Films these days are a dime a dozen, many of them falling back on predictable formulas that oft substitutes spectacle in favour of good storytelling, resulting in numerous films that are undeniably beautiful to behold but ultimately lack substance— or rather, is a little short of supply in it. This doesn’t merely make a good film difficult to find— it makes finding that occasional great film extremely rarer.
Make no mistake, there will never be another “Godfather”, “Seven Samurai” or “Taxi Driver” made ever again, at least not on the levels they were made. Most people want films that are easy to understand and requires little reflection— hence, the tendency for films like the Transformers sequels (the first film was comparatively good and entertaining) to make millions— and a billion twice— at the box-office.
That isn’t to say that the 21st century hasn’t yielded some gems that will no doubt attain the status of “classic” down the road in a few decades— it’s just lesser than expected. With that in mind, I present a list of films over 3-parts that I consider worthy of being in the Hall of Great Films one day.
1. The Social Network [2010]
Director: David Fincher 
More than any film on this list, David Fincher’s magnum opus (for now) is certainly the one that will go down in the history books, for turning the most boring story (the founding of Facebook) into a Shakespearean-esque tale that is cold, brilliant and calculating, just like Jesse Eisenberg’s haunting portrayal as Mark Zuckerburg here. Is it factually correct? In parts—but who cares if the film takes a great deal of creative liberties? Even if that factor is thrown aside, it doesn’t hurt The Social Network, it just makes it a great work of fiction. Aaron Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue and David Fincher’s cinematic sensibilities is a match made in heaven. Everything is on the mark in this film: the performances, writing, cinematography, music and set design—you name it.
2. Pan’s Labyrinth [2006]
Director: Guillermo del Toro 
Book-wise, The Lord of the Rings is certainly the ultimate fantasy tale. Film-wise, the matter is a little debatable. There’s no denying that Peter Jackson’s work is entertaining but in adapting what is arguably J.R.R. Tolkien’s road trip guides through Middle Earth to the screen, it had to fall in line with more conventional film devices such as those in the swords-and-sandals genre.
Thus, as far as fantasy films go, Pan’s Labyrinth would be the superior choice for the title of “Best Fantasy Movie”. Don’t let the word “fantasy” fool you, though: Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark creepy tale in which the real world and the other world blur dangerously during the Spanish Civil War. The film cuts back and forth between Ofilia’s adventures and the ongoings of the war until they blend into one and then it only gets better. Think of it as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland except in Pan’s Labyrinth, the girl runs the real risk of getting killed by the end of it. It also has nightmarish creatures that are guaranteed to freak you out.
3. The Dark Knight [2008]
Director: Christopher Nolan 
The Dark Knight is a milestone in Batman’s film history and Christopher Nolan’s filmography. One of the best cinematic tales about the Caped Crusader, The Dark Knight functions more as a crime film that just happens to feature players from the Batman universe. Boasting solid performances all around, the real star of the film is the late Heath Ledger’s terrifying portrayal of The Joker hell-bent on bringing Gotham to its knees. The Dark Knight proved that a gritty take on comic book material grounded in more realistic aesthetics worked (commercially and critically) and, like Batman Begins, paved the way for several films to ape the serious tone— to mixed results. But The Dark Knight will remain the stand out as an excellent example of fine craftsmanship for a long time to come.
4. Juno [2007]
Director: Jason Reitman 
Like its titular character, Juno is a quirky and charming film that tackles the controversial topic of teenage pregnancy with a wry sense of humour and hell of a lot of chutzpah. The pulse of the film lies in Diablo Cody’s zippy writing, making for some weighty delightful material for the actors to chew with relish. Juno gave us stars in Ellen Page and Michael Cera but it also shines with supporting performances from Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner as the hopeful adopting parents, J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as Juno’s supportive parents and Olivia Thirlby as Juno’s best friend. Wholly refreshing, undeniably sweet and whip-smart, there are very few films like Juno out there.
5. Up [2009]
Director: Pete Docter 
The beauty of Up is that amidst the wacky adventures involving a house carried by balloons and an exotic bird in South America is a sweet emotional centre anchoring a moving tale about age, unfulfilled dreams and youth. The first fifteen minutes of Up is the film’s highlight, featuring a montage that captures the love and romance of Carl’s and Ellie’s lives together as they grow old and it is simultaneously endearing, funny and downright heartbreaking. Up is easily one of Pixar’s greatest offerings, displaying a sense of maturity and wonderment that many films (and especially animated features) tend to lack.
6. Children of Men [2006]
Director: Alfonso Cuarón 
Gravity may have won Alfonso Cuarón an Oscar for Best Director but his best work is undoubtedly the dystopian Children of Men. Adapted from the P.D. James novel, the film takes place in a future where children can no longer be conceived and all systems of governance— saves the UK— has fallen into anarchy. Theo Faren (Clive Owen in his finest work) is recruited by his estranged wife, Julian (Julianne Moore) to help transport the mysterious Kay who turns out to be the first pregnant woman in decades. A gripping taut affair that doesn’t let up until the credits roll, Children of Men also deals with complex, thoughtful themes and ambiguous moralities normally absent in films of this kind. It also boasts some technical feats that, in hindsight, seems like training ground for Gravity’s more arduous tracking shots. In Children of Men, two such tracking shots are the car chase and the final act in which Theo must navigate through a refugee camp getting blown to hell to rescue Kay. This is a film that can be returned to numerous times without losing its potency or edge-of-the-seat thrill, despite releasing nine years ago.
7. The Tree of Life [2011]
Director: Terrence Malick 
The Tree of Life can be a head-scratcher— simply because there isn’t another film out there like it. Interspersed between the past and present lives of Mr. O’Brien (Brad Pitt), Jack O’Brien (Sean Penn), Mrs. O’Brien (Jessica Chastain) and the rest of the family with gorgeous shots depicting the origin of life on Earth, The Tree of Life poses difficult questions without exactly giving answers. It’s not the easiest of films to understand and that is part of the allure: The Tree of Life point-blank refuses to spoon-feed us everything, forcing us to think and reflect on what is shown. It’s a beautiful, seminal and powerful film and The Tree of Life is an outlier of every sort— the good kind. There will never be another film like it. Watch and see for yourself.
8. Before Midnight [2013]
Director: Richard Linklater 
The threquel fans clamoured for but never expected to get, Richard Linklater’s unlikely third installment in the Before Sunrise trilogy is the strongest and most mature of the three. Before Midnight catches up with Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) nine years after they ran into each other again in Paris, now finally together and parents to twin daughters (providing closure to the ambiguous end in Before Sunset). This time, the setting takes place amidst the beautiful islands of Greece, though the formula (if there ever was a formula besides insisting on beautifully-worded conversations) is shaken up a little by incorporating new characters into the first half of the film and involving them in some fantastic interactions and dialogue. Of course, the second half focuses on Jesse and Celine again and that’s when the film truly hits its stride: if Before Sunrise is about youth and love at first sight, and Before Sunset about rekindling a long-lost love, then Before Midnight is about sustaining that love running against the daily grind of real-life and responsibilities, to keep the romance alive with that same person for nearly a decade. And it doesn’t hesitate to loud and ugly as Jesse and Celine proceed to fall into an argument and rip each other apart, proving that even happily-ever-after needs a LOT of hard work because it is no picnic, made only worse by the possibility that even Jesse and Celine might consider throwing in the towel on their relationship. Before Midnight is proof that a film doesn’t need action sequences or plenty of visual effects to tell an engaging story. Then again, visual effects aren’t a substitute for good storytelling anyway.
TO BE CONTINUED…
The Snarky Quill 