Adam Lark’s 25 Favorite Movies of All Time

Here is my Top 25 Favorite Films of all time. Enjoy!

 

25. Kung Fu Hustle

Looney Tunes meets The Matrix. I am sold. A delightful story with a lot of breathtaking scenes taking place in Shanghai during 40’s. I am sold again. Kung Fu Hustle was created by the same director that made such a classic like Shaolin Soccer and an obscure comedy that I adore like The God of Cookery, Stephen Chow, and created to what is in my mind a Kung Fu lesson in purely mad fun. This movie locks away your sanity for crazy humor, picks up your morality when it wants and shows you some of the most impressive stylized violence through the filter of human animation I have ever witnessed. This is popcorn film at its finest with a heartfelt backstory that has little to do with the action that is genuine at heart. With all the funny lines, the whipping dialogue, hilarious story structure, top-notch action with the cartoonish nature of it all, it is my preference of a Matrix-style action flick with all the Hong Kong love of cinema all over it. I cannot tell you anymore than this. Watch the film and get back to me and see what you think.

24. Fight Club

Now I know, we all have an opinion out Fight Club, for better or worse. It is just such a display of the shitty nihilist feelings anyone would get when consumerism and answering to a boss at a job you despise and when gives you the most extreme plan to jettison that shit life, this movie is the result of you answering the call in doing something far outside what’s normal. So far that it is a plethora of comedically dark moments with quasi-psychology fed to you like the knowledge of how we all should know how to create fire as man in the form of fighting being mentally whittled down to a pawn in the grander scheme of nothingness and consumerist promises left unfulfilled. Are you a man if you do what is expected of you in these restraining ways that threaten your true purpose? Or are you going to fight with what fire in your veins and change your outcome? Well, this film takes that concept literally. Fight Club is a love note to the primal rage against getting too comfortable with what is most dangerous, the shameful complacency. Never again contained by the 9-5 and it shows us nothing but its own philosophy. That philosophy is smashing the social mask you were sworn to defend by the things you secretly hate and get back into the animalistic spirit of what being a conqueror of your own life’s purpose without ordering a new Ikea ejiejifajoefea. Aside from the payphones, Fight Club actually ages pretty well. The ideas that being a generation forced to believe that your highest achievement does not match the records of your god given right to fight against conformity in the guise of being the working man that buys useless shit in hopes of being that great rock star that simply does not match your likely income to make it. This is a fiendishly close to how so many people feel, artists or not. I love how it captures so much of life’s crucial questions asked by the employed and suffering first world shit and turns it into carnage with darker than obsidian humor that just leaves me roaring and in awe. With great editing, funny quotable lines, moments of intensity that prove long lasting, I just love the spirit of a movie that kicks you right in the sack like Fight Club. Again, if you fall head first into the philosophy of Fight Club? Shhh… I wasn’t here to tell you.

 

23. (500) Days of Summer

We all have the idea of finding “the one.” An idea hopelessly generated by movies, TV and songs. The notion that romance is there for the taking and, once taken, happiness is with us forever. If you are the type that has your love life in order, congratulations! I am happy for you in every sense of the word. It is hard to meet someone to fullfill us emotionally and stay. This movie shows us the road we all must travel to get there. Meet (500) Days of Summer, a film that shows us those presumptions with a sharpened sense of self-awareness. You see, the character Tom represents so many of us that get the wrong idea that the ONE will solve our problems, that we need her. This movie is so self-aware of finding a match and the math required to do so. We all have met girls that we could dream of, play our teenage songs of rejected moments to ironically and finally play the pop hits when she stays for the long run. This movie shows us that this idea is fatal to what we should be doing – never giving into that romantic idea stupidly. Granted, romance is always possible with the right person, but the reliance on her is kinda toxic and this film breaks down how even a good man like Tom, the everyman aka us, would be robbed of the illusion. So much care is taken into being happy by the ONE that we blind ourselves. (500) Days of Summer shows the hope and hopelessness of romance in such a real and serialized way that I love every message it has. The expectations vs. reality scene, the comparison of the matches between Tom and Summer, all the fixings of a great relationship on paper make us forget that love and attraction are hard beings, never a choice. It can change and dreams, when reliant upon the love of someone else, can and will change. I love the film’s portrayal of honest not glossing over “oneitous” as a fix. Rather, be prepared with this film to show you that the hero does not win for a reason, the girl does not stay because she is herself and a person that won’t solve the main character. You must become your own happiness in all senses of the word and expect the finding “The ONE” is not reasonable. I just love the soundtrack, the acting, the realistic ways love not going your way is portrayed and the film is just a sight to hold you to hope if you are single and bettering your life for all the right reasons to give with a cup that pours over with your own fulfillment should Autumn arrive on time. A well-shot film that gives us a look at what to expect when you fall in love and how fleeting it can be.

22. Following

Christopher Nolan’s first feature film shot on a shoestring budget, Following is a missed film by so many. This movie has been overlooked as the noir thriller that is so lowkey and surprising and when I heard of it after watching Inception, I was blown away. This movie is so cunning in its cinematography as a film noir that there is no mistake here about its place on my favorites. The movie centers on a man who is fascinated by passersby in London, who creepily (and ultimately unjustifiably) follows people that he finds of interest through the streets to gain influences for his next written piece as a writer. The main character, Danny aka “The Young Man,” finds a man who breaks into the homes of unsuspecting victims of burglary. The man he follows is swift, only finding intrigue through his methods of learning about stranger’s lives himself. This fascinates Danny and as soon as you know it, Danny is swept into an underworld he never imagined would be his downfall. I would not dare to tell you more than this, just know that this film astounds. Following is so claustrophobic in nature with big mysteries bellowing throughout the film’s narrative that it exists as a display of one spontaneous combustion after another. The film also showcases the mentality of having no central figures of altruism or faith in humanity, just a reach for the bottom dollar and all its allure and consequences. This is a key feature in film noir. At its core, Following is the pursuit of mystery rather than answers as Nolan tends to do with other movies like Memento. What sets this movie apart from Memento is that it was so modest, so pure in its execution and constraints that I loved watching one of our current masters of the director’s chair at work with so much of his own moxie and passion at work. Following is a film missed by many. Be sure to check it out.

 

21. The Shining

The Shining has been subjected to so many theories, so many true stories behind the scenes being talked about, the parodies throughout the years… Oh, man. This is a true horror classic. Ashamed it to be, Stephen King hated his work as this film was adapted into one of the most terrifying and enthralling classics I have ever seen. This movie has so many levels of ambiguity with its ending, the shot-for-shot cinematography is legendary, the acting is so believable – it is just a staple of horror and I love every second of this mad masterpiece. I really cannot say more. The Shining is truly a creature of madness shot through one of the greatest visionaries’ eyes for visual beauty in a sea of ideas bloodier than the elevator. A maddening masterpiece, The Shining has moments of the madness of isolation, the hope of keeping everything mentally together in a seemingly quite environment, and the apparitions of violence and terror. I loved this movie and it was a shame that Stephen King did not favor this version. The movie still is as haunting and crazy as it was the very first time I watched it and I still enjoy how insane it remains.

 

20. Captain America: Civil War

I am a sucker for Marvel’s movies. Granted, many are. How can you thread so many well-treated and so many well-developed characters with prior films and take one of Marvel’s greatest story lines and make it into a film? Captain America: Civil War, in every frame, did that and played by its own storytelling rules flawlessly. This movie leaves no stone unturned, the action is the best I have ever seen in a comic book movie, has the heart and humor that Marvel has been famously beloved for and turned it into simply one of the best times I have ever had at a theater. I mean it. This fucking movie shocked the hell out of me. When I was living in Taiwan, a group of friends and I went to the theater. There were 8 of us. Pleasantly surprised exactly 4 of us were Team Captain America and the other 4 were Team Iron Man. This movie did something spectacular, it made each supporter of each character and their logic change their minds not once, not twice, but multiple times seeing where each character came from. Granted there is that central villain in Zemo that serves as the proper suture and plot point, but the sides were changed within the movie multiple times. One of my favorite post-movie memories ever was after watching this movie and knowing that my friends from both my side and the other side of the conflict had their passionate say on what was so persuasive. I think fondly on that. Not to mention, that airport fight scene is the best comic book movie fight scene of all time. Nothing comes close. The deep seeded concerns for what heroes are meant to be, the worry of causing catastrophe if left unchecked, the threat of not knowing where to go from intervention from governments from all over the world and the very nature of what it is to save lives one act at a time. This movie pulls you in and makes you think. It is best described as endlessly entertaining throughout.

 

19. Evil Dead II

Shot on a low budget and a remake/sequel to the original Evil Dead, Evil Dead II taught me so much about imaginative film making. The scares are hilarious and frightening, the hero Ash is badass. The sense of helplessness is offset by our hero’s brave idiocy. This movie has the perfect mix of blood-filled fun in a cauldron of ineptitude between the evil spirits that are indeed threatening but flawed and the hero that is brave yet dumb. This turns the entirety of horror movies on its head with such a self-awareness that I cannot thank it enough for being the first. Great movies paying homage like Cabin in the Woods came much later than this and sadly, even the remake of Evil Dead (2013) was a bust. This film did it first with such filmmaker’s candor to know their limits and an amazing execution that I just love this for being the first and only horror movie to bust its own balls and be a highly effective horror epic with action movie badassery. Much of Evil Dead II’s fun comes from its ability to grant us the gifts of horror with elements from slapstick – honorably known now as “splatstick.” This film’s ambition is so much fun to witness. It is not a treasured movie by most as it is for fans like myself. It deserves a place on my list for the time I came across the film with a greater understanding of low-budget movies. Evil Dead II swan dives into bloody fun and gives us what was so good about what rated R action and horror movies were in the 80’s. It is an amalgam of my favorite things from all genres at the time that is so wickedly fun about B-movies and holds true so highly on my list without any regret. Evil Dead II is worth every watch. Groovy.

 

18. Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino is definitely up for debate as one of the greatest directors in cinema. I love his work. The dude is a Kung Fu Master when it comes to writing and is incredible with referencing obscure films within his own work. Yes, that is also something that is up for debate – how Tarantino pays homage to other films. To me, Quentin Tarantino is the kid that loved cinema that grew up closer to his influences than anything else in his life – not a bad thing for the sake of the life he had created with an impressive repertoire. Pulp Fiction is that LA Noir story that no one ever knew that they needed. It is so intricate with its non-chronologically charged narrative and characters that are now instantly recognizable that this film is on many favorites lists for a reason. The cool swagger of the main characters, the great dialogue throughout and the randomly violent nature of this universe with so many philosophical questions from Jules alone warrant that I just fall in love with this movie every time I see it. The film is definitely as raw as you remember it. And just as cool. I dig it.

 

17. Back to the Future

Back to the Future happens to be one of those films that is beautiful in every way. The humor, the ideas, the music (ahhhh, John Williams is the God of film scores. No one says otherwise.), the dialogue, the fast-paced scenes of thrilling visuals all give this film a great name. This film stands up and never backs down as the absolute best, fun and adventurous time travel film that is so self-aware of what time travel actually means at its source and gives us a story that is so heartwarming to enjoy. Marty is the everyman, or every kid, that inspires us to kick ass in the present moment even if that moment were to be hypothetically in the past. Like any human, we wished that we could have changed something to make us happier. Well, with Doc Brown’s life on the line and many other butterfly effect occurrences, this notion kicks our care into high gear and teaches us to look backwards and forwards to know that living in the moment makes all the difference in the world. Hallmark, please call me. Seriously, Back to the Future is the one film that appeals to the changes we wish we had power over in us all and shows us to expect the unexpected.

 

16. The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski is one of the most pointless stories ever told on screen. Yet sets up a path to some legitimately amazing comedy. This alone fascinates me as one of the funniest movies ever in that regard. Avant Garde is not even the “preferred nomenclature.” This film is so dumb in its meaning yet so genius in hooking us into it with so many referable moments that I just love it. It is so crass, so delayed with any sense of character intelligence and never-derived plot makes it one of the best comedies ever. Comedy, at its core, requires discipline. By that I mean, we have to WANT to laugh with a structured story for it not just to exist as a movie with funny parts. This film structures a story that is so beyond complicated and malignantly pointless that in and of itself, The Big Lebowski becomes laughably legendary. This is a film I have, without an accurate number, watched over 30 times. Without a doubt. Its allure into the insane is unstoppable with its humor. This movie cannot be replicated. I have just one idea why…. It just happened. Like spontaneous combustion, this movie is a cavalcade of that very randomness as it is the font of its entirety. I always watch it again in case I missed a beat.

15. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Being a huge Star Wars fan, this movie is the reference point for all Star Wars film. Granted, A New Hope was sensational but I, as well as many others, loved the dark dread the characters would have to face when confronting their next moves. The fears of overwhelming victory coming to an end, the Rebellion now having a bigger target on themselves than ever, Luke’s purpose, the development of our heroes truly coming together in diverse ways, the defeat during the battle early on spreading out the Rebellion’s resources, all come together with interesting character story arcs. If you don’t know the big twist of the film by now, you have never watched science fiction at one of its greatest heights. Empire Strikes Back is easily the best Star Wars film and one of the best Sci-fi movies ever for its adherence to growing the mythology of the original entry, answering questions that no one had known to be asked, being unpredictable and inspiring hope when times become bleak. I adored Empire Strikes Back and will always reference the introduction of Yoda growing on us so quickly and knowing more about the Jedi that our intrigue for Luke’s purpose and the history of the Force had even outgrown Obi-Wan’s teachings to show us the true power and nature of where the Force can begin and the darkness that is always possible when once tempted by fear. Apropos to the nature of where evil begins, the best line in the film is when Yoda explains that, “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate… leads to suffering.” That line is immortal and should always be referenced when it comes to understanding how good becomes evil. An amazing film within one of the greatest cinematic mythologies of all time.

 

14. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Another example of a film catching me completely by surprise, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a film that delves into the “what if’s” as diligently and thoroughly as the “what we can never forget.” The dichotomy of a movie that does this must exist in a surreal place, something intangible. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind goes directly to that source, the mind. I love films that break and enter what is so unnervingly real yet no longer exists, such as the past or future. As humans, we focus on those tenses the most with great aggravation. They say that if you live in the past, you are depressed. If you live in the future, you are anxious. This movie gets that in such a way that treats us all like adults whilst also playfully letting us remind ourselves like we are children again that life is not fair but let’s do something to make us feel better. A band aid for the heart. If you were the smallest percentile on earth to never experience heartbreak, don’t bother watching. This movie shows us that life really does drag us down for many reasons. Be it love, rejection, failure, losing a job or loved one. But at the end of the day, would we want that band aid for our heart or the lesson to power us through the next tragedy? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind takes a detour into that possibility through a romantic construct. Any example of the following: Boy meets girl, girl loves boy, boy loves girl, girl feels lost, boy feels angry, both feel lost and both flee from each other. To not spoil anything, they use this to great effect. One that we could all learn from with visual art, memorable performances, heartbreakingly shadowy effects of depression and loss. This movie guides the arrow of love right into the madness of love, and the mind suffers greatly for it. To not spoil anything further and to praise the movie once more, I have just one ask. Should we be happy for the heartbreak that we know what to avoid? Or is it worth starting all over again to just feel blissful with the anticipation that it will happen again. This movie is sensational with its offerings as an emotional ride, one that we have all been on and got the t-shirts. I think fondly of how well this movie applies to all aspects of the human emotion and, when the past comes up of memories of my own that I wished to change, I am forever grateful for it.

13. Goodfellas

What can be said about Goodfellas that hasn’t already been said? The quotability, the scenes of shocking mob violence, the paranoia of cocaine with helicopters, people who amuse other people, idiotically spending huge sums of money after a heist, ratting on your friends when you were to never rat on them in the first place and egg noodles with ketchup as the worst witness protection perk for any half-Italian’s swan song into the crimeless unknown … that is just the tip of the iceberg as to what makes Goodfellas a standout film. My favorite Scorsese flick by far for its raw look into the lives of mobsters in the mid-20^th century’s New York. The film is gorgeously, even grotesquely in certain scenes, bound by its honor to play crooner classics, a soundtrack that would make even the most casual Bobby Darin listener dig deep for the playlist. The film itself is a haunting replay of the life of gangsters during that time with all of the love for its barbaric yet bonded lifestyle when after our central characters proceed to do the unspeakable. This film glides through its dialogue with a billion ‘fucks” and never gets old. The anger is real, the passion to survive and to know how this life would shake anyone into or out of apathy given the circumstances. The repercussions are raw and intense, masquerading Italian-American mobster heritage and loyalty over the unquenchable thirst for untouchable power. Goodfellas is my favorite mob movie for its style, substance and natural ability to remain a rewatchable violent classic after all these years.

12. The Illusionist (2010 Animated Film)

A film very few have heard of, The Illusionist is a marvelous film both inside and out. An aging magician from Paris is in the throes of his later days as an entertainer. Not finding work, he goes to London hoping for what is the next chance for him to wow the crowd. Upon journeying throughout the UK, he finds more and more opportunities that remind him that no matter his love for his craft as an illusionist, he is outmatched by other forms of entertainment. As heartbreaking as that is alone, the past of the illusionist is one for the books. I have trouble keeping a dry eye throughout the movie. His eagerness to entertain comes from no place to impress, but to inspire and to keep love and fascination alive for those who enjoy the craft. How do we know this? Well, believe it or not, there is zero dialogue in the film. Just visuals amazingly explaining this. This movie is extraordinarily impressive with its message being animated so well. It is something to behold in and of itself that I cannot explain – like explaining a rose to the blind. This is my favorite animated movie of all time and has one of the most depressing endings that keep me watching. It is meant for the sheer beauty of visual emotion. It beautifully does not task us in any way but leads us to an understanding of how many strongly felt emotions of seeing and knowing the very existence of the nomadic entertainers forgotten in the world through animated perfection.

11. Batman (1989)

This film started it all for comic book movies as we know them today. We got a Batman that is legendary, a Joker that is Jack Nicholson, a story that is dark and brooding, themes that I still listen diligently to this very day when I love a kickass score. The architecture of this movie was built out of blind faith by a young Tim Burton with so much talent behind it that everything pulled together for what is the godfather of modern comic book movie lore, the very first to start it all. I love how extensive we go into Bruce Wayne’s past yet see him during the film kept so quiet and focuses. I love how extensive we go into the Joker’s origin streaming form basic mob fallout to absolute anarchy and chaos after the chemical plant accident. These two are the themes of what makes a good balance for good and evil. One was given everything at birth yet was stolen away the most important pieces. One was a working mobster, given a falling house of cards to save his own ass. One will intrinsically and always have something to do with the other. Through their own creations and developments, they cross paths again. When they finally meet? It becomes almost Shakespearian. Such a great tale for just a comic book movie at the time that is priceless. The acting is great, the writing is sublime, the humor is some of Tim Burton’s best, the action is some of the best comic book movies have ever seen. I just love every moment of Batman. It is certain to entertain, certain to love and certain to watch again and again with all its gothic and action-packed glory. What a great honor to Batman and the Joker at the time of its release.

10. Whiplash

Perfection is such a bad word when it comes to the talented yet it perennially comes to pass with our greatest examples time and time again. Serena Williams, James Cameron, Terrance Fletcher all need to learn a thing or two about sitting down and reading William Faulkner about the line between perfectionism and madness. Terrance Fletcher, played amazingly by JK Simmons, is that guy that drives for perfection. This movie is centered around a kid who plays drums with incredible talent that he wishes to join the most prestigious conservatory on the eastern seaboard. This kid did not meet his match, he met the diehard enemy of error, a brutal dictator of instruction in Terrance Fletcher. Now, I mention the characters before the story as this is just that, a character study. This movie fascinates me on every single level. What pushed Fletcher’s nature into this drill sergeant from hell to make people kill themselves over joining a jazz band? What made the students want to compete? What made anyone want to dream if crushing feelings of not being good enough are compounded into nothingness and rebranded into a madman’s image due to his stature in the game? Those questions are not answered, they are viscerally and almost literally thrown at you with incredible dialogue and development. This movie makes nothing of comfort aside from certain moments of empathy (of any that are in it) and its brilliant ending. There is no sullen moment of dreaming and not doing – it is the extreme results of trying and failing mercilessly by being guided into a chance of having a fleeting glimpse of breaking through barriers. It is the pacing, the acting, the offbeat humor (hardy har), the goods of the soundtrack and the overall underdog storytelling that are seen so many places hence but it does such a mesmerizing job of just being an escape into this insane world of perfection. Just as important, it tells us what it takes to be good in a mentor’s mind. The ending had me cheering, and I felt like the only one in the theater the first time I saw it being cool about it by comparison. The riveting feelings you get from overcoming such insanities after such emotional abuse and even scenes briefly touching on why Fletcher was so intense, it is just one of the best character studies I have ever witnessed. A film to be cherished and a reminder that your dreams require more work than you ever had nightmares about.

 

9. Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is like oxygen to any movie-goer’s list as a favorite. Or it is viewed as pretentious. I do not care. I prefer the former. This movie makes every list as being one of the greats if not the greatest for one simple reason: its style and content back up its legacy. When it came out, no one knew what to think of Citizen Kane, if you could believe it. Citizen Kane had so few movies to be influenced by with its cinematography and pacing that it stands out as on the greatest originals ever made. The music even was that of a silent film with its accuracy of emoting what the characters feel. This movie is a solid gem and rightfully considered the best film of all time on many lists. Citizen Kane is cinematic perfection. The origin of Kane is left up to us to feel sympathetic until the end, the nature of printed media rings true today, the love for country or for thyself exists in all realms of political and personal altruism, the personal havoc of not knowing what you have and what you wish you had, the dilemmas of power – all here and beautifully told. There is more to the story that I will not give away even though most have seen it, but I will say this… Citizen Kane deserves every good word about what it is, cinematic perfection. Without giving it all away, the ending and the beginning are so tightly connected by the end that it gives us so much to be thankful for in its story telling abilities. No one would have a clue to what the key to Kane’s true happiness lies. For the man who has everything, this is a story of hard truths to give us reasons to never take anything for granted in life.

8. No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men shocked me out of the apathy I felt with many crime movies that came out in the 2000’s. The certain set of criteria I had made for myself for a crime drama was out of a strange comfort knowing that the good guys suffer heavy losses yet win out in the end. No Country for Old Men made me so unsettled and so on the edge of my seat and so cold at its core that I loved every chill inducing moment of it. The movie literally has such a cold nature that the sounds of the film served as the film’s score. It was like the brutal sounds and creeping dialogue were of one grand crescendo after another in terms of a score. It was so daring in its authenticity and bold questions about understanding criminality in a primal and brutal way. It was so real in its chaotic cadence that I had no clue where it was going throughout the blood trail. It was so menacing and haunting that the third act is nothing as to what you thought it would be. Granted, the Coen Brothers are known for this tactic ad nauseum. But No Country for Old Men was such a raw delight of blood thirst and never knowing the next step on that said blood trail that I loved the intensity like no other crime thriller. I don’t know how it did that. I may never will. The philosophy of the film echoes that sentiment by preaching the unknown nature of the next killers beyond the dawn. A kind of meta that I will never profess to know how it was done and it still stands out to me cinematically as the true jack-in-the-box of cruelty and poetic injustice after some much needed cowboy speeches on morality strewn throughout.

7. Pan’s Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth has been described as a fairy tale told completely on the dark side, embracing the brutality and sorrow that is war. The allegories of the film within the Fawn, the Pale Man (the monster that eats children), the fairies, etc. are among what Ofelia sees relate correlate as what exists the conflict of the Spanish Civil War. This movie is one that so many have talked about yet I have nothing to add. This movie is definitely the fairy tale of non-forbearance, a tale of how a small child can balance the excruciating surroundings with wanting to find out more of who she is in this fantasy world while escaping the extreme and present dangers of the war, the fate of her mother and unborn brother. The moments of deceit between the real-world characters create a parallel dimension on their own. There is so much at work in this story that I would not dare to spoil any of it to anyone who has not seen it. I say this, as a film, Pan’s Labyrinth is much of what we know from the old Grimm fairy tales and much of the horrors of war told through a young girl who from, no real place of privilege besides the mercy of her mother’s lover being a maniacal war lord, has only experienced a place of imagination to cope and find truth during one of the most menacing times in human history. Plenty of stories have been told from this style of point of view, yet so few examples exist of a movie this beautifully realized. Pans Labyrinth is one of most beautiful nightmares realized on screen. All I can say is Pan’s Labyrinth is a timeless classic.

 

6. A Clockwork Orange

Ah, yes. The madness that is A Clockwork Orange. Set in a dystopian London, A Clockwork Orange is the epitome of youth gone wrong. Hell, it is aspects of a violent youth gone worse. Human nature is described as “good gone bad,” an allegory of the fall of Satan from grace. This movie shows us that delinquency is not primarily the product of neglect. Rather, in the case of Alex in this movie, it is the unrelenting “good” feeling that breaking the rules of society with a penchant for violence. Alex, the leader of a group of ruffians much like himself, is calloused to the nature of kindness and all its uselessness. The film is an opus to the nature of violence and how tragically funny the human condition is when it comes to the moments of giving in to destroy at any given time for sport. It is what society tells us as wrong that holds us back with the threat of law but not until we are given reason not to do it by force or retribution. When one, such as Alex, is faced with the law that will bend you into society using even crueler tactics does one see the true nature of control. That control is more cerebral and cruel at its core than ever known to the offender, who was never detained for his actions prior to the program that he subjected to. He is shown the true horrors of violence in that ever so famous scene after being caught for just a portion of his ill will towards humanity, specifically speaking that infamous “Singing in the Rain” scene that is tough to watch. After his Alex’s “rehabilitation,” the one he had tortured the most in his crime becomes a beast of his own after they encounter each other again later in the story. Not to go further into the story to spoil it, this film shows us that the nature of cruelty towards fellow man can come from various places. The methods to eschew the laws of order to just feel free to inflict pain as a sick sense of pleasure exist and the other methods are in place to enact order through cruel consequences that simply will turn into a monster all its own. I love this movie’s nature of how cruel mankind can be given the circumstance and justification. A brilliant and disturbing ride.

5. The Social Network

Mentioning Fight Club earlier, I was under the impression for many years that a good Fincher movie had to bring us something extreme to the table to be a worthy watch as it is his best attribute. Be it Se7en with its visceral images of murder or even the most uncomfortable concept in human life being the unstoppable passage of time in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, later came The Social Network. A film about how Facebook started. Whoopty fucking Doo. Companies have their hardships and bureaucratic papercuts, sure. That Zuckerberg guy is a genius, yadda yada, but there were some falls taken during the matches coming up by people that were not him. This film was sure to be boring, or so I thought. With all the dialogue with this about, “hey, what if we really initiate the college experience like a dating site?” and then I go on to recount how Facebook is now used in all its praise of keeping in touch and becoming an evil to our very privacy… I was dead wrong about this film being boring. How Fincher took this as historical fiction and made it into one of the most enthralling modern tales of one of the world’s biggest industries is still beyond me. The acting? Incredible. The pacing? Like poetry. The music? Again, like poetry. The story? Fascinating. Take what you can from this picture as I had to watch it several times to really grasp its dilemmas and candor to what’s on an entrepreneur’s mind. This has been proven false in many areas by the creators of Facebook publicly, but it is still a story that was a shock to the system. How did this grab my attention in the first place only to shred any belief that this was never going to be a great movie? I will never solve it. I have seen movies like Wall Street where historical fiction on some of the greatest American financial decisions and they seem so determined to just leave the cards where they lie – “greed is good,” remember? This movie shows us the human aspect of the monster that is corporation. And not in the way that you may think. Ergo, many scenes of speaking legalese and throat cutting are here. But the most important side to The Social Network is the root of becoming something from just a spark of an idea and fighting like hell to keep it from those who wish to derail it from the source. It is not so simple as most great ideas tend to not be. This film is has become one of my all-time favorite films and needs to be considered required viewing as a staple of this generation. Not only for its service to being a highly engaging historical fiction, but for showing us a very human depiction of how one of the most important and game changing technological juggernauts came to be at the start of the 21^st century.

 

4. Blade Runner

A testament to science fiction does not even begin what most say about Blade Runner. This movie inspires so much visually that it is in a league of its own. Its prowess to take us to a future that is still so darkly lit visually and treacherously led by its narrative is one for cinematic history. Many versions of Blade Runner exist, so I will reference the initial Ridley Scott Director’s Cut. Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, is a retired police officer dragged into a case involving an off-world colony mutiny. The movie centers on Replicants, short-term servants with human-like features that are used to better mankind. The story focuses on the rage of the Replicants as slaves and the usage of automating their very being with self-awareness of their shelf-life. Blade Runner is one of my favorite films because it combines the reality of technology becoming so ingratiated into our lives that once we create something that is much like us, we in turn fail our own humanity by shifting societal blame for issues. Very much an allegory of what exists both socially and technologically for how humanity treats itself. Blade Runner becomes one of my favorite films for more reasons than the story or characters as the nature of Blade Runner was very much a sci-fi epic that adheres to the laws of order and the misuse of the laws of ethics that it remains relevant. The film is a supreme visual gem in every way. The music glides through with electronically strung harps and futuristic dower both prove to be a gritty sound to the film that matches the visuals in such an unbelievable way. Almost like a futuristic noir Fantasia. I adore Blade Runner for everything it is within that Director’s Cut and the many versions like it don’t sway me too far from my opinion nor appreciation. Blade Runner is one of the best science fiction films that hold up and delivers to this very day

 

3. Dr. Strangelove

Cold War paranoia is one thing, but to exacerbate any of the real fear of ending the world over words is the true form of Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. This movie is satire at its darkest, most honest and slightly unnerving. We look to our governments with hope to find resolution in dark times, but when the heads of state and the enemies abroad think more for their own ego and less of their own unfamiliarity with the catastrophic repercussions, we get a fear of power over escalation. Dr. Strangelove is the embodiment of being afraid of the worst whilst praising the least competent on the side of our own nation. We have a president who is as unsure of himself as he is about any further complication communicating with the USSR, a General/Chief of Staff who is ready to flex all the muscles of the military to wipe out the enemy and a knowledge that there was a huge misdirection of command that could end the world. This is black comedy at its finest with all of the threads of the story in place. We have ego, we are afraid, but we also have angry forms of resolution, retaliation in the name of the state that is entirely misdirected and a “doomsday device” that was not used properly that is referenced towards the end as not having any point at all if no one knows about it. This to me… I wish I could tell you… is political satire at its golden moment. A moment that may last for so many years. The threats and established heads that fight them are never equal. Yet, imagine if they were both inept? Imagine further that the fate of the world creates awkward bedfellows from a previous war that would jump at the chance of enacting the deeds left undone? Dr. Strangelove, that man himself, is the center of the madness. A scientist trusted by the US during this conflict that points out all the flaws. That is fucking hilarious and goddamn scary. Each war carries a new burden in every way yet the reliance falls upon the characters that surround the resolution in the form of humanity’s torch and I find that dark and deeply brilliant. When ego gets in the way of peace, we have to resort to a guy that is clearly skilled in the department of damage control. Without spoiling anything, I will give my say on why Dr. Strangelove is so high on the list. This movie is the true calling of satire. Taking something dark and turning it into a waiving of moral fees when trust is bestowed upon idiots, we are so experienced with that feeling no matter your political proclivities. Dr. Strangelove is a death note to having fun with dark subject matter left in the hands of the incompetent and an ironic poem of love to any previous war conflict that was resolved by strategic planning by means of existing as a public service announcement. The funny dialogue with so much at stake, the incredible acting of Peter Sellars and George C. Scott, the execution of so many fumbles of world powers and an ending that is so pitch black and terrifyingly comforting, Dr. Strangelove is my number 3 favorite film for everything it just is. I always love how this film just hits all the right buttons as a political satire that should be remembered as such.

 

2. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

A visual poem to the very nature of imagination itself, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen profusely gives us the tender care of what stories do for us. In times of turmoil, war, even boredom or any point upon the spectrum of hearing stories or watching films that are dreamlike are fascinating to humans by default. That is where legends are created, religions satisfied by stories, hope in the explanations of a hero fighting a greater turmoil or even being more heroic than they must be given their talents. These stories are just there for us to remove us from reality. They do not have to make sense, they do not need a purpose other than that to keep us paradoxically sane. Hell, plenty of examples in every form of media cherishes the idea of hearing something out for the value of escapism. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is the film that I adore for that. An entertaining anecdote within a dreadful condition of war, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen reminded me of the point of mythologies, of stories and of tales told throughout human history. They are there to not only distract, but to teach us character. The film starts off showing a play of the legend of Baron Munchausen himself, much to the dismay of the returning Baron himself who returns to find that his story had been fabricated in all the wrong ways. Played wonderfully by John Neville, Baron Munchausen comes back to claim the very legend that was his during the fall of a city in Europe that was war torn by the Ottoman Empire. During this time, the survivors behind the lines are fighting for their sanity in the form of theatre and Baron Munchausen embarks on a journey to salvage the stories of his bravery during times of great turmoil to inspire hope in the streets. The leaks in the story told on stage and the threads of the fabric of reality within the film are torn almost immediately. The story then jumps straight into the past where Baron Munchausen stands up to a Turkish king for a wager. After a thrilling execution of humor and action, the story to recruit his old friends to fight off the Turks in the current conflict then gets set into motion. He goes off to re-recruit his old team with the help of Sally, a young child in the war-torn city trying to keep her faith in survival secure from the cowardice that surrounded her. She believed in Baron Munchausen and then they make their way to find Munchausen’s compatriots. Without giving any more away before you see it, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is one of my all-time favorite films for its dedication to the belief in storytelling. Good stories and film are here to guide us not into absurd territories for a great reason, to witness a vision not our own and appreciate the effort of someone’s expression of dreaming beyond limits. This film shows us that imagination is both abstract and relatable. It is fantasy during times of hopelessness in human history that can give us distraction and hope. That is powerful to me for some reason. It was just a story that influences the morality of doing good and doing well to outweigh any injustice that is clear and present. The ending is left to be, much like the Great Terry Gilliam’s films, very ambiguous. Did it really happen? Did the story become real? Did its influence make a change to offset the outcome of war? For this very reason, The Adventure of Baron Munchausen leaves me breathless in its execution. To exist as a fantasy yet remind us that sometimes these stories truly influence our way in life as we constantly challenge what is stranger as we live. Is it the truth or folly that we experience that is strange? Or is it the resolution in our actions out of belief that can bring us victory? What a great film and deserving of my number 2 spot for being a love letter to the ancient and everlasting art of turning dreams into stories and bringing stories to life.

 

AND MY NUMBER ONE FAVORITE FILM IS…

 

1. The Dark Knight

What can I say about The Dark Knight. This is my favorite film within my favorite cinematic trilogy as the best adaptation of a character from print to screen I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The Dark Knight Trilogy to me is the best trilogy cinema has ever produced for its consistency and unique identity that transcends comic book influences in a radically charged way. Each film within The Dark Knight Trilogy triumphantly embarks on themes that are so important within a hero’s journey. The theme from Batman Begins being Fear, The Dark Knight being Chaos, and The Dark Knight Rises being the Pain. These themes are so well-played in the character arc of Bruce Wayne/Batman that I appreciate how well the universe is of one of the greatest superheroes ever wrapped into three films.

To focus on The Dark Knight itself, there is so much that I absolutely love about it. To start it off, this movie singlehandedly has my favorite film score of all time that is used to an amazing degree with each scene. Hans Zimmer, one of the current gods of film scores, generously plays to every scene’s strengths without hesitation. The atmosphere of the music alone is breathtaking. During some of the more intense scenes, I honestly loved fact that Zimmer did not interfere. That is strange to say, but the chase sequence did not require anything. That scene was deserving of pure destruction prior to the Joker theme at the end of the climax. The score knew when to play its hand, and when it did it was pure gold.

The action had learned a lot from Batman Begins as it was more centered and choreographed. You saw the display of the action without any shaky cam or wondering if you missed out on something big. It was just seamlessly produced. The moments of action in The Dark Knight were exponentially creative to the point of using cutaways during truly gruesome moments and the stylization was on point. I think that my favorite kill scene was the Pencil Trick. I will never, in my entire life, forget the reaction of the audience around me in the theater when The Joker performed a devilishly funny magic trick on him. Half of the audience were laughing maniacally while the other half gasped as if they watched a car wreck. I would have anticipated nothing less in that moment.

The pacing of The Dark Knight is one that is unforgettable. The movie has a runtime of 152 minutes yet it flew by with everything it had. All of the intricate story telling of the anger poured throughout the mob’s ranks, the introduction of Harvey Dent as Gotham’s newest hero that would legitimize the fight to take on the mob, Bruce Wayne’s growth as a man and love interest in Rachel Dawes and losing her to Harvey, The Joker’s takedown of both sides with a virulent vision of chaos that makes light of anything held dear to both the good and the evil, the trifecta of Batman, Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent’s work to fight corruption and become ready to take on the mob – all so well balanced without considering where the story goes from there.

The Dark Knight also has a unique characteristic to it that everyone knows. Every character matters. Every actor shines. Everything is tightly wound into such a story that is a more realistic approach to the Batman mythos. That being said, Christopher Nolan even publicly denounced the fact that The Dark Knight as well as The Dark Knight Trilogy was appreciated for being “realistic.” He debates that fact, calling The Dark Knight movies more “relatable than realistic.” His words become evident when you consider not only the hero’s journey, but the journey of everything around the hero being deeply and inseparable to the mental and emotional state of the hero. We see more of the mentality of being a hero with all the chaos in The Dark Knight than we see kicking ass and solving problems with fists. This movie delves into what most experience in each movie of the Trilogy – Fear, Chaos, and Pain. This movie does showcase the chaos of preventing madness when confronted directly with every reason to go mad. It shows us true evil has a voice of reason. It shows us that morality and action must be harder than concrete to survive as yourself when faced with extreme challenges. This movie is indeed relatable to dig that deep into that mindset. Out of all the great lines that are quotable in The Dark Knight, the film’s favorite and most profound is spoken by Harvey Dent, and later Batman: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” That is a solid depiction of chaos when one chooses to do right during trying times. I cannot enumerate how many times this line gave me chills at the end of the film after Harvey’s downfall into Two Face.

The film poses many tasks of heroism in the seas of the chaos. It gives us a human consideration of how even the strongest among us can be turned into evil given the dire circumstances. It is also the best acted films of any comic book movie ever with every challenge it poses. The film glides effortlessly into its intent of asking the tough questions with every actor being at the top of their game pleasurably giving us the believability of the story.

The Dark Knight is my favorite film of all time for not only its characteristics as a well told and executed story, it is one of the most thrilling dramas that leapt beyond its source material with such depth and self-motivated ingenuity. The characters, the story within what I consider the greatest trilogy, the pacing, the legendary acting (Heath Ledger’s Joker obviously being remembered as chief among the rest as one of the greatest villains in cinematic history), the atmosphere of the score, the impressive visuals, and the resilience to create such an impressive world that is “relatable,” make for my favorite film of all time.

That is my list of my Top 25 Favorite Films of all time. What do you think? How many of my films are on your lists? I appreciate you for reading through this extensive list and equally appreciate your love of movies. Be well and do good.  – Adam Lark