Snark's Top 10 in Anime, Action, Sci-fi, Kung-Fu, and Comedy.
Aug 11 '01
The Bottom Line Not the all time greatest films, but the best of their genres, in my opinion.
Whoa. Here's a category that's wide open for pretty much anything to be tossed out..... Anyway, I'm going to deviate from the format suggested by the category title ever so slightly with this editorial. Coming up with a definitive, all genres, all time list, and defending my choices for that list would be like building the Great Wall of China out of toothpicks, so I'm not even going to try. Instead, I will select my favorite genres of film, and list the best films in those genres to round out my Top 10 list. Anyway, without further ado, here is my list.
Animated
Akira: Ah, the holy grail of anime. A very nihilistic, film noir anime. Akira was the film that really got me started on anime. While there have been episodic animes and other movies that have come along and been as good, or even better, Akira is the one that started it all. While the plot is very subtle and tough to follow, it is still one of the most well told stories ever done in anime.
Ghost in The Shell: Barely beating out Princess Mononoke for the number 2 spot in the anime category, Ghost is another animated sci-fi noir flick. One of my all time favorite animes, Ghost in The Shell is yet another amazingly well done film, and it went a long way in helping to make anime a legitamate art form in America.
Action
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: The third installment in the films chronicling Dr. Jones' exploits, and the best in my opinon. Harrison Ford gives a smashing performance as he once again tries to beat the Nazis to get ahold of a sacred Christian artifact. With better special effects than Raiders of The Lost Ark and a better story than Temple of Doom, this is the best film of one of the greatest Action/Adventure series ever. While it is as much an adventure film as an action film, it still gets the nod from me.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Probably the finest Ah-nold film ever. Schwarzenegger is excellent as the lumbering Terminator, and Robert Patrick makes his big screen debut as the diabolical T-1000. Also, a young Edward Furlong does very well as John Connor, opposite some truly groundbreaking special effects.
Science Fiction
Blade Runner: Another Harrison Ford effort. Blade Runner is without a doubt the all time king daddy of sci-fi noir films. Other greats on this list, such as Akira and Ghost in The Shell owe a lot to the work that was done on Blade Runner. Excellent story, and a sci-fi tale told without the benefit of over the top special effects, shot in a manner that Bogey himself would feel at home in makes this a shoe in for the list.
Aliens Special Edition: Oh man, one of my favorite films ever. The best film of what is arguably the best Sci-Fi film trilogy ever. Directed by James Cameron, Aliens is what a space/monster movie should be. Everything in the film is gritty and realistic, and Sigourney Weaver gives a masterful performance, opposite some very disturbing monsters created by H.R. Giger. I chose the "Special Edition" version of the film because the added footage really helps flesh out an already well told story, and gives the film added dramatic impact.
Martial Arts
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: I know, I'm sure there will be tons of you thinking "Fanboy!" when you read that. However, this is without a doubt one of the all time most well done wire-fu films ever. Sure, the effects are over the top, and the actors are obviously on wires. So Frigging What?! The fight scenes are as epic as they are balletic, and the story is surprisingly deep and well done. Top it off with a stellar soundtrack with Yo-Yo Ma doing his thing with his cello, and you have an all time great film.
Enter The Dragon: Yet another "King Daddy of It's Genre" film. Enter The Dragon was the film that really got me started on martial arts. The story was a little trite, but Bruce Lee's acting and fists of fury more than compensate for that. I think this film should be a prerequisite for viewing any martial arts film, just to give the viewer a grounding in "classic" kung-fu cinema.
Comedy
Army Of Darkness: A cult classic Action/Comedy film. In my opinion, both Bruce Campbell and the Evil Dead series are criminally underappreciated. Quite simply one of the funniest, most well done Action/Comedy films ever done, espescially considering the limited funding the Evil Dead trilogy had. While there are better done and funnier films out there, Army of Darkness is dollar for dollar the most well made film comedy film I've ever seen.
PCU: I know, you're probably thinking I'm smoking crack when I put PCU on my list. However, I'm a college student, and this film strikes very close to home with me. Again, it's obviously a low budget film, but it is still a very good amount of Bang for the Buck. A hilariously snide David Spade steals the show, but everybody gives loads of laughs throughout the film. While it's not the funniest out there, I feel that it did the most with the material it had.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Action_Snark
|
|
Location: Right behind you
Reviews written: 118
Trusted by: 39 members
About Me:
Forget about Freeman!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.