My top 10 favorite films of all time...

After reading my friend's list, I figured I'd make my own as well. Not worried about what others might think and not concerned with the fact that some more pretentious film buffs will find my selections cliche, I mainly aimed for films that have in one way or another inspired me to be a filmmaker and have also entertained me without end.

And of course this list excludes the Star Wars films and all but one Terry Gilliam film, as it just wouldn't be fair.

So here it is, my top 10 and the reasons why they made the cut...

10. Fellini's "8 1/2" & "La Strada"
I know, I've just started and I'm already cheating by trying to squeeze two films in one slot, but I honestly could not decide which of these films I enjoyed the most. "8 1/2" is perhaps Fellini's most personal film and his most surreal with beautiful cinematography, symbolism and dream sequences to give us just a little peek into the man's brain. "La Strada" is perhaps the best "road movie" ever, a traveling sideshow performer Zampano and his newly acquired assistant Gelsomina (Fellini's wife Giulietta Masina) venture across the wide plains of Itay. These two films opened my eyes to foreign cinema, and most importantly to the world of Federico Fellini.
Favorite Scene: (8 1/2) The cocktail party with the psychic and the "Cabaret-esque" MC "Asa Nisi Masa!"
(La Strada) Everytime Gelsomina is dressed is a clown.

9. "Raging Bull" by Martin Scorsese
Flawless performances by the dynamic duo DeNiro and Pesci, a boxing match has never been approached in a more effective manner and the b&w cinematography is without flaw. Not to mention the writing is excellent and it's a story of failure and regret that's all too common in society. Scorsese's best film in my opinion.
Favorite Scene: Any of the boxing matches with the great cross dissolves between the fight, flash bulbs, bells and round card girls. Stunning and memorable.

8. "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang
Lang, a true pioneer in filmmaking, really set the standard with this film. It's probably the most impressive silent film ever created and is the root influence to possibly every sci fi film that has followed in its wake. Be sure to check out the new restored version which has the original music.
Favorite Scene: "The Seven Deadly Sins" dance performance as hundreds of men pant and writhe with lust for her.

7. "Vertigo" by Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock's masterpiece they say and I believe it's his personal favorite of the films he's made. Based in San Francisco, this psychological mystery, drama and thriller sums up everything that Hitchcock was about. Obsession, dementia, love, lust, death, deception, it's got it all. Jimmy Stewart is great as a retired cop hired by an old friend to tail his wife who he suspects of either going insane or under the influence of a deceased relative...and the plot thickens.
Favorite Scene: Madeline jumping into the SF Bay

6. "Edward Scissorhands" by Tim Burton
It's a suburban fairytale with Johnny Depp as a pale young man with cutting utensils for hands. How could you not love this film.
Favorite Scene: Winona Ryder dancing in the falling snow from Edward's ice sculpture shavings.

5. "Dr. Strangelove: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb" by Stanley Kubrick
Dark comedy at its best, this film was made in the heat of the cold war and is just as funny then as it is now. Sellers should have won an Oscar for his role as both the President of the US, a British Private soldier and as the enigmatic Dr. Strangelove.
Favorite Scene: Dr. Strangelove's final monologue

4. "Citizen Kane" by Orson Welles
Yes, yes, we all know that Citizen Kane is a beautiful film and uses nearly every photographic technique in the book. But what's amazing is that every technique it uses is extremely effective and couldn't have been shown differently. It is also one of the first great battles between filmmakers and executives, brought on by W.R. Hearst who was under the belief that the film was about him. This is THE film that should be seen by all. And don't forget, Welles has directed a good number of beautiful films that should all be seen as well.
Favorite Scene: When Charles Foster Kane first arrives at the Inquirer.

3. "Dead Poets Society" by Peter Weir
There have been countless "boarding school films" that have tried to replicate without success what this film is. A group of intelligent yet uninspired students at a preparatory school receive a new English instructor (Robin Williams) who opens their eyes to a whole new world and broadens their tunnel vision to consider other options and to pursue their passions.
Favorite Scene: Robin Williams places his hands over Ethan Hawke's eyes as Ethan describes in poetic detail a picture that hangs on the classroom wall.

2. "Miller's Crossing" by the Coen Bros.
Every shot is a work of art, every line necessary to the story, every character is quirky and interesting making for a movie experience that is entertaining while also at times a bit disturbing and at other times emotionally gripping. Great cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld in his last film with the Coen's and possibly my favorite score by Coen collaborator Carter Burwell.
Favorite Scene: Gabriel Byrne taking John Torturro out to the middle of the forest to kill him.

1. "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam
For me to go into everything that I love about this film would require a 1000 word essay, at least. Needless to say it made me want to be a filmmaker and also made me fall in love with the wide angle lens. Be sure to get the Criterion Collection "Director's Cut".
Favorite Scene: When we first meet Harry Tuttle