I absolutely love movies; they're my favorite form of art over all others. I've seen thousands in my lifetime and am always adding to my personal collection of DVDs and VHS tapes. I love watching special features, listening to the commentary, and reading movies' IMDB and Wikipedia entries so that I can spout useless trivia to whoever will listen. I also keep a detailed spreadsheet of every movie my wife and I have ever watched together (seriously) and what we rated each one out of 5 stars. Below, you will find the first ten movies that I thought of when considering my favorite movies. I have many more favorites than these, but I chose ten to discipline myself and save you the bandwidth. 🥴
💊 AKIRA 💊
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Release Year: 1988
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Anime
Salty Says: This movie is a masterclass in every facet of filmmaking. The story is brilliant, the
atmosphere is
absolutely haunting, the soundtrack and effects could not be
more fitting, and the animation (especially the color work) is about as close as humanity
will get to perfection.
Go watch this; feel something. Additionally, if
you are a native English speaker, I would highly recommend
watching the English dub of this movie. It far outweighs the
original Japanese audio for me personally, mainly because my
brain just doesn't pick up on the nuances of how Japanese
speakers convey various emotions.
☕ AMELIE ☕
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Release Year: 2001
Genre(s): Romantic Comedy, Surrealist
Salty Says: If you thought Wes Andersen was whimsical
then think again! Amélie takes the cake on the whole
"whimsy and childlike wonder" thing. This movie is an
absolute delight. It's heartwarming, charming, and just grounded
enough to feel real despite its many surreal elements. Unlike
Akira, I would recommend watching this film with its original
French audio dub. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a wonderful filmmaker,
and I would also recommend his other movies from this era:
"Delicatessen" and "The City of Lost Children."
☠️ DEATH PROOF ☠️
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Release Year: 2007
Genre(s): Slasher, Thriller
Salty Says: The general critical consensus is that this
is one of Tarantino's worst films, but
I wholeheartedly disagree. This movie is an excellent
rework of the 1960s/70s "sexploitation" trope and a near-perfect
homage to the iconic car chases spanning the whole of cinema
history. It is blaringly action-packed from start to finish.
Kurt Russell absolutely steals the show with his performance, as
does the excellent soundtrack. This is the ultimate
girl power movie.
👮♂️ HOT FUZZ 👮♂️
Director: Edgar Wright
Release Year: 2007
Genre(s): Comedy, Action, Satire
Salty Says: This has been one of my favorite movies since
it released, and I've seen it probably 100 times at this point.
There is something so inherently charming about everything Simon
Pegg and Nick Frost do. They have such great on-screen
chemistry, and damn if this movie isn't
fucking hilarious. I love the repeated bits and shots
that Edgar Wright uses throughout the Cornetta Trilogy; this
film is definitely the best out of the three.
🏰 HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE 🏰
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Release Year: 2004
Genre(s): Fantasy, Steampunk, Anime
Salty Says: This is my ultimate comfort movie, and
I think it is one of Miyazaki's best. I used to put this on to
go to sleep when I was a kid, and I still revisit it often.
Howl's Moving Castle is a beautifully animated anti-war story
that tugs your heartstrings the whole way through. If you are a
native English speaker, I definitely recommend watching the
Disney audio dub. Christian Bale nails the voice work for the
titular character.
🌇 METROPOLIS (1927) 🌇
Director: Fritz Lang
Release Year: 1927
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Dystopian, Silent
Salty Says: This silent film is definitely tied with
"Akira" as my all-time favorite. A masterpiece of its era,
"Metropolis" influenced just about every science fiction movie
that came after it. The aesthetics of the movie are especially
striking; there is a lot of obvious draw from Bauhaus and other
similar art movements of the time period, and it just looks so
good! I think the ending of the movie is pretty naive, but it's
so cool to see such an early film
hit so hard on class
warfare and the perils of industrialism.
🌆 METROPOLIS (2001) 🌆
Director: Rintaro
Release Year: 2001
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Dystopian, Cyberpunk, Anime
Salty Says: If silent films aren't really your thing,
then I would recommend Rintaro's masterwork (loose) adaptation
of the original Metropolis. It is far removed from the original
film, as it is not a direct remake. I would argue that
Metropolis is just as important as Akira; hell, it was even
written by Katsuhiro Otomo, but I don't believe it got enough
exposure to ever gain that status. It is just as dark, violent,
and anti-capitalist as Akira. Metropolis is truly
the most beautiful movie I have ever seen, and the ending scene
makes me cry every time. So good!
🤺 ROMEO + JULIET 🤺
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Release Year: 1996
Genre(s): Tragedy, Romance, Crime Thriller
Salty Says: This modern retelling is Baz Luhrmann's
finest work. I LOVE so much about this movie: the oversaturated
color grading, the ridiculousness of keeping the Shakespearean
dialogue intact, making the Montagues and Capulets rival mafia
organizations,
replacing swords with guns but still calling them swords,
the costume design.. it's all perfect! This movie is seriously
campy but in the best way.
🕸️ SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE 🕸️
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Release Year: 2018
Genre(s): Superhero, Action, Coming-of-Age, Animated
Salty Says: This is the
greatest superhero movie of all time, and I think the
most striking animated film of the 21st century. They really
nailed so many aspects of this movie, especially the Morales'
family dynamic and all the characters' relationships. It is
really nice to see a non-white-bro-dominated superhero movie
done in a really honest, beautiful way. I've watched this movie
countless times and it never gets old. The sequence where
The
Choice Is Yours
plays and Miles is throwing up his tag is classic!
🐉 Spirited Away 🐉
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Release Year: 2001
Genre(s): Fantasy, Supernatural, Coming-of-Age, Anime
Salty Says: How could I not include Spirited Away? This
is Miyazaki's masterpiece! If you haven't seen this then
you're missing out on a wonderful story. I feel like so many
movies geared towards kids point more to the "coming of age and
learning harsh lessons" direction when it comes to showing how
younger characters can overcome their problems. Miyazaki takes
it a completely different route and shows the viewer that people
can harness what's already inside of them to challenge and
overcome obstacles.
🪓 THE SHINING 🪓
Directors: Stanley Kubrick
Release Year: 1980
Genre(s): Horror, Psychological Thriller, Supernatural
Salty Says: A lot of people way smarter and way more into
Stanley Kubrick than I am have said many, many things about this
movie's themes and hidden meanings. However, to me, I just love
the most obvious draw:
the horrors and fragility of man know no bound. You never
know what your fellow man is up to inside their head, and damn
it if that isn't a scary fucking thought on its own! If you
haven't seen this, it's another required viewing for anyone who
loves movies.
🏯 THRONE OF BLOOD 🏯
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Release Year: 1957
Genre(s): Tragedy, Drama, War
Salty Says: This is another incredible Shakespearean
retelling, and this time it's "Macbeth" set in feudal Japan.
Honestly, I think
Bill Shakespeare himself would approve of this one;
personally, I think this setting is far more effective and
striking than its original. I believe Kurosawa is the greatest
filmmaker of the 20th century and, even though this is one of
his earlier works, it still stands as a landmark in cinema.
There's a reason all your favorite directors cite his work as an
influence!
