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. 🥴
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.