Top Five Favourite Films

I’ve never covered film on this blog because it’s quite a daunting task; programming and film can be quite different in style and message. A lot of the time a film has to achieve in a few hours what a series can achieve in many more, although on the flipside there is often a much higher budget. Here is my personal Top 5 Favourite films of all time, in reverse order.

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Written by John August and Roald Dahl, Directed by Tim Burton, Music by Danny Elfman. 2005)

Not a popular choice among the critics, as well as fans of both Dahl and Burton, I find this film’s style, humour and tone inescapable. As well as sticking as closely as is possible to the original novel, it also injects warmth and a message that manages to update the film for the modern age, contrasting with Dahl’s often strict (and today, fairly ridiculous) views.

            Anyone who hasn’t heard of this story, from the book, this film or the 1974 version, is a poorer man for it. Its simplicity is paramount to its success; it’s the tale of Charlie Bucket, who is one of five children invited to tour around the factory of the fictional chocolate maker, Willy Wonka. In this edition, Wonka’s attitude and general dissonance with the outside world is amplified, and as is his childish, whimsical nature. The crucial thing is that reasons are given for why he is like this.

            Elsewhere, Danny Elfman’s score is charming and variable, Burton’s artistic style is spot-on, and Johnny Depp gives us an… interesting character.

4. Sherlock Holmes (Written by Michael Robert Johnson, Directed by Guy Ritchie, Music by Hans Zimmer. 2009)

It is surprising that a film that, as of posting, I saw only three weeks ago is number four on the list. What is it about this film that I love? It’s a mixture of intriguing, witty mystery, swirled up with exciting but realistic action. The performances are superb and the soundtrack just flows.

            As from the title, the film is another adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes book, published by Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1880s and 90s. This time the elusive sleuth and his assistant, Doctor Watson, are updated with developed performances by a good fake-Brit by Robert-Downy Junior and comfortable Jude Law. The instant chemisrty between the characters means that whether you’re looking at a gambling problem, or a thick argument, it all feels slick.

             It’s best to approach this film, and any Sherlock story, without any knowledge of the plot, as to enhance the experience. Therefore, I’ll move on.

3.) Big Fish (Written by Danny Wallace, Directed by Tim Burton, Music by Danny Elfman. 2003)

Yes, my highest Tim Burton film is the oft-ignored Big Fish, which is unusual in Burton canon as it contains only two of his recurring cast members. A tale set in the American South during an unspecified time period, alternating between the modern day and a period around the Second World War. It tells the story of the dying Edward Bloom, as his son tries to discover whether the tall tales surrounding his life are true.

            In essence, it’s a wonderful exploration of one mans lie, focussing on all areas of everyone’s lives. Albert Finnley and Ewan McGregor both do a brilliant job as the protagonist, and Helena Bonham Carter gives a role that doesn’t feel like an unnecessary cameo.

2. The Truman Show (Written by Andrew Niccol, Directed by Peter Weir and Music by Burkhard Dallwitz. 1998.)

A tough call, my two top favourite films are quite close together. Coming in second by a thin margin is The Truman Show, one of Jim Carrey’s first dramatic roles. It was one of the first films, and one of the first pieces of media, to capture the idea of reality TV, and in this case it stands at its most effective.

            The film follows Truman Burbank, chosen by birth to be part of a completely immersive world, and his life broadcast 24 hours a day from the day he was born to the day he died. He is funny and generally accepting of this strange, 1950s style world, which is littered with oddities like circular traffic and people advertising mid-conversation. Around his early thirties, outside forces begin to make Truman start to see the oddities of the world around him.

            The entire film is a slick philosophical pondering on whether we truly know whether the world around us is real, a predecessor of sorts to The Matrix’s popularisation of a simulated reality.

1. Pleasantville ((Written and Directed by Gary Ross and Music by Randy Newman. 1999)

Here we are. My favourite film of all time, Pleasantville is a cauldron of genres; an out-of-this-world adventure, a symbolic examination of human nature, and a chick flick, all rolled into one.

            Two 1990s teens are arguing over the remote; David is an obsessive fan on a 1950s sitcom called Pleasantville, while his sister Liz is a class whore who hates the show. When a strange repairman gives them a magical remote, both are transported into the show as two of its teen characters. While the world is black and white, events slowly occur which mean that colour starts to appear in the town, mainly due to Dave and Liz’s modern freedoms. What follows is an examination of philosophy, race and gender roles, and the changing face of the American family.#

Thanks.