Diary of an up and coming sociopath

Inspired by Mike’s Top 50, my top 21 films. I had intended to do 25, but, well, I couldn’t justify including that many. My basic premise was “If I could only watch a limited number of films for a limited numbers of hours, for the rest of my life, which would I choose?” Thus, Transformers: The movie being great, would not be worth losing 90 minutes during which I could watch, say, Happy Gilmore. The films are presented in alphabetical order, though for those who care, I’d say FIght Club is my most favourite film.

28 Days Later
It’s everything I hate about Danny Boyle. British films that are self-consciously “Gritty” and filled with Cockneys. I can’t say I like Alex Garland’s novels, either. But this film - it’s excellent. Zombies in London. The latter half becomes slightly dubious though, once they make it to the army base, and it slows down a little too much before the big action, but still one of my favourite films.

Alien
Suspenseful sci-fi horror. Even made as long ago as it was, it still contains some of the most memorable scenes in Sci-Fi, and Geiger’s aliens are just excellent. I may go and see it, now the re-release is in cinemas soon.

Aliens
And, what better to expand upon the original, than this? High-octane action. This was the first Aliens film I ever saw, and likely the first James Cameron film. Caertainly, in my eyes, one of the definitive movies of it’s genre.

Almost Famous
I’m not sure whether I prefer the original or director’s cut, the latter is almost too long, but this film really appeals to me. Maybe because the social side of gigs is part of how I live part of my life, and that kind of culture is identifiable in this film, and therefore speaks to me.

American Beauty
A brilliant satire/comedy about middle-class life and the neuroses surrounding it.

Battle Royale
I have a thing for subtitled Japanese films, and films where teenagers go insane and kill each other. Battle Royale lets me combine my two obsessions.

Chasing Amy
The best of Kevin Smith’s films, by far. All the others lack something, but Chasing Amy has it all. Initially my least favourite, as I’ve grown up I’ve come to realise why Chasing Amy is so much better than the others.

Fifth Element
It’s practically Art-Haus, what with all the french design, but it’s got some great music and action, and retains a real futuristic feel throughout. I await the special edition DVD.

Fight Club
One of the most inspiring and thought-provoking films I’ve even seen. It’s brilliantly directed, and brilliantly acted. Every aspect of this film is just, perfect.

Good Will Hunting
Another low-budget yet well written film. The only time Robin Williams has been a convincing actor, as far as I’m concerned, and clearly the definitive affleck/damon collaberation.

Groundhog Day
Bill Murray’s finest hour. The man does deadpan better than anyone, in this film. I identify most with the main character as a bemused and sarcastic man ;-)

Happy Gilmore
For some reason Adam Sandler commands a hefty paycheck, but let’s be fair, he can only act one role: The very angry man. In Happy Gilmore, he does it best. There are some films that just appeal directly to my sense of humour, and this film is just one of those. My favourite exchange? Grandma: “Sir, can I trouble you for a warm glass of milk? It helps me go to sleep” Old Folk’s Home Owner: “You can trouble me for a warm glass of shut-the-hell-up! Now, you will go to sleep or I will put you to sleep. Check out the name tag. You’re in my world now, grandma.”

Highlander
I’m not into swords and sorcery much, and while the concept is still better than the execution, I think Highlander is great. The sequels dilute an otherwise good film.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
I’m not a spielberg fan, but I enjoy watching this film, if only for the opening minutes and the scene with Hitler. I’m not a fan of the other two - Temple of Doom is painfully bad, and Raiders of the Lost Ark has its flaws, but Last Crusade? Can’t get enough. Also gains points for having River Phoenix as young Indy. Such a waste.

The Matrix
I know it’s stereotypical, and derivative and clichéd and gimmicky, but I can’t deny, I love watching this film. It’s probably because of my computing-based lifestyle.

Parenthood
Steve Martin is one of my favourite comedians-turned-actor. It was a hard choice whether to put in this or “Father of the Bride” because both films combine genuine comedy (the kind that is observational or heartfelt rather than slapstick, grossout or plain insulting) with emotional resonance. Parenthood wins because, in addition being written by Joss Whedon, it contains many small sub-plots - the whole film is almost a collection of vignettes - and each time I watch it, I see a new way of interpreting each storyline back to the theme of “parenthood”.

Planet of the Apes
Charlton Heston + classic twist = Proper Sci-Fi. The many sequels were actually almost justifiable, as each tried out a different concept. I watched a documentary on the impact Planet of the Apes had on pop culture a couple of years ago that was almost even better than the film itself. I’d love to own the DVD set.

Spider-Man
In my mind, the best and most direct adaption of a comic to date. It overuses the CGI, but I think it just about gets away with it. The non-hollywood ending also endears me to it. The whole essence of the Spider-Man comics is that even when he wins, he loses. In the film, he defeats the enemy, but can’t have the girl and loses his best friend in the process. Watching it at the cinema just blew me away, it was literally like seeing the comic come to life.

Terminator 2
One of those instances where a sequel improves on the original. Every time I see Arnie in a film since this one, I can’t help but think that he’s just parodying himself in T2. One thing that I always regret is that I never got to see it as intended - it occurs to me that it’s supposed to be a twist when Arnie turns out to be John’s protector, and every time I’ve seen the film, I’ve known that to be the case, even though the script is intentionally ambiguous. It’s held up pretty well too, the special effects being almost entirely believable still. There are about 3 scenes that look a bit crap through age, and for a decade, that’s good.

Unbreakable
M. Night Shyamalan might not be the best director in the world, but he has a unique style that I like. Unbreakable is hard to watch because the emotions of it bear down on you and it becomes difficult to continue viewing, and is ultimately a draining experience, if a rewarding one. Everything about it is subdued and depressive. It also contains the least subtle piece of foreshadowing ever - “They say this one has a surprise ending.”

Watership Down
The animated film, of course, if there were ever any others. For a kid’s cartoon, this is bloody and violent, but it’s stayed with me ever since I first saw it. I skipped a lecture in my first year of Uni because it was on TV, that’s how much I like watching it. Because of this, Watership Down was one of the first proper novels I ever read.