Ethan's Top 10 Movies of All Time: Part 2 (5 - 1)

5. Dazed and Confused

• Out of every film on this list, I have seen this one more than any of them.  The first time I saw it was sometime in high school, and ever since I have watched this movie at least one time a month.  There were even times where I would watch it nightly or one time after another.  There is just something about this meandering comedy/drama that is endlessly entertaining.  There isn’t really any “story”, but the film is a look at high school students in America during the mid-1970s.  We follow a few different groups on the last day of school, from when school gets out to a raging keg party in the country.  Each scene has quotable material and watching it feels like you’re revisiting some very fond memories.  A slick and entertaining film.

4. the Thin Red Line

• Terrence Malick can be described with one word: divisive.  The Thin Red Line is one of his more accessible films, but even at that it is a tough nut to crack.  Many people write it off because they find it tedious, pretentious, overlong, and confusing.  It is hard to defend the movie, because Malick’s style is so hit or miss.  All of that aside, I find this movie to not only be his best film (with the recent Tree of Life in a close second), but one of the greatest films ever made.  It is a World War II film that focuses not the reality of war and the gritty violence of battle, but rather on the philosophical implications of war and the inherent nature of violence in humanity.  Themes such as mortality, thanatophobia, and religion are all touched in this epic 3 hour long film.  Certainly not for everybody, but an absolute must see for serious film buffs and those who are willing to take on some more challenging material.  

3. Alien

• I remember the first time I saw this movie, and I remember how clearly and distinctly it impacted me.  I was 13 or 14 years old and it was a Saturday night.  I saw that this movie called Alien was playing on television and I decided to stay up to watch it.  Never before had a film so instantly scared the crap out of me.  The first half of this now classic science fiction/horror movie is mysterious and thought-provoking, and the second half is an intense blast of terror.  The iconic Xenomorph creature remains an amazing creation of cinema, and it is impossible to count how many times this film has been ripped off and copied by other filmmakers.  Director Ridley Scott began his hot streak with this film and continued to make great films over the years (which he continues to do… including the recent revival of the same franchise with Prometheus).   Each detail of this movie is stunning, and watching it now still has the same impact.  For a movie as old as this, it is shocking how well it has retained its impact and visual splendor.

2. the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

• If you can’t already tell from the last movie on my list, I have an odd love of horror movies.  I find that their liberties with human logic and their lack of restraint is unique and unmatched in any other genre.  Certainly, horror has become somewhat of a self-satire over the years, but movies such as the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre show how a horror movie should be made.  This film is the definition of gritty.  Shot with a tiny budget on 6mm film stock, Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s visual style and relentless plot changed what a horror movie could do.  The cast of relatively unknown actors and the rustic settings make it all the more convincing.  While it may appear quite dated and somewhat tame next to the recent wave of torture-porn horror films, Texas Chainsaw Massacre still retains a surprising shock value that will make you want to take a shower after the end credits roll.

1. There Will Be Blood

• Well here we are.  Perhaps not the most surprising of choices for a favorite film, but definitely much more modern than some critics would approve of.  Before I saw There Will Be Blood I had never seen a Paul Thomas Anderson film, and having now seen his other films I can say that they just barely can be compared in quality with this masterpiece (except for perhaps The Master… but that’s a discussion for a future date).  There Will Be Blood is unlike any movie I have ever seen.  The plot is simple enough (an ambitious man slowly builds up an oil company until he can reap the financial benefits endlessly out of greed and corruption), but the way this film plays out is difficult to describe.  Johnny Greenwood’s terrifying score would have felt out of place in any other film, but for some reason its menace perfectly matches the madness that is slowly overtaking the film’s main character.  I should also mention that Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance is, in my opinion, the finest to ever grace the screen.  While that is obviously debatable, I can’t help but offer this movie up as not only my favorite movie ever, but also the greatest movie ever.  The pacing is slow, the acting impeccable, the cinematography gorgeous (won an Oscar), and the impact is instant.  After I first saw the film in 2007, I didn’t know what to think of it or how to describe it.  After seeing There Will Be Blood countless times since, I have come to realize that it is everything about movies that I love.