TOP 5: Favourite Movies of All Time

This post ended up being WAY longer than I anticipated, so I'm gonna make this opener quick: welcome to my first top 5 list! The title is pretty self explanatory, and I honestly don't expect a ton of folks to agree with everything I've put here. I wrote this list bearing in mind that there's a difference between enjoying Oscar nominated flicks/critically acclaimed movies and choosing your favourite movies based on your subjective experience with them.

Basically, I'm saying that if you're a film buff in the traditional sense, this list might frustrate you. Whoops!

Also, these are in no particular order and there are no spoilers beyond what you'd find in the trailers for each of these movies. I also have a TON of honourable mentions, which might come in a later post. Enjoy!

School of Rock (2003)

Premise: Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn, a small-town rock musician who is kicked out of his band No Vacancy after pulling multiple unplanned stunts on-stage, including a stage-dive that abruptly ends a gig. This becomes a bigger issue when his roommate Ned, a substitute teacher, threatens to kick him out unless he can pay his share of the rent (which is overdue) within the next week. This leads Dewey to secretly take up one of Ned's substitute teaching jobs at an elementary prep school. With no teaching qualifications of his own, Dewey instead decides to form a band with the fifth-grade students in hopes of winning a local Battle of the Bands competition, which would award him with a hefty cash prize as well as the chance to stick it to his former band.

Why I love it: School of Rock is nothing short of comedy gold with a backing message about finding passions in unexpected places and stepping outside of the boundaries placed upon one's self in unorthodox ways. Jack Black's performance is absolutely killer; his physical comedy and line delivery is a standout in all the best ways. This movie is endlessly quotable based on his performance alone. Joan Cusack is also an exceptional antagonist as Principal Mullins. The (then) youth cast is fantastic as well, each with memorable personalities and performances that highlight their character growth (although it's unfortunate to see that most of them didn't branch out in the industry beyond this movie, with the exception of Miranda Cosgrove, who played Summer Hathaway). As someone who's music taste spans many different types of rock, the soundtrack is also great, although it kind of had to be for this movie.

Who I recommend it to: Literally anyone with a sense of humour. I feel like I'm hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't like this movie. If I had to go into specifics though, I'd have to obviously recommend it to any musician (especially rock ones, duh) that have somehow never seen this movie before. Despite this overarching musical theme, though, it's a movie for the rock purist as much as it is for anyone else.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Premise: In a quintessential adaptation of the classic character (that is surprisingly NOT a typical Spidey origin story), Tom Holland stars as our hero, who attempts to balance the life of ordinary high-school student Peter Parker with the life of Spider-Man, who is still trying to prove himself as a hero who can take on threats beyond what goes on in his home borough of Queens, New York. In this film, he attempts to stop Adrian 'The Vulture' Toomes from selling black-market weapons made with alien Chitauri technology.

Why I love it: My first point is simple: I really like Spider-Man and I really like Tom Holland. If you know me personally, you'll know that's not a surprise. My second point is one that I've seen brought up before, but I'm going to reiterate it in order to drive home why Tom Holland's performance in this film is so great: in previous film adaptations of Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire had the better Peter Parker and Andrew Garfield had the better Spider-Man, but both were lacking in some way in the opposite respective area. Holland's performance, in my opinion, is a perfect mix of both. Additionally, he brings something different to the character: a youthful yet responsible outlook on his responsibilities as a hero, as well as the naivety of a teenager who's suddenly been thrown into the role of a superhero and the willingness to prove himself (particularly to authorities like Tony Stark) as a hero that can stand among the greats. Although this isn't his first appearance as Spider-Man, this film solidified my love for seeing Holland in the role. This movie neutralizes itself perfectly not only into the greater cinematic universe it exists in, but also as an archetypal yet fresh Spider-Man story.

Who I recommend it to: Anyone looking to dip their feet into the superhero genre without wanting to invest in all 23 Marvel films or suffer the mediocrity (or in most cases, literal agony) of watching the DC Extended Universe films. This movie works as a standalone as well as a small part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is another reason why I love it so much.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Premise: In the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first part of what is arguably the modern climax of said universe, nearly all of the MCU's major heroes are brought together in order to stop intergalactic warlord Thanos from destroying half of all living things in his twisted plan to bring balance to the universe. The film features the interconnection of nearly all of the universe's major protagonists and their stories, bringing audiences the ultimate superhero team-up movie and a major defining event in the superhero movie genre that had yet to be seen before.

Why I love it: Another simple major point for this one: I love the Marvel films and this is the highest form of that. Not only does Infinity War place the familiar Marvel characters we've come to know and love in a high-stakes situation yet to be seen cinematically, it also does so in a way that is incredibly impressive considering the number of characters and storylines that had to be included in order for the film to not only make sense but also live up to the insane expectations placed upon it. These are the same reasons Endgame is such a great film as well, but I personally enjoy Infinity War over Endgame simply because there were a few nuanced decisions made in Endgame that I personally wasn't the biggest fan of, while I find it really difficult to complain about ANY part of Infinity War. (Maybe I'll get into those opinions in a full review someday).

Who I recommend it to: This one is tricky since it's really only a movie that's truly appreciated and understood after watching ALL of the previous MCU movies, so I guess if you find yourself with a sudden interest, watch in order and wait with bated breath for this one.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Premise: In this unique blend of romance and sci-fi, Joel and Clementine (played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet respectively) begin a relationship together after meeting on a Long Island Rail Road train trip, feeling an immediate but unexplainable connection despite their obviously contrasting personalities. The pair soon suffers a breakup, leading Clementine to have her memories of Joel erased via a medical procedure, and prompting Joel to do the same. The story is presented using a non-linear narrative style and offers a strikingly more realistic depiction of romance than is usually seen in cinema.

Why I love it: Eternal Sunshine takes the traditional cinematic romance and turns it on it's head with a science fiction twist. It takes that Hollywood type of unexpected romance and brings a new meaning to it, and it'll touch anyone who's struggled with the trials and tribulations of a rocky long-term relationship. I want to highlight the performance of Jim Carrey specifically (although that's not to discount the fact that Kate Winslet did an incredible job as well, especially considering this was one of her first major films that wasn't a period piece). While it's no surprise that Carrey is an incredibly talented and multidimensional actor, this is arguably my favourite role of his just because it's a non-comedic role that he does so damn well. I adore him in his comedic roles (as many do) but this was such a powerful performance from him that I didn't expect going into this movie for the first time.

Who I recommend it to: It sounds cheesy, but I honestly recommend this film first to the hopeless romantic. It's something to watch with your partner that's arguably less corny than the chick-flick classics and carries a much more significant message about love, IMO. For this reason, I'd also recommend this to those who are looking for something new within the genre. From a writing and cinematography perspective, this movie is incredibly interesting.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Premise: In Edgar Wright's adaptation of the bestselling graphic novels, 22-year-old Scott Pilgrim is living in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada and plays bass in a local band known as Sex Bomb-Omb. The film begins by following Scott's relationship with 17-year-old Knives Chau, who his roommate, sister, and bandmates disapprove of due to her age. After meeting Amazon delivery girl Ramona Flowers, he is immediately infatuated and starts to stray from his relationship with Knives. As Scott and Ramona's relationship develops, Scott realizes that he must defeat Ramona's seven evil exes in order to continue dating her.

Why I love it: This film is a perfect mix of all the things I love to see in media: rock music, video game tropes and references, a well-done film adaptation of a graphic novel I love, and unique cinematography and writing. There's a reason this film garnered such a cult following post-release: it's a film that truly never gets old in the eyes of many. It's incredibly well-cast, featuring Michael Cera in the title role and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona, as well as a grab-bag of Hollywood all-stars as foil characters, including Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans and Brandon Routh, just to name a few. Like School of Rock, this film is endlessly quotable and only gets better with time, as fans of the graphic novels and new fans alike will notice more and more expertly placed pop-culture references and Easter eggs with each watch. They really put in the work with this movie to make it a "modern yet timeless" romance, and it still pays off ten years later.

Who I recommend it to: Anyone who's enjoyed Edgar Wright's other films. Although this is a romantic movie at it's core, it's action/comedy-oriented as well, so I'd also recommend it to anyone who's looking for a more lighthearted, youthful and humorous romance film than Eternal Sunshine, with even fewer of the traditional tropes.

Photos retrieved from IMDB.