My 30 Favourite Films (Part 3)

F for Fake (1973, Orson Welles)

Where Citizen Kane started Welles' career with an incredibly told and beautifully crafted narrative masterpiece, this film ends his career on a less conventional note.

Totally non-linear, and without a any kinda of typical structure, yet still totally coherant and engrossing. A film in which every single cut sizzles and pops with interest and style, probably the most interesting documentary film I have ever seen. 

Welles truly was an incredible artist, and despite his own self-deprecation in this film, totally worthy of the praise he is given.



Taxi Driver (1976, Martin Scorsese)

As of the time of writing this list, I have only just begun the process of rediscovering Martin Scorsese. Having watched (and loved) many of his film a fair while ago, I have begun to work my way back through his filmography with this film.

And hot damn it's amazing. Possibly the most beautiful depiction of an urban setting in the history of film, garnished by Bernard Hermann's beautiful and bold score, and anchored by the simply incredibly Robert De Niro.

It fascinates me how audiences must have reacted to this film back in the seventies. This must have seemed like a feral beast entering their multiplex.



Watership Down (1978, Martin Rosen)


The first animated film on this list and a truly beautiful one. One of the most emotionally complex films ever made, ranging from serine joy to jagged existential peril without any kind of inconsistencies in tone.

Nature has never been so stunningly animated nor as characterised in its own right. You feel the personality of the countryside in this film.

Also, the sequence with Art Garfunkel's beautiful song 'Bright Eyes' is easily one of the greatest pairings of music and image I have ever seen.




Manhattan (1979, Woody Allen)



It hard for me to describe why I love this film so much. When compared to Annie Hall (which was also considered for this list) this film is far less realistic in its depiction of love in the modern age, but I think it this shunning of realism that makes me love it so much.


Allen creates what might be the purest and most optimistic portrayal of romance that has ever been made, a story in which the message is simply to be with the person you love and screw what everyone thinks. 
Beautifully photographed and scored with the excellent music of George Gerschwin. This is a film that is certainly in my sights for a rewatch soon.

By Jack D. Phillips

My Flickr

Just thought I would link you guys to my Flickr account. I have been taking photos both for my film class in uni and casually for fun. Check it out by all means.

My Flickr

My 30 Favourite Films (Part 2)

Rashomon (1950, Akira Kurosawa)

I am not too concerned with giving any kind of ranking for this list, however I will be exceptional in this case. Rashomon is probably my favourite film ever made making the the number one film here. 

From the very first shot this film captivated me, mysterious and engulfing. Truly my favourite opening of all time.

I love every aspect of this film, from it's genius screenplay, to its amazing performances (Tishiro Mifune is almost literally feral in this film), and the stunning cinematography.

Sheer beauty on celluloid.




Tokyo Story (1953, Yasujiro Ozu)

Ozu is a filmmaker that I am very cautious of. Mainly because I feel I could very easily become totally obsessed with him. His films embody and encapsulate the human spirit like few others, and his eye for detail is exquisite. 

I plan on updating this list next year, and if I do expect a lot more Ozu to appear.

This film is simply gorgeous. Tender, solemn and brimming with dignity.









The Bad Sleep Well (1960, Akira Kurosawa)

Yet another Japanese film, and another from director Akira Kurosawa. This is easily his most overlooked film, an incredibly crafted noire with some of the best performances and writing you will see in any thriller. 

Psychologically challenging and heartbreaking by the end, with a lot of credit going to Toshiro Mifune, who is always incredible to behold.

Kurosawa took a screenplay loosely based on Hamlet and transformed it into something new and wonderful.






Persona (1966, Ingmar Bergman)

Easily the least accessible film on this list. Persona is disjointed, pretentious and obscure.

It is also revealing, daring and shows the great Bergman at the very heights of his powers. Things are done in this film that astonish me, and terrify me. Probably the sharpest and most daring film on this entire list.

Sadly this is the only Bergman film on the list, I had to be very picky and restrictive on that front. A true shame.








Kes (1969. Ken Loach)

One of the simplest films on the list, along with Tokyo Story. A simple look into the raw human experience of a boy in an impoverished environment.

Heartbreakingly real and filmed with expert care and attention.

Not a flashy film, but one that gives a window into another world, one of the things that films are amazing at doing.











By Jack D. Phillips
Next is my favourite decade in all of cinema, the 1970's.

My 30 Favourite Films (Part 1)

To celebrate the one year anniversary of this blog, I will now list my favourite films of all time. I simply adore every film on this list from start to finish, and it was ridiculously hard to narrow it down to only thirty films. 

Also, I have disqualified any film that I have not seen within at least two years, below are a the films that may have made it on here if not blocked by this rule.

M (1931)
Ikiru (1952)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Godfather (1972)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Raging Bull (1980)
Goodfellas (1990)
Battle Royale (2000)
Oldboy (2003)
There Will be Blood (2007)

Also a special mention has to go out to the film When the Wind Blows (1986), which is an unbelievable masterpiece in every way, however due to its incredibly bleak tone I cannot in any way claim to enjoy it. Do this depressing nature I also have no real desire to rewatch the film in the foreseeable future. 

Aside from these honourable mentions, this is a collection of the greatest films ever made in my eyes, listed in chronological order.

Sunrise (1927, F.W Murnau)

My favourite film of the silent era, Sunrise is an intensly emotional and dreamlike experience. It uses very few title cards, telling its story entirely through its amazing visuals and its stunning soundtrack.
This is basically a film that I could watch any time any place, it goes through so many emotions so effortlessly and is a joy to wander through. In particular the Cathedral scene at around the 1/3 point in the film is one of the most overwhelming scenes in any film period.



Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles)

What even needs to be said about this film? One of the most complex, stunningly structured and relatable character studies in the history of film. A towering achievement in every aspect of filmmaking, from early scripting to final editing and everything in between.
All wrapped up by one of the most powerful endings in film history.




Double Indemnity (1944, Billy Wilder)

A dark and twisted little tale, filled with intrigue and brimming with character. One of the best constructed screenplays of all time without a doubt.
Slick, beautifully told, and able to balance many moving parts without ever feeling overwritten or difficult to follow. A joy of genre cinema.
Also, yet another exceptional ending scene, capping the films bleak mood and grim characterization.








By Jack D. Phillips

Almost 1 year

It's almost my one year anniversary on this blog. Thank you to everyone who has ever read my stuff and I hope I can continue to do this forever.

I am going to be uploading something special for the anniversary itself.

By Jack .D Phillips

Wonder of the World

Ex Machina (2015)
Yellow Submarine (1968)
Under the Skin (2014)
O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
Ratatouile (2007)
What's Opera doc? (1957)
The Meaning of Life (2005)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate  Factory (1971)
Fantastic Planet (1973)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Ocean Waves (1993)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Her (2013)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
The Lion King (1994)
The 400 Blows (1959)
Enter the Void (2010)
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
5 Centimetres per second (2007)
Samsara (2011)

By Jack D. Phillips

Openings: 28 Weeks Later

Last time I looked at an opening that I generally thought was fairly great. In fact I considered it to be the best part of the film on the whole and something of a genre leader in terms of found-footage horror openings. Now I am going to look at an opening that I am far more unsure of, for a film that I really don't like very much.

To start, as this film is a sequel I feel I owe my opinions on the original 28 Days Later. I like it a lot, everything works well and it successfully evolved one of the most important subgenres in horror history. The direction is great, the pace is phenomenal and the acting is great all across the board. It's a great example of a film that I forget that I love until I begin thinking about it.

The sequel is, odd. Larger in scale and yet smaller in character. It is a film that fails to create a sense of epicness, partially due to the strangely restrictive budget (and as a result cheap looking visuals) and also due to an overly tight runtime. However it's opening is notable for how separate it feels from the main body of the narrative, it is a true prologue in the traditional sense.

The opening of the film is the ending of a story that we did not see. The remarkable thing about this opening is that it gives the impression that the characters we are seeing, despite almost no significant screentime, are real people. Character relationships are implied and depth is given in some surprisingly subtle places. The audience gets the sense that even though this group of survivors is being overrun by zombies, that they were compelling and would have been interesting to watch....this brings me to the problem this entire idea raises.

The story that concludes as the film's opening takes place seems like a more interesting narrative than the one that the main film consists of. This manifests in several ways over the course of the film. For example, where as great lengths have clearly been made to create convincing characters in this scene, written to feel real, the main body of the film is severally lacking character, filled with bland an emotionless dialogue giving no semblance of personality. It is confusing to think, but it feels although for care and attention was put into the screenplay of this little scene than the film at large.

A further problem with this scene comes when looking at the use of the iconic 28 Days Later theme song. Intense and memorable, this track was used to great effect in the first film, with small snippets used throughout, with the entire song only being heard over the excellent climax. In Weeks however, the theme song is used immediately in the opening scene. In it's own right the scene is certainly intense enough to justify the song, however it lessens it's use later on in the film, once again giving the impression that more care and priority was given to this eight minute or so sequence that the film's actual narrative.

Perhaps the worst indictment I can give towards this scene is that it feels far superior to the film that it was grafted onto, and it actively undermines and points out the flaws of said films narrative. 

It is a true shame, because as a generic zombie movie opening this one works well, it just goes on to highlight how inadequate the following film is, especially when compared to it's predecessor. 

By Jack D. Phillips
Openings #2

Time Travel

Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996)
Back To the Future (1985)
Primer (2004)
Doctor Who (1963-)
The Time Machine (1960)
The Girl Who Lept Through Time (2006)
The Terminator (1984)
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Time Bandits (1981)
Looper (2012)
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban (2004)
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Superman (1978)
Rick and Morty (2013-)
12 Monkeys (1995)
Pokemon 4ever (2001)
Power Rangers Time Force (2001)
Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007)

By Jack D. Phillips
 I'M BACK!