Right… Getting to grips with a long list of posts I’ve been meaning to make for a while now! I begin with the top 10 General Movies – my personal favourites of all time, so far. The list isn’t static, but this is what I’ve boiled down at the moment! The full list does cover the top 49 I’m sure there will be more, but the old grey cells aren’t that good these days!), the full list is below the details of the top 10.
As stated these are the general movies, which cover Action / Drama / Comedy and anything else 🙂
I’m not a movie critic, and in many examples what I like has been routinely ripped apart by critics… but what the hell do they know? Just take a movie for what it is, with its limits, and just bloody well enjoy it 🙂 Some of the movies in the list you more than likely haven’t heard of, some of them certainly aren’t mainstream, but all of them are worthy of a viewing!
First of the crop is The Goonies (1985) – This has to be the top, honestly for me this is the one of the generation. The Goonies and their Goony adventures were the day-dreams of my early teenage years. It wasn’t just the movie, but the soundtrack is iconic too – genius!
The Goonies (1985)
114min | Adventure, Comedy, Family | 29 November 1985 (UK)
Summary: A group of young misfits who call themselves The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on a quest to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
Countries: USALanguages: English, Spanish, Cantonese, Italian
Shoot ’em Up (2007) comes in a close second. Clive Owen shooting everything in sight, including shooting Paul Giamatti using a carrot! What’s not to like in this blast of a comedy movie! I always like to settle down to watch this one when plot isn’t an issue, but action is 🙂
Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
86min | Action, Comedy, Crime | 14 September 2007 (UK)
Summary: A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.
Countries: USALanguages: English, Italian
Down Periscope (1996) is Third. Now I was never a fan of Kelsey Grammer in Frasier, but in this he’s amazing. “Welcome Aboard”. If you’ve not watched this one, and need a good belly laugh – it’s your ticket!
Down Periscope (1996)
92min | Comedy | 28 June 1996 (UK)
Summary: Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days.
Countries: USALanguages: English
Heathers (1988) is one of the classics for the period and exemplified an entire age in movies of the genre. The ultimate American-high-school-clique movie. Did Americans really dress like that back then?
Heathers (1988)
103min | Comedy, Crime | 17 November 1989 (UK)
Summary: In order to get out of the snobby clique that is destroying her good-girl reputation, an intelligent teen teams up with a dark sociopath in a plot to kill the cool kids.
Countries: USALanguages: English
Sucker Punch (2011) is in fifth position. This is pure action, a fantastic soundtrack making use of the most unusual songs. This is one of my favourite high octane movies of all time, an easy watch, and definitely shiny!
Sucker Punch (2011)
110min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy | 1 April 2011 (UK)
Summary: A young girl is institutionalized by her abusive stepfather, retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, envisioning a plan to help her escape.
Countries: USA, CanadaLanguages: English, German
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) is in sixth place. Is there anyone who hasn’t seen this movie?! Love Samuel L. Jackson in this – does he even say “Motherfucker” once? 😉
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
121min | Action, Crime, Drama | 29 November 1996 (UK)
Summary: A woman suffering from amnesia begins to recover her memories after trouble from her past finds her again.
Countries: USALanguages: English
Real Genius (1985) in solid seventh place – Wow. When I saw this as a teenager it was soooo fucking cool. The stiff, the party animal, and the guy in a secret bunker accessed through a closet! Someone had too many drugs to think of this – and I thank them for it 🙂
Real Genius (1985)
108min | Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi | 7 August 1985 (USA)
Summary: Teenage geniuses deal with their abilities while developing a high-powered laser for a university project. When their professor intends to turn their work into a military weapon, they decide to ruin his plans.
Countries: USALanguages: English
Idiocracy (2006) comes in eighth place. Is this a comedy, a drama, or a frightening portent of the near future? A must watch to make you think of the direction Humanity is heading in!
Idiocracy (2006)
84min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi | 25 January 2007 (Germany)
Summary: Private Joe Bauers, the definition of "average American", is selected by the Pentagon to be the guinea pig for a top-secret hibernation program. Forgotten, he awakes five centuries in the future. He discovers a society so incredibly dumbed down that he's easily the most intelligent person alive.
Countries: USALanguages: English
Malcolm (1986) for Ninth place. This amazing and often overlooked work by Nadia Tass and David Parker starred the amazing Colin Friels in a most challenging role as an idiot-savant. You just don’t get movies like this any more. Difficult subject portrayed with a a gentle slant of comedy. One of a kind.
Malcolm (1986)
90min | Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi | 2 October 1986 (Australia)
Summary: Malcolm is a chronically shy mechanical genius who has just been fired for building his own tram. He gets Frank, who has just been released from jail, to move in to help pay the bills. ...
See full summary »
Countries: AustraliaLanguages: English
The Breakfast Club (1985) is in tenth place. THE 80s movie. Long, boring in places, but it manages to keep your attention captured like a fly in amber. Captures the stereotypes of an entire generation with so much accuracy it hurts!
The Breakfast Club (1985)
97min | Comedy, Drama | 7 June 1985 (UK)
Summary: Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.
Countries: USALanguages: English
Now the article is a top 10… but, these two deserve special mentions!
Beetlejuice (1998) is number 11 on the list, and no top ten could miss Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice! No words for this – I’m sure it holds a place the memories of at least half the western world’s populace 🙂
Beetlejuice (1988)
92min | Comedy, Fantasy | 19 August 1988 (UK)
Summary: The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.
Countries: USALanguages: English
Twister (1996) is twelfth place, and has a special mention – this movie brought the world of storm-chasers to the public conciousness back in 1996 – Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton managed to blow you away with this fondly remembered movie!
Twister (1996)
113min | Adventure, Thriller | 26 July 1996 (UK)
Summary: Bill and Jo Harding, advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.
Countries: USALanguages: English
The rest of the list is after the “Continue Reading link”
This is the full list – Alphabetical order 🙂
A Dogs Breakfast (2007)
A Knights Tale (2001)
Beerfest (2006)
Beetlejuice (1998)
Breakfast Club (The) (1985)
Bulletproof Monk (2003)
Caddyshack (1980)
Deadpool (2016)
Doomsday (2008)
Down Periscope (1996)
Goonies (The) (1985)
Heathers (1988)
Hot Fuzz (2007)
How to rob a bank (2007)
Idiocracy (2006)
Italian Job (The) (1969)
Jackal (The) (1997)
John Wick (2014)
Knights of Badassdom (2013)
Limitless (2011)
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
London Has Fallen (2016)
Long Kiss Goodnight (The) (1996)
Malcolm (1986)
Man With One Red Shoe (The) (1985)
Mr and Mrs Smith (2005)
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Parole Officer (The) (2001)
Piano (The) (1993)
Prestige (The) (2006)
Pump Up The Volume (1990)
Real Genius (1985)
Risky Business (1983)
Secretary (2002)
Shaun of The Dead (2004)
Shoot ’em up (2007)
Spy (2015)
Sucker Punch EXTENDED (2011)
Super Troopers (2003)
Talladega Nights (2006)
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Thomas Crown Affair (The) (1999)
Thursday (1998)
Top Gun (1986)
Twister (1996)
V for Vendetta (2006)
Walk All Over Me (2007)
Walking Tall (2004)
Wanted (2008)
This list is always growing, always changing, and I’m sure there are titles I’ve forgotten about on the journey!