The Master List
1. Once Upon a Time in the West - Dir. Sergio Leone
2. The Boxer From Shantung - Dir. Chang Cheh
3. The Blade - Dir. Tsui Hark
4. Mind Game (2004) - Dir. Masaaki Yuasa
5. Dead Alive (Braindead) (1992) - Dir. Peter Jackson
6. Oldboy - Dir. Chan-wook Park
7. Pulp Fiction - Dir. Quentin Tarantino
8. Mulholland Dr. - Dir. David Lynch
9. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin - Dir. Lau Kar Leung
10. Nausicaa - Dir. Hayao Miyazaki
10.5. Hero - Dir. Zhang Yimou
11. The Thing - Dir. John Carpenter
12. The Killer - Dir. John Woo
13. The Big Lebowski - Dir. The Coen Brothers
14. Scream - Dir. Wes Craven
15. A Touch of Zen - Dir. King Hu
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Dir. Steven Spielberg
17. Heroes of the East - Dir. Lau Kar Leung
18. Saving Private Ryan - Dir. Steven Spielberg
19. Once Upon a Time in China - Dir. Tsui Hark
20. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) - Dir: Chang Cheh
21. Funky Forest: First Contact - Dir. Katsuhito Ishii and Hajime Ishimine
22. Peking Opera Blues (1986) - Dir: Tsui Hark
23. Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985) - Dir: Lau Kar Leung
24. Aliens (1986) - Dir: James Cameron
25. Die Hard (1988) - Dir: John McTiernan
26. Pink Floyd: Live in Pompeii (1972) - Dir: Adrien Maben
27. Evil Dead 2 (1987) - Dir. Sam Raimi
28. American Movie (1999) - Dir: Chris Smith
29. Genghis Blues (1999) - Dir: Roko Belic
30. Young Frankenstein (1974) - Dir: Mel Brooks
31. Galaxy Express 999 (1979) - Dir: Rintaro
32. The Bride With White Hair (1993) - Dir. Ronny Yu
33. Bill Cosby: Himself (1983) - Dir. Bill Cosby
34. Death Trance (2005) - Dir: Yuji Shimomura
35. Project A (1984) - Dir. Jackie Chan
36. Ultimate Versus (2000/2006) - Dir. Ryuhei Kitamura
37. Out of Sight (1998) - Dir. Steven Soderbergh
38. Akira (1988) - Dir: Katsuhiro Otomo
39. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - Dir: The Wachowski Siblings
40. Holy Flame of the Martial World (1983) - Dir. Lu Chin-ku
41. We're Going to Eat You (1980) - Dir: Tsui Hark
42. Samurai Fiction (1998) - Dir: Hiroyuki Nakano
43. Pi (1998) - Dir. Darren Aronofsky
44. Descent (2005) - Dir: Neil Marshall
45. Super Dimensional Fortress Macross:
Do You Remember Love? - Dir: Shoji Kawamori & Noboru Ishiguro
46. T. Rex: Born to Boogie (1972) - Dir. Ringo Starr
47. A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) - Dir. Ching Siu Ting
48. The Magic Blade - Dir. Chu Yuan
49. Ping Pong (2002) - Dir: Fumihiko Sori
50. Misery (1990) - Dir: Rob Reiner
51. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003) - Dir: Judy Irving
52. The Haunting - Dir: Robert Wise
53. Martial Arts of Shaolin (1985) - Dir: Lau Kar Leung
54. Re-Animator (1985) - Dir: Stuart Gordon
55. Exiled (2006) - Dir: Johnnie To
56. Waiting For Guffman (1996) - Dir: Christopher Guest
57. First Blood (1979) - Dir. Ted Kotcheff
58. The Odd Couple (1979) - Dir. Lau Kar Wing
59. Shaolin Intuders (1983) - Dir. Tong Gaai
60. The Blade of Fury (1993) - Dir. Sammo Hung
61. Smile/Beautiful Dreamer (2004) - Dir. David Leaf
62. The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1996) - Dir. Benjamin Ross
63. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) - Dir. Tim Burton
64. Return of the Living Dead (1985) - Dir. Dan O'Bannon
65. Signs (2002) - Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
66. The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) - Dir. Hayao Miyazaki
67. Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - Dir. John Carpenter
68. Angel's Egg (1985) - Dir. Mamoru Oshii
69. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Dir. Ang Lee
70. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Dir: Wes Craven
71. Robocop (1987) - Dir: Paul Veorhoven
72. The Sword (1980) - Dir: Patrick Tam
73. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Dir. George A. Romero
74. Whispers of the Heart (1995) - Dir: Yoshifumi Kondo
75. The Adventures of Mark Twain (1984) - Dir: Will Vinton
76. Godzilla Vs. Mothra: Battle for the Earth - Dir: Takao Okawara
77. The Master (1980) - Dir: Lu Chin-ku
78. The Road Warrior (1981) - Dir: George Miller
79. An American Werewolf in London (1981) - Dir: John Landis
80. For a Few Dollars More (1965) – Dir. Sergio Leone
81. Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain (1983) - Dir: Tsui Hark
82. Mr. Vampire (1985) - Dir. Ricky Lau
83. Kung Fu Hustle (2004) - Dir: Stephen Chow
84. Conan the Barbarian - Dir: John Milius
85. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) - Dir: Makoto Shinkai
86. Biozombie (1989) - Dir: Wilson Yip
87. Jacob's Ladder (1990) - Dir: Adrian Lyne
88. Iron Giant (1999) - Dir: Brad Bird
89. Fearless Freaks (2004) - Dir: Bradley Beesley
90. The Mission (1999) - Dir. Johnnie To
91. Shaolin Temple (1976) - Dir: Chang Cheh
92. Poltergeist (1982) – Dir: Tober Hooper (and, by most accounts, Steven Spielberg)
93. The Prodigal Son (1982) - Dir: Sammo Hung
94. Desperado (1995) - Dir: Robert Rodriguez
95. SLiTHER (2006) - Dir: James Gunn
96. Project A-Ko (1986) - Dir: Katsuhiko Nishijima
97. The Tai Chi Master (1993) - Dir: Yuen Woo Ping
98. Boxer's Omen (1983) - Dir: Kuei Chih-Hung
99. The Lady Hermit (1971) - Dir: Hoh Mung-wa
100. Armageddon (1998) - Dir: Michael Bay
I hesitate to call this list of 100 hundred films a “Top 100.” I do not consider myself a cinematic authority, nor do I think my cinematic vocabulary is vast enough to declare anything “the best.” There are a ton of films missing from my lexicon, many of which I doubt I will ever have the time to see. However, I do feel confident in what I know, and what I know is this: genre cinema. And so, I am putting together this list, a list of 100 movies that totally rock, “100 movies that kick ass” if you will.
I think an important quality for a genre film to possess is re-watchability. I tend to enjoy movies that can be rewatched over and over again. I think most of the films on this list are highly rewatchable. If I were to close my eyes and pick one of these films at random there is a good chance that I would enjoy watching it on any given day, and in any given mood.
I am also into the craftsmanship of film making. This is one reason why I like Hong Kong cinema so much, and the martial arts genre specifically - I simply enjoy the way the Hongkies make movies. Many of these films tell the 'same story,' and feature the 'same characters,' but each is executed differently. Many of these films rely on the physical prowess of the actors, and on the ability of the action director to choreograph and stage entertaining action sequences. I admire movies that look good, movies that put their money on the screen - whether that's $5000 or $200 million, I want to see it.
Entertainment value is also very important to me. Yes, I am one of those heathens who enjoys being entertained more than anything. I think a film can be both thought provoking and highly entertaining, I do not use the words “popcorn film” in a derogatory manner, nor do I think the genre ghettos are bad places to dwell. This is not to say that I don't like films that challenge my world view, or films that ask me to think, because I do, but when films like this are also entertaining, well then, now we're talking.
Compared to a lot of the 'top' lists around the Internet, my list will probably contain a lot of what some might consider more mainstream, populist entertainment. It will also contain a lot films some film buffs consider trash. It contains a whole heck of a lot of kung fu, action, horror, and genre cinema. However, it also contains many films that are important milestones in my own cinematic journey, films that I think are as good or better than any ever made. It contains films that have helped to shape who I am today, and films that continue to mold me into who I might be tomorrow. It contains films I laughed at, and with, films that have scared me, or made me cry, and films that remind me exactly why I spend so much of my free time and money watching, buying, renting, and writing about them.
I am going to try to do two entries per week on average - I don't want this list taking longer than a year to finish, because by that time, it will most likely need to be updated. Oh well...let's get on with it!
