Deciding you favourite films of all time is no easy feat but I have managed to whittle it down and select my personal favourites. It is clear there are a couple of recurring themes in my selection, but not without a couple of wild cards of course. If you are into art-house indie films, rom-coms, comedy and perhaps satirical black comedies? This could be the list for you.
I have to leave you with some honourabe mentions however, one of which is Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, with such strong performances from Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny I think it tells the story beautifully and trumps Austin Butler’s performance in Elvis. The Holdovers also gets a shout out as this film really takes you through every single emotion and is unlike I’ve ever seen before, but anyway… Here are my top 5 all time favourite films.
5. Superbad (2007)
I’m not usually one for comedy it has to be said, but Superbad is a film I go back to time and time again. Every time I turn it on, usually a Friday evening after a long week of work, I still laugh endlessly and the jokes never get old. Its abundantly starry cast includes Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Martha MacIsaac and Emma Stone. Not many people know that Rogen and Evan Goldberg began writing this film when they were both just 13 years old. It was also Oscar-winning Stone’s first movie and helped catapult her career.
4. Triangle of Sadness (2022)
This could be the biggest wildcard of the bunch. The Triangle of Sadness, directed by Ruben Östlund is like three movies in one. It starts with ‘The Restaurant’ and a interaction between a couple about who pays for dinner and the complexities of their relationship and then ‘The Yatcht’, suddenly we are on a cruise ship when disaster strikes and they are attacked by pirates who take over the boat. But it doesn’t stop there, the third part of the movie is ‘The Island’, where the survivors have washed up and we see what happens bewteen humans when they are in survival mode. The soundtrack should also get a mention let alone its brilliant cast including , Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Jiannis Moustos, Thobias Thorwid and Woody Harrelson. The film explores themes of privilege, whether that be through beauty or finances and it has an ending that will leave you thinking for weeks after.
3. Lady Bird (2017)
Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut demonstrated her as a bold cinematic voice in this beautifully shot feature mainly based around the dynamics of a mother-daughter relationship. The film follows ‘Lady Bird’ as she attempts to navigate high school and figure out who she is. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet and Beanie Feldstein and is set in 2002 Sacramento, California amidst a rapidly shifting economic landscape. Lady Bird explores the unmatched beauty of the place we call home and the beliefs that shape us. It picked up the 2018 Golden Globe Awards Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) among numerous other awards and is just a gorgerous film.
2. One Day (2011)
This could be another controversial opinion… as people either love it or hate this film and many like to complain about Anne Hathaway’s attempt at a northern English accent, but One Day, based on the book written by David Nicholls comes in at a very close second on the list. The film stars Hathaway and Jim Sturgess and they have a perfect chemistry throughout the film. It’s a classic will they, won’t they set between Edinburgh, London and Paris. The film takes us to St Swithen’s Day every year from 1988 to 2008 and we see how the couple’s lives and relationship has progressed. It’s a beautfiul concept and translates so well on to screen. The film was made into a TV series for Netflix last year, it was a great adaptation too but the film will always be the winner for me.
1. Lost in Translation (2003)
I know many people won’t agree with this choice but Lost in Translation wins it for me. Set in Tokyo and following the lives of Bob Harris, played by Bill Murray, a fading American movie star who is having a midlife crisis and a disillusioned young woman named Charlotte, Scarlett Johansson, also a newlywed and recent college graduate. It is directed by my favourite director, Sofia Coppola, her artistic vision in this film just works for me. It’s an indie art-house film where not too much happens and it has a slow pace that may not suit everyone but really its about loneliness, isolation and the search for connection through the subtle interactions and unspoken emotions of people. It’s setting of Japan, in particular an overpopulated Tokyo, is the perfect place to explore such themes.