Top Twenty Films (Part Two)

And welcome to part two of the list of my favourite films. Again, there's a bit of a mix and match here, but hopefully you'll see why I like these films. But anyway, here we are, part two and my top ten favourite films.

10. Goldeneye (1995)

Everyone has their favourite Bond, it's normally Sean Connery, sometimes it's Roger Moore or Timothy Dalton, mine is Pierce Brosnan, and my favourite Bond film is Goldeneye. Here Bond (Brosnan) finds rogue Russian General Ourumov (Gottfried John) and his Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) have stolen a secret Russian satellite EMP cannon, codenamed Goldeneye. Bond later finds that they are working for a mysterious man named Janus, who turns out to be Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), a former MI6 agent who Bond thought was long dead.

This was the first Bond film I have ever watched, the one that introduced me to the 007 franchise. And I've never looked back since. There was action, there was drama, there were one liners, there was everything traditional for a Bond film. I was drawn in by Brosnan's Bond, I found him charming and sophisticated, and yet he can turn into a killing machine at the click of a finger. Or in this film's case the clicking of a pen.

Too be honest, this film has my favourite...well, everything Bond. It has my favourite Bond. It has my favourite Bond villain, in which Bond is betrayed by his closest friend, a villain who has been trained by MI6 and has become one of the most dangerous foes Bond has ever faced, and he was brilliantly played by Bean, this is why Trevelyan became my second favourite movie villain. This film has one of my favourite car chase scenes, simply because it has Bond chasing the villains IN A TANK.

Hell, it has my favourite Bond girl! Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) is everything I look for in a Bond girl, she's sexy, she's smart, she's funny, she's likable, Hell, she's USEFUL, she hacks into the Goldeneye system and sends it crashing to Earth, she holds a helicopter pilot hostage and steals the helicopter for an escape vehicle for her and Bond, she tricks Onatopp into thinking she's hiding somewhere else, Hell she tracks down Trevelyan's base!

Quite simply, this is pretty much my favourite action film.

9. The Dark Knight (2008)

This was going to be a tie between this film (Obviously) and 'Batman Returns (1992), but, let's be honest, 'The Dark Knight' is the superior film. Even if it does have Maggie Gyllenhaal. Three years after stopping Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow, Batman (Christian Bale) faces his greatest challenge (And most iconic foe), the Joker (Heath Ledger).

Okay, we might as well get it out the way, the main reason why I love this film, is because of Heath Ledger. It's been said a hundred times, Ledger was brilliant in this. So brilliant he effectively ruined 'The Dark Knight Rises' since that film had a less memorable villain.

Yes, everything else is great, the story, the acting, the effects, but it's truly the Joker that makes this film, and it's Ledger who makes the Joker. The haunting presence of the Joker leaps off the screen, whenever you see the Joker a chill goes down your spine, you know something horrifying but spectacular is about to happen. The anarchy and chaos we see in the film, the dark overtones, they raise the tensions in this film, the tragic deaths (Part of an ever increasing kill count) bring forth sadness and sorrow, and goes into the psyche of Batman, rather than try to figure out the Joker.

This is quite possibly the greatest film adaptation of a comic character ever. Well, actually I suppose there's the Avengers.

8. Night of the Living Dead (1968)/Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Okay, I'm cheating a little. But I really couldn't decide which film I prefer. They're both pretty much the perfect zombie films in existence, both deal with the increasing tension of being trapped in an area surrounded by an ever increasing zombie hoard, both deal with trying to survive, both are brilliant horror films.

Basically these films defined the zombie genre, as well as 'Day of the Dead'. By all means it didn't invent zombies, there are zombie novels dating back to the Epic of Gilgamesh, but if these films weren't around, I seriously doubt we'd have all the zombie films or Walking Dead related stuff we have now.

For the time the effects were brilliant, the blood and gore used was extremely effective. The acting just adds to both of the films, and while 'Dawn' is still a brilliant zombie film, the black and white of 'Night' really intensifies the film. I have seen the colour version of 'Night' and it does seem to be less effective than the black and white version.

If you have not seen the holy trilogy of zombie films, there's something wrong with you.

7. Murder by Death (1976)

I love murder mysteries. I admit I only recently got into them (Though I always loved 'Death on the Nile'...wait why isn't that on this list?) but I do love them. But I do also love spoofs, and this film manages to blend the two nicely.

Featuring some amazing talent with legendary big names, including Sir Alec Guinness, Peter Falk, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Peter Sellers, James Cromwell, and Elsa Lanchester (Who I've only just found out plays the Bride in 'Bride of Frankenstein'), there is no problem with the acting in this film.

The comedy is fantastic. It manages to make those little things we like from murder mysteries and give them some good humor, whilst also taking those cliche and nitpicky bits, like the villain at the end saying his motive is because mystery writers purposely hold back information, normally introduce new characters, and generally just making sure the reader can never guess who did it, something which the detectives themselves were just doing only a few moments ago.

The humor doesn't pull any punches either, especially when it concerns stereotypical humor. Heck, one of my favourite moments was when Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers) is accused of being the killer when it's revealed Lionel Twain (Truman Capote):
Wang: He loved me very much, but he was not very observant. One day, when I was 19, he called me into his study, noticed for first time I was Oriental, and kicked me out of house!

Such amazing talent and such amazing humor, this is a brilliant spoof.

6. Battle Royale (2000)

It's quite rare when an adaptation actually makes things better than the novel. This is one of them. Sure they're minor things, but anyway this film is purely one of the best adaptations of all time.

In Japan rebellious teens run rampant, so much so that the government passes the Battle Royale Act; every year a class is selected and put on an island where they battle each other to the death. Why the kids don't seem to know about it since it appears the event is televised, I don't know.

Anyway, this is one of the most brutal films I have ever seen, with the deaths being some of the most viscous ever seen. It also has some of the most powerful scenes, one particular scene showing the most dangerous contestant, having survived an explosion, walking amongst the flames and appearing to be the devil. Another is set at a lighthouse, and it shows just how quickly people can turn on each other.

This film is pretty much all about what people can do when pushed to their very limits, it makes you think what would you do in their circumstances; would you be able to kill another person, your class mate, your best friend? An American remake has been in limbo since 2006, although it never went pass Go. Following the release of 'The Hunger Games' the remake has apparently shelved the remake for good, or as producer Roy Lee says "he may come back to it in ten years". That's ten more years of enjoying the original before the crap remake then.

5. The Lost Boys (1987)

Upon moving to the murder capital of the world, a.k.a Santa Carla, Michael (Jason Patric) meets David (Kiefer Sutherland), Star (Jami Gertz) and their group of rebellious youngsters, while Michael's brother Sam (Corey Haim) meets the Frog brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander). Spending the evening with David and his crew and Michael, he wakes up to find himself acting differently. He finds that David and his gang are vampires, and they've just turned Michael. Michael, Sam, Star and (The amateur vampire hunters) the Frog brothers, find themselves in a battle against David's gang.

This is a brilliant film, and, since 'Twilight' ruined vampires and werewolves, is effectively the vampire film I like now. Well this and 'Dracula: Dead and Loving It'. Anyway, this film captures the feeling of the 80s brilliantly; the rebellious teens wanting to party all day and rock all night. The cast put their all behind their characters, and the film has one of the best soundtracks of all time.

It is a brilliant film that is for definite. And then the sequels came along.

4. Jurassic Park (1993)

If you haven't seen this where have you been? Here John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) invites Alan Grant (Sam Neil), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and others to his island, where they find that Hammond and his scientists have brought back to life dinosaurs. However a rival company hire Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) to steal dinosaur DNA. This requires shutting down the power to the island. However he gets killed on the way to his rendezvous and the dinosaurs, particularly the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptors break free of the now depowered electric fences.

This was the film that got me into dinosaurs as a kid. I was absolutely blown away when I watched this as a child, and I still love it now. The characters are interesting, it has some brilliant memorable moments (The lawyer on the toilet, anyone?), terrific storyline, and the effects, oh God the effects! I remember on Film Brain's review of 'The Dinosaur Project' where he says the effects are getting a bit dated, personally I don't know what he's on about since the dinosaur effects here are perfect (They're especially better than most effects nowadays). I mean, look at the photo. That Tyrannosaurus Rex looks real, it looks superb, it looks alive.


3. The Lawnmower Man (1992)

Okay, I said that 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' was the odd one out on this list. In actual fact I suppose you could say this film is actually the odd one out. Is it a good adaptation? No, they changed so much Stephen King sued for his name being taken off.

And yet, as you can tell, this is one of my favourite films of all time. Why? Well like 'The Dark Knight', it's all down to the villain. The story follows Jobe (Jeff Fahey), a mentally challenged individual who is recruited by Doctor Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) who is trying to create intelligence enhancing drugs. The drugs work and Jobe starts to get smarter. Angelo's bosses however, wanting to use it for military training, get Angelo's supervisor swaps out the current treatment for the old formula, a formula which made a chimp go homicidal. The result is that Jobe goes homicidal and gains a lust for power.

Jeff Fahey is officially the best actor ever because of his performance in this. I don't see many people capable of playing the mentally challenge Jobe, and then taking the character to psychotic genius. We truly feel sympathy for Jobe, and it's all because of what how the film portrays him. He may have become a psychopath with the powers of a God, and yet we don't want him to fail. It also makes you think twice about answering the telephone.

2. The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953)

Just like 'Jurassic Park' got me into dinosaurs, 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' got me into trains. The film looks at Vicar Sam Weech (George Relph), Gordon Chesterford (John Gregson), and Walter Valentine (Stanley Holloway) band together to save their train line, fighting of opposition from a bus company.

This is the earliest film I remember watching, and I still love it today. I love the characters, I love the drama, the humor, the plot, the setting, I love the fact that one of the scenes is a battle between a train and a steam roller. I love how everyone comes together to protect something so precious to them, how the community and even other parts of the country come together to support them.

1. What's Up Doc? (1972)

This film is bloody brilliant. This film shows what kind of chaos can be created when four people with the same type of bag, and how a city can be brought to its knees because of it.

The acting is brilliant, the comedy is terrific, the plot is fantastic, and, like 'Goldeneye' had one of my favourite car chases, this film has my actual favourite car chase, which involved several cars, a bike, a pane of glass, and a Chinese dragon. I will get back to these car chases another time.

They really don't make comedies like this nowadays, this film is such a masterpiece, there really isn't any denying it. Watch this film, you will not be disappointed.


And there's the top ten of my twenty best films, I apologise for not going into so much detail, but if I did you'd be here for hours. Well, that's it for my one year anniversary, although I have actually done a special video review with the Whalley (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWhalley100) which will be coming soo, I just need to film one final scene, the problem is finding someone to do it. Anyway that will be coming soon, but coming up in October, I'm returning to the zombie genre!