Travis’ Top 100 Rankings

Here’s an ABOUT for The Travis’ Top 100! And Here’s a link to category that holds all of the posts!

6. Children of Men

There are so many things that I really love about this movie that it’s hard to numerate them all here. It’s gritty and real, while having a unique sci-fi fantasy story. Its wonderfully amazingly acted, by Clive Owen of course, but more so by Julianne Moore and Michael Caine. It’s underrated, which gives it a soft spot in my heart. It tells a story of hope, tenacity, courage and freedom that few movies have told. It has one of the greatest surprises I’ve ever witnessed in a film (which you’ll see I’m a sucker for). Lastly, and most importantly it has 3 of the most amazingly shot scenes I have ever witnessed in film. The filmmaking for this movie is so much ahead of any movie I have ever seen. I feel astonished by it just by thinking about it. I could go on and on about this movie.

5. Brazil

Imagination, as I’m sure you can guess, is going to be one of the keys to being one of my all time favorite movies. Another key? Mind-fuckery. Yea, I made up that term, but it fits. This movie has both. Brazil is one of the most imaginative films of all time thanks to Terry Gilliam’s completely unique point of view. No director sees things quite like he does. I adore all of his films. But what makes this movie so important for me is the combination of mind-adjusting along with classic heroics. A simple man just wants to be free and wants to be in love. I can get behind that. Tragedy too! Oh man! This movie has everything for me.

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Beauty. That’s why this movie is here. I have never seen a movie that is as beautiful as this movie while also being this intelligent. Eternal Sunshine has some of the greatest acting of all time, some of the most imaginative cinematography and directing of all time, not to mention the writing. Charlie Kaufman is by far my favorite screenwriter and this is one of his greatest works. He does such a great job of showing his way to the way the male mind works when it is brokenhearted while doing so in one of the most imaginative ways I’ve ever seen. This movie is interesting, smart, imaginative, sad and happy all at the same time.

3. Memento

Memento is probably the smartest movie I have ever seen. It is not only one of the most intriguing story lines in the history of film, but it is told in such an impressive manner. The idea of telling the story backwards and forwards at the same time, intertwined, one in color, the other black and white, the story heading toward the middle… There’s never been anything like it. But it is also made amazing by a tone that is rarely perfectly struck; its sad and depressing while being thrilling and mysterious. It’s both heavy and fast paced. I love every second of it still to this day.

2. Adaptation

You will have a hard time debating with me that there is a smarter movie in the history of filmmaking. Adaptation is the smartest movie in the history of the world because it has more layers than you shake a fist at. At any point, you can never be sure what exactly you are watching. You can never be sure if it is satire, or biography, or auto-biography or a non-fiction adaptation or a completely fictitious work of art. I could go on and on about the acting or the directing, but the intellect of this movie is what makes it one of my favorites of all time.

1. It’s A Wonderful Life

It should come as no surprise to my closest friends that this is my all-time favorite movie. This list will grow and movies will shift, but this movie will always live at the top. I’ve seen this movie more than any other movie and it still gets to me every time I watch it. I guarantee I WILL cry at least once, probably twice while watching it. I can quote every line; I use quotes from it daily in my life. I use the characters as reminders of what it is to be a good person, to give of oneself without regret. There is no movie that means more to me and I seriously doubt there ever will be.