Top 50 Films
20. Blade Runner 2049
This rating is determined by an average of the Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic, and Google ratings
What the Internet Thinks: 8.3/10
Straight up one of the prettiest films ever. Villeneuve definitely has an eye for environmental exposition and scene pacing in Blade Runner 2049. The story itself is okay but really the film stole my attention with its ambiance, believable acting, and gorgeous shots. I recommend you watch it even just for its artistic marvel.
The film follows an LAPD Bladerunner (bounty hunter and assassin of "replicants") who uncovers a dangerous and buried secret. Our protagonist tries to understand what to do with this information which leads him to the original Bladerunner protagonist.
19. Basic Instinct
This rating is determined by an average of the Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic, and Google ratings
What the Internet Thinks: 6.2/10
Definitely up there for one of my favourite detective films, Basic Instinct impresses me most with its story telling. Shot like a typical early 90's crime flick, the film certainly knows how to leverage audio, timing, plot, and pacing to keep us on our toes and challenges our intelligence to see if we can realise the plot faster than our detective protagonist.
The premise is pretty simple: Detective is investigating the murder of a rock star and we watch the entire investigation unfold.
18. Arrival
This rating is determined by an average of the Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic, and Google ratings
What the Internet Thinks: 8.5/10
Arrival caught me off guard as a Netflix hit. It's a decently shot film with some cool depictions of almost Lovecraftian aliens and general sci-fi, but like our last entry, what lured me in most was the a unique plot. The film gravitates around the idea of linguistics and etymology - deciphering alien languages. It explores misinterpreted and misunderstood communication lost in translation and our interpretation of things we don't understand. The film has a pretty cool ending solution to the main problem which is as satisfying as it was farfetched. Worth the watch.
17. Kill Bill Vol. 1
This rating is determined by an average of the Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic, and Google ratings
What the Internet Thinks: 7.9/10
I know I said I would try not to include any film series on this list, but Kill Bill Vol. 1 is one of a few exceptions. I picked Volume 1 over 2 because I feel it contains more of what makes Kill Bill iconic (where as 2 just wraps it up). It's a Tarantino, so you can bet you're going to get a full course meal of quick transitions, suspenseful silences, outrageous and unpredictable plot progressions (not to mention gory visuals), and surprisingly bountiful selection of visual themes. Arguably Uma Therman's most recognisable role, it would be a shame to miss it.
Our protagonist is part of a band of assassins and is left for dead in a brutal betrayal on her wedding day. She somehow survives and holds a grudge against them.
16. Love Actually
This rating is determined by an average of the Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic, and Google ratings
What the Internet Thinks: 7.0/10
Love Actually will always have a soft spot in my heart as my go-to Valentines day film (and yes not Christmas film and you will never convince me no matter how hard you try). This film screams iconic with a myriad of loved actors and actresses coming together in an interweaving plot of unlikely connected individuals who help portray the diversity of love. The film explores the love of lovers, admirers, friends, the famous, young and old, colleagues, widowers, some involved in affairs, different cultures, and some inappropriate, with others not even working out. It's a wholesome and grounding watch to say the least and is a friendly reminder that sometimes things just work out and sometimes they don't.