My 25 Favourite Films
Commentary on my choices for Simon Dillon’s recent Medium poll of the greatest films of all time.
Again, many thanks to Simon for inviting me to vote in his poll, which you can find here. I asked him if it would be okay for me to write this piece and to briefly discuss my choices, and with his blessing, that is what this piece will do. Of course, my choices would be quite different today, but such is life — let’s discuss. I will start with position 25, and work my way up to number 1, though let it be known that the ranking is pretty arbitrary — all of these films are important to me (and/or to film as an art form) in a distinct way.
25. Sundial (William Raban, 1992)
This is one that I just find interesting every time I see it. It aligns with my own interests in city-scapes, class politics and intimidating architecture in ways that I didn’t really expect any film to, and because of that it is one I return to quite often for inspiration.
24. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
Not a lot to be said about this choice — the reasons should be quite obvious — but Hitchcock has a handful of films which I always find powerful and impressive. Some days this tops that list, other days I prefer Rope or Rear Window, or even something like Marnie.
23. Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967)
My sense of humour is admittedly absolutely dreadful — I happily put Adam Sandler on the same pedestal as George Carlin or Jacques Tati — but on this list, I let Playtime take the top spot for its towering ambition and willingness to experiment. This film is massive in every sense of the word, and has a freeing sense of humour. Hilarious, phenomenally designed in terms of sets and structure, and the social commentary is present if you need to shift focus at any point.
22. All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Sirk, 1955)
Given my love for social realism, the fact that I would choose a classical Hollywood melodrama may seem surprising, but I can’t picture anybody watching this film and not being moved. I’d put this over Imitation of Life as Sirk’s masterpiece — as beautiful and colourful as it is heartbreaking in its finale.
21. Field N***as (Khalik Allah, 2015)
