10 Movies To Watch Before You Die
Up till now I have finished watching hundreds of movies from miscellaneous genres. There are some so preposterous, you question your faith in human intelligence. And, there are also some making you feel ambivalent after leaving the cinema, not knowing whether to despite or to go crazy over. But, this list of movies does not include any of the above. Instead, it is a compilation of the best movies I have seen so far. Movies that inspire me and own the power to entice me from studying (just kidding, I hate studying no matter what).
This list is in the form of counting down, which technically means number 10 is my least favorite among these, and number 1, on the other hand, is the king. Now that you have understood how the system works, grab your popcorn and let's jump right into it.
Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions are spectacular must-see movies that don't quite make the list. I had a difficult time leaving them out, but what needs to be done has to be done.
50/50 (2011)
Gravity (2012)
All 8 Harry Potter movies
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Home alone 2: Lost in NY (1992)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Ratatouille (2007)
Coraline (2009)
The Incredibles (2004)
The Hunger Games (2012)
The Babadook (2014)
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Official Top 10
10. AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)
Let me put down a few simple words: Bold and original.
There's something not many people know about me is my obsession with murderer stories. So, you can imagine how many crimes I've seen in flicks, story-telling videos and books before. Yet, this piece of dark comedy slash thriller still holds number one spot in my heart. Let's put aside the violence of the R-rated killing scenes (which I thoroughly relished, btw), what strikes me the most is the psychological aspect of American Psycho.
The plot follows a man named Patrick Bateman casting the deft Christian Bale (2006-2009 Batman). Unlike the majority of serial killers, Patrick doesn't own an abusive childhood, doesn't hide in shadow, and most definitely, is not outcasted by the society. In fact, he is an narcissistic and utterly attractive businessman belonging to the noble class. The way American Psycho depicts Bateman's sickening addiction is both entertaining and scary to observe. Analyzing further, the function of the murders is to make visible the frenzy of the territorial male when his will is frustrated.
Fun fact: Jared Leto, the 2016 Joker (Suicide Squad), plays Bateman's colleague Pual Allen and sadly gets killed in one of my all-time favorite movie scenes. And, Margot Robbie, aka Harley Quinn, recreates the notorious opening scene of American Psycho. What a coincidence!
9. IT (2017)
Based on same name novel by brilliant author of horror Stephen King, IT lays the groundwork for modern movie villains.
Reboots can hardly live up to, let alone outdo the original? I don't know about you, but I watched the 1990 version starring Jim Curry - the master of making faces. Thus, I can guarantee you this 2017 IT proves the absolute opposite to the popular assumption.
Jumpscares are legit. Gruesome and grotesque scenes after scenes. Most significantly is how the movie can fully portrays the barbarism of Pennywise, the embodiment of your worst fears and a fast unmerciful killing machine. You thought you saw it all? You haven't! The deleted scene where Henry Bowers slits through his father's neck and the flashback scene involving Pennywise devouring a baby are two out of many you're missing out on.
Enjoy the video? Part 2 is currently in the making. Can't wait!
8. MEAN GIRLS (2004)
"So fetch!" is the most correct term to describe Mean Girls.
This iconic comedy film has turned the whole cast into a household name and is an indispensable part of every 90s teenager. Mean Girls exaggerates, yet depicts quintessentially the ridiculousness of school life where people hold the unyielding need to be in the spotlight and frivolous crave for attention. Regardless of age or sex, it offers such stress-relieving, hilarious and unpredicted moments through the fantastic performances of Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Tina Fey and so forth. One more thing, don't watch the sequel! You have been warned!
7. PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006)
From the early beginning of cinema, films have managed to transport us to different worlds. For instance, Harry Potter takes us to the atmospheric world of magic filled with dark secrets and lurking evils. Or, World War Z and Train To Busan turn the imaginary world where zombie pandemic occurs into reality. In this case, Pan's Labyrinth succinctly displays the brutality and severance of Spanish Civil War's aftermath all from the perspective of an innocent child.
It'd be a challenging task to summarize the whole plot considering the complexity and profundity of the conveyed messages and the entwinement between a real and a dream world. This half dark fantasy adventure, half historical drama is an act of rebellion against unquestioned authority and a deeply tragic story, criticizing futile war and lost humanity, as well as wishing for a better future.
Guillermo del Toro is one of the world best directors, in my opinion, producing successful blockbusters like Hell Boy (2004), Oscar-winning The Shape Of Water (2017), Pacific Rim (2013), Crimson Peak starring Taylor Swift ex-boyfriend Loki (2015) and The Book of Life (2014). All of his films are undeniably gorgeous and suspenseful.
Below is a cutscene showing the encounter between Ofelia (protagonist) and the pale monster.
6. TITANIC (1997)
Honestly, who doesn't know this movie?
This 1998 Best picture Oscar winning film possesses all of the best elements to turn moviegoers into a punch of weepers: Heart-rending storyline, emotional performances by Leonardo DiCarprio and Kate Winslet, as well as the powerful theme song "My heart will go on" - Celine Dion. In short, Titanic is an extraordinary artwork marked by its remarkable achievements: Eleven Oscars and nearly $2 billion at the box office. Enough said!
5. A TALE OF THE TWO SISTERS (2003)
I cannot stress enough how I have watched an insane amount of horror films, and this to be the most traumatizing of all.
Minding horror or thriller genre, there's one palpable difference between East and West. I’ve noticed that western horror tends to rely heavily on visual horror and shock factors with disturbing, bloody images, gore, and jumpscares for the purpose of momentarily stunning the viewers. Oddly enough, I don’t find this type to be very frightening, especially after watching so many scary movies, it quickly becomes predictable and distasteful. Sure, the imagery can turn my stomach inside out from time to time, but the effect doesn’t last.
On the other hand, Eastern movies obtain the mastery of building and developing character depth, as well as exploiting the dreary atmosphere. Even though they drag and bore you out in the first 30 minutes, Eastern flicks prove slow-paced story telling can also be interesting. You only need to practice a little patience.
A Tale of 2 Sisters, the highest grossing Korean horror film, guarantees to haunt while blow you away with its dark psychological twists and turns.
4. GONE GIRL (2014)
Gone Girl seeps into disastrous modern day marriage and brings human nature into question. Are people secretly hiding their true colors to meet the public unrealistic expectation?
Amy acts as the good girl everyone learns to love. Only until the husband fails her is the bona fide malevolent personality revealed. Along with the protagonist, many supporting characters also promote this message. For example, the news reporter spoke against Nick until the public opinion supported him. The girl that slept with Nick dressed with a lot of cleavage and was the one who was more aggressive in the relationship, but when she went on TV, she wore something more conservative and acted out the good girl. The lawyer supported Nick on the TV interview, saying that there is another part of the story, but when they met, the lawyer didn't believe him.
Funny how during the entire movies, I tried to play the role of a detective examining bits and pieces of the plot and still got it wrong. I guessed her death was due to the husband suffering from dissociative identity disorder. How embarrassing! But the writer is to blame for creating such an unprecedented screenplay and ingenious twist, not my elementary analysis, right?
3. THE OTHERS (2001)
Best plot-twist in the history of cinema! Yes, you heard it right!
Does A Tale of 2 Sisters leave your jaw dropped near the ending? Or, Gone Girl makes you realize how wrong you are? Wait till you see The Others. The Others is a supernatural gothic horror film with psychological horror factors winning: Best Horror Film, Best Actress for Kidman and Best Supporting Actress for Fionnula Flanagan (Source: Wikipedia). Strange how such amazing movie doesn't hit the headlines quite often and so, not many people know about it. Nicole Kidman's haunting beauty and ghostly soft voice is still giving me the creeps.Now, I won't talk further, because I'd like to circumvent spoiling as much as possible. You have to go watch The Others by yourself to understand why I meritoriously rank it number 3 on favorite movie list of all time.
2. ALIENS (1986)
The Xenomorph has returned, but now there are hundreds of them and also eggs and a queen! Awesome!
From the same director of Titanic, who would have thought? James Cameron officially became my favorite director after Aliens. He outshone the original movie just simply by making the title plural. Dear butt-hurt Aliens fans, it was a joke. Obviously, there're tons more reasons making Aliens the second best of the best movies ever produced!
The Alien franchise has seen its ups and downs with 6 movies in total which I have fortunately and unfortunately seen:
Alien (1979) (Monumental!)
Aliens (1986) (Spectacular!)
Alien 3 (1992) (Though the plot is acceptable, the movie is highly destructive to the previous image of Ripley, even if it's her clone!)
Alien Resurrection (1997) (Epic fail, idiotic monster design)
Prometheus (2012) (This controversial prequel is my guilty pleasure)
Alien Covenant (2017) (Another epic fail with dumb characters, yet serves as a legit gory horror film that makes you want to puke at times)
Fun fact: I have an enormous crush on corporal Dwayne Hicks played by Michael Biehn. He's such a sweetheart and he has a beautiful smile!
1. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004)
I was in a quandary about which ones to put into the list from so many marvelous movies throughout the years and then having to rank them. Nevertheless, Harry Potter is an easy pick regarding how meaningful it is to me and my sister childhood.
Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban, to my surprise, makes the least out of the book series, yet the most successful out of the movie franchise. Of course, why I prefer this third installment to the rest is not because of its popularity with the "muggles". Instead, it is, from my point of view, the most impressive visually and superior in showcasing the wonder of the "wizarding world". Additionally, the classic marks the limestone where Harry Potter realizing this cryptic universe is much more convoluted and dark than he would expect.
There you have it! My best pick of all time! The one and only, Harry Potter! *scream in excitement*
Now you can hang loose and have a look-back at some of the scenes from Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban.
Last words: This list literally took me forever to finish and made me feel like such a film nerd, well, actually I am!