MySpace and Sound - Fred [The Wolf]'s Top Ten Films Of All Time (For Now Anyway)

Okay, so there has been this tag going around within our movie reviewing community to list our all time Top Ten Films. A few of us have done it and it’s great to read how varied each list is. I wasn’t tagged [as of writing this list] but since I get asked about my Top Ten films alot in my life, I decided to take initiative and list them anyway.

Now I always know what my top film is. Everyone who reads my blogs or knows me should know what my top film is. It’s the other nine that become an issue, because they always seem to switch around from week to week. What came down to it is that I had to list films that either made a very strong impact on me personally and/or films that I could watch again and again without ever getting bored with them. Not many films have that ability on me, but every film in the top ten does.

I’m sure some of you are expecting all the films to be in the horror/slasher/supernatural genre. And yeah, there is some of that on my list. But not every film I like is horror related and I’m sure some of these picks will surprise some of you. So let’s get started:

10. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986)

It’s the only musical in my top ten, beating out THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, GREASE, and WEST SIDE STORY for the spot. What makes this film stand out? It’s the fact that this film is bizarre to the point that it’s funny as hell. From a giant Venus Fly Trap-ish plant that eats people to feed on their blood, to Steve Martin’s Orin Scrivello torturing people and knocking bystanders down without a care while he sings about being a dentist, to the cute love story between Seymour (Rick Moranis) and Audrey (Ellen Greene) - LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS always puts a smile on my face. It’s a horror film, but it’s one that’s pretty upbeat and has a sense of how wacky the whole Audrey II situation really is. The songs are fantastic, the acting works extremely well, and Frank Oz directs a really crazy musical that never gets old. One of the few films I liked as a child and love even more as an adult.

9. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

I’m not a big fan of war movies, but there are two films to the exception: FULL METAL JACKET and APOCALYPSE NOW. APOCALYPSE NOW is, in my opinion, the better made film. Francis Ford Coppola directs such a moody, dark, and subtle [yet intense] potrait of life during the Vietnam War. For two and a half hours, we watch the introverted Willard (Martin Sheen in his finest role) journey on that river of darkness on a PBR boat as he searches for Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a man who left the military and has been considered a dangerous threat. There’s no one more brooding on film than Willard, who isn’t sure he can go along with his mission to kill Kurtz, knowing full well that Kurtz is pretty much who he’s becoming as he reads reports on the man. Based on the novel, "Hearts of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, Coppola took ideas of civilization vs. barbarism and created a work of art that’s similar to being on a drug trip. Sheen, Brando, Laurence Fishburne, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, and all the other actors in the film do an incredible job bringing the turmoil and confusion of this time in U.S. history to life on screen [mainly because they were all probably on something during the filming of this film]. Once considered a flop due to its long pre-production [3 years] and going over budget, APOCALYPSE NOW was a success and is considered Coppola’s masterpiece next to the first two GODFATHER films. Personally, I just love watching this film and being along for the ride, as I always see new things and gather new ideas about the story every time I watch it. From The Doors creating a dark mood to that final "sacrifice" between Willard and Kurtz leading to Brando uttering those famous words, "The horror. The horror.", APOCALYPSE NOW is one of the greatest films of all time. Skip the REDUX version though. It totally ruins what the original version set forth.

8. AIRPLANE! (1980)

My favorite spoof/parody film of all time, AIRPLANE! is a film I have no problem watching over and over again even though I know mostly every line and heard every joke like a million times. This film never fails to make me laugh. From Stryker’s (Robert Hays) drinking problem, to watching a blow-up auto-pilot doll get blown "down there" back to life, to Peter Graves asking a young boy whether he watches gladiator films or has ever been in a Turkish prison - AIRPLANE! is pretty much the best spoof film ever made. My favorite parts of the film either involve the childish Johnny, who cracks me every time in that tower by making paper figures out of a map or telling a grieving wife that she wore ugly clothes to make her feel worse, and that disco flashback scene with "Staying Alive" and those damn Girl Scouts fighting it out. Sure, the film is dated and the youth of today probably will think this film is "too old to be funny anymore", but I don’t care. I love this movie and everytime it’s on TV, I automatically put it on and recite the lines along with the actors. Hopefully modern spoof films could be as funny as AIRPLANE! again, but I’m not crossing my fingers over it.

7. TAXI DRIVER (1976)

My favorite Martin Scorcese film. People can have their RAGING BULL. Others can have MEAN STREETS or GOODFELLAS. Me? I’ll take Travis Bickel (Robert De Niro) and his obsession over young Iris Steenman (Jodie Foster) any day of the week. One of the most intense films I’ve ever watched in my life, TAXI DRIVER is relentless when it comes to anger, sexuality, and violence to express the chaos of a Vietnam War veteran [now a taxi driver] in New York City. A daring film for when it was released [the Vietnam War was still a touchy subject for the U.S.], Scorcese used Bickel as a character who was in touch with the alienation and moral decay of the society at the time. De Niro became a star after this film and it’s easy to see why. It’s fascinating to watch him deteriorate from an almost normal guy to some sort of psycho martyr for the majority of Americans at the time who were disillusioned with the government and how things in the country were being run. It’s like watching a bomb counting down for destruction, building tension masterfully along the way. TAXI DRIVER, in all sense of the word, is a "horror" film. But Scorcese’s dark message masks that for us, because the only person we really identify with is the psycho himself. And the ending is so ambiguous to whether it’s a happy one or not makes me continue to watch it over and over again. I always seem to have a different opinion on it each time. Even today, I’m still not sure if it is or not. Scorcese has directed great films after this, some which I love. But I feel TAXI DRIVER is his finest work and I’m sure not many people would disagree with that.

6. CASABLANCA (1943)

The oldest film on my list, it’s probably on a lot of Top Ten lists when it comes to film. But I just love the story of this film and how it’s told. It just doesn’t tell you the story - it lets it sink into your psyche as you forge strong connections with all the principal characters [especially Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman)] and care about what happens to them. Probably one of the most quoted films in movie history, it’s still stands the test of time and doesn’t feel all that dated at all. The themes of sacrifice, love, and heroism still are as important today as they were back then. It’s a film noir really, but wrapped as a romantic drama involving bar owners, adulterers, and Nazis. I don’t think Bogart or Bergman have ever acted as well as they do here, as both actors create three-dimensional people in Rick and Ilsa. We can all sympathize with cynical Rick, who is really a heart broken man because he’s in love with a woman he knows he can’t have completely. And Ilsa, who would probably be protrayed as a slut or a bitch these days, is also sympathetic as we understand why she is what she is. I always watch a romantic comedy or drama today and see a bit of CASABLANCA in all of them. None of them match its level, but that’s fine by me. All I need is one CASABLANCA. Here’s looking at you, kid.

5. THE EXORCIST (1973)

This is the only film on my list that I’ve seen less than three times in my life. So why is it on here? Because no film, other than my Number One pick, has struck such a high level of fear and paranoia in me like this film has. I guess you can say that THE EXORCIST has traumatized me to the point where I still lie in bed at night hoping that it doesn’t bounce underneath me. My uncle forced me to watch this film when I was about 7-years-old and I was crying pretty much through most of it, being massively afraid of what happened to Regan (Linda Blair) and frightened at what she had become due to demonic possession. Ever since, I can’t watch it alone or in the dark. It’s just too much for me, as the ideas of demons taking over your body and the whole exorcism process send chills up and down my spine. It’s hard for me to look at Linda Blair, even out of make up, because I keep seeing her as Pazuzu - masturbating herself with a crucifix, puking on people, and doing a 360 twist with her head. The ironic thing is that I’ve seen all the other EXORCIST films without problems and even the spoof called REPOSSESSED, which I really like. But the original is a hard one to sit through. Just writing about it now creeps me out. It’s funny that I actually own this film on DVD and saw it once just to see the infamous spider-walk scene. It only disturbed me more. One day I’ll have the balls to review this film. It just won’t be any time soon.

4. CRUEL INTENTIONS (1999)

This is the most modern film on my list. CRUEL INTENTIONS is pretty much the story of DANGEROUS LIASONS but done with teenagers, yet it’s so wonderfully acted and filmed that I like it more than the similiar film before it. Sarah Michelle Gellar has never acted on film as good as she does in this film, playing the ultra-bitchy Kathryn as if she’s really playing herself. Her chemistry with Ryan Phillippe as her step-brother Sebastian is explosive here, as you really get the sense that even though these two are related, they really have the hots for each other. Add Reese Witherspoon to the mix, and you got yourself a love triangle most soap operas would die for. A who’s who cast of young talent that includes a comedic Selma Blair sharing a hot kiss with Gellar, Joshua Jackson, Eric Mabius, Tara Reid, and Sean Patrick Thomas all add to the yumminess of CRUEL INTENTIONS. It’s not a great film like the others on this list, but it’s the greatest guilty pleasure I own on DVD. The fact that me and my cousins still continue to quote lines from this film to each other and still laugh after 9 years proves the staying power of this teen drama.

3. THE GOONIES (1985)

THE GOONIES is a film that I loved as a child and love even more now. It brings me back to that great decade known as the 1980s, where children’s films were smart, exciting, and fun for all ages. It has adventure, a love story, pirates, colorful jewels, laughs, and the classic Truffle Shuffle. I wanted to be friends with Mikey, Sloth, Brand, Mouth, Andie, Stef, Chunk, and Data. This is a great film about how special friendship is and teaches us never to give up on our quest even with people doubt you and don’t think you can handle it. Goonies never say die! This is the only film that makes me feel like a kid again and for that, I’m eternally grateful. And who can forget that video with Cyndi Lauper for "Goonies R Good Enough"? Ay yi yi yi yi!! Sigh...I miss being a kid again. Classic 80s right here.

2. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)

I reviewed this one not too long ago, so you should already know why it’s my second-favorite film of all time. It’s just one of those quirky films from Stanley Kubrick that was adapted by a book and turned on its head along its way to the big screen. Just a really cruel, over-the-top, and bizarre movie that always makes me laugh and makes me want to do bad things just to have my own fun. Malcolm McDowell has never been part of a better film or been in a better role than Alex DeLarge, carrying this film on his shoulders from beginning to end without a sweat. The film’s theme of society and how conforming to its norms is the only way to be a decent human being still rings true today, as a lot of us deal with that gray area of what’s right and wrong. Not many people I know personally get why I love this film so much, and I kind of feel sorry for them. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE was definitely ahead of its time and I’m glad to finally know droogs on here that appreciate it as much as I do.

1. HALLOWEEN (1978)

What other film could be number one on my list but John Carpenter’s horror classic. HALLOWEEN is the first film to ever have a massive impression on me, scaring me to death when I was five-years-old. I would wake up screaming from nightmares of Michael Myers and that classic piano music would literally make me cry. And I do mean CRY. I’ve never had a film, other than THE EXORCIST later on, do this to me and I would dread watching it or any of the sequels for years. But I knew I loved the film for that very reason and would torture myself watching it anyway every October. Now after watching it probably a million times and always finding something new each time, I can say that this is the only film where I can recite line-for-line from beginning to end. I still get goosebumps when that theme music plays over that jack-o-lantern during the opening credits. I still say, "That’s so fuckin’ cool," every time the light slowly forms on The Shape after Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) finds her friends dead. And Dr. Loomis’ (Donald Pleasance) words about Michael Myers being simply "evil" inspired me to be a screenwriter and wanting to create films just like the one John Carpenter and Debra Hill did here. It’s always been on top. It’ll probably never leave this position. It’s the only film which I get real defensive about everytime someone says something negative about it because I love it so darn much. If HALLOWEEN was the only horror film that was available to watch in the entire world, that would be cool with me.

I hope you enjoyed the list. It was not easy to come up with. As for tags, I’m not gonna tag anyone. If someone wants to do this, fine. If not, I’m fine with that too. But for those who will do this, I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Thanks for reading.