Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic “Seven Samurai” is “one hell of a tale”, and Toshiro Mifune imposing, hilarious and lovable .
10 – THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
1994 – Directed by Frank Darabont
4th – Empire Magazine’s 50 Greatest Ever Films
Regardless of the fact “The Shawshank Redemption” was every second AFL footballer’s favourite movie for the decade after it was released, the big screen adaptation of the Stephen King short story of the same name makes my top 10 favourite films of all time. Of all the prison dramas that have been turned into feature films, none have been as enjoyable to watch, nor as memorable as this one. The 1994 movie has just the right mix of ole’ time prison cruelty and karmic justice to leave the viewer well-satisfied. Every actor who appears in the movie does right by writer Stephen King and director Frank Darabont. Tim Robbins beat a “Who’s Who” of Hollywood talent including Tom Hanks and Kevin Costner to land the lead role of convicted murderer Andy Dufresne. Morgan Freeman plays the role of Shawshank Penitentiary inmate turned narrator Red, and once Freeman is seen in the role, you couldn’t imagine it being portrayed by anybody else. Freeman and Robbins are supported by an outstanding cast, none of whom shine as brightly as Bob Gunton, who delivers a faultless performance as Samuel Norton, Shawshank’s sadistic prison warden. A spellbinding Stephen King yarn brought to life by a wonderful cast makes “The Shawshank Redemption” one of the finest motion pictures of all time.
9 – YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
1974 – Directed by Mel Brooks
21st – Time Out’s 100 Greatest Comedy Films of All-Time
What makes a person laugh is a personal matter, but for me, there is no funnier movie than Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein”. Brooks has a resume filled with feature films and TV shows, and whilst I am a huge fan of the television classic, “Get Smart”, and his hit movie “The Producers”, nothing can match his spoof of the horror movie standard “Frankenstein”. Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman and Cloris Leachman may be at their comedic best in “Young Frankenstein”, but the biggest laughs are delivered by Peter Boyle in his unforgettable take on Frankenstein’s monster. There are many laugh-out-loud moments throughout the movie, but none are as hilarious as Boyle and Wilder’s rip on the song, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”. “Young Frankenstein” is a hidden gem, curiously overlooked in discussions over which is the funniest movie ever made.
8 – CHOPPER
2000 – Directed by Andrew Dominik
1st – IMDB’s Top 196 Australian Movies Ever Made
Andrew Dominik’s 2000 bio pic of Aussie criminal Mark Brandon Read is rightly considered by many to be the finest Australian film ever made. No-one could have predicted that a low-budget movie about the life of criminal who gained notoriety for cutting off his own ears would be anything more than ‘B’ grade schlock. Then factor in that the lead role was being played by a local sketch comedy actor with only a single movie role behind him, and you begin to get an idea of the true meaning of movie magic. Somehow, with the odds heavily stacked against it, this became a cult classic and a genuine critical success. Bana is simply superb in the lead role, whilst Dominik’s creative direction and daring use of light and varying filming techniques make this dark drama/comedy unmissable. Even those who are not familiar with the real-life exploits of Read know that they are watching a masterful performance by Bana. The movie that kick-started Bana’s international acting career is a classic that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
7 – FARGO
1996 – Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
114th – IMDB’s 500 Greatest Films of All-Time
Hollywood’s best kept secret, Joel and Ethan Coen, was no more with the brothers’ first genuinely commercial success, “Fargo”. Set in America’s icy northern states, the visually stunning kill-fest introduced a broad worldwide audience to the lavish treat that is a Coen Brothers’ movie. Coen Brothers first timers were treated to the intricate storyline and word-perfect script that is the trademark of the brothers’ work. Those of us familiar with over a decade of their movie-making skills marvelled at the glorious snow-covered canvas on which they painted “Fargo”, and squealed with delight at their humour-laced take on a kidnapping gone savagely wrong. Joel Coen needed to look no further than his wife of 12 years, acting great, Frances McDormand, to play the folksy, but tenacious cop, Marge Gunderson. If you haven’t seen the film, then do so simply to enjoy McDormand’s Academy Award-winning role. If there has been a more deserved winner for best actress, I’m yet to see it. McDormand is just wonderful. William H Macy, who plays Jerry Lundergard, the bumbling architect of the kidnapping gone wrong, can consider himself most unlucky not to have won the best supporting actor Oscar for which he was nominated. As much as the chill-blasted scenery and glorious acting made for a great movie, the standout star was a script that delivered various regional Minnesota accents on song throughout the movie. Yah, you betcha.
6 – BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
2006 – Directed by Larry Charles
10th – Time Out’s 100 Greatest Comedy Films of All-Time
Sasha Baron Cohen had already forged a reputation as a comedic genius when he ventured into the world of feature films with Borat. For some the mockumentary, which sees fictional Kazakhstani documentary maker Borat Sagdiyev travel the length and breadth of the US, is so cringe worthy that it is unwatchable. For others, including myself, the combination of scripted humour and the unscripted interaction between Baron Cohen and various individuals who believe that Borat is actually a journalist from Kazakhstan, is hilarious. There are classic scenes such as Borat’s dinner with a gathering of Southern politicians and socialites during which he fails in his attempt to display how much he has learnt from etiquette classes. Borat is a unique piece of movie making. At the same time offering sharp social commentary and laugh out loud humour.
5 – SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
1991 – Directed by Jonathan Demme
112th – IMDB’s 1200 Greatest Movies of All-Time
It’s close to 30 years since I sat mesmerised by my first encounter with Hannibal Lecter in Jonathan Demme’s “Silence Of The Lambs”. Sitting there, deep in the bowels of The Baltimore Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane, sat the cannibal doctor waiting for his FBI inquisitor and seemingly for we, the unprepared movie-goers. Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of one of literature’s most evil characters is surely moviedom’s most expeditious use of allotted screen time. Consider this. Hopkins is only on-screen for around 16 minutes of the 118 minutes of the film’s total running time, yet he goes and wins the Academy Award for best actor. One has to feel for Ted Levine, whose chilling performance playing psychopath “Buffalo Bill” is almost lost by comparison. For sports fans, Levine is to Hopkins as Stuart McGill was to Shane Warne or Hay List was to Black Caviar. “Silence Of The Lambs” was also a career high point for Jodie Foster, who shines as FBI agent Clarice Starling. Foster did, after all, walk away with Oscar for best actress, one of five little gold statues snared by the movie. Time may have dulled the impact “Silence Of The Lambs” has had on me, but if I cast my mind back to when I first saw it, there has never been a time I have been as gripped by fear whilst sitting in a picture theatre.
4 – THE BIG LEBOWSKI
1998 – Directed by Joel and Ethan Cohen
43rd – Empire Magazine’s 500 Best Films Ever Made
For a Coen Brothers groupie such as myself, choosing which of their movies I enjoy best may be less problematic than naming which of my four children is my favourite, but it is probably harder to do. After much to-ing and fro-ing, I have gone with “The Big Lebowski”, which has done to me exactly what it has done to many Coen Bros devotees, became greater over time with each additional viewing. It gets the nod despite a plot that goes in many directions without ever making it to “Conclusionville”. Don’t try to make sense of a story that both Joel and Ethan admit doesn’t stand the logic test, and enjoy it for what it is, an ordeal of monumental proportions for “The Dude”, a society drop-out that 1990’s California was only too willing to accommodate. As much as life was an easy ride for our white-Russian drinking, pot-smoking hero, nothing was ever going to be that straight-forward in a Coen Brothers’ movie, so Jeff Lebowski is given a cross or two to bear. Cross number one is his ten-pin bowling compadre and best friend, Walter Sobchak. A veteran who can’t leave the Vietnam War in the past, Sobchak is also a Sabbath-observing Jew despite only being Jewish by marriage, and a former marriage at that. By movie’s end, Walter is best summed up by The Dude’s lament, “you make everything a fucking travesty”. Cross number two is the reason behind this “story to beat the band”, a misunderstanding arising from sharing a surname with a supposed millionaire. “The Big Lebowski” is about interactions, and that can only work with actors made for the roles. It was Jeff Bridges and John Goodman as The Dude and Walter with no second choices. Add David Huddlestone, John Turturro, Julianne Moore, Tara Reid, plus a list too long for this review, all of whom add immeasurably to the humour derived from being characters whose primary, in fact solitary interest in life, is themselves. In fact, only Steve Buscemi and Philip Seymour Hoffman play characters who aren’t selfish to the core. It’s just so ‘90s West Coast, USA. There’s much more to enjoy in “The Big Lebowski”, not the least of which is an A-Grade soundtrack, but I’ve run out of column inches for this one. So just know this, “The Big Lebowski” is a rare gift, a movie that can be enjoyed over and over and over again.
3 – SEXY BEAST
2000 – Directed by Jonathan Glazer
44th – British Empire Magazine’s 100 Greatest British Films of All-Time
Think British gangster movie and the name that springs to most people’s minds is that of director Guy Ritchie. Whilst the former “Mr. Madonna” has made a sizeable contribution to the genre, none of his movies come close to Jonathon Glazer’s classic of the new millennium, “Sexy Beast”. Glazer came from the world of music videos and big budget advertising, where his direction was recognised with MTV’s best director gong in 1997. For all his well-earned reputation, it’s hard to believe that “Sexy Beast” was Glazer’s first full-length movie. Visually, the movie is a delight, with the zenith being an incredible underwater heist scene. Glazer’s all-star British cast makes light work of a slick, true-to-type script. Casting Ben Kingsley as the nutter’s nutter, Don Logan, was pure genius. At the time, Kingsley’s career choices had been limited by the huge shadow cast by his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Gandhi in 1982. From Gandhi to Don Logan was just the career move Kingsley needed to underline his limitless scope, a skill recognised by an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor in “Sexy Beast”. Ray Winston is unforgettable as Gary ‘Gal’ Dove, as is Amanda Redman playing Gal’s gorgeous and fiercely loyal wife, Deedee. Throw in Ian McShane, as menacing as any on-screen London gangster, in the role of top man, Teddy Bass, and you’ve got all the important jobs well sorted. “Sexy Beast” is a must-see for anyone who loves a crime story out of East London, the birthplace of the fast-talking cockney crim. If you intend on seeing the movie and would like me to divulge some of the storyline, my answer is a simple, “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no”.
2 – SEVEN SAMURAI
1954, Directed by Akira Kurosawa
18th – IMDB’s 500 Greatest Movies of All-Time
I’m always wary of any best movies list that has “Seven Samurai” near the top. Has the author thrown in the Kurosawa classic just for cred? Or is he or she really a devotee of not only the director, but of the Japanese samurai genre. There’s no way that I can prove that I’m not another of those wannabes other than swearing on a stack of samurai-throwing stars that from the age of eight, I was watching the adventures of Shintaro in that dubbed cult-classic The Samurai. On to the Kurosawa classic, and it’s one heck of a tale. In short, a village of farmers and their families are brought to the brink of starvation by marauding bandits. In desperation, they turn to guns for hire, which in feudal Japan means samurai. A fighting force is formed when a disparate group of samurai outsiders is brought together to protect the dying farmers. The movie then weaves a path between the samurai preparing for war and the relationships forged among themselves and the beleaguered townsfolk they have been hired to protect. It all culminates in a brilliantly graphic final battle to the death between the seven samurai and the bandits. It’s an epic tale, brought to life on the big screen with a depth of imagery that would become Kurasawa’s trademark. Never one to rely on just dialogue or acting to carry a scene, he sought movement, be it from a background of torrential rain, driving wind or a wheat field gently moving in a breeze. The director’s best-known on-screen collaborator, Toshiro Mifune, is at once imposing, hilarious and lovable as the scoundrel samurai, Kikuchiyo. The rest of the cast may be harder to name, but are outstanding nonetheless. “Seven Samurai” is a screen classic, but be prepared, you’ll need to set aside a good part of your day to watch it. Three-and-a-half hours is quite a commitment to make for one movie, but in the case of “Seven Samurai”, it’s one you’ll be all the richer for making.
1 – DR STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
1964 – Directed by Stanley Kubrick
21st – IMDB’s 500 greatest Movies of All-Time
And so to my favourite movie ever. If you have read through some, or all, of the 49 films that preceded my top choice, firstly, many thanks, and secondly, you’ll have observed that directing and acting are my go-to markers for movie greatness. With that in mind, I had little trouble falling in love with a Stanley Kubrick film starring comic genius Peter Sellers. Kubrick must have felt, as I do, that any scene with Sellers can’t help but be comedy gold, so he cast him in four, yes, four major roles for “Dr. Strangelove”. Ultimately, Sellers buckled at the workload, and feigning illness, managed to convince Kubrick to recast the role of bomber pilot, Major Kong. Even without rodeo-riding a nuclear bomb to world oblivion, Sellers is brilliant, but he is not alone. George C Scott is as funny, at least as warmongering US General, Buck Turgidson, and Slim Pickens does a fine fill-in job as Major Kong. The film’s greatness is that as a satirical comedy it is peerless, but just think of the time at which it first screened. The Cold War was very real, and here was a movie that had you in stitches whilst you were in your cinema seat, but worried as hell by the time you got to the car. A mark of the brilliance of all involved is that with the Cold War a distant memory, it still resonates. Maybe a movie about deranged politicians leading Superpowers into the abyss is more relatable than we might care to think.
MARK FINE’S TOP 50 MOVIES OF ALL TIME (Nos. 50-41)
MARK FINE’S TOP 50 MOVIES OF ALL TIME (Nos. 40-31)
Hey Finey, just belatedly came across your top 10. Very good picks and thanks for the insightful summaries. I reckon The Conformist and The Talented Mr Ripley would have got into mine. And probably Cuckoo’s Nest. Go Saints for 2022. By the way, I was one of the guys you were meant to have a beer with all these years ago at Marvel when they wouldn’t let you in. Maybe there’s still time . . .