100. SCHINDLER'S LIST // Steven Spielberg // 1993
99. COLLATERAL // Michael Mann // 2004
98. CLOSE-UP // Abbas Kiarostami // 1990
97. CITIZEN KANE // Orson Welles // 1941
96. ANNIE HALL // Woody Allen // 1977
95. POINT BLANK // John Boorman // 1967
94. THE WRESTLER // Darren Aronofsky // 2008
93. REPO MAN // Alex Cox // 1984
92. DAS BOOT // Wolfgang Petersen // 1981
91. MISERY // Rob Reiner // 1990
90. THE LAST WALTZ // Martin Scorsese // 1978
89. THE ELEPHANT MAN // David Lynch // 1980
88. THIEF // Michael Mann // 1981
87. UNFORGIVEN // Clint Eastwood // 1992
86. THE LONG GOODBYE // Robert Altman // 1973
85. THE DEER HUNTER // Michael Cimino // 1978
84. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAME BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD // Andrew Dominik // 2007
83. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE // Tobe Hooper // 1974
82. BOYZ N THE HOOD // John Singleton // 1991
81. SCREAM // Wes Craven // 1996, 1997, 2000, 2011
80. Z // Costa-Gavras // 1969
79. THE DEPARTED // Martin Scorsese // 2006
78. SOLARIS // Andrei Tarkovsky // 1972
77. THE VIRGIN SUICIDES // Sofia Coppola // 1999
76. POSSESSION // Andrzej Zulawski // 1981
75. THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE // Peter Yates // 1973
74. TOUCH OF EVIL // Orson Welles // 1958
73. DAY FOR NIGHT // François Truffaut // 1973
72. BREATHLESS // Jean-Luc Godard // 1960
71. VERTIGO // Alfred Hitchcock // 1958
70. LADY VENGEANCE // Chan-wook Park // 2005
69. BICYCLE THIEVES // Vittorio De Sica // 1948
68. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN // Joel & Ethan Coen // 2007
67. THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE // John Cassavetes // 1976
66. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET // Martin Scorsese // 2013
65. SCARFACE // Brian De Palma // 1983
64. PEEPING TOM // Michael Powell // 1960
63. SUSPIRIA // Dario Argento // 1977
62. CASINO // Martin Scorsese // 1995
61. SLAP SHOT // George Roy Hill // 1977
60. HALLOWEEN // John Carpenter // 1978
59. JACKIE BROWN // Quentin Tarantino // 1997
58. BRINGING OUT THE DEAD // Martin Scorsese // 1999
57. ON THE WATERFRONT // Elia Kazan // 1954
56. THE CONVERSATION // Francis Ford Coppola // 1974
55. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS // Jonathan Demme // 1991
54. MULHOLLAND DR. // David Lynch // 2001
53. ERASERHEAD // David Lynch // 1977
52. LE SAMOURAI // Jean-Pierre Melville // 1967
51. REPULSION // Roman Polanski // 1965
50. THE THING // John Carpenter // 1982
49. GIMME SHELTER // Albert & David Maysles & Charlotte Zwerin // 1970
48. SORCERER // William Friedkin // 1977
47. LA DOLCE VITA // Federico Fellini // 1960
46. 8½ // Federico Fellini // 1963
45. BLUE VELVET // David Lynch // 1987
44. MAD MAX // George Miller // 1979, 1981, 1985, 2015
43. ZODIAC // David Fincher // 2007
42. BLOOD SIMPLE // Joel & Ethan Coen // 1984
41. DO THE RIGHT THING // Spike Lee // 1989
40. FULL METAL JACKET // Stanley Kubrick // 1987
39. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS // Quentin Tarantino // 2009
38. TOKYO DRIFTER // Seijun Suzuki // 1966
37. WALKABOUT // Nicolas Roeg // 1971
36. ARMY OF SHADOWS // Jean-Pierre Melville // 1969
35. AFTER HOURS // Martin Scorsese // 1985
34. SE7EN // David Fincher // 1995
33. THE KILLER // John Woo // 1989
32. DON'T LOOK NOW // Nicolas Roeg // 1973
31. RESERVOIR DOGS // Quentin Tarantino // 1992
30. THE KING OF COMEDY // Martin Scorsese // 1982
29. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE // Stanley Kubrick // 1971
28. THE FRENCH CONNECTION // William Friedkin // 1971
27. AUDITION // Takashi Miike // 1999
26. OLDBOY // Chan-wook Park // 2003
#25
BLADE RUNNER
Ridley Scott // 1982
Now, it's time to kick off the Top 25 and I can't think of a better way to do it than with Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Scott's vision of a dystopian future has become one of the most influential works ever, inspiring many filmmakers (most notably Christopher Nolan) in the 33 years since it's release. The film is a truly fascinating look at humanity, which is perfectly summed up in what I feel is the greatest monologue ever, Rutger Hauer's "Tears in Rain" (completely improvised) speech. That brief moment is worth the price of admission alone.
#24
THE BEFORE TRILOGY
Richard Linklater // 1995, 2004, 2013
Here, we go from one of the great sci-fi stories in film history to one of the best love stories. Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy took us on this 18 year journey in the life of two strangers who met on a train and it's nothing short of amazing. All three movies are nothing more than our two main characters walking and talking, but somehow you connect with them and care more than you probably should. It's a really brilliant experiment as we grow with these characters just as they grow on screen. By all accounts the series is probably over, but I hope not. 2022 isn't that far off. Celine and Jesse Forever.
#23
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
Martin Scorsese // 1988
This is the first time Scorsese appears in the Top 25 (but certainly not the last), and it's a bit of a sleeper pick, but I love The Last Temptation. It's such a ballsy movie because it pissed so many people off. The film is not based on the bible, but instead on a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. The film has some very, let's say, interesting depictions of moments in the life of Jesus Christ. That's bound to enrage some people, and it did, but it's Scorsese and man, is it just a beautiful film. While Marty takes some liberties with his storytelling, it's powerful and in a movie about Jesus (even if you may not be overly religious) that's something you have to do. Obviously, if it's this high on my list, I think it's some of Scorsese's best work, but it also has to be some of his most overlooked.
#22
CHINATOWN
Roman Polanski // 1974
When I was a kid, if you would've told me that one day one of my all-time favorite films would be a movie that ultimately centered on water, I would say you were nuts. Enter Chinatown, Roman Polanski's brilliant 1974 film noir. It's true, the movie is a mystery that revolves around water in Los Ageles, but the story by Robert Towne is so deeply layered that the viewer can't help but be sucked in. Jack Nicholson effortlessly takes all the cool of being a 1940's private detective and a 1970's movie star and electrifies the screen. I love that the film is such a classic film noir, but also encapsulates the awesomeness that was 70's cinema. Needless to say, we'll be talking about Polanski again very soon.
#21
ALIEN
Ridley Scott // 1979
One of the biggest misconceptions about Ridley Scott’s Alien
is that it’s a sci-fi film. I mean, it
is about aliens. However, if this is
what you believe, boy are you wrong because Alien is straight forward
horror. In fact, it’s a clever twist on
the haunted house movie that solves the ultimate problem of a haunted house
movie which is why don’t you just leave the house? Well, in this case, you can’t (I wish I could
say that’s an observation I made myself, but I admit I heard it elsewhere, but
it’s still true). In the years since the
film’s release, H.R. Giger’s alien creature has become one of the most iconic
and recognizable images in movie history.
It’s showed up in many other films over the years (including James
Cameron’s sequel Aliens, which is also great), but it has never been as
terrifying as it was back in ’79.
#20
ROSEMARY'S BABY
Roman Polanski // 1968
Roman Polanski’s Apartment trilogy is one of the greatest
series of films of all time. One of the
films, Repulsion has already made the Top 100, coming in at #51, but the best
of the three films (the third being The Tenant) has to be Rosemary’s Baby. Simply put, this is one of the greatest
horror films of all-time and the thing that makes it such is just how grounded
in realism it is. While most horror
films today rely solely on the scares, Polanski forces viewers to delve deeper
into the environment and atmosphere. You are on the
ride with Mia Farrow as she descends into madness and you go along with her,
feeling the tension build with every moment.
It’s incredible filmmaking that I wish horror filmmakers today would try
to emulate.
#19
HEAT
Michael Mann // 1995
De Niro and Pacino.
That’s all you need to know about Michael Mann’s Heat. Probably my two favorite actors ever finally
sharing the screen together after so many years of work. Mann does a tremendous job of setting
everything up for the big showdown between De Niro’s bank robber and Pacino’s
detective and then when it finally comes to a head in that diner is one of the
most magical and iconic scenes in cinema history. Overall, the film is one three hour-thrill
ride that only gets better with age, but it’s the meeting of two screen legends
that help make it what it is.
#18
MEAN STREETS
Martin Scorsese // 1973
Scorsese’s Mean Streets is a very important film for me as a
cinephile. The moment when I began to
see films as less of entertainment and more of art was the first time I saw
Mean Streets when I was about 14 years old.
There is a scene in this film, the scene where Robert De Niro’s Johnny
Boy enters the bar, that absolutely blew my mind. There isn’t really anything fancy or special
about it, but for some reason it always stuck with me. It may be my favorite movie scene of all-time. It was the moment that made me
fall in love with the work of Martin Scorsese and all of film in general.
#17
FARGO
Joel & Ethan Coen // 1996
Here we have film noir at it’s best. Despite the fact that the film came out far
from the golden age of the famous genre, the Coens were able to craft a dark,
twisted tale that was still equipped with their patented black humor. The whole film is made even better thanks to
the central performances by Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, and Steve
Buscemi. Also, you can’t forget to
mention the masterful cinematography of Roger Deakins, who manages to perfectly
capture the white hell that is a Minnesota winter.
#16
BOOGIE NIGHTS
Paul Thomas Anderson // 1997
I have to admit, Boogie Nights is a movie that really pisses
me off. Why? Because Paul Thomas Anderson was only 26
years old when he made it. 26?!?! That’s such bullshit. How can someone be that proficient in his
craft so soon? I mean, he became one of
the best filmmakers in the world the second this film dropped and he still had
his whole career in front of him. To this day, he's still on a different level than most. I guess
you can take inspiration from that if you’re a twenty-something looking to
break into the film industry. Now as I
go through this list, I must say that I’m a little surprised in myself that
this is the only PTA film in the Top 100.
Like I said, the guy is one of the best.
#15
THE CONFORMIST
Bernardo Bertolucci // 1970
Now to one of my favorite photographed films of all-time,
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist.
The films was lensed by the legendary Vittorio Storaro, who puts on a
masterclass of the craft with this feature.
Every frame is like a unique and beautiful painting that adds so much to
the already fascinating story. Speaking
of the story, it’s rare that a foreign film can land an Oscar nomination for
best screenplay, but Bertolucci was able to pull that off. It helps when you have a cast that can bring
the characters from page to screen.
Jean-Louis Trintignant’s Marcello Clerici is (in my opinion) one of the
great characters in film history and Trintignant and Bertolucci are the two
most responsible for that.
#14
PSYCHO
Alfred Hitchcock // 1960
Alfred Hitchcock is unanimously known as the master of
suspense, a title that he deserves.
There may not be a director in history that is more influential and
revered than Hitch. Despite that moniker
that he earned, Hitch only delved into true horror a few times in his career, and he did it
better than just about anyone. The
unfortunate thing about Psycho is that over the course of the last 55 years,
the film has become so iconic that it’s been ruined for just about anyone who
hasn’t already seen it. If you are lucky
enough to experience the film for the first time without knowing what happens,
go for it because I envy you. Even if you
do know how the story unfolds, but you’ve never seen the film, you still have
to watch it. It’s a rite of passage to for any budding film lover.
#13
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Stanley Kubrick // 1968
There isn’t much that can be said about Kubrick’s 2001 that
hasn’t already been said. For me, it was
a film that took multiple viewings to fully appreciate, but once it clicked, it
really blew me away. The one thing that
makes the movie so fascinating is that there are many effects in this film that
I just can’t figure out how they pulled it off.
I mean, this movie came out in 1968 and the effects look as good as
ever. It defies logic. The movie was a technical marvel way ahead of
it’s time and some could even argue it still is. The film is a showcase for a master at work.
#12
PULP FICTION
Quentin Tarantino // 1994
As I was making this list, I was a bit surprised in myself
that no Quentin Tarantino movies will crack the Top Ten, but that doesn’t
really matter. That doesn’t take away
from the fact that Pulp Fiction is one incredible piece of filmmaking. You could talk all day about the performances,
the direction, the music, and the cinematography, but the real genius lies in
the screenplay. The screenplay that
Tarantino wrote from a story that him and Roger Avary came up with may be the
greatest script ever written. The way
the different stories intertwine and the Tarantino dialogue that goes along
with it is just amazing.
THE SHINING
THE EXORCIST
BELLE DE JOUR
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
THE BATMAN FRANCHISE
DRIVE
APOCALYPSE NOW
RAGING BULL
TAXI DRIVER
GOODFELLAS
THE GODFATHER
A good screenplay is one thing, but it’s nothing without the
actors to bring it to life. The
struggles Coppola had to get the studio to let him have the cast he wanted is
well documented, but it ultimately paid off.
It begins and ends with Marlon Brando and his Academy Award-winning
performance as Don Vito Corleone.
There’s only one word to describe this turn by Brando: iconic. Brando with his bull-doggish face, his
tuxedo, and his cat will remain one of the most timeless images in film history
for many years to come. Then you mix in
Jimmy Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, and of
course Al Pacino and you have what is perhaps the greatest gathering of talent
ever assembled on screen.
I could go on and on with all the elements that make the
first Godfather so great (Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola’s music, Gordon Willis’
cinematography, Francis Ford Coppola’s direction, the sets, the costumes, etc.)
but then you’d be reading this for much longer than you want to (frankly, I’m
surprised you’ve made it this far).
Anyway, I still have two more films I have to briefly talk about. I mean, The Godfather Part II is only one of
the few sequels that basically matches it predecessor in almost every
aspect. Fun fact, Coppola didn’t want to
direct the movie so Paramount let him choose who would take over the director’s
chair, so Francis chose none other than a young upstart named Martin Scorsese. Paramount refused, so Coppola relented and
did the movie himself, but how awesome would a Marty-directed Godfather film
have been? Enough with what could have
been and back to what was, Coppola went bigger and bolder with the second film
in the series, crafting a tale of a father and a son at the same stages of
life. Pacino returns as Michael Corleone
and as young Don Vito, Robert De Niro stepped in and did nothing less than win
Best Supporting Actor, while the film itself took home Best Picture (just like
Part I). Again, it was simply incredible
work from everybody involved in the making of the film.
#11
THE SHINING
Stanley Kubrick // 1980
One more time for Stanley Kubrick as he just misses the Top
Ten with his 1980 horror masterpiece. A
film that starts as a family drama then slowly evolves into psychological
terror at some of it’s finest. Two
powerful lead performances from Shelly Duvall and Jack Nicholson and the
disorienting fashion in which Kubrick filmed the movie really help the film be
as scary as it is. It may not be the
most faithful Stephen King adaption there is (in fact, King hates the film) but
it’s definitely earned the distinction of being the best.
#10
THE EXORCIST
William Friedkin // 1973
The Exorcist is not scary.
At least, not as you’re watching it.
That’s what I thought the first time I watched the film. Did the movie have some disturbing moments?
Sure. But scariest movie of all-time. No
way. So, that was that. I turned out the lights and went to bed, or
tried to, I guess. You see, what makes
The Exorcist so scary is the after effects, the toll that the film takes on
your brain. It’s so well directed and
executed by William Friedkin that it buries itself under your skin and possesses
you, just like the demon that takes over little Regan. As night falls, you will hear all kinds of
noises and sounds that aren’t there and eventually paranoid insomnia will wash
over you. That’s the power of horror
filmmaking at it’s finest. We have yet
to see the genre reach the peak that Friedkin did and I venture a guess that we
never will.
#9
BELLE DE JOUR
Luis Buñuel // 1967
Now for the out of left-field, never would have guessed in a
million years pick in my top 10, Luis Buñuel’s Belle de Jour. Now normally is where I would explain all the
reasons that make this film great and why I love it so much, but I’ve got to be
honest here, I can’t explain it. I mean,
literally, I can’t explain it, I don’t know what’s going on in the film. I know it’s about a woman (played by the
almost too beautiful Catherine Deneuve) with many, let’s say, different sexual
fantasies and her overwhelming urge to act upon them. As the film progresses, those fantasies begin
to run together with reality and leaves you as an audience member guessing as
to what’s in her mind and what is truly happening. It’s a movie that’s way ahead of it’s time in
it’s depiction of sex, which helps it become an accessible work of surreal and
avant-garde cinema. Very few can tell a
story like this like Buñuel can and here he shines as both a writer and
director.
#8
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Joel & Ethan Coen // 1998
The main reason why The Big Lebowski is on this list is
because it is easily the most quotable film ever made. The script by Joel and Ethan Coen never lacks
to include sharp, hilarious, and memorable dialogue. It helps when you can assemble a cast like
they were able to to deliver said line. I
mean, John Goodman didn’t have friends die face down in the muck just to act in
some crappy movie, Steve Buscemi is just so wonderfully out of his element,
John Turturro can’t be fucked with, and, of course, Jeff Bridges ties the whole
thing together. In the years since the
film’s release, The Big Lebowski has moved from being movie to being a way of
life. We all want to be the Dude and
live the good life. So, let’s all become
Little Lebowski Urban Achievers and abide, my friends.
#7
THE BATMAN FRANCHISE
Tim Burton // 1989, 1992 & Christopher Nolan // 2005, 2008, 2012
So far on the list I’ve lumped a few trilogies and series
together, but here at #7 I’m going with an entire franchise because in the
pantheon of film history, very few franchises have endured and excited the
public as much as the Batman franchise has. I already touched on my love for
the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy a few years ago in my best of the
year list. I would assume by this point
most people have seen those films (and if you haven’t, why are you still
here?), so I won’t go too in depth with them, but you should know that they’re
game-changers. In a movie world
dominated by remakes, sequels, and superheroes, those three films never ceased
to remain fresh and transcend whatever genre Nolan and company were trying to
emulate. Without those films, we
wouldn’t be seeing what we see week in and week out at the cinema. But if we’re going to say that about Nolan’s
films of recent, than the same has to be said of Tim Burton’s two entries in
the franchise that started it all. In
1989, the only superhero films people had grown accustomed to were the Superman
films, which started out great then, well, not so much. Those films were always a little hokey and
campy, but they were successful. Then
this young punk Burton comes along and cast Mr. Mom to play Batman and Jack
Nicholson to be the Joker, so it has to be more of the same, right? Wrong.
What we got was a dark, twisted, weird tale that completely flipped the
movie world on it’s head. It’s the exact
superhero movie that the ‘80s and early ‘90s deserved. Looking back on it all, I watched Batman and
Batman Returns so much on VHS when I was a kid, that to me, I have to consider
those the most important and influential films I have ever seen.
#6
DRIVE
Nicolas Winding Refn // 2011
It may come as a surprise that a movie that came out so
recently is so high up on this list.
There are definitely some films on here that have come out in recent
years, but none that rank inside the Top Ten (and dangerously close to the Top
Five), but then again, there aren’t a lot of films like Nicolas Winding Refn’s
Drive. But here’s something interesting:
I was majorly disappointed the first time I saw this. There was a ton of buzz surrounding the movie
coming out of the Cannes Film Festival and I was already a fan of Refn’s work,
so I had hyped the film up in my mind so much that anything short of one of the
best things I had ever seen would be a let down. After finally getting the opportunity to
catch the film on opening day, it just didn’t live up to those expectations,
not at first at least. It didn’t take
long, a drive home from the theater with the perfect soundtrack playing and a
night’s sleep and it hit me that it was truly one of the best films I had ever
seen. The film is a feast for the
senses, the aforementioned soundtrack fills your eardrums in all it’s Euro-synth-pop
glory, the visuals put you right in the car with Ryan Gosling as he drives
through the Los Angeles night, and, after a while, you can practically smell
the gasoline. It’s a truly cinematic
experience.
#5
APOCALYPSE NOW
Francis Ford Coppola // 1979
Making a film is difficult.
Every filmmaker knows that when they choose to follow that particular
career path. By 1976, Francis Ford
Coppola was on top of this profession, having had three films in a row
nominated for Best Picture, winning twice.
It was then that he decided to finally make his long-gestating,
Vietnam-set adaption of Joseph Conrad’s novella "Hearts of Darkness". That’s where the difficult starts. Re-casts,
re-shoots, re-writes, a Filipino civil war, a typhoon, an unhappy Marlon
Brando, heart attacks, and constant talks of suicide later, Apocalypse Now is
released, three years later in 1979. The
biggest fear Coppola had (which led to his suicidal tendencies) was that he’s
was hemorrhaging other people’s money for what was ultimately a terrible
film. Well, obviously, he was
wrong. Through all the trials and
tribulations, Coppola ended up pulling off one of the most stunning
achievements in film history. A film
that is dark, bleak, and hopeless, much like the war it depicts. The performances are brilliant and iconic,
the set pieces are mind-blowing and, despite all his doubts, the direction of
Coppola is perhaps the best there has ever been. There will never be another film where a
filmmaker put so much on the line for his art form and have it pay off quite
the way this did. A masterpiece if there
ever was one. (For a further perspective on the making of the film, check out
the fantastic documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse)
#4
RAGING BULL
Martin Scorsese // 1980
If you’ve made it this far down the list, then you know my
affinity for the films of Martin Scorsese.
Over the course of the next three entries that love will be further
cemented and it begins with 1980’s Raging Bull.
There are many things you can point to as to what makes Raging Bull so
great. The first thing that’s noticeable
is Michael Chapman’s gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, an absolutely
brilliant artistic decision. There’s the
Oscar-winning editing of Thelma Schoonmaker and of course the script by Paul
Schrader. And how could you forget
Scorsese himself? But really the main
reason this film is as classic and memorable as it is is the raw, powerful
performance by Robert De Niro. He goes
through a total transformation, both physically and mentally, and completely
loses himself in the role of boxer Jake LaMotta. As recognizable as De Niro is as an actor,
you forget that it’s him on screen. For
all intents and purposes, Robert De Niro ceases to exist (for a few hours,
anyway). All these aspects add up to
create what is the best sports film of all-time, which is a bit misleading
seeing as though the sport takes a backseat to the man.
#3
TAXI DRIVER
Martin Scorsese // 1976
Let’s stick with Scorsese and De Niro for a moment and talk
about 1976’s Taxi Driver. If you’re as
much of a Scorsese fan as I clearly am, then you’ve grown accustomed to a
certain style he brings to the table as a filmmaker. The fast-paced narrative, the pop music, the
occasional laugh-out-loud moments, all of it is just Marty. But, Taxi Driver doesn’t fit that mold, in
fact if totally breaks the mold, but somehow, it is, in my opinion, the best
directed film Marty ever made. Now it’s
not his best film (as you will soon see), but it’s very carefully crafted and
further goes to proving that Scorsese is the greatest filmmaker to ever
live. Taxi Driver is the dark, bleak
tale of the loneliness of a man and the psychological toll that can take. It very much mirrors what Scorsese was going
through in his own life at the time of filming.
That makes this a very personal film, something that can be greatly
beneficial to a filmmaker and that’s never more evident than here. With the help of De Niro, Marty brings Paul
Schrader’s script to life with terrifying and brilliant results. The film was very controversial upon release
for it’s depiction of mental instability and it’s gratuitous use of
violence. It even inexplicably got booed
at the Cannes Film Festival (where it still won the Palme d’Or), but it
endured and it still remains one of the seminal films of the American New Wave
movement.
#2
GOODFELLAS
Martin Scorsese // 1990
Here is the third in-a-row, tenth overall and final
appearance for Martin Scorsese on this list, but man is it a doozie. What else can be said about Goodfellas? If you haven’t seen it, then find a TV
because I’m sure it’s on some channel somewhere. There’s a reason why the film plays
constantly across your television dial because it is easily the most endlessly
rewatchable movie ever made. It never
gets old, 25 years later. You can point
to many different reasons to why this is, like the performances of the cast members,
especially Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Lorraine Bracco, or the
perfectly chosen music, or the sharp script by Scorsese and Nicolas Pillegi,
but the real reason why the movie is so great is the brilliant editing by Marty
and frequent collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker.
You see, editing is a tricky thing to understand in a film if you don’t
know what to look for. I admittedly,
have almost no clue what to look for, except when it comes to Goodfellas. Scorsese and Schoonmaker take every shot of
the film and cut it and trim it so that is fits together like a beautiful,
brilliant cinematic puzzle and make the almost three hour film feel like 45
minutes. It moves at a breakneck pace
that very few filmmakers could pull off, but these two were able to do it. The final product is funny, thrilling,
violent, informative (maybe even a little too informative), basically one of
the great achievements in film history.
#1
THE GODFATHER
Francis Ford Coppola // 1972, 1974, 1990
You must have seen this coming, right? When making or reading a list like this, you
have to realize that there is a large difference between “favorite” and “best”.
Everyone’s tastes are different, making rankings like this completely subjective. What I’m getting at is this, Francis Ford
Coppola’s Godfather films are my favorite films of all-time because they are
the best films of all-time. Hands down, don’t bother arguing it. I guess you could try, but it would be futile
considering that very few movies take every aspect of filmmaking and meld them
together so perfectly. It all starts
with the screenplay by Coppola and the original novel’s author Mario Puzo. The two of them were able to strip away the
novel and turn it from a best-selling, sleazy exploitation book (which is also
really good) to a powerful, sprawling family epic.
A good screenplay is one thing, but it’s nothing without the
actors to bring it to life. The
struggles Coppola had to get the studio to let him have the cast he wanted is
well documented, but it ultimately paid off.
It begins and ends with Marlon Brando and his Academy Award-winning
performance as Don Vito Corleone.
There’s only one word to describe this turn by Brando: iconic. Brando with his bull-doggish face, his
tuxedo, and his cat will remain one of the most timeless images in film history
for many years to come. Then you mix in
Jimmy Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, and of
course Al Pacino and you have what is perhaps the greatest gathering of talent
ever assembled on screen.
I could go on and on with all the elements that make the
first Godfather so great (Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola’s music, Gordon Willis’
cinematography, Francis Ford Coppola’s direction, the sets, the costumes, etc.)
but then you’d be reading this for much longer than you want to (frankly, I’m
surprised you’ve made it this far).
Anyway, I still have two more films I have to briefly talk about. I mean, The Godfather Part II is only one of
the few sequels that basically matches it predecessor in almost every
aspect. Fun fact, Coppola didn’t want to
direct the movie so Paramount let him choose who would take over the director’s
chair, so Francis chose none other than a young upstart named Martin Scorsese. Paramount refused, so Coppola relented and
did the movie himself, but how awesome would a Marty-directed Godfather film
have been? Enough with what could have
been and back to what was, Coppola went bigger and bolder with the second film
in the series, crafting a tale of a father and a son at the same stages of
life. Pacino returns as Michael Corleone
and as young Don Vito, Robert De Niro stepped in and did nothing less than win
Best Supporting Actor, while the film itself took home Best Picture (just like
Part I). Again, it was simply incredible
work from everybody involved in the making of the film. 
15 years later, the whole crew returned for one last hurrah
with The Godfather Part III. The movie
was never intended to be a sequel to the first two films, instead it was
supposed to be more of an epilogue, a where are they now of sorts, but
everyone, from the studio to the moviegoers saw things the way they wanted to
(read: the wrong way) and the film was viewed as a major disappointment. It was largely overshadowed by another mob
film released in 1990 (see above), but it did still garner another Best Pic
nomination, a fact lost on many of it’s detractors. I could defend the film to the heavens, but
you’ve been here long enough. I’m sure
you’ve got other things to do on top of the many movies you now have to
watch. Enjoy it. Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas everyone.
