Top Ten Greatest Films of All Time: Honorable Mentions

The best form of artistic expression is displayed on the silver screen. For over one hundred years, cinema has visually told stories to eager viewers across the world. Movies have become a staple of our society and have developed into one of the more challenging forms of art.

A good movie is hard to find. A great movie transcends expectations and can start a cultural revolution. But with so many genres like horror, comedy, romance and science fiction, is it possible to determine the very best?

This seemingly impossible task is one I took great pleasure in trying to tackle. I scoured across the world of film, watching movies considered to be “the best” or “culturally groundbreaking” and have compiled a list of what I personally believe to be the best movies that have ever been made.

I must stress that this list is purely based on my own opinions and views on what makes a movie exemplary. I used five aspects that I thought were universal to any movie: acting performances, screenplay (writing/story), innovative aspects, cinematography and cultural relevance.

The films in this article were great enough to be recognized but came up short of making the list for various reasons.

Good Will Hunting 

Gus Van Sant’s 1997 Oscar winner is a personal favorite of mine that holds a special spot in anyone’s heart that decides to watch it.

I cannot recommend this movie enough if you’re a fan of dialogue. Conversations between the late Robin Williams, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, and Matt Damon as the title character carry this highly emotional story about a young man struggling to find purpose in his life.

Damon and Ben Affleck penned the award winning screenplay and cemented their place in a time when the film industry was producing some of it’s best works. Good Will Hunting is hurt however because it often gets lost in the plethora of great films in the late 1990’s and did very little to distance itself from the competition. Still, Van Sant’s art house success cannot go without recognition.

Raging Bull 

Martin Scorsese’s boxing masterpiece from 1980 was recently called the 4th Greatest Film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2007. Robert De Niro earned his 2nd Oscar for his performance as Jake LaMotta, a champion boxer who struggles to keep his personal life separate from the ring.

Scorsese uses long continuous shots and keeps the entire movie in black and white film. Rocky often overshadows Raging Bull, but after watching both films it was LaMotta’s tale of fame to turmoil that told a more honest story.

Raging Bull is undoubtedly great, but it falls short of my top ten because it did little to innovate in the world of film and was carried almost solely by De Niro’s powerful performance as LaMotta.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Steven Spielberg’s first installment in the Indiana Jones series is probably the best action film of all time. Combined with expert camera techniques and Harrison Ford’s wit, this 1981 Oscar winner just missed out on the top ten.

Action and adventure movies have tried to capture the excitement and story telling of Raiders, with very few succeeding. No other film from the genre has ever garnered as many awards, as it won four Oscars and was even nominated for Best Picture.

But, despite its greatness, Raiders of The Lost Ark is still a “cheesy” action film with a great story, but poor acting performances with the exception of Ford’s. Still, I love this movie.

Goodfellas 

Scorsese misses the cut twice with his best film, Goodfellas. This film was the hardest to leave off the list, considering it is arguably the best organized crime films of all time.

In 1990 it was robbed of Best Picture and only Joe Pesci’s performance was recognized with an Oscar. The chemistry between De Niro. Pesci  and a young Ray Liotta is noticeable to even the average film fan. Scorsese makes a beautiful film with his trademark continuous shots.

I don’t really have many reasons why a masterpiece like Goodfellas was left off my list, other than the following ten films are simply the best to have ever been made. It just so happens that Goodfellas was number eleven.

This Friday I will submit the tenth film on my list and count down to the best movie ever made.