🎬 Salty's Favorite Movies 🎬

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.

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."

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 movies 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 agree with film snob bros on this one - 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 moviemaking.