100-90
89-80
79-70
69-60
59-50
49-40
39-30
29-20
19-11
Now then...my top 10 movies of all-time...
10 - Fight Club (1999)
Yeah yeah, I know I'm breaking rules 1 & 2, please forgive me. I remember many years ago, I walked into my sister's room to talk to her and I noticed a movie playing on her TV. The curious little boy I was looked at her and asked "What movie is this?" She responded and informed me that it was the movie Fight Club. She invited to have me sit down and watch it with her and I did. I barely remember much of anything watched that day, I'm pretty sure I entertained myself by playing with my action figures, but who would have guessed a decade later I'd be sitting here writing about how it's one of my favorite movies of all-time. I was, admittedly, pretty late to the bandwagon when it comes to Fight Club. I didn't see the movie until about 2 years ago, around a decade after it was released. It sucks it took me so long to see such an amazing movie, but better late than never, right? The combination of Edward Norton & Brad Pitt is astonishingly good and this movie has my favorite plot twist of all-time. It's a movie you can watch over and over and still see and appreciate something new even after your 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th viewing. Also, just to point out, I have never see a more beautiful combination of song & movie than the Pixies' Where Is My Mind? and this film.
9 - The Dark Knight (2008)
Batman is my favorite superhero for many many reasons. I believe he is the coolest character with the best background, his supporting characters, including villains & sidekicks, are far superior than any other superhero. I remember when this movie came out in 2008, it had been filmed here in Chicago, Illinois. I cannot tell you how many of my friends changed their city from 'Chicago, IL' to 'Gotham City, IL' on MySpace during the duration of its amazing run at the box office. The Dark Knight is Batman personified. An epic and gripping tail that has you on the edge of your seat the entire time. It's a shame Heath Ledger had to die, but he went out with one hell of a bang as the Joker in this movie. I honestly believe his performance was on par with that of one Jack Nicholson's performance in 1989's Batman. There is a The Dark Knight themed roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois that, in all honesty, is a pretty mediocre ride, but because it's is themed with the musis, atmosphere, & characters of this movie, I can't get enough of it. That's the effect this wonderful movie has had on me, it blew me away in theaters.
8 - Halloween (2007)
I am well aware that Rob Zombie's remake of the horror classic Halloween doesn't receive all that much respect in the movie world. But as I stated before, this is a list of the movies that I love and that I enjoy watching. I appreciate the fact that Rob Zombie put his own spin on Halloween and honestly believe he did a fantastic job of it. The background he gave to little Mikey was unique and added depth to character who was completely empty before. I remember when the rumors of this movie began to circulate and I talked with my sister about it constantly. We both anxiously awaited its arrival, often wondering if it was ever actually going to come out. Then, one day, I was watching TV and a commercial for the movie began and I was ecstatic. Every time a commercial came on for Halloween I stopped what I was doing and was completely engulfed. The movie didn't disappoint me at all when I saw it in theaters, I thoroughly enjoyed it and still do. I watch it on DVD every couple months and it has gotten to the point where I pretty much know the movie's dialogue by heart. Say what you will about the movie, but this writer absolutely loves it.
7 - Friday the 13th (1980)
When it comes to the horror genre, I have the 3 big cajones; Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, & Jason Voorhees. Now then, if you have seen Friday the 13th you'd know that *spoilers* Jason isn't actually the killer in this movie, it's his mother. A plot twist that I love dearly & the source of a spectacular trivia question if you're looking to trick someone. I feel as though the original Friday the 13th gets too much negativity due to the fact that its remake is a pretty awful (even though I will admit, I do find some enjoyment out of it) and all of its sequels are pretty much the same thing with slightly different characters (again, I still enjoy it) But the original Friday the 13th is an amazing movie and should be remembered as such. I thoroughly enjoy watching it over and over and the final jump scare is probably the best in the history of horror movies, in my humble opinion.
6 - Paranormal Activity (2009)
I have friends who would completely disown and ridicule me for having this movie anywhere near a top movies list. I also have friends who would applaud and agree with me for having it on this list. Never have I seen a movie that sparks such a debate amongst the masses. I know of people who vehemently despise this movie and I know of people who can't get enough of it. There seems to be no middle ground. Well, count me on the side of the people who can't get enough of it. I'm a person with a very active imagination and I absolutely believe in ghosts & demons. The way I see it, life is just more interesting if you choose to believe in them rather than not to. Remember when I said if I was more of age during the release of The Blair Witch Project then I would have been sucked into the hype? Well, I know I would be because I DEFINITELY got sucked into the hype of Paranormal Activity. Did this movie affect me and terrify me? No. It's a movie, I've seen far too many scary movies to let that happen to me anymore. This movie did, however, capture me and entertain more than most others. I loved sitting there n the edge of my seat wondering what the hell was going to happen next. Paranormal Activity is quickly becoming another horror movie franchise that will eventually make far too many movies that the public absolutely rips to shreds, but oh well, I'm sure I'll enjoy the hell out of it nonetheless. Everyone has their own tastes.
5 - Mallrats (1995)
Here it is, my favorite movie of my favorite director, Kevin Smith. Mallrats was the highly anticipated follow-up to the surprise cult hit Clerks.. Unfortunately for Kevin Smith, the movie didn't do so great in theaters, in fact, it was considered a major flop. It was so bad that Kevin Smith even felt the need to apologize for it. Little did he know that it would go on to become one of his most popular movies of all-time. When Mallrats was released on home video, it garnered a following and ending up being widely successful after all. It was so successful that it ended up having a 10th anniversary special edition DVD (which I proudly own) This movie is hilarious and at times, even pretty touching. I must credit this movie for having my favorite portrayals of the amazing duo of Jay & Silent Bob in a movie. I must also credit this movie for introducing me to one of my favorite actors, the hilarious Jason Lee. All this talking about Mallrats makes me want a chocolate covered pretzel...
4 - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
1...2...Freddy's coming for you... I'll admit, one of the biggest reasons I love this movie so much is because of the effect it had on me as a child. Freddy fucked with my head and I was legitimately afraid to fall asleep at night after seeing this movie as a child. ...3...4...better lock your doors... Freddy is a fantastic character and he does his best work in the original. He became a cultural icon who made funny cracks at his victims in all the sequels, but here in this original, he was a terrifying blood-thirsty murderer. ...5...6 grab your crucifix... Over the past several years this movie has gone from being a mid-level favorite of mine, amongst the rest of the movies I'd given an 8/10 to, to becoming a top 3 favorite movie of all-time with a 9/10. I have gotten so into the story itself, thanks to the EPIC documentary Never Sleep Again that discussed Freddy & his Nightmare franchise. ...7...8...gonna stay up late... I really wish I was around when this movie was released, I would have killed to see it in the movie theaters surrounded by people and being terrified along with them. ...9...10...never sleep again...
3 - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Beautiful, awe-inspiring, magical, touching, exciting, playful, memorable, catchy, & stunning. Those are the words I would use to describe this extraordinary movie. I honestly feel like this movie was made for someone like me. I'm somebody who truly believes that October & December are legitimately magical times of the year with both Halloween & Christmas creating such beautiful atmospheres. The songs in this movie are so catchy & amazing, I know all of the words. This Is Halloween, Jack's Lament, What's This?, Kidnap the Sandy Claws, Making Christmas, Oogie Boogie's Song, Sally's Song, Poor Jack, & Finale/Reprise are some of the best songs ever assembled in one motion picture. I honestly pity anyone who can't find enjoyment in this cinematic masterpiece. I said in the intro that I don't believe that the movies I love are masterpieces, but I do with this one. This is a movie that I couldn't get enough of as a child, can't get enough of now, and won't be able to get enough of when I'm an adult showing it to my children.
2 - Scream (1996)
This list started off with a Scream movie and it damn near ends with a Scream movie. This (and subsequently the number 1 movie you will read about after this) movie is on a whole other level compared to the other movies on this list. I cannot name a flaw in this movie, it's perfect to me. I'm a massive fan of the Scream franchise and have been only until very recently. My senior year of high school, 3 years ago, I had a rhetoric of film class and the final project was to do a presentation on any director of our choosing. I decided to choose horror master, Wes Craven. As a part of my project, I figured seeing Scream would be a good start, I had never seen it before. I decided to go out and buy the movie on a whim, blindly accepting the fact that Wes Craven is a horror God and that it would probably be pretty decent. Little did I know that I was about to buy a movie that would go down as a film that actually was able to match my favorite movie of all-time. Scream is one of only 2 movies I would give a perfect 10/10 rating to. I view my top 2 favorite movies as almost like father and son. An epic combination that I marvel at. So now that I'm done talking about the "son," I'll begin talking about the "father."
1 - Halloween (1978)
Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, my all-time favorite movie. I honestly couldn't even begin to contemplate just how many times I have seen this spectacular movie. I know this movie from the opening shot of young Michael Myers' house to the very end with the camera panning around from room to room searching for the missing psycho himself. The absurd amount of knowledge I have gathered about this movie is immense. You need to know about a certain mistake the filmmakers made in the film, come to me. I'll tell you all about the smoke the camera man blows in front of the lens or shadow of the camera trolley in the classroom. Random nuggets of trivia about a particular scene or the way something was shot fill my head and I love telling them to people. The score to this movie is unmatched by any other film. When Michael is stalking his prey and the music begins or the iconic piano begins to play the theme, the movie's atmosphere becomes even more enhanced. I'm a Halloween fanatic. From the magnificent original to all the sequels and remakes, I own them all on DVD and can bust out a Halloween marathon any time. I will never get sick of this movie. I truly believe this is the greatest horror film ever made
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