2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller was my hero during high school, as he was for many others especially during the 80s era in which the film is so obviously set. I was never that rebellious during my high school years, and how could I have been when my dad was the school truancy officer? I could only ever dream of coming close to what Ferris does by wagging a day of school, borrowing his best friends ferrari, screwing over the villainous Mr. Rooney and somehow not getting caught. Ferris Bueller was an icon for his generation becuase he did what everyone wanted to do but knew they never could, and damn did he do it in style.

I found the film very entertaining from the first time I saw it and although many of the clever jokes would have gone over my head when I was 14 years old, the fun nature of the film sucked me right in. It's fair to say that Matthew Broderick was typecast following this film but there's no denying that Ferris Bueller will always be his most memorable role. The cheeky manner in which he delivers Ferris' monologues to camera are wonderfully handled and this playful manner is carried through the entire film ensuring that it becomes utterly impossible not to love Ferris.

It must be said that Ferris Bueller is also greatly enhanced by the skillful direction of John Hughes, a legend of this genre during the 80s, who never came close to matching the dizzying heights of this mini teen masterpiece. Hughes showcases a precise use of the camera and a wonderfully written script with extremely well defined, memoralbe characters. This lifts the quality of the film to a level above all other teen comedies and whilst you won't see it in many other top tens, I consistently watch it and find it to be supremely enjoyable on each viewing. Make no mistake, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a perfect film, both of its genre and in general...

Here's a scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off...

4. Goodfellas (1990)

A film contained on many critics top 10 lists, Goodfellas is without a doubt my favourite gangster film and gives a truer account of the mafia life than The Godfather achieved. This isn't to say that the Godfather is a lesser film, on the contrary its a cinema classic, however Martin Scorsese's masterful work here conjures up so much more excitement for the audience.

As with most of his great films Scorsese casts Robert Deniro as one of his main characters, the two becoming more than simple muses but a true team whom through their collaborations create pure gold. Real life mobster Henry Hill's rise from childhood up through the ranks of the Italian family and his subsequent fall from grace are accounted here with style, humour and grace. It must also be said that actor Ray Liotta gives the performance of his career in the film and it's one the reasons Goodfellas dragged me in to begin with. This, along with the casting of Joe Pesci, represents an ensemble cast of lengendary actors that Scorsese is now able to create with great ease thanks to his high class reputation. It's interesting to note that, in this film and in many other classic gangster films like it, there are quite a few minor cast members present whom would later go on to be a part of the mafia television show The Sopranos.

Despite Goodfellas being almost two and a half hours long it never feels anywhere near that long due its rapid fire pace as if we skimming through images of Henry's life with his narration guiding us the whole way. It's the most entertaining film I've ever seen because of its pace and the energy of the voice over and I think any viewer would find it hard once they start watching the film to stop it at any point. It has just the right balance of dramatic and humourous moments of which there are many and once again like all Scorsese films we are not asked to sympathise with these criminals but to simply enjoy there company for the duration of the film and that we certainly do. Along the way we are given bursts of violence, drug deals, genre defining tracking shots, freeze frames and a cool soundtrack, all of which adds up to a true classic of the art form which has not only been talked about and often emulated since its release but will continue to do so for decades to come. Goodfellas almost made me wanna be a gangster, but then Scorsese's ending whacked that fantasy off the face of the earth.

Here's the classic tracking shot from Goodfellas...

5. Scarface (1983)

Is there a film I quote more frequently than Scarface? Very unlikely, although Star Wars would come close I'd reckon. Let's face it though everyone loves talking like Scarface's hero Tony Montana, I mean he's Cuban and he loves to swear, I've heard the band Blink 182 based their name on the number of times the F word is uttered during this film. Al Pacino really does shine in this film and you can never fault his accent or his performance as the ambitious Tony whom is brought to Miami from Cuba as a refugee. The power hungry Tony not only became an icon for many thanks to his carefree "the world is yours" attitude but also gained a firm spot in the pop culture mindset, a spot which has strengthened over time.

Scarface wasn't recognised by the academy or given any outstanding accolades on its release, in fact according to many critics the 1932 original was far superior to this 80s rehash. Despite all this it's still recognised as a classic by audiences who can't get enough of director Brian De Palma's vision. The fact that the violence is so over the top makes it impossible for censors, though they did try, to have a case against the film. For me Scarface defintely shouln't be taken seriously and its beyond me how anyone could when considering the amount of excess within the film, everything is over the top and that's what makes it so damm entertaining to watch.

Scarface isn't realistic or hostorical in any way, shape or form, nor is it trying to be. It's a heavily quotable, laugh out loud film that is bursting with energy and I think these are the reasons as to why I can watch it repeatedly. Unfortuntely I don't think the mojority of female audiences really get this feeling when watching the film and it's pretty hard for them not to take offense to the words and actions of Tony Montana. Primarily I think it's a guy's film and I'm defintely okay with that. I can only hope that I will someday be capable of making a movie that comes even close to Scarface's timeless pop culture status.

Here's a classic scene from Scarface...

6. Taxi Driver (1976)

If I had to choose one word to describe Taxi Driver it would be atmospheric, it's a film that places you firmly in a world, and what a dark world it is. The film shows the sleazy side of New York in a way that had never been acheived before on film and the first time I saw it, regretably only very recently, I was astonished to see just how unappealing New York looked when comapared to other films based in the city. Granted during the 70s New York would have been very much like this and has improved greatly over time, but it's still astonishing how director Martin Scorsese portrayed the neighborhoods in which he grew up in all their seedy glory. This succesful portrayal can be put down to down three important ingredients: the chracters, the cinematography and the soundtrack.

It's scary how real some of Taxi Driver's characters feel and it seems at times as though Scorsese simply hit the ghettos of New York and pulled the scummiest individuals he could find straight off the street and shoved them in front of a camera. We are introduced to pimps, gun dealers and child prostitutes but none are more sinister than our main character Travis Bickle, the Taxi Driver suffering from insomnia among other things. Robert Deniro gives a powerhouse performance, one of his first, as he portrays Travis' downward spiral into insanity perfectly and somehow still manages to force the audience to sympathise with his character: the very definition of an anti-hero. The cinematography is drmatically atmospheric with an array of shots giving New York that nightmarish look whether it be day or night. The shots in which Travis is driving through the night amongst the thick city smoke are some of the best and have become iconic over the years. The final key component is that of the soundtrack perfomed by master composer Bernard Hermann who was reponsible for much of Alfred Hitchcock's film music. The soundtrack for Taxi Driver is full of dark, thumping jazz style pieces that really drive the film and complement the images we are seeing whilst strengthening their impact at the same time.

I believe Martin Scorsese to be the greatest filmaker of all time and I'm sure this won't be the last entry from him amongst my top 10. Taxi Driver was one of his earlier films and whilst he would go on to make many more classics Taxi Driver will always be one of his most accomplished works. It's a true gem amongst the era of independent cinema in which filmmakers could be as bold and unpredictable as they wanted. It's a dark and daring piece of cinema that will be remembered by audiences and critcs alike for a long time.

Here's a famous scene from Taxi Driver...

7. Se7en (1995)

Do I realise the irony of this film being number 7 on the list? Well yes. Was this done on purpose? Absoloutely not, this isn't an attempt to be clever (believe me I'm not clever), this film just happens to fall at number 7 because thats where it ranks with my other favourites. Se7en was the second feature film directed by David Fincher after years of working in the music video business. His first film, Alien 3, was plagued by pressure from the studio and endless script changes and was critcally bashed on release. Although that experience may have left a sour taste in Fincher's mouth, it certainly showed he had promise as a director, especially in terms of his gift for the visual.

So along came Se7en years later and shocked audiences and critics alike, a twisted serial killer story with nightmarish visuals, an intrguing plot and two oscar worthy performaces from actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Considering I was only 9 when the film was released it would be some time before I discovered it's brilliance...7 years to be exact (and once again I'm not trying to be clever, this is just one of those coincidences). I remember when I first saw the film I was shitting myself, I mean there certainly were jump-worthy moments thoughout the movie but it was more the pure evil of the killer (Kevin Spacey in career best form) that really got to me. It was a twisted film and back then I wouldn't have put it down as one my favourites because how could you truly love a film where people get brutally tortured then murdered in a variety of ways by a psycho killer?

It wasn't until I saw Se7en for the second time that I realised there was a lot more going on in the film than what I'd first thought. It was as much a character study as a murder story, with the two main characters being forced to work together despite them being complete opposites. It's a fantastic idea, teaming a detective whos all but retired and has seen all the ugliness the world has to offer with the bright-eyed, trigger happy rookie and forcing them to work together to solve a case such as this. As the film progresses we learn much about these two characters through their contrasting methods and motivations and just when we think they've learnt something from one another along comes the breathtaking conclusion which must surely be one of the classics of cinema. Without this relationship at the center of the film it would be just another serial killer movie, albeit a very stylish one. I can watch it again and again, even though it's lost the mystery aspect it had the first time around it's still enthtralling to watch.

Here's the creepy opening credits from Se7en. Brilliant...