Greetings, reader!
"It's been a long road, getting from there to here"
- Rod Stewart, Faith of the Heart
After ten long weeks, I've finally arrived at the conclusion of my Top 100 countdown, which is also in many ways the ultimate post that I've been leading up to for one and a half years and nearly 100 posts - after all, the name of the blog is 'Top 10 Movies with Veikko Hoffman', so no topic is quite as fitting as - literally - the Top 10 Movies. Of all time. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of movies in my lifetime, so picking the ten very best ones of them all was quite the challenge. But now it's all done.
But first, a word about Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021). The ambitious adaptation of one of my favorite books was my #1 anticipated movie of 2020, and after it was delayed due to Covid-19, it was my #1 anticipated movie of 2021. When the premiere finally arrived, I dropped everything and travelled to Helsinki mid-week so that I could catch the very first showing at 10:30 A.M. with a good friend and fellow Dune enthusiast. And let me tell you, sci-fi fans can rest easy from now on, for the era of skepticism that Dune can't be properly adapted into cinema is over. This is 100% the adaptation that Frank Herbert's novel deserved. Everything looked, felt and progressed exactly as it should. Had the film come out earlier, or had I started my Top 100 Movies of All Time countdown later, Dune definitely would've made it into my countdown - very possibly as high as the Top 30 or Top 20. I wouldn't even hold the Top 10 out of question, depending on how further reflection and upcoming re-watches will mold my opinion of the film.
With that off my chest, I will now proceed to today's list. These are, in my opinion, the ten greatest movies ever made.
10. Adaptation. (2002)
"To begin...to begin...how to start? I'm hungry. I should get coffee. Coffee would help me think. Maybe I should write something first, then reward myself with coffee"
Now this is my kind of movie. More than any other, in fact - while this Charlie Kaufman -penned masterpiece is not quite at first place on my list, I can't think of any other movie that seems as tailor-made for my specific taste than Adaptation. I have a passion for creative storytelling, meta fiction and art that breaks new ground and goes beyond the barriers of convention, and this film bathes in such elements with its insane premise and the sheer lengths that the script goes to in order to truly stand out.
What started as an idea to simply make a cinematic adaptation of Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief took some serious turns, when the brilliant mind of Charlie Kaufman had the idea to make a film about making a film about The Orchid Thief instead. Adaptation (2002) somehow manages to be the story of making the film Adaptation (2002), with much of Kaufman's actual thought process on making the film making it into the film about making the film. Thus, the film's main character is Charlie Kaufman, and in order to avoid the movie being an endless tirade of voice-over monologues about the thoughts inside his head, Kaufman wrote a part for his non-existent twin brother, Donald Kaufman. The credits claim the real film to be written by Charlie & Donald Kaufman, and when this mind-boggling work of art got nominated for the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (very deserved, albeit "Adapted" is a bit of a stretch), the nomination officially went to Charlie and Donald, making the made-up Donald Kaufman the first fictional person to get nominated for an Oscar.
Naturally, the actor chosen to play both twin brothers was Nicolas Cage, whose sometimes-terrible, sometimes-genius acting chops of sheer chaos are absolutely perfect for the role. Naturally, he too got an Oscar nomination for his dazzling double performance, making him the only actor to get nominated for an Oscar for playing two different people who also got Oscar nominations for writing the same movie despite the fact that one of them doesn't exist. All in all, if you've ever read my blog or just know me as a person, you'll se how this complete and utter mind-fuck is the perfect movie for me.
9. Blue Velvet (1986)
"I'm seeing something that was always hidden. I'm in the middle of a mystery and it's all secret"
"You like mysteries that much?"
"Yeah. You're a mystery. I like you very much"
The camera panning to show bright-red roses, in front of a white fence, to the backdrop of a blue sky, as the Bobby Vinton song Blue Velvet plays in the background, is easily my favorite opening shot in all of cinema. David Lynch's use of colors and their contrast makes for such a striking and memorable image, which creates the tone for the rest of the film. A central theme in pretty much all of Lynch's best works has been "The light within the dark", as the filmmaker likes to create incredibly dark and unsettling settings for his stories, only for powerful instances of hope and goodness to emerge from the unlikeliest places. Along with my all-time favorite television series Twin Peaks (1990-1991; 2017), this mystery movie is among the top tier of Lynch's use of this powerful theme.
At its darkest, Blue Velvet is a violent and gruesome film, which makes the moments of beauty and kindness feel extremely powerful and earned. While Dennis Hopper's character Frank Booth is one of the most vile and disgusting movie villains ever created, the protagonist Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) is the pitch-perfect antidote to him with his innocent charm and curious demeanour. It's no wonder that Lynch ended up casting MacLachlan as main character Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks a couple of years later, as this film proves that there is no one better for such a role. Isabella Rossellini and Laura Dern provide dynamite supporting performances, while Angelo Badalamenti's score radiates intrigue and feels perfect for the film's atmosphere of diving down a rabbit hole of mystery. Blue Velvet is a peculiar, artistic and ultimately beautiful film, brought to a point of perfection by Lynch's impeccable directing.
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
"Go back, Sam. I'm going to Mordor alone"
"Of course you are. And I'm coming with you"
They said it could never be done. For decades, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books were seen as so epic, so large-scale and so unique that they simply couldn't be successfully adapted into cinema. But with the help of the grand vision of director Peter Jackson, a grandiose budget, an insanely fitting cast and tons of other elements, this view was proved to be wrong (and I just have to point out that the exact same thing happened with Denis Villeneuve's Dune just last week - we are living historical times). The Lord of the Rings films are the greatest movie trilogy of all time, and exactly the adaptation that Tolkien's books deserve - and it all begins with The Fellowship of the Ring.
Nominated for 13 Academy Awards and winning four of them (Best Visual Effects, Original Score, Cinematography and Makeup), the first Lord of the Rings film certainly met the critical acclaim it thoroughly deserved. The visuals are staggering for the early 2000's, even though I'd argue that the greatest asset to the film's signature look and aesthetic was the genius choice to shoot the trilogy in New Zealand. The landscapes of iconic fictional locations like The Shire and Rivendell come alive in an awe-inspiring manner, and the atmosphere is brought to further glory by Howard Shore's score that varies between heart-melting comfort and exciting heroics. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-Earth is the setting for my favorite stories of all time, so watching it come to life brilliantly on the silver screen is a special sensation, definitely worthy of an all-time Top 10.
7. Star Wars (1977)
"I have a very bad feeling about this"
The original Star Wars is considered by many to be one of the most important films in modern cinematic history. It served as an absolute game-changer for the world of science fiction, brought the genre straight into the mainstream to change people's perceptions of what kinds of films can be cool, popular and critically acclaimed, and it spawned a massive franchise with a dangerously passionate fanbase. But the film's impact on the film industry isn't the reason for it being my seventh-favorite movie of all time. The reason for that is that Star Wars is the greatest adventure movie of all time, and the perfect film in its own right.
Seriously, there's nothing wrong with this movie in my honest opinion. Nothing I would change. Every element, from George Lucas's creative directing and John Williams's larger-than-life soundtrack to the amusing dialogue between the main characters and the casting of the likes of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Alec Guinness - it's all perfection. If you're looking for a pure and fun adventure film, with likable heroes and badass villains and cool moments, you can't do any better than Star Wars.
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
"We accept the love we think we deserve"
"Can we make them know they deserve more?"
"We can try"
No film has resonated with my personal life experiences as much as The Perks of Being a Wallflower - in fact, no other film even comes close in that category. In addition to being a piece of quality cinema with a talented cast and tight directing by Stephen Chbosky, this is a film that had a healing effect on me when I saw it for the first time, and has continued to feel just as therapeutic every time I've watched it.
When I first saw the film, I thought I was in for a regular, run-of-the-mill high school comedy, and boy, was I wrong - while it does have a multitude of comedic moments to balance everything else out, Perks is far from being a typical high school flick let alone a comedy. It is a film that deals with serious issues such as loneliness, anxiety, bullying, and much more, all in a realistic and healthy manner - some of the film's themes haven't touched my own life at all but are powerful nonetheless, but it's especially the parts that do resonate with my own experiences from my youth that really make the film into an incredibly moving viewing experience for me.
Logan Lerman is amazing in his heartfelt and gripping lead performance, while Ezra Miller and Emma Watson nail their supporting roles - not to mention Paul Rudd, who is a tad more serious than in his usual roles, but every bit as lovable as ever. While parts of The Perks of Being a Wallflower are extremely grim and heartbreaking, the film does end up being an ultimately uplifting experience with a strong message about friendship, mental health and the ability to overcome trauma. The film's final scene, with Charlie (Lerman) doing a voice-over monologue that pretty much sums up my own worldview in a way more eloquent and powerful manner than I could ever come up with, is one of my all-time favorite movie scenes and never fails to bring a tear to my eye. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is wholesome, immensely touching, and full of important life lessons we all could use from time to time.
5. Inception (2010)
"You're waiting for a train. A train that'll take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you. But you can't know for sure. Yet it doesn't matter. Now, tell me why"
With its creative action set pieces, entertaining fight sequences and intricate choreography, Inception is one of the best action films I've seen. With its unique premise of planting an idea into a man's dreams and the heart-pumping race-against-time feel, Inception is one of the best heist movies I've seen. With its insanely clever script and ideas about entering different levels of dreams (not to mention limbo), and the way these ideas come to life through some truly staggering visual effects, Inception is one of the best science fiction movies I've seen.
And, with its dynamite A-list cast and state-of-the-art directing by the one and only Christopher Nolan, not to mention the trademark blaring horns and large-scale orchestral arrangements of Hans Zimmer intensifying the soundtrack, Inception is quite simply one of the best movies I've seen. The fifth-best of all time, to be exact. Come for the exciting concept of people going into other people's dreams, stay for the mind-bending action sequences and insanely intense final act - and scratch your head at the film's genius ambiguous ending, truly crowning this magnificent cinematic achievement.
4. Dead Poets Society (1989)
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance love...these are what we stay alive for"
So, here in Finland, we end our high school careers with a set of difficult and stressful matriculation exams, which play a part in determining which schools we may or may not get into in the future. The exam on the subject of Finnish is held in especially high regard, and many students spend much of their senior year stressing out about it. The night before I faced that particular exam, I watched Dead Poets Society for the first time. And while having a history of reading and writing, getting decent Finnish grades throughout my studies and having good teachers guiding me all certainly played a part in the fact that I happened to write the best essay of my life that day and ended up getting the maximum amount of points, I like to think that watching this particular movie also played a part. No, really. I've never seen a movie quite as inspiring as Dead Poets Society, and I saw it at the best possible time.
When discussing Dead Poets Society, people always focus on the iconic performance by the late Robin Williams as Professor John Keating, and rightfully so - it is one of my favorite performances in all of cinema. But we don't talk enough about the realism, energy and likability in the performances by the younger castmembers as the film's central group of schoolboys - Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles all knock it out of the park with lovable and lively performances that will tug at your heartstrings. The film's Oscar-winning script really resonates with my worldview, with its central message about the beauty of art, poetry and self-expression, and the importance of being true to oneself and not conforming to norms.
I would also like to point out that Kurtwood Smith is woefully brilliant in the role of Mr. Perry, the worst human being in the history of cinema, in a role that will fill any viewer with blind rage at just how horrible the human race can be. But, as an antidote to this absolute spawn of Satan, we have Robin Williams's performance reminding us about the very best of humanity, and how much of a difference kindness and inspiration can play in each others' lives. Dead Poets Society is an emotional rollercoaster with its glorious ups and heart-shattering downs, but when all is said and done, you'll very likely feel pumped up and ready to change the world. That's a powerful piece of cinema right there.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL"
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that"
A conventional review just won't do for 2001: A Space Odyssey, as its brilliance just can't be put to words. Therefore I will simply describe my experience and the thoughts that ran through my head when I watched Stanley Kubrick's magnum opus for the first time - I've enjoyed every re-watch immensely, but there's no beating the first time and the sheer amazement that it caused.
At first, absolute confusion. Complete bafflement. I didn't know what to expect when embarking upon this 2-and-a-half-hour behemoth, other than its reputation as a sci-fi classic. I did not expect the first half an hour or so to be literally monkeys. No dialogue, no clear or conventional narratives - just various sequences of monkeys. For whatever reason, this strange way of beginning the film had me absolutely glued to the screen; I couldn't wait to see what the group of apes would do next and how the story would continue. When Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra started to play, creating a truly one-of-a-kind atmosphere with its glorious magnitude, I just knew I was in for one of the best movies I've seen.
When the narrative shifted completely, my intrigue only grew, my mind full of theories on what the meanings behind this strange storytelling and the mysterious monoliths might be. By the time the narrative had jumped once again, into the infamous sequence of supercomputer H.A.L. 9000 taking over a spaceship on a fascinating mission, I was on the edge of my seat - not out of in-story excitement or investment in the characters, but because I was simply so curious to see what would happen next in this masterpiece of unparalleled creativity. Already at this point, I felt that no other film I've seen had been quite as barrier-breaking and unconventional as this one.
And then, that final sequence took things to a whole new level. Without a doubt the most mind-bending sequence I've seen in all of cinema, this series of events absolutely blew me away and shattered any pre-conceived notions on what movies can do and how far science fiction can go in terms of breaking new ground and taking one's imagination to the maximum. I sat still in awe of the visual psychedelia, interpretational storytelling and larger-than-life feel that Kubrick's genius mind had created, feeling inspired with the takeaway that there are no limits to where one's creativity can take them.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
"Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf"
"What about side by side with a friend?"
"Aye. I could do that"
Whether it's the books or the movies you're discussing, it is difficult to compare the three instalments of The Lord of the Rings to each other, because they work so well as a whole. Most of the accomplishments of one Lord of the Rings movie are accomplishments that the other two share: Howard Shore's score, the realization of Peter Jackson's ambitious vision on adapting Tolkien's imaginative world and the spot-on casting are present throughout the entire trilogy. But still, The Return of the King manages to stick out. No matter how insanely good the first two parts of the trilogy are, there's no escaping the fact that the third one is even better. The Return of the King is the culmination of the trilogy, and in some ways, I regard it as the culmination of cinema itself in terms of what can be accomplished.
The trilogy's unmatched combination of intricate and large-scale set design, costume design, visual effects, action choreography and several other elements is at its very best here, as grandiose events like the Battle of the Pelennor Fields are brought to life with frightening intensity. The absolute best moments from the books, such as the final stand-off at Mount Doom and the emotional interaction at the Grey Havens, are translated beautifully from book to screen, not to mention moments original to the film that are so powerful that you'll forget they weren't in the book (Aragorn's (Viggo Mortensen) iconic battle speech, anyone?).
And that's just it. Return of the King is, along with its technical wizardry worthy of the ELEVEN Academy Awards it won, full of heart. There are countless moments that will move you to tears time and time again - I'm committed no to do any full-on spoilers, but I reckon that quotes such as "Death is just another path - one that we all must take" and "I can't carry it for you" will resonate with fellow enthusiasts. All in all, The Return of the King is a cinematic masterpiece of the highest order, and I will never get tired of re-watching the over-four-hour-long extended edition.
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
"The funny thing is - on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook"
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'"
"I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free"
Yeah, there's no way in hell that I was going to choose only one line of dialogue to represent the greatest film of all time - just narrowing my favorites down to three (when excluding the very best ones, due to their spoilerous nature) was such a chore. Some fellow cinephiles may find it anti-climactic or 'basic' that at the end of this massive countdown, my #1 favorite film of all time is the #1 highest rated movie on on IMDB. But that's just how it is for me, if I'm being honest with myself - this is the greatest movie ever made. The Shawshank Redemption is a story about friendship, hope and yes, redemption. It is a film that pretty much everyone should see, and I do sincerely believe that everyone would get something out of it - you don't score a 9.3 average from 2.5 million reviewers by rubbing people off the wrong way. The rating really does make sense - while I respect everyone's opinion, it's just really difficult to imagine someone watching The Shawshank Redemption and going "Eh, I didn't like it". If someone does hold such an opinion, I'd be very curious to hear more about it.
Through the lens of Morgan Freeman's narration and Thomas Newman's stoic yet powerful soundtrack, we're introduced to the world of Shawshank Prison. At its darkest, the film is grim as all hell, which is exactly how it needs to be, in order for the events at the end of the film to work. I can't go into many of my favorite elements in the film, including the presence of my favorite movie scene of all time, as there are spoilers involved - and if there's one film in the world that shouldn't be spoiled, it is this one. Oh, what I'd give for a chance to see Shawshank for the first time again.
What I can say without spoilers is that the film's atmosphere and story manage to find light in the darkest places, thus tapping into the very ideals of hope and redemption, in an extremely powerful fashion. Realistic prison setting or no realistic prison setting, parts of the film feel downright cozy, due to the chemistry between the actors and the honest way in which the film portrays themes from gallows humor to unlikely friendships. Shawshank is a fantastic cinematic production, and a cleverly told story that has a profound impact on the viewer, with a unique atmosphere that ends up feeling larger than life. That is what makes The Shawshank Redemption, in my honest opinion, the greatest film ever made.
Thank you for reading! It almost feels strange to continue doing this blog now that I've unveiled the 'ultimate movies list' - but I'll still keep at it for sure, as this is so much fun and new topics and ideas (not to mention recommendations from my readers) are coming to me all the time. Furthermore, I couldn't possibly stop now that I'm so close to hitting the 100-post-mark. If you're wondering why I didn't save this list to be my 100th post, the answer is that I have an even better idea. I won't spoil the topic yet, but I've known for a long time what my 100th post will be and it's gonna be a good one. Until then, tune in next week as the festivities begin with my 99th post: the Top 99 Episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-Present). Stay tuned!
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