Ten of my flights of fantasy away from the real world (Top 10 Films in general)

Member Name: Renza_e

Product:	Top 10 Films in general
Date:	27/02/09 (366 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Too many too sum up here!

Disadvantages: Not a list for gritty realists

I am a huge film fan (albeit a film fan who wishes she had more time to watch films) so this really is the most difficult list to compile together - my honourable mentions list is proof of that alone. There's no 'Godfathers' on this list and very few 'Academy-pleasing' films on this list so I do await the barrage of criticism from those with more 'high-brow' taste. But these are the films I love and could quite simply watch over and over.

1) Moulin Rouge

I adore musicals and when I finally got round to seeing this at a friend's house I loved it so strongly that I felt like a little bit of heaven had been available to me and I'd just been blind enough not to tap into it. This film is so rich and beautiful in set design, costume, musical numbers and its love story. It is one of those 'marmite' films that people either love or hate and some will no doubt find the dizzying array of colour, its rapid pace and its complete divergence from reality a bit too much for their liking. But I do love to get transported to a fantastical world. It's a far-fetched representation of Paris but it's pure entertainment!

2) Across the Universe

When I first saw the trailer for this in the cinema I was completely gobsmacked at just how amazing this looked. If I set aside the ridiculous Eddie Izzard scene, this is definitely a favourite. Another musical set to the music of the Beatles, this film encapsulates the events and spirit of the 60s into a two hour film. I know people will find the plot lacking but I find that, like Moulin Rouge, it is everything a musical should be.
*also reviewed in full*

3) Indiana Jones Trilogy

Ignoring the strange, disappointing experience that was the recent Indy film, it was the old films that really floated my boat. I can't just choose one film either - they're all so fantastic and for different reasons. I always preferred Indy to James Bond, despite there only being three films (its about quality, not quantity...). Everything about these films are amazing. Many guys will wish they could be Indiana. Many girls will find the young Harrison Ford rather ravishing in his own rugged way. Everything about these films are fantastic - the theme tune, the characters (although Willie in Temple of Doom is rather annoying) and the story. Just what an action-adventure film should be.

4) Interview with a Vampire

If you didn't know already, vampires are probably my favourite supernatural beings after witches and wizards. Having read the first four books of the Vampire chronicles by Anne Rice, this is a brilliant adaptation of the first book. The viewer is transported back in time to the lustrous and sensual, if dark, world of vampires. Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise both play the two lead roles, Louis and Lestat. Having never been a huge fan of their looks or their acting career, in my opinion, this is their best role and they are both devastatingly attractive. In addition to this, we have a young Kirsten Dunst in the role of a child vampire and her intelligence and brilliance as an actress really shines.

5) Pan's Labyrinth

This is the only foreign language film in my top 10 but it only just beats Amelie as my foreign favourite. Directed by Spaniard, Guillermo del Toro, it is a fairytale for adults that manages to be unbelievably dark and beautiful at the same time. Whilst it is set in the very real world of the fascist Franco's regime, Ofelia comes across a labyrinth and is told that she may be a long-lost princess and has to prove it to the gatekeeper, the faun. This could be an escape from the cruel family life she endures. This film is just stunning and has one of the most memorable, eerie and yet soothing theme music pieces. Truly a masterpiece.

6) Spiderman 1 and 2

I've always been a fan of Spiderman ever since I watched the animated series as a kid and I couldn't just settle for one of the Spiderman films. You have the interesting transformation of a geeky teenage guy in the first one and then you have the challenges he faces in the second film and the development of the MJ/Peter romance. I think these films are splendidly cast (Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst!) and have fantastic special effects. My favourite comic book films of all time!

7) The Lost Boys

The fact I loved this film so much came as a surprise to me as the synopsis alone made me think it was going to be bursting with 80s cheese. Ok, so it's still sort of cheesy and very 80s but this film has a magical combination - it has the supernatural, is really quite funny, has a fantastic soundtrack (Echo and the Bunnymen!) and definitely exudes 'coolness'. And check out the young Kiefer Sutherland! The tagline states that 'It's fun to be a vampire.' Beyond the silly haircuts, it most certainly is...

8) An American Werewolf in London

If there's one thing you should learn from British horror is that is never a good idea to go for a night time walk in the Yorkshire Moors or the Scottish Highlands - you're friend will probably die and you'll probably be turned into something of the wolfish variety. This film is very 'B-movie' but the thing I love about this film is that it doesn't take itself seriously. It's a tongue-in-cheek werewolf tale and I would actually say that some of the special effects are really quite cutting edge (I mean, it was 1981 after all). Bloody but humorous at the same time!

9) Sweeney Todd

By this point you probably think I have an unhealthy fascination with the macabre. Well I probably do. Now, combine that with a musical and you've definitely got my attention. What I love about this film is how it modernized a particularly wonderful musical by Stephen Sondheim. I love Johnny Depp and, whilst he's not got the voice of a professional tenor, I would agree with a critic that cited his voice as Bowie-esque and I do love Bowie. I'm a great fan of Burton's and this is definitely my favourite Burton film to date. Deliciously dark with great musical numbers.

10) A Little Princess

I really thought hard about including this one. It's a children's film directed by Alfonso Cuaron (the guy that did Harry Potter 3) and it is one of the few children's films I can watch over and over. In terms of watchability, it is closely followed by Matilda.
The story and the soundtrack to this film are enchanting and so well put together. Even though I love the book by Burnett I surprisingly prefer the film to the book. Never usually a one of sappy happy endings, the film feels much more uplifting and fitting in its finale. I absolutely fell in love with this film. It's one of those films that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside which I probably need after the bloodshed, violence and sometimes rather sad endings of the aforementioned films. Give it a watch even if it has been a long time since you got halves on buses...

*~Honourable Mentions~*

And was so hard to leave out these but, alas, decisions had to be made. All I can say is that after looking over my main list, those who like their films to be true reflections upon real life and the real world may seriously disagree. I do love my fantasy...

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Forrest Gump, Brokeback Mountain, Life is Beautiful, The Pianist, 28 Day's Later, Beauty and the Beast, , Little Shop of Horrors, Shaun of the Dead, Billy Elliot, Ginger Snaps, Twilight, Phantom of the Opera, The Butterfly Effect, Romeo and Juliet, Matilda, Labyrinth, Battle Royale, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Edward Scissorhands, Amelie.

Summary: Definitely a difficult list to compile.