Right… Getting to grips with a long list of posts I’ve been meaning to make for a while now! I begin with the top 10 General Movies – my personal favourites of all time, so far. The list isn’t static, but this is what I’ve boiled down at the moment! The full list does cover the top 49 I’m sure there will be more, but the old grey cells aren’t that good these days!), the full list is below the details of the top 10.
As stated these are the general movies, which cover Action / Drama / Comedy and anything else 🙂
I’m not a movie critic, and in many examples what I like has been routinely ripped apart by critics… but what the hell do they know? Just take a movie for what it is, with its limits, and just bloody well enjoy it 🙂 Some of the movies in the list you more than likely haven’t heard of, some of them certainly aren’t mainstream, but all of them are worthy of a viewing!
First of the crop is The Goonies (1985) – This has to be the top, honestly for me this is the one of the generation. The Goonies and their Goony adventures were the day-dreams of my early teenage years. It wasn’t just the movie, but the soundtrack is iconic too – genius!
June 7, 1985 (United States)
Summary: A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
Source: IMDb
Shoot ’em Up (2007) comes in a close second. Clive Owen shooting everything in sight, including shooting Paul Giamatti using a carrot! What’s not to like in this blast of a comedy movie! I always like to settle down to watch this one when plot isn’t an issue, but action is 🙂
September 7, 2007 (United States)
Summary: A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.
Source: IMDb
Down Periscope (1996) is Third. Now I was never a fan of Kelsey Grammer in Frasier, but in this he’s amazing. “Welcome Aboard”. If you’ve not watched this one, and need a good belly laugh – it’s your ticket!
March 1, 1996 (United States)
Summary: Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days.
Source: IMDb
Heathers (1988) is one of the classics for the period and exemplified an entire age in movies of the genre. The ultimate American-high-school-clique movie. Did Americans really dress like that back then?
March 31, 1989 (United States)
Summary: At Westerburg High where cliques rule, jocks dominate and all the popular girls are named Heather, it's going to take a Veronica and mysterious new kid to give teen angst a body count.
Source: IMDb
Sucker Punch (2011) is in fifth position. This is pure action, a fantastic soundtrack making use of the most unusual songs. This is one of my favourite high octane movies of all time, an easy watch, and definitely shiny!
March 25, 2011 (United States)
Summary: A young girl institutionalized by her abusive stepfather retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape.
Source: IMDb
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) is in sixth place. Is there anyone who hasn’t seen this movie?! Love Samuel L. Jackson in this – does he even say “Motherfucker” once? 😉
October 11, 1996 (United States)
Summary: Samantha Caine lives in a small town with her daughter. Eight years ago she emerged, two months pregnant, from a nearby river with no memory of her past or who she is. However, she's getting... Read all
Source: IMDb
Real Genius (1985) in solid seventh place – Wow. When I saw this as a teenager it was soooo fucking cool. The stiff, the party animal, and the guy in a secret bunker accessed through a closet! Someone had too many drugs to think of this – and I thank them for it 🙂
August 7, 1985 (United States)
Summary: An uptight teenage prodigy enters a top engineering college, but feels awkward among the freewheeling students. When a professor aims to turn their laser project into a military weapon, he a... Read all
Source: IMDb
Idiocracy (2006) comes in eighth place. Is this a comedy, a drama, or a frightening portent of the near future? A must watch to make you think of the direction Humanity is heading in!
Malcolm (1986) for Ninth place. This amazing and often overlooked work by Nadia Tass and David Parker starred the amazing Colin Friels in a most challenging role as an idiot-savant. You just don’t get movies like this any more. Difficult subject portrayed with a a gentle slant of comedy. One of a kind.
The Breakfast Club (1985) is in tenth place. THE 80s movie. Long, boring in places, but it manages to keep your attention captured like a fly in amber. Captures the stereotypes of an entire generation with so much accuracy it hurts!
February 15, 1985 (United States)
Summary: Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a great deal more in common than they thought.
Source: IMDb
Now the article is a top 10… but, these two deserve special mentions!
Beetlejuice (1998) is number 11 on the list, and no top ten could miss Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice! No words for this – I’m sure it holds a place the memories of at least half the western world’s populace 🙂
March 30, 1988 (United States)
Summary: The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.
Source: IMDb
Twister (1996) is twelfth place, and has a special mention – this movie brought the world of storm-chasers to the public conciousness back in 1996 – Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton managed to blow you away with this fondly remembered movie!
May 10, 1996 (United States)
Summary: Bill and Jo Harding, advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely viole... Read all
Source: IMDb
This is the full list – Alphabetical order 🙂
This list is always growing, always changing, and I’m sure there are titles I’ve forgotten about on the journey!