A couple of years ago, I made a post on my favourite books of all time and more recently a ranking of every play I've seen to date. Therefore, I thought it only right that I should also share my favourite films, all of which I've rated nine or ten (out of ten) stars on IMDb. The reason for including ratings of nine as well as ten is because my ratings vary significantly depending on my mood. My favourite films all fall into one of three categories: Psychological Thrillers, Nostalgia, and Emotional.
Psychological Thrillers
These are gripping films that contain a significant plot twist and is my favourite genre for films and books alike.
The films that I rated a ten out of ten stars are Fight Club, Memento, and The Usual Suspects. These are my very favourite films; I watched each of these as a teenager and was shocked beyond belief by their plot twists. The less you know going into each of these movies, the better in my opinion.
The remaining films in this category I rated nine stars. Escape plan and The Shawshank Redemption both follow prisoners who did not commit the crime and their attempts to escape from prison. Both of these storylines had me gripped and feature a great cast Although Escape Plan became a series of films, I have only watched the first one.
The final three films in this category are The Adjustment Bureau, Seven, and True Story. The Adjustment Bureau follows a politician impassioned by a ballet dancer but who keeps being obstructed from her by a group of men. Seven features Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as they try to arrest a criminal whose crimes are based on the seven deadly sins. Finally, True Story explores the story of a journalist who meets a prisoner hiding under the journalist's name. These films have different premises but all require you to pay attention throughout, and are well worth watching.
Nostalgia
This category contains films that I grew up watching and still rate highly as an adult, albeit likely due to the nostalgia associated with them. That said, none of these titles achieved a ten-star rating, instead they were all rated nine stars on IMDb.
There are several films that I watch annually over the Christmas period; Cheaper by the Dozen follows the drama of a family of 14 (including 12 kids), Home Alone is about a large family that goes on holiday over Christmas but forgets one of the kids at home and lastly, Love Actually depicts various forms of love and relationships in a way that interlinks very satisfyingly at the end and is very heart-warming and nostalgic for me.
One of my favourite childhood films was The Parent Trap as I loved the idea of being a twin and the plot kept me at the edge of my seat. I still enjoy putting this film on in the background every now and again and watched it so many times as a kid that I can pretty much quote it. Another favourite film of mine when I was younger was The Incredibles; this is a very famous animation about a family with superpowers as they try to live a normal life whilst also trying to save the world and I like how unique each of the different characters is.
The final three films in this category are all films that I loved as a young teen and still make me laugh nowadays; the first is What Happens in Vegas, which stars Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz, whose characters both end up in Vegas after he loses his job and she gets dumped. They end up getting married that night but before they divorce, they win $3 million and they have to tolerate each other for six months in order to receive their share of the money. The second film is How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, which follows a journalist who is writing a column on how to lose a guy in 10 days; little does she know that the guy she is trying to 'lose' made a bet that he can make any woman fall in love with him. The last film in this category is 10 Things I Hate About You, a popular teen romcom featuring Heath Ledger, whose character sings the iconic song 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'.
Emotional
The final category for my most highly rated films is emotional. These films provoked considerable emotion in me and likely stuck with me. I noted that most of the titles in this category are related to WWII or loss.
The first film in this category, with a rating of ten stars, is Hacksaw Ridge. This film is a true story based on the life of a combat medic who risked his life to save others and refused to carry arms despite fighting in WWII. I found the portrayal of his character to be extremely poignant but inspirational and this film made me very emotional.
The Pianist, Life is Beautiful, and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas are three additional films that are set in WWII and all made me weep when I watched them, especially Life is Beautiful. I was never really interested in learning about WWII at school as often we'd learn about the causation and the overall statistics, whereas I have found that following an individual's story or how families were impacted touches me a lot more. These films were all rated nine stars, however each of them could easily be ranked ten stars too.
Two other films that are rated nine stars in this category are Lion and Good Will Hunting. Lion is based on a true story and follows a man who was adopted by an Australian couple as he tries to find his biological family in India. Good Will Hunting stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Robin Williams and tells the story of a genius who is struggling in his personal life. Both films follow individuals as they make sense of their place in the world and each film is touching in its own way.
Perhaps slightly unexpected in this category are Hamilton and Rocketman. I rated Hamilton ten stars, which won't surprise anyone who has read my post on my favourite musicals, as Hamilton ranked at number one. Although some people may be surprised to see Hamilton in this section, there are a couple of songs which cause me to cry without fail (namely: It's Quiet Uptown) and I find the plot fairly poignant. Similarly, Rocketman is in this category as it makes me emotional, mainly because I'm a big fan of Elton John and I found the portrayal of his substance abuse woeful. This film made me determined to watch him live (which I did on his Farewell tour in April 2023) and I rated the movie nine out of ten stars.
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