Ranking My Favorite Films of All Time, Part 2 (15-8)

Howdy, Y’all! This is part two of a three part series of my top favorite films of all time. If you haven’t read the first part of this series, make sure to check that out first; the link is right here. I’ll wait for Y’all that haven’t checked it out yet—it won’t take long.

Once again I’m going to preface this with the warning that my favorite films are likely not your favorite films, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Although if these films are some of your favorites (or if they aren’t), make sure to let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear what y’all think. Let’s get into then!

15-8 of the Greatest Films of All Time

15. Memento (2001)

I’m gonna say it here just because it’s really important to note: I am a Christopher Nolan fanboy. Interstellar and Inception are classics to me in the sci-fi drama and are extremely thought-provoking (not to mention beautiful). Dunkirk is also a beautiful film for being a war film. But enough of his other films—Memento is Nolan’s best film. I wouldn’t have thought that a film in backwards would work, but it works really well, especially in making me question my own memory. It’s a fascinating piece, and though it can get confusing if you don’t pay attention, I recommend it just because of how different it is as a film.

14. The Godfather (1972)

Ooh boy oh boy. This is probably one of the more controversial ones on my rankings, because of how low it is. A part of it being so low is that I only have seen it once (for another day on rewatchability of films and all that) and that I just really enjoy sci-fi films. I’ll say this right here though: I don’t think there is any film on my list of top films that has better acting than The Godfather; the same goes for Part II (which clocks in around the mid-thirties in my list). Pacino and Brando and all of them are just classic cinema characters, and obviously are highly influential in pop culture. A side note here: I own the films in a three-film DVD collection, and the menu screens are probably the greatest I’ve seen (except for Star Wars). Disagree with me on this pick’s place. Then I’ll tell you this: “Hey Zaza—up yours!”

13. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Morgan Freeman’s narration. Well, that and how well they set up for the ending, which was very satisfying. All in all one of the most satisfying movies I’ve ever watched. Some days I wonder if I like it even more than I think I do, but then I realize that there are other movies that I have seen a lot more, and like more. Can’t blame IMDb for putting it first though, and I’m not gonna argue with y’all if someone said it was his or her favorite.

12. O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001)

See I told you the Coen Brothers would show up on this list again! This film is significant for several reasons:

• Having sepia tone and it actually making sense
• Having probably the greatest non-score led soundtrack in history, Shrek and Guardians of the Galaxy be derned
• Being a remake/copy that is original (of The Odyssey)
• Being really dang enjoyable
• Having one of the greatest opening credits of all time (though Y’all will see soon that it’s not the best one of all time)

I wish that were more films like O’ Brother (and apparently like Forbidden Planet), in that they are retellings of classic stories that still hold their own. Having seen this movie in high school is probably one of the best things that have happened in my school career. Thank the Lord for the Coen Brothers!

11. Watchmen (2008)

I will go ahead and say this here: I may have said that The Godfather was the most controversial one on this list, but I think now that Watchmen is more so, for a different reason. That is, I really doubt anyone has this one in his or her list of the greatest films of all time. Heck, a third of critics wouldn’t even consider it to be a good film, much less a great one. Watchmen is single-handedly the greatest graphic novel that has ever been written, and it’s kinda not close (well not really, but that’s for another day). Since I feel that Zack Snyder did a dang good job of adapting the comic, naturally I feel the film is dang good too. I mean heck, he straight up lined some of the movie panel-for-panel to the comic. That being said, I Watchmen is meant to be a graphic novel, and its story is a better format for that. I totally understand too if Y’all don’t agree with Snyder’s ending (personally I have no problem with it). My own brother doesn’t like the ending, and he puts it nowhere near his top favorite films. I’m gonna let y’all in on a little secret: I’m very prone to overreacting to little details to the point to where I probably overrate or underrate a movie too much. This is not the last film on the list to do that, and I frankly don’t care. If one scene can do that to me, then I feel it’s worth weighing in. In the case of Watchmen, it’s the beautifully done opening credits scene done to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A’Changin,” which set the tone very well for the rest of the movie, and I feel tied in well to how the openings and ends of each chapter of the graphic novel were. Don’t have that amazing opening scene, and I’ll concede that this movie probably wouldn’t be as high as it is. Hey, it could have been worse: Justice League’s awful choice for a song for its opening credits ruined any positive impact it could have made, and I probably would have liked that film more. I’ll have a lot more to say about Snyder and his work in some other series, but for now, I’ll just say he’s underrated.

10. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

The reboot/remake series of the Planet of the Apes has probably been the most refreshing reboot/remake to come out of this mess of unoriginality in Hollywood lately. It made a series that set a new tone without making it seem un-POTA-like (like The Last Jedi to Star Wars), while also not kissing fan butt and rehashing the original (like The Force Awakens to Star Wars). With Rise of the Planet of the Apes being so good and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes even better, I can say with confidence that War was one of the films I was most excited for. I was afraid that I was going to hype up this movie too much like I did The Force Awakens (for another time), but it did not disappoint.

Andy Serkis’ acting here is at his best. So much so that I feel that he should have been considered for Best Actor at the Oscars (I mean, Shape of Water won when I didn’t think it would). The character arc of Caesar was done in such a way that Caesar has really become one of the greatest cinema characters of the 21st century. The biblical allusions and the references to our society lead to a movie that I consider to be that of an epic. Just the Star Wars-like opening was enough to make me excited as soon as it showed up on the screen. The special effects of War are some of the best I’ve ever seen, so much so that it probably deserved Best Visual Effects along with Blade Runner 2049. This is the second greatest film of this decade, and I couldn’t be happier that it lived up to my hype.

9. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stunning. Just absolutely stunning. It’s hard to put it into words. Just, if you haven’t watched it, go watch it now. If you have watched it, watched it again. Read the books too by Arthur C. Clarke. Daisy, daaaaaaisy……

8. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

Wah wah wahhhhhh. I bet y’all probably instantly thought of Ennio Morricone’s excellent score (I primed Y’all if Y’all heard it—that’s psychology!). The pacing of this movie is just, well, it’s just *kisses fingers.* I’m not sure what the term for this type of movie is—maybe minimalistic? Between the wide shots, desert landscape, lack of dialogue, and minimal yet rememberable characters, Eastwood’s greatest film is an absolute classic. Heck, the who trilogy of the “Man with No Name” is outstanding. Not to mention an ending that just contrasts so well with the rest of the movie that provides a perfect release of the buildup with Morricone’s “Ecstasy of Gold (that whole soundtrack is in my Apple Music).” This is an essential movie watch.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, some of these films are considered among the greatest by film critics. Others—well, not so much. I’d love to hear what y’all think about these films in the comments, agree or disagree. The rest of the list will be out next Wednesday. Y’all may or may not be surprised. Thanks for reading, and have a great day Y’all.