Movies

Tags: real life, other.
By lucb1e on 2012-01-24 00:05:17 +0100

Half something I want to share with you, half a note to self if I want to watch a good movie but don't know which. Hereby I proudly *cough* present: A list of great movies!

Note that this is a list-in-progress. It will get updated as I watch more movies or remember other movies I don't remember right now. Also it's a highly subjective list I may put some movies in the wrong order and decide to change it later.

1. Lord of the Rings


2. Sherlock Holmes (2009)


3. The Bourne Identity (2002)


4. In Time (2011)
   Although the movie is fairly mainstream, it ranks high because it gets you thinking. What prevents time from being used as currency? Or are we really doing the same by paying people an hourly rate instead of based on their accomplishments? Not to mention how many lives that million years capsule must have cost.


5. I am Legend (2007)


6. V for Vendetta


7. The Adjustement Bureau (2011)


8. The Hobbit (2012)


9. The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
   If you've ever read anything about simulated realities, you'll love this movie.


10. Source Code (2011)


11. Avatar (2009)


12. The Matrix (1999)
    Having read a thing or two about singularity and the concept of the world being a big simulation, I find the movie strangely normal and believable. I suppose to a more common audience it seems more incredible, and that's why they exaggerated Neo's reaction to discovering the truth.
    The action scenes lack some though: Dodging bullets that you (the chosen one) see coming is one thing, but running at human speed for multiple seconds without getting hit by five machine guns aimed at you by an AI, is rather hard not to roll your eyes at. It makes the movie much less good.


13. Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)


14. Shawshank Redemption (1994)


15. 21 (2008)


16. Sherlock Holmes 2 (2011)
    Although a good movie, it's not nearly as good as the first. Effects are overused, and I find the story also slightly lacking.


17. Let the right one in (2008)


18. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
    The book is much better, but a good movie nevertheless.


19. I, Robot (2004)
    This movie is one of the things that sparked my interest in AI before I knew anything about computers or robots.
    Related: "I thought Asimov's Laws of Robotics were New Year's Resolutions which why I never stuck to them" (twitter.com/HAL9000_)


20. The Illusionist (2006)


21. Now you see me (2013)
    Somewhat similar to The Illusionist, great movie, but I liked The Illusionist a little bit better.


22. 127 Hours (2010)


23. Angels and Demons (2009)
    I must admit that the movie I've seen was cam-quality, perhaps it deserves a slightly better place. Still, like with The Da Vinci Code, the book was much better.


24. Pacific Rim


25. War of the Worlds (2005)


26. The Hurt Locker (2008)


27. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)


28. The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Note that movies like Transformers (2007), Mission Impossible 1-4, Repo Men (2010) and other general action movies are not in here. I enjoy watching one every now and then, but I don't think they're worth mentioning. This is mostly a list of movies I want to watch again or which I have watched more than once (on a voluntary basis, lol), the standard action movies don't fall within this category.

To watch:
- The last samurai (recommendation from Joszs);
- Forrest Gump (recommendation from Joszs);
- Star Wars (well I've watched them, but it's been too long ago to include them in the above list) (Update: Watched the first two now!).

Update: Placing new movies in there is getting harder and harder. It's so subjective; I can like movie X better than number five on the list, but less than number six. And the list is a reminder as memory fades. I thought Sherlock Holmes 2 was not so great, but I probably think of it that way because of my high expectations (which it didn't meet). It still makes a pretty good rank.