Top 5 Films of All Time

Five is nearly not close enough to the amount of movies that I would watch over and over again, however for this blog post I chose the films (in no particular order) that first came to mind as well as ones I still love watching today.

 A film of science fiction directed by Steven Spielberg, in which portrayed a time of brotherhood between two different worlds, when a child meets no more then a friend who is just a tad different then him. This film is ET(1982) When I think of the epitome of childhood I think of the principles of E.T. This film offered a story line that digged deep into every child's and even adult's heart. One of the important aspect of the film that I favored was that an alien expressed as nothing but gentle and curious, unlike the many alien invasion films that came before it. The film's story line between the connection between ET and Elliot, the boy who found ET was what made the film engaging to watch. The greatness of this film's cinematographer is shown through the fact that it's still widely known, even for people who haven't watched the the actual film can recognize some of these beautiful shots.

Another film I constantly find myself reaching for is The Truman Show (1998). This is truly a film I will never get tired of. It has one of the most  unique story lines, it conveys a story in which a man lives by the the rules of TV producers, directors and ratings.They have created a utopia in which Truman Bunker, lives a public life and is filmed 24/7. This movie can be quite funny, but also touches on important aspects of entertainment industry. One of my favorite actors, Jim Carry plays the main character of Truman spot one and he definitely makes the film. Truman proves to be an extremely likable character, in the beginning of the film he has somewhat of a cheesy, but fun personality. Though as the story progresses we do see another side of him as he starts to find his surroundings suspicious, he begins to develop what seem like insanity, however he is reaching closer to a truer existence. This developing of a character is what also makes this film so engaging.This unique film also has unique cinematography to add on to it’s greatness. The film uses an array of camera angles giving the appearance of an hidden cameras to really get across that Truman is unawareingly on a TV.

One of my favorite genres is action and this film has honorably set a high bar. Die Hard (1988) made every American audience gaze in awe at the the abilities of this badass cop named John McClane. This film also incorporates humor in a dangerous setting where terrorist hold hostages to rob a vault.Like most actions movies there's a large amount of explosions and gun fights, however there is one feature that makes McClane quite different from normal heros in action movies especially during this time and this is his mistakes. Many times we see the hero of American action movies know exactly what there doing, but it's not very realistic because not many people are prepared for the situation their put in, such as a terrorist attack in this film. It gives a "lets figure it out as we go one" type of mood which is defiantly expressed by the character.

A movie that will always linger in my favorites forever is Schindler's list(1998) I read both the novel and watched the film through eyes of tears. The film evokes emotions that no other film can, many of the times when we are faced with a sad story or film we like to tell ourselves its not real in order to separate ourselves from the horror, but unfortunately we are not able to this with this film. Every character represents a real soul that lie victim to the Holocaust.The film is not just a story, but part real years of suffering in Germany and this is what makes the film so meaningful. Schindler's list is a true masterpiece and will never be worth just Academy Awards because it speaks volumes of truth. I can honestly say that this film will change your life.

Lastly, though I do not follow a religious cult following of these novels or films, I do consider the film series one of my favorites. This would be "The Lord Of The Rings" (2001-2003). This film is obviously one that is both creative and complex which is what makes it entertaining. This fantasy adventure films keeps the audience interested throughout Frodo's adventure. One of the aspects that are inspiring is the production design. This detailed designed put in the film makes it that much more enjoyable to watch . No other film looks or feels like Lord of The Rings.

What makes a Great Film?

There are so many films that are truly master pieces, many that will remain in film history forever. Though many of these amazing films are unique in their own way, they all have a basic foundation in which allows their film to memorable.The main parts of this foundation include story line,character and cinematography. Without these a film might be considered bland and boring.

Story Line 

This is the most essential in a film, the story determines everything about the film and without a good story a film will be destined to be dull and even unwatchable. The story is the heart of the film, a film could have the best cinematography or editing, but if there is a lack of story the film is no longer engaging to an audience.In addition it is quite obvious that the stories that contain new and unseen ideas are the ones that are the most successful. Novels prove to be a major source when making films, since novels focus on purely story lines, its perfect to make films from these already well developed ideas and characteristics. The following were taken from novels. This idea did not come from Steven Spielberg, it was an novel originally written by  Michael Crichton. In addition The Shawshank Redemption was adapted by a  novel called Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Repdemption written by Stephen King. The Lord of the Rings was originally written by J.R.R Tolkien. 

      
                   


These stories must evoke some type of emotion into the audience.The key into having a film where the audience can lose themselves in the story is done through emotion and having the audience fully acknowledge the conflicts of the characters. Whether its a frighting feeling in Jurassic Park, an adventure in Lord of the Rings to understanding outrage and despair in the Shawshank Redemption all films pursue in awakening all sides of humanity.  

Characters
Portrayal of characters is one of the main aspects in a great film. Often times these characters are flawed yet still lovable. One of the most loved characters known in American film is Forrest Gump. From beginning to end audience find themselves falling in love with this character.Though introduced as a mentally challenged country boy, Forrest has a good heart and is portrayed as a selfless and courageous character.

Lovable characters come in all shapes in sizes, and are the significant in making films. Lovable characters on the comedy side of film can be portrayed in various ways. One of the most obvious comedic character, yet still original is Austin powers. His character focuses portraying parodies of  late 60s films.Austin Powers is goofy, but still charming to the audience, he is well developed character that is the center of films.


We even find flawed characters who's roles are meant to be hero's as inspiring characters. Flawed characters such as these must go through a series of conflicts to change their mindset and become what audiences think of as the "good guy".  In the end, most of the popular characters in films, will always be good at heart. Good example would be Handcock. A hero who learns how to use his advantages to help  those in need.

   Cinematography
Lastly Cinematography plays a large part in film.It aids the film in the portray of certain aspects, such as the characters, genre, and story. If the Cinematography is plain and uncreative, this is exactly how the film will be represented. Cinematography is the window to how the audience sees the story and the character, it is their direct connection to the film. Furthermore the Cinematography also must  be adequate in order to portray an adequate story/character. You can also have an outstanding story, but without decent cinematography to portray this story, then the film will also fall short and not be entertaining. One of the most outstanding films where cinematography absolutely benfits the film is The Matrix. Fight scenes and the time where the characters are in the program are quite marvelous.