'and the award goes to...': My Top 20 films! 1-10

Let's take a look at my top 20 films. Many comprise of films that I first watched when I was a child, such as Space Jam - see honourable mentions, as they define me. I actually remember The Dark Knight being the first modern movie I watched that truly made me feel awkward; which is why I selected Heath Ledger's Joker as the image. His portrayal of the perverse antagonist thrilled me and terrified me as a young teenager; such titanic portrayals inspire me, and are why I truly love the medium of cinema. Titanic roles are not always villains or special, they can be ordinary folk like Travis Bickle (De Niro) from Taxi Driver, who becomes a vigilante through his morality as he feels the need to protect Iris (Jodie Foster). They may be conflicted; showing a good morality via immoral actions such as Sam Jackson's Jules Winnfield of Pulp Fiction who uses his faith/ religion to purify society. A film trilogy, perhaps my favourite film collection, which has the best array of quality actors and even better characters is the LOTR trilogy. Many of these qualify artistically. In no particular order...

1. Children of Men – This film is almost surely my favourite, its realism and unnerving harshness find audiences squirming. Alfonso Cuarón (the director, of HP fame) manages to drag a hideous future from mankind’s grave and dangle it in front of our faces as a warning of how our world could fall as soon as 2027. The film is supercilious stylistically and cinematically, with its lack of cuts. These ensure the audience follow the protagonists Clive Owen and Claire Hope-Ashitey into the chaos, it makes them understand the chaos, makes them the chaos. The fact that it features actors all from the UK and was filmed in my county of Kent makes it by far one of the best films.

2. Singin' In The Rain – This divine musical is concurred to be the best of all time, and often I find myself in love with characters, particularly the gentle and playful Kathy Selden, more than 60 years after the film was released. It’s iconographic choreography that defined the genre and its lovable characters make Singin’ In The Rain in my top three films of all time.

3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (& The Hobbit Trilogy) – Definitely the best trilogy of all time, this titanic composition of cinematic genius comprises of some of the most famous scenes ever. I’ve watched them over and over again, finding myself reciting one of the films’ expertly delivered lines, or telling others what will happen every next two minutes. The quality array of actors and even finer characters make the LOTR trilogy the best, certainly in the adventure/ fantasy genre. The best scene must be when Andy Serkis’ Gollum reveals his doppelganger/ split personality and leaves audiences chuckling, and then steals our breath with his villainy.

4. Pulp Fiction – This film is a classic. It elevated actors such as Samuel L Jackson into the greats, it shocks, it reliefs, Pulp Fiction leaves audiences feeling wholly satisfied. The most memorable character is Sam Jackson’s Jules Winnfield (although John Travolta delivers perfectly) for his religious deliverance of retribution, his immoral purging of society leaves audiences admiring the badass Winnfield. If you cannot remember the famous hamburger scene, or even the dance scene with Uma Thurman, you need to revisit this film, with immediate effect.

5. Coach Carter – Coach Carter is by far one of the greatest films I have ever seen. The fact that it is a true story propels its reputation further. Coach Ken Carter (Samuel L Jackson) made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results, and Thomas Carter (the director) cinematically makes this narrative gritty yet uplifting; and for once shows heart by not following generic conventions as the Richmond Oilers lose the regional high school playoffs near the end. Thomas Carter produces an exceptional film that instantly educates, using Carter's awe-inspiring personal story to proclaim the vitality of education, and of basic morality. The soundtrack 'Hope' by Twista and Faith Evans leaves audiences feeling euphoric, and teaches us that there IS more to life than winning.

6. The Dark Knight – This film not only darkens vigilantism and provides us with a more gritty and brutal edge to Batman, but Heath Ledger’s unforgettable portrayal of the Joker is what makes this film titanic: "Jack Nicholson's Joker was, arguably, even more psychotic than Ledger's, but where he played the white-faced, red-lipped, green-haired clown for laughs, Ledger's aim was to slip, insidiously, under your skin, with his flickering serpent's tongue, penchant for close-up kills and dead, cold eyes. Ledger's Joker is an unstoppable force of nature, and a wonderful testament to the late actor's talent." - Empire Magazine

7. The Pianist – Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune said that the film "is the best dramatic feature I've seen on the Holocaust experience, so powerful a statement on war, inhumanity and art's redemption that it may signal Polanski's artistic redemption." The Pianist certainly provides inhumanity and makes audiences shrivel and recoil at the darkest moments in human history, Adrien Brody steals the show as Wladyslaw Szpilman. This film won 3 Academy Awards, including Best Actor for the youngest recorded winner 29 YO Brody, 2 BAFTAs, and 7 Cesar Awards.

8. Gladiator – This film is certainly an epic. Brutal and severe, Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Commodus unnerves audiences and casts the character as one of the most iconic serpent-like villains, with lines such as: ‘your son squealed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross. And your wife... moaned like a whore when they ravaged her again and again... and again’ delivered with such distaste. Russell Crowe’s epic portrayal of Maximus and his infamous quotation render him a Hollywood great.

9. Taxi Driver – This qualifies only due to Robert De Niro. Since appearing as Travis Bickle, this legend has graced our screens with films such as Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), the ‘Meet the Fockers’ films (2000-10), and evening a comedic portrayal or two, such as 2007’s Stardust. In TD, De Niro affirms his legendary status by being the everyman hero, the ordinary vigilante. The infamous Mohawk and the hardly-seen-before brutality of the film make it a classic. In 2005, the line ‘You talkin’ to me?’ was chosen as #10 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes. In the scene, Bickle is looking into a mirror at himself, imagining a confrontation which would give him a chance to draw his gun. He says the following line: ‘You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin’ to? You talkin’ to me? Well I’m the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?’ This classic delivery makes this film, and character, legendary.

10. Blade Runner – This film is artistically stunning. Visually, it is a treat, with its dystopian future awing all audiences. It has been hailed for its production design, depicting a "retrofitted" future, and remains a leading example of the neo-noir genre. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Blade Runner has one of the best and most impactful lines in it; delivered by the eerie Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), it is perhaps the most remembered, moving and important soliloquy of a death scene: ‘I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die.’ This beautiful film relays a future with replicants and explores the capacity of them; Batty’s final moments indicate such an emotional capacity.

See blog post 'and the award goes to...': My Top 20 films! 11-20 for the rest!

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