I have a movie collecting problem. Like, for real, I probably have over a couple thousand dollars on my shelf that I’ve accumulated over the years. From action to horror to foreign films, I’ve never really had a genre of movie that I would call my favorite. Nor do I have any singular film that I would call my favorite. Instead of declaring one movie my favorite, I have a designated rack on my shelf to house some that I feel fit the criteria.
Something that I thought would be fun for the time-being is to make a list of some of my favorite contemporary movies. These are nowhere near the best movies in terms of visuals, acting, story, or just quality in general. Instead, this is a list of movies that I found the most enjoyment in over the short time I’ve been alive. Note: I have not seen every movie that has come out in the last 30-odd years; that is why this list is subject to change. Second Note: This list is in no particular order, it is simply a collection of movies I really enjoy.
1. "Forrest Gump" (1994)
I must start out with a classic. Robert Zemeckis’ 142-minute epic about a slow-witted man living an incredible life through the 20th century is nothing less than astounding. It’s hard to watch “Forrest Gump” without having the titular character, who is played by Tom Hanks, steal your heart every time. There are so many great quotes and scenes that have emerged from this movie that they have become indigenous in pop-culture to this day.
2. "Whiplash" (2014)
Oh man, I love Damien Chazelle, as you’ll see later in this list. While not being his first feature film, Whiplash definitely was the one that thrust him into the spotlight. Chazelle’s psychological thriller puts a young, ambitious jazz drummer (Miles Teller) at odds with famed conductor, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). The writing and Simmons’ award worthy performance is enough to get me through these films, but as an added bonus, the music and ending are some of the finest I’ve heard and experienced in cinema.
3. "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" (2010)
Seeing how the comic this movie was based off greatly influenced my middle school years, it was almost inevitable that I would enjoy this movie. “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” is one of those movies where it takes multiple viewings to even catch a fraction of the jokes, visual and verbal, that director Edgar Wright sends flying towards you. With wit, heart, and plenty of comic-book action to spare, this “epic of epic epicness” about a Canadian odd-ball fighting, both mentally and physically, figures from his current girlfriend’s past is just as thrilling on multiple watches as it was on my first dozen or so.
4. "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" (2014)
This one is not for everyone. I sure learned that the hard way. As weird as it is, it’s incredibly hard to place “Birdman” into just one genre of film. And that’s why I love it. The film covers so many themes and ideas that it gets hard to keep up with at times. The cinematography in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s insane masterpiece is nothing less that extraordinary. Filmed to look like one shot, the film spans weeks in the life of washed-up actor Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) as he slowly breaks down attempting to revitalize his career with a self-produced show on Broadway. If you liked it, you liked it. If you hated it, you hated it. But I personally loved it.
5. "The Room" (2003)
So bad that it’s flat out amazing, “The Room” is undoubtedly one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. It does not work on any level of film-making whatsoever. The acting sucks, the story is jumbled, and the cinematography is simply horrid. There are some scenes where the camera is out of focus simply because no one checked it beforehand, for God’s sake! But I love it any way. Why? Because it is a movie of pure passion. Tommy Wiseau put his heart and soul into this film, believing that it would be his masterpiece. Although audiences didn’t react the way that he expected them to, the film retains massive cult status in Hollywood and around the world. I’m probably not going to do this movie any justice by just talking about it. You must have seen it to believe it.
6. "The Nice Guys" (2016)
Another entry to the “Was really good, but no one saw” list is 2016's “The Nice Guys”. Be honest, most of you either forgot that this movie came out or never even knew about it in the first place. I know I didn’t remember until it got recommended to me by a friend, and oh god where has this been all my life?! Upon the first viewing, I considered a very funny, 70s throw-back detective movie. But after repeated viewings, the movie just got funnier and funnier. If you’ve never heard of this film and enjoy sharply-written, entertaining comedies, then I implore you to check this movie out. They just don’t make movies like this anymore.
8. "Chronicle" (2012)
Catching me by surprise, this 2012 found-footage, neo-superhero origin film easily became one of my favorites simply because of the climactic and heart-breaking resolution between the film’s protagonists. This is one of the only found-footage movies I’ve seen that didn’t induce nausea in me the second it started. Showing the realistic rise and fall of the relationship between friends as they test out their newly received super-powers, “Chronicle” is one of the best original superhero/supervillain origin stories ever put to screen.
9. "The World's End" (2013)
If you couldn’t tell by the inclusion of one of his previous films on this list, I love Edgar Wright. I have never seen anyone in this century of cinema pull of visual comedy quite like he does. “The World’s End” is the final collaboration between Wright and writer/actor duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Being the last movie in the trio’s “Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy”, which include other comedy hits such as “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz, “The World’s End” stands the finest of them all. Hilarious and full of heart, this tale of an old group of friends attempting to conquer an infamous pub crawl in their home town is one that I’ll remember for years to come.
10. "Who Killed Captain Alex?" (2010)
“EXPECT THE UNEXPECTABLE!” Oh my goodness, where to start with this one. “Who Killed Captain Alex?” is a movie that I categorize with “The Room”: as in, it doesn’t work on any technical level, but still manages to capture my heart every time I watch it. Filmed in the slums of Uganda with nothing more than a third-rate digital camera and a dream, director Nabwana IGG has created one of the most insane action movies you will ever see, and surprisingly, one of the purest and heart-warming odes to cinema ever produced. Simply the story of how this movie came into being is incredible. IGG, inspired by Hollywood and the martial arts movies he saw as a child, sold everything he had and then some to scrap together a $200 budget for this movie. What follows is pure cinematic insanity as IGG ad his relatively small crew of actors take their passion and translate it to screen……… Also, that scene with the panpipe cover of “Kiss from a Rose” is A+.
11. "La La Land" (2016)
If you’ve spent any amount of time with me over the holidays, you would know that I absolutely love “La La Land”. Damien Chazelle once again ticked all the right boxes for me in his tribute to old Hollywood and the techniques that emerged from it. Does the film have some problems? Yes, a couple. Is it still one of my favorite movies? Yes, of course. If you haven’t noticed a recurring theme in my list so far, let me spell it out for you: I absolutely love a film-maker with passion. This 127-minute musical romp throughout the Los Angeles absolutely captured my mind and soul during my first viewing and the grip on me has only grown stronger after more viewings. Within only 3 features, Chazelle has captured my attention and he has massive shoes to fill for his next venture.
