Top 10: Favourite Movies of All Time

Well this is something new I’ve decided to start. There always Top 10s of something going around on the interweb, and I think it’s the right time for me to get my feet wet in that puddle. So after much consideration, and a lot of thought, I bring to you, my TOP 10 FAVOURITE MOVIES OF ALL TIME.

Now, this is probably the hardest list I’ve ever made. Well, this might quite possibly be the only list I’ve made, but lets not get into that. Point is, I gave it a lot of thought and this is what I came up with. Another thing that should be fairly obvious, but I’ll still point out, is that this list is completely my own opinion and based on the movies that I’ve seen. I can't evaluate a movie I haven’t seen. That means no Godfather movies, Star Wars or Lord of the Rings… sorry guys.

Alright let’s get to it.

10) 500 Days of Summer

Ok this movie, is deemed as one of the best romantic comedies ever. I concur with that statement. This is probably the most realistic portrayal of a relationship I’ve seen in Hollywood. This is as real as it gets people, that’s why it’s made a spot on my list.

9) The Matrix (Only the first one)

Aaah, the red pill or the blue pill. After seeing its sequels, I just wanted pills for Xanax. Let’s pretend they don’t exist for a while. This movie was revolutionary for it’s time and it still has the longevity for years to come. I saw it the other day and I assure you, its still amazing.

8) The Shawshank Redemption

Probably the best underrated movie ever. I mean wow; this movie dropped my jaw on so many occasions. This movie probably has a very intense climax, very quotable dialogues and Morgan Freeman. Morgan Freeman is always a win.

7) Fight Club

This was the first David Fincher directed feature I saw. This was a movie that I had to see twice to fully understand what had happened. Tyler Durden has been an influence ever since and he will punish me for breaking his first rule.

6) The Avengers

Lets face it, this was one of the best comic book movies ever. Marvel is yet to produce a movie we can't stand to see. This one was a gem. I remember going to the cinemas with my pals and seeing it in 3D. The Avengers was actually the first movie I saw in 3D. Needless to say, it was amazing and left an impression that has stayed with me over the years. Shakespeare in the park anyone?

5) Forrest Gump

Oh boy, my life has been a box of chocolates ever since I saw this spectacular piece of cinema. This movie made me cry, laugh and ultimately feel very happy about life. If a movie can touch all emotions like that, it definitely deserves a spot on my list. And that's all I have to say about that.

4) Shutter Island

I remember when I saw this movie with my cousin some three years ago. Him and I pulled an all-nighter and saw this movie together, pausing it at intervals to discuss what was going to happen next. Man oh man, this movie will definitely give you something to talk about for days to come.

3)  Lion King

The only animated movie on the list. It’s rated so high because of how timeless it is. It’s songs are still stuck with me today and its characters are still admirable. This 1994 classic deserves all the praise and much more. Hakunah Matata!!

2) Inception

Its time to get into the Nolan zone. Christopher Nolan is my favorite director. His movies are so thought provoking and meticulously crafted, that one wonders how spectacles like them are created. Same is the case with Inception. The concepts and ideas in this movie were executed so brilliantly, that I was left mind boggled when the movie ended. Of course the end is something to talk about as well. The top keeps spinning and spinning and spinning…

Before I unveil my favourite movie of all time, I’d like to call out a few movies that are also my favourite but couldn’t make it to the list.

Honourable Mentions:

The Bourne trilogy, Interstellar, Perks of being a Wallflower, The Prestige, Zodiac, Seven, The Departed, Wolf of Wallstreet, The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, The Silence of The Lambs, The Dark Knight Rises, Cast Away and Gone Girl.

1) The Dark Knight

Well, what do I say about this one. This is, without a doubt, my most watched movie ever. I’ve seen every scene atleast 10 times. This movie introduced me to Chistopher Nolan, and I’ve stayed a fan ever since. I don’t think, a better comic book movie has ever been put to screen, and after seeing Batman & Robin, all hope had been lost. But Nolan came through. This one is a fine piece of cinema, a timeless classic already.

I’d just like to state, that these aren’t the Ten Commandments, meaning this list is always subject to change. Maybe in a couple of years, it’ll be totally different. But for now, this is it!

Twitter: @ItsNazar

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Fantastic Fincher with Gratifying Gone Girl

“The book is a film that takes place in the mind of the reader. That's why we go to movies and say, "Oh, the book is better.”  - Paul Coehlo

As I sat munching on popcorn and taking an occasional sip from my coke glass, I had a flashback. A flashback of all the Fincher movies that have wowed me over the years. With the amazing end to Seven to Fight Club’s even more ultra-dramatic finish, Fincher has made my jaw drop on a number of occasions. So to say Gone Girl had high expectations would be an understatement. My thoughts were taking their toll when the screen in front of me displayed the initial trailers and the Fincher sensation had begun.

And to no one’s surprise, Gone Girl delivered. If you’re familiar with any of David Fincher’s films, you’ll know his movies are meticulously crafted and brilliant looking movies. So when the opening credits started to show, I already felt the dark and shadowy tone of the movie that told me something wasn’t right. As the movie played on, my jaw dropped on numerous occasions as the film twisted and turned and moved forward with great pace. And by the time the end credits were rolling, I was just awestruck staring at Fincher’s name as he yet again pulled a spectacular one on us.

This movie has so many ups. Starting from the acting, Affleck was on top of his game from the get go. He seemed mysterious and guarded and something just didn’t seem right with this fellow. On numerous occasions, Affleck stole the scenes and his emotions were so on point that I actually started hating this guy.

But the real surprise came from Rosamund Pike. Where was she all these years?! The only thing I knew prior to this movie about Pikes was that once upon a time she was a Bond girl, and that’s all the info I knew. But man does she pack a punch in this one. My predictions, Pikes will definitely be nominated if not win Best Actress this year at the Academy’s. If she’s not nominated, my little attachment with The Oscars will be diminished forever until they hand Leo his rightful Oscar.

The supporting actors were great as well. Neil Patrick Harris was creepy and that’s a good thing because that means he did a good job. The movie is two and a half hours long but you know a movie is amazing if you don’t feel a thing. I heard that the end was quite different from the book. Because I haven’t read it, I can’t really comment on that but the end to this movie was perfect for me and it gelled perfectly with the rest of the film.

Although the musical score to this movie was amazing, at points the audio was hard to hear, specifically the first few minutes. It got better as the movie progressed though. But at this point, I’m just nitpicking and trying to found faults to a nearly flawless film.

As the end credits started rolling, I looked at my friend who was watching his debut Fincher flick and he looked at me dumbfounded as I looked at him the same way. We walked out of the theatre without saying a word to each other and it was minutes before we spoke. The first words were indeed, “What just happened.” I said to him, “That’s Fincher for you.”

8.5/10

Peace!

Twitter: @itsNazar

Instagram: @itsNazar96

 

Bill Maher's Problem

"How 'bout more than a billion people, who aren't fanatical, who dont want to punish people, who just want to go to the store buy some sandwiches and pray 5 times a day." - Ben Affleck

I usually don't take my time out to discuss things as an uproar against Islam (again). Simply, because people like Bill Maher are not worth the time and effort to be debated about as long as they give factual and logical arguments with their claims. They have no affect on my life and I will continue to practice my religion as I want to. But notice how I said 'factual and logical' and not 'biased and absurd.’ When someone comes out with a sweeping statement, or in this case a sweeping late night talk show, my mind produces a few counter arguments that I feel I should ink out.

Bill Maher is an atheist and/or an agnostic. I actually don’t care what he is. It means nothing to me as a person if he believes in religion or not. What bothers me are his radical views on religion, specifically Islam. He talked about Female Genital Mutilation and how it’s an Islamic practice and how wrong it is, making a wider generalization statement against all Muslims and referring to the religion as, “the mafia, that will f--king kill you if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture or write the wrong book.” Now, I have a few issues with that.

As Reza Aslan has already pointed out, FGM is not an Islamic activity, rather than an African cultural practice that happens to be practiced in Islamic states in Africa. But wait, there’s more. As already stated by Aslan, Eritrea and Ethiopia are largely Christian countries with more than 70% FMG. Also, of the 29 targeted UNICEF countries that exercise FMG, 14 of them are Christian majority countries. Can we suddenly draw a sweeping statement that Christianity promotes FMG? Of course not, that would be juvenile.

This is exactly what Mr. Maher has done. I understand in a free country you’re allowed to say what you want and the whole ‘Free Will’ business is essential but is there a line that has to be drawn between free speech and nonsense talk? Can you suddenly generalize and call 1.6 billion people terrorists? Mr. Maher in the past has been ‘alarmed’ about the most used name for babies in Great Britain is Mohammad. He said in his talk show that he fears Muslims will rule the western world in some 300 years and he hopes that it doesn’t make him a racist if he thinks that way. News flash, it does.

I humbly appreciate Ben Affleck trying his best to protect Islam on Bill’s talk show while he was promoting his new thriller Gone Girl, but has Maher hit a new low by discussing Islam without having Muslims on the panel at all? It fails to seep through my hollow brain the thought of discussing a religion without its ambassadors there to defend it. It just doesn’t make sense. Islam is a religion open to debate as long as there is a defense there as well. You cannot expect a Hollywood movie star to defend a religion he barely knows anything about albeit he did a good job.

The problem with Maher is that he thinks his liberal views are the liberal views period. He has embedded in his mind that Islam is a religion of violence and that the only way to discuss it is to defame it. I understand you have issues with Islam Mr. Maher, but next time please do your homework. You only look like a kid who’s out of insults so he slanders the other kids mother. You’ve stooped too low Bill.

 

Twitter: @itsNazar

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