[Vyse]

Share your top 3 favorite movies and why you enjoy watching them so much.

Independence Day

---

My favorite movie. It's a movie about the world coming together to set aside their differences and defeat the alien invaders. I like how we get to view the story from multiple character perspectives and there are a handful of big action scenes with none of the destruction being too over-the-top or unbelievable. While it is the first in a trend of disaster movies, I think the characters in Independence Day are well-written with good performances that give the movie a memorable human element. Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman who play David Levinson and President Whitmore, respectively, are my favorite characters. Judd Hirsch (Julius Levinson), Will Smith (Captain Hiller), Harvey Fierstein (Marty), and Randy Quaid (Russell) are pretty memorable too. I also liked the genuine alien design of the massive saucers, the appearance of the Harvesters, and the cold, spooky interior of the mothership.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

---

Growing up, I was really into the Terminator movies and fascinated by some of its ideas, such as traveling back in time to change the future. I first watched this movie as a kid, around the same time I had seen Back to the Future and read H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. Arnold Schwarzenegger was my favorite actor and you could say he was a perfect fit for the T-800 sent back in time to protect John Connor. I always remember the moment he picks up the minigun and briefly smirk to John. It's a fascinating movie where we see the protector archetype learn from the boy he is meant to protect and the irony that he becomes a kind of father figure, which is why the ending is so good, and to me it's one of many moments that elevates the sequel above the original. It goes without saying that Robert Patrick plays the role of the T-1000 extremely well, especially as a more advanced infiltrator, further emphasizing the persistent threat of a Terminator. I love the overall look and sound of the movie too, from the lighting and color grading to Brad Fiedel returning to compose the music and the use of "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses in the scene with John riding away on his dirt bike.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

---

I love Spider-Man and Spider-Man (2002) comes in at a very close second when talking about my favorite Spider-Man movies. But how could I say no to a Spider-Man movie with Tobey, Andrew, and Tom all playing Spider-Man in the same movie? Even better is that my favorite Spider-Man villain, the Green Goblin, is once again played by Willem Dafoe in an excellent performance. For myself, this movie was a love letter to Spidey fans with plenty of action, heart, and a perfect ending. Most people here probably won't agree, dismissing the movie for whatever reason. I get superhero fatigue but to me there's no such thing as Spider-Man fatigue. Especially when the movie is this good. I even liked how Electro looked closer to his source material instead of the glowing blue human battery from Amazing Spider-Man 2. Some of the memorable moments for me include Aunt May's death, Andrew saving MJ (the whole theater erupted in applause), and seeing Tom swinging through the city in the new (classic) Spider-Man suit at the end. I could watch the whole movie from start to finish again and again for years. Like I said, the original Spider-Man is still very, very good but No Way Home was like a second, far better attempt at Spider-Man 3, in that with No Way Home we got a worthy threequel and it happens to pay tribute to the Spider-Man movies before it.

 

[Ascend]

Just 3? Wow

Arrival
It's unique and profound.

The Last Samurai
Great story of redemption and doing what's right

Gladiator
The embodiment of perseverance after losing everything

 

[Neil Young]

1. Amadeus

Saw this when I was a kid. Went to see Return of the Jedi but it was sold out. Only other movie playing was Amadeus. Loved it, loved the music and acting.

2. Goodfellas

Not much to say here. The most rewatchable movie ever made. Perfection.

3. The Godfather

Another perfect movie. I feel that if you paused this movie at almost any point, you could frame it. It just looks fantastic and is also so rewatchable.

 

[and 3 others]

The Village.
The setting is enchanting to me. Starting over in a semi-primative way. The quasi-religiosity with the "creatures". All the actors are S tier. And the fucking music, especially the cello on the score.

The Prestige.
Amazing movie, even better the second time.

Alien.
The most terrifying movie I've ever seen. Even to this day. The dialog and writing was 15 years ahead of
it's time.

The Last Samurai

Fuck yeah. I went in thinking I'd hate it, but ended up loving it.

 

[Night Sky]

Demolition Man
Good action, fun scenes, good acting, funny quotable lines.

Commando
Arnie at his best. Third best quote of any film from Fat-Freddy-Mercury-In-A-Chainmail-Vest: "Put the knife away and shut your mouth"

Predator
Arnie at his best. Awesome film with the second best quote of any film "Nothing but a bunch of slack jawed f*ggots around here. This stuff will turn you into a sexual tyrannosaurus, just like me." And the best quote of any film "Anytime". Amazing delivery

Runner ups: Watchmen, Dark Knight, All 3 naked guns. The Prestige is amazing and is better the second time around. I never clicked that Christian Bale's brother was a Tesla clone and that's why he was never rescued on the first watch. I thought he was a twin

 

[and 3 others]

The Prestige is amazing and is better the second time around. I never clicked that Christian Bale's brother was a Tesla clone and that's why he was never rescued

Tesla did say he made the device once before.

Alfred
Borden
Robert
Angier

 

[Ascend]

1. Amadeus

Saw this when I was a kid. Went to see Return of the Jedi but it was sold out. Only other movie playing was Amadeus. Loved it, loved the music and acting.

2. Goodfellas

Not much to say here. The most rewatchable movie ever made. Perfection.

3. The Godfather

Another perfect movie. I feel that if you paused this movie at almost any point, you could frame it. It just looks fantastic and is also so rewatchable.

Don't think I've seen any of these

 

[Neil Young]

Commando
Arnie at his best. Third best quote of any film from Fat-Freddy-Mercury-In-A-Chainmail-Vest: "Put the knife away and shut your mouth"

Fuck yeah! One of my faves. So many great lines. Also, there was this weird sexual tension between Bennett and Matrix. Bennett would always speak fondly of him "Ahh, if Matrix was here, we would oil up each other…err…I mean kill everyone." The whole ending "I'm going to shoot you in the balls." They don't make ''em like this anymore.

 

[MetalAlien]

Alien
Aliens
The Thing

Not only are all three just wonderful movies all three are the pinnacle of film making at the time. You can watch them over and over not just for the story but to gaze at how masterfully each shot and SFX is perfectly executed.

 

[Neil Young]

Don't think I've seen any of these

Watch Goodfellas today! I'll wait.

 

[Night Sky]

Fuck yeah! One of my faves. So many great lines. Also, there was this weird sexual tension between Bennett and Matrix. Bennett would always speak fondly of him "Ahh, if Matrix was here, we would oil up each other…err…I mean kill everyone." The whole ending "I'm going to shoot you in the balls." They don't make ''em like this anymore.

"I Don't need a gun, I can take you!"

Bennett is the best bad guy. He's camp but tough, cheesy yet brutal and is all business, even defending 9 year old alyssa Milano when his mercs are talking tough.

Total recall and running man are up there with commando. Running man, commando, predator, total recall. Absolute 10/10 bangers

 

[Vyse]

Gladiator and Goodfellas are in my top 10 favorite movies too. Actually, Goodfellas was #3 for a long time but I just like Spider-Man too damn much to be honest.

 

[Kadayi]

Blade Runner

A visual masterpiece that (along with Ridley Scott;s other film Alien transformed the way we think about the future) with a fantastic soundtrack and some great scenes, dialogue & performances (Rutger Hauer (RIP) especially, who runs the gamut of poetic, playful, terrifying & tragic,), and an overriding mystery to it that still lingers.



The Big Lebowski

Endlessly quotable and brilliantly shot with some truly memorable characters. Probably one of my most watched moves at this juncture.



The Seven Samurai

I remember seeing this late at night as a kid when BBC2 ran some Japanese film season and being absolutely blown away by it, despite it being in Black & White with subtitles. Albeit it has a long run time, Kurosawa packs so much in there, in terms of the characters, the action and the plot, as well as social; commentary when it comes to the nature of the peasants versus the Samurai and the class distinctions. Definitely, a film I recommend to everyone to experience once.



On a different day, I dare say I'd be swapping Mulholland Drive, The Royal Tenebaums, Goodfellas, The Social Network or Fightclub, but today they are runner-ups.

 

[QuantumZebra]

1. Aliens - has it all; action, horror, sci-fi... it's everything I love about cinema and packaged perfectly with amazing one-liners, dialogue, characters, lore, etc. Could be a standalone film and would be just as strong.

2. Terminator 2 - just like Aliens above; it is just an all-around exceptional film (when James Cameron raises the bar, he raises the fucking bar). It took the source film (strangely similar to Aliens... a solo female protagonist being hunted by an unstoppable enemy) and went full-tilt epic with it. If you can't tell, I like post-apocolayptic/future horror and action.

3. Blade Runner - just a sublime experience. Arguably the best musical score put to film (likely 2nd or 3rd to Star Wars and Jurassic Park, though). Even though it takes place in a vastly different future, it still manages to be real and gritty. It seems like a future that could (and may likely) happen. Rutger Hauer killed it and was a perfect antagonist against Ford's gruff persona.

Runners Up: Star Wars - A New Hope, Jurassic Park, @Boswollox I agree, I'd have to add The Prestige as a runner-up... fucking great movie.

 

[teezzy]

1. Clerks (1994)

---

Kevin Smith is my favorite filmmaker of all-time, and the first two Clerks movies capture a brutal honesty about life which few other films do all while remaining hilarious with a complete lack of pretension. This movie feels raw and is rough around the edges in a way that give it an earnesty few movies have. The dialogue is smart, and the jokes are often quite vulgar. Still, there's a huge heart to the movie which bleeds through Kevin Smith's latter work as well (including Clerks 2). This was the movie which started the View Askewniverse, a loosely connected collection of films by Kevin which all share fictional similarities, characters, and world-building throughout each.



Clerks is a hangout movie where the characters begin to feel more like your friends from a different life with each viewing. It's a movie where people just sit around talking and the camera never moves. Clerks explores what it's like to live in a humdrum lower-middle class area, armed with only an extensive knowledge of pop-culture giving you a false sense of superiority over the random customer base of your dead-end retail job. There's a sense of hopelessness and despair underneath the skin of Clerks which is only alleviated through the bond of the friendship between Dante and Randall. It's a movie I relate to heavily and is almost like some sort of blue collar Noah Baumbach flick with dick and fart jokes instead of hipsters.

Plus, goddamn that soundtrack.



It's popular to shit on Smith these days, but man, he really had something special going for at least a decade, and it all started with Clerks.

2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

---

Monsters were always something which fascinated me, and I was partial to the horror genre even at a young age. When I was really young I'd sleep under a Scooby Doo comforter and snuggle up with my PlaySkool Big Frank Frankenstein toy



With that said, as I got older, I started watching horror more and more. Had a bit of a weird upbringing, and I think my angsty teen self really related to horror movies the same way I did heavy metal which helped me let out some subconscious aggression. Of all the horror movies I watched, nothing fascinated me more than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Even before ever seeing it, I remember endless stories of it being the goriest movie ever made. Which is ironic, because there's very little to no blood in the entire flick. This is done on purpose. Much like the other best movies of the genre - TCM relies on "theater of the mind", and people's memories of the movie are far more gruesome than the movie itself is.



Much like Clerks, The Texas Chainsaw has a very raw energy which permeates the entire film. The film feels voyeuristic at times, and through the art design full of animal carcasses and dirt rotting away in the hot Texas summer heat. You feel a bit unclean just watching it. Apart from this uncomfortable and effective nature of the movie lies an extremely warped sense of humor throughout the movie. Franklin, the wheelchair bound victim of the movie is constantly spitting, sweating, and whining to the point where you just can't wait to see him perish at the end of a chainsaw blade. Beyond that the interaction between the cannibalistic Sawyer family are downright deranged and you begin to side with them more as the carnage unravels. You begin to root for them through the movie and then begin laughing alongside their twisted mentality and interactions as it's so unlike your actual day to day life. It's just absurd.

3. Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

---

Some people argue that Freddy Got Fingered is the worst movie of all time, it's a work of dadaism, or that it's some sort of elaborate prank against both Hollywood which satires the 2000's era of gross-out comedy. I couldn't disagree more with all three of these assessments. Freddy Got Fingered is just outright hilarious, and I always thought that was widely accepted growing up with my white trash friends and watching our copy of the DVD repeatedly.

It's an absurdist comedy with an intentionally loose plot structure. Nothing really makes sense, and there's largely no consequence for any of the folly which takes place as 28-year old Gord comes to terms with his unappreciated creative mind in hopes of one day becoming a successful animator much to his father's dismay. Gord still lives at home and has little to no sense of direction or purpose beyond his fascination that one day he's going to be the next Charles Schultz. The movie then goes deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of off-beat humor with plenty of gross-out gags and Tom Green doing his damndest to showcase his oddball sensibilities and sense of humor which, much like the titular character, few people understand. While masturbating a horse and playing with roadkill may be repulsive behavior to anyone sane, Gord defends these actions as "being creative." This explores the absolute farcicality of living a mild mannered suburban life where things only have meaning because we provide them one.



Tom Green, like it or not, is an artist. His oddball behavior and way of thinking led him to be an inspiration for people like the Jackass crew, Eric Andre, various YouTubers, Joe Rogan (who has cited Tom Green's online television show as something which inspired his podcast), and many others. He was ahead of his time as many unique thinkers are, and Freddy Got Fingered is his misunderstood magnum opus. There's a reason Tom plays homage to Buster Keaton's "Steamboat Bill Jr" in Freddy Got Fingered where a house falls on Tom, yet leaving him completely uninjured. Buster Keaton was also far ahead of his time, and Tom deservedly views himself in that same light.

4. Eraserhead (1977)

---

Eraserhead is the quintessential David Lynch movie. It's a slow burn full of seemingly abstract symbolism which challenges the viewer to take an unsettling ride through its hellscape of a plot. Right from the jump the movie intentionally disrupts your expectations as it purposely denies your urge to approach the movie with a sense of familiarity with an opening shot of the protagonist displayed at a 90 degree angle floating in what appears to be space.

This sets you up perfectly to accept any and all upcoming surreality which the movie is loaded to the brim with. While I view the movie as a very simple narrative about a man and his worries about becoming a newfound father, there are so many other theories about this movie and what it all means that it'd make your head spin. If I could watch this movie with someone I could show them each bit of symbolism which explains my theory, and they could show me there's. It's captivating to both of us, which I think makes Eraserhead such an effective work of art.

Much like Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Eraserhead is very funny in ways which it never receives credit for. From memorable gags like the awkward pacing and intimate moment of waiting on a slow elevator:

Or the little chickens which bleed and move their legs as you try to cut yourself a piece:

to the mentally ill mother in law accompanying you at the very same chicken dinner:

It hits a raw nerve where you're unsure whether you should be terrified or laughing your balls off. I feel like there's a little bit of both, and Lynch does explore that emotion throughout the majority of his filmography but I don't think he ever hits the nail on the head the same way he does with Eraserhead.

5. Gummo (1997)

---

Named after Gummo Marx, the Marx brother who left the troupe early on to join the military, Gummo was Harmony Korine's directorial debut. It is arguably the grittiest and strangest of all the movies on this list which says a lot. As a film, Gummo spends a large amount of its time studying the residents of the small white trash fictional Ohio town of Xenia after it was hit by a tornado. There's a large cast of characters here featuring a neighborhood cat killer, albino girls with their eyebrows shaved off, and a kid who wears pink bunny ears. These characters' loose plotlines are all compiled almost like a collection of short stories which plot lines occasionally intertwine.



Gummo is weird, showcases the twisted mind of Korine (who most-famously wrote Larry Clarks' Kids and directed Spring Breakers) at its most raw. Much like Clerks, this is a movie about people with few resources trying to find meaning in their lives. The movie feels dirty much like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre does, and is almost as surreal as Eraserhead or Freddy Got Fingered. There's a reason I love all these movies so much.

Also like Clerks, Gummo has a phenomenal soundtrack:



It's hard to describe Gummo beyond saying that its a 90's poetic white trash hodge-podge of a movie which lets you feel as though you're taking a first-hand view of the lives of people who you're not supposed to be witnessing. I own this movie both on DVD and VHS, and it seems like the value of both those physical copies is increasing with time. This movie is a cult classic at this point, and imho an absolute cinematic masterwork.

---

Further thoughts...

It's interesting how all of these movies are the first movies directed by each respective filmmaker. They all have their own warped sense of humor, and deal with lower middle class or poorer characters. All five movies feel gritty, raw, and rough around the edges in a charming way. I think you could respectfully call each a fine example of auteur cinema. Really cool to sorta see a few common threads in my favorite movies. Guess I never thought about them collectively much before making this post.

Thanks for the opportunity @Wei Shen , I hope this post inspires some to watch or re-watch at least one of these (especially my buddy @O-N-E ).

 

[Night Sky]

@QuantumZebra I've got to join you and @Kadayi with Blade Runner. It's a masterpiece of cinema. Nothing happens, yet it's enthralling in every second of it. Every scene, line and backdrop paints one of the most vivid pictures in all of cinema. Topped off with an ad-libbed line that goes down as one of the greatest quotes in film.

 

[Hostile_18]

Titanic
The greatest movies transport you to another time and place. Perfect casting, a great score and excellent vfx. Everything comes together perfectly, to leave a profound impression on your soul. I've seen this about 20+ times over the years. There will almost certainly never be a greater movie in our lifetime.


Avengers Infinity War
12 or so franchises coming together in a perfect way. Thanos is expertly played and completely lived up to the hype. Who can forget the ending, that truly taught us what it is like to lose.


Triangle
Watching it the first time is just the beginning. A horror film that doesn't play out the way you expect. Each viewing gives you more and more. Don't watch a trailer, just go in and enjoy.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

1. Alien

They made the most gorgeous horror film ever made and filled it with adults with adult dialogue and adult concerns. You weren't waiting for the idiots to die off one by one, these were people you could imagine being friends with at work or something. Dallas in the vents is one of the scariest scenes in film history, partially due to the score, the score for the film is absolutely incredible. The depiction of futuristic tech feels so authentic because none of it is glamorized and the characters don't really care. Life is still shitty despite all this crap, and the practical effects work is unmatched. The alien itself is brilliantly designed and no movie monster comes close.

2. The Terminator

The alien scares me out of my mind but if I had to choose to have an alien from Alien after me or the Terminator... that's a tough choice. Usually regarded as an action movie despite its dark atmosphere, horror synth soundtrack and the near complete inability of the heroes to actually combat the threat for most of the film. Scenes of the future war are an absolute nightmare world. There's an odd subset of people who talk about how they would survive a zombie apocalypse, no one is talking about how they'd survive the future depicted in this film. It can be fun to think of this as the typical action movie in reverse, the unstoppable protagonist is the villain, with it being especially prescient Arnold would be cast in the role.

3. Aliens

James Cameron had the unfathomable task of making a sequel to the greatest piece of horror cinema ever. He opted to go more action while keeping the horror atmosphere intact, not far off from what he was doing with Terminator just 2 years earlier. While making the Alien something you could kill with a gun feels like a retcon of the original film it was really the only direction you could go in, it's still a hopeless feeling dire situation even with guns, vehicles and nukes at your disposal. Part of the problem with making any entries after this was how did you go bigger than this? This was the sequel that went as big as a sequel could go. There's nowhere to go from there and further entries proved that thoroughly. Another movie where the score is doing serious work.

4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

After proving he could make a sequel to something no one should have been able to he did it again, with more retcons! The opening narration by Sarah Connor just tells us plainly that 2 Terminators were sent back, not just 1... I guess I can buy it. Oh, and once again they reach their target at roughly the same time so you're appropriately unsure of how things will go, and also unsure who the villain is (if you avoided previews). Okay, c'mon, this is stretching it isn't it? Oh but look at how well done this is, look at these action scenes! The effects! The score! Man, who cares if this movie was supposed to exist, be glad it does. While I might want to condemn it for introducing the idea of copious CGI to the action formula in this film the CGI is only used for the literally impossible liquid metal idea that can form shapes at will idea, everything else is a stunt or practical.

5. The Thing

Due to a delay in release John Carpenter had a full year to make this film immaculate and what he created has so much thought put into it with so many nuances to everything. Much like Alien we are focused on adult characters talking like adults dealing with the horrific threat. Why don't they make movies like this as often now? Oh, it's because this bombed, isn't it? Featuring the most amazing creature effects work you'll ever see from Rob Bottin, an amazing score from Ennio Morricone and Carpenter himself and a perfect atmosphere that leaves you as cold and paranoid as the characters.

6. RoboCop

Usually a movie featuring pitch perfect satire can't also be one of the more entertaining action films ever made at the same time. Skewering the news and corporations (picture a modern RoboCop where the corporate commercials tell you how much they care about your diversity) in a slightly more dystopic view of Detroit than we currently have and featuring awesome sci-fi concepts as well as the immaculately designed RoboCop (Thanks again Rob Bottin) and his awesome damn gun. This movie is gorier than a horror movie and has more to say than that year's Oscar nominees. It's everything anyone could want in a film.

7. Ghostbusters

For me comedy isn't just about how many times I can be made to laugh, although I rarely stop laughing during re-watches of this. This has comedy that naturally flows through the performances of the characters, but they exist in a world that feels serious, real and could even be a horror movie with the cast swapped. Dana Barrett certainly must feel like she's living one in that apartment from Hell. Besides the laughs and the scares there's also your quintessential blockbuster formula with sky beams, giant threats and the fate of the entire world at stake by the time you reach the explosive finale. It's unbelievable a film like this even exists.

8. Die Hard

I amuse myself with the idea this was once meant to be Commando 2 before Conan the Destroyer turned Arnie off the idea of sequels (until Terminator 2, but who can blame him). I also amuse myself with the idea that the character in the novel it's based on was a Frank Sinatra type. What were the chances you ended up with the iconic anti-action hero role of John McClaine out of all of that performed by Bruce Willis? While other '80s action heroes were delivering one liners while all the bad guys missed our hero here is barefoot, bloody and bruised and barely surviving all this. He still has some jokes to tell but they seem mostly like he's actually talking to himself, slowly going insane from what he must be dealing with. Never forget the awesome villain performance from Alan Rickman as well, or how much better the action is in this lowest budget entry than any of the sequels either.

9. Se7en

The neo-noir detective film is a lot of fun. It takes what worked about old film noir but updates it so it's a bit less hokey for youngins like myself. This movie is dead serious nearly at all times with an engrossing score that constantly wants you to think something even worse is about to happen... because something is. Freeman conveys believable and sympathetic apathy at the world he lives in, who wouldn't want to give up? Brad Pitt is giving us someone who thinks he can change things and we're as mad as he is it's not working. And of course there's the killer with his lines like "Only in a world as shitty as this could you call any of these people innocent" and you've got to sit and wonder if he's really wrong.

10. Predator

Sometimes thought of as the ultimate man film for manly men, and certainly, it's full of beefcakes and one small woman who barely has any coherent lines of dialogue. The big early action set piece is certainly the stuff the average manly man is looking for, just a team of professionals wasting NPC goons like it's the easiest thing in the world, they don't even have time to bleed if they get shot. But what follows is an alien threat absolutely dismantling these pinnacles of manhood like they're nothing and the only way to anyone has a chance at winning is by using their brain. Another violent, exciting and adult sci-fi/horror/action hybrid from when we used to get those.

 

[and 3 others]

Glad to see some of us can still count to 3.

 

[Arkam]

Same as they were in 2021 when someone else made a similar thread:

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Mallrats (1995)

1.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Watched this again for the hundredth time (or more). Still my all time favorite film. Its the perfect combination of humor and melancholy, set to the Wes Anderson picturesque filming and atypical dialogue. And absolute masterpiece on the high seas.

When I watch this I can really relate to Steve. The way he views adventure, leadership, fatherhood, recognition and women. But also that real sense of longing for better times when it felt like the world wanted you. A great character not unlike Gene Hackman's magnificent Royale Tenenbaum. To outsiders they come off as egotistical assholes, but if you have walked a few steps down a similar road it makes them endearing in the purist form.

While I have enjoyed Anderson's work since, I feel he peaked here. Bottle Rocket > Rushmore > Royale Tenenbaums > Life Aquatic was a series of great films with each one getting better than the last. Then Darjeeling happened and they started going (up &) down in terms of my enjoyment. At this point I think Anderson has become like Tim Burton, where he is looking at his old work as templates to reproduce instead of just winging it like they did early in their career and giving a raw take on their style.

2. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) -

This IS Star Wars. A New Hope, may have established the world, this is the film that populated it and made it real. Everything since then has been a built off this foundation. Great story where the heroes are put on their back foot from start to finish, where the best they ever shoot for is getting away. It creates a sense of realism. This is a stark contrast to the campy "we can do anything" hero glasses the first film looked at the world. We also get three unique planets (in addition to starships) in Hoth (where we get a the epic AT-AT siege) , Dagobah (which brings Yoda!) andBespin/Cloud City (which gives us Lando and is the setting for the best Light Saber Fight in the trilogy). Also as establishing this world, we have Leia hinted as Lukes sister (after they kiss!) and reveals Vader as their father. It also intrduced Boba Fett (and Bossk, IG-88) and establishes that the Empire is in fact ruled by an Emperor....and it aint Vader.

Also all the FX and props that were kinda phoned in for New Hope are next level and further create a sense of realism.

Its the film that made me believe that you could have deep sci-fi universe that wasn't as sterile as fooling around with an abacus (looking at you Trek!)

Oh and this magic would NEVER be recaptured. Only imitated and referenced. The closest we came was a few stories in the Expanded Universe.



3. Mallrats (1995)

As a kid who grew up playing video games and reading marvel comics, this movie was my ambition in life. It took those two nerdy endeavors and portrayed them as (relatively) cool via Jason Lee as the character Brodie. A loser at Life but hero in life. New his comic references, had a quick tongue, but struggles to accomplish anything or run a mile. But that doesn't ding his ego. This for me is peak Kevin Smith. He learned how to make a film properly, but maintained the unfiltered fandom. The result is a hilarious film with countless quotable lines (and quote I do!) I remember forcing my Wife to watch this one. She read the synopsis and said it sounded lame.... then proceeded to laugh uncontroablly through out. and eventually admit "ok, this is pretty good" And thats with her being too young to fully applicate some of the jokes.

Mallrats! My favorite Kevin Smith film. While the whole movie is gold, the dating game scenes alone are brilliantly humorous.

Its funny, my three favorite films are three takes on the idea of losing or being a loser. Guess I find that more appealing of a story than winning.

 

[teezzy]

@Arkam

Mallrats - Magic Eye Slipcover - Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Arrow Store Exclusive

Buy Mallrats - Magic Eye Slipcover - Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Arrow Store Exclusive from Arrow Video.

www.arrowvideo.com

 

[Arkam]

@Arkam

Mallrats - Magic Eye Slipcover - Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Arrow Store Exclusive

Buy Mallrats - Magic Eye Slipcover - Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Arrow Store Exclusive from Arrow Video.

www.arrowvideo.com

Arrow Video with another win. They are an eclectic distributor, but awesome most of the time. Tons of great Blu Ray releases!