alfred Hitchcock that went, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." If you have seen any of Hitchcock's movies, then you know how accurate this quote is. In Psycho, this is seen repeatedly but the best example comes from the legendary shower scene. Marion Crane is in the shower when a silhouette suddenly appears at the door and approaches the unknowing Marion. At that moment, you think that something is about to happen to her but at the same time we know that she is the protagonist so she can't possibly die in the middle of the movie. You sit there in anticipation waiting to find out what happens next, only to be struck with shock as the events that follow unfold on the screen. Psycho does things that most movies would never try and it is so far ahead of its time because of it. Psycho isn't just one of the best horror films of all time, it's one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever regardless of genre. That is something I believe in wholeheartedly.
I have to admit that I'm a sucker for romantic movies. When done right, a romantic movie can move the viewer in ways that most other genres can't. After all, most people strive to find their one true love and these types of movies reminds us of that and gives us hope. But while Brooklyn excels at doing these things, it is so much more than just that. It is an immigrant story that deals with the emotions one goes through when leaving their country and family behind in hopes of having a better future. It is an altogether beautiful movie with essentially no flaws and as an immigrant myself, it is a movie that I can fully identify with.
6. The Fighter (2010)If there is something everyone should know about me is that I love combat sports. A large portion of my life has been devoted to both practicing and watching different disciplines. What is ironic about The Fighter being one of my all-time favorite movies is that I don't really like boxing (I prefer MMA because I love the mixing of different styles). The Fighter is just such an incredibly powerful and inspiring movie based on the life of now-retired boxer, Micky Ward, and his unprecedented run to become the light welterweight champion of the world. I love that this movie doesn't shy away from showing what kind of a person Micky's brother, Dicky Eklund, really was. The boxing fights that we see in the movie were choreographed to look as close as they could to the real fights. It's a fantastic movie about perseverance and not giving up on your dreams even when the whole world believes you are going to fail.
If there was one moment that made me realize how much I truly love cinema, it was at the midnight premiere of The Avengers. To this day, this has been my single-greatest cinematic experience and I don't know that it is something that will ever be equaled. For many of us that grew up watching the old superhero cartoons and reading comic books long before Marvel began its cinematic universe, this was a dream come true. Seeing the Avengers come together on the big screen for the first time was great by itself but what made the night even more memorable was sitting in a sold-out room filled with people I knew (I grew up in a very small town so this is not an exaggeration). We all laughed and cheered together as we saw one of the greatest comic book movies unfold in front of our eyes. I can't pretend like The Avengers is the best movie ever made, because it isn't, but no movie has ever given me the kind of joy and excitement that this movie did. At the end of the day, that's what cinema is all about.
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