Every Friday, Reel Talk will bring you a Reel Top 10 list. Our Top 10s cover a variety of films, genres, and cinema aspects, including actors, directors, performances, and more.
Our first Reel Top 10 features my top 10 favorite films. All of these films made a great impact on me, inspiring me to become the movie buff and fanatic I am today.
When I write a Top 10 list, I look for films that meet my four criteria:
Screenwriting – quality of the script, execution of the plot and narrative
Direction – Director’s success in taking the words on paper and transferring them onto the screen in a cohesive entertaining film
Actor/Actress Performances – individual or ensemble performance that stand out in the film
Rewatchability – the ability to put this film back into the DVD player and watch it on multiple occasions, giving you the same feelings you had the first time you watched it. I would never place a film on a Top 10 list that I wouldn’t watch again.
I want to hear your top 10 personal favorites. Sound off in the comments.
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David Gonzalez is the founder and chief film critic of Reel Talk Inc. and host of the Reel Chronicles and Chop Talk (80s horror) podcasts. As a Cuban American independent film critic, David writes fair and diverse criticism covering movies of all genres and spotlighting minority voices through Reel Talk. David has covered and reviewed films at Tribeca, TIFF, NYFF, Sundance, SXSW, and several other film festivals.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved Critic and a member of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA), New York Film Critics Online, Hollywood Film Critics Association, and the North American Film Critic Association.
As an avid film collector and awards watcher, David's finger is always on the industry's pulse. David informs and educates with knowledgeable and exciting content and has become a trusted resource for readers and listeners alike. Email him at david@reeltalkinc.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @reeltalkinc.
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5 Comments
I totally agree on LOTR trilogy. I think seeing as a whole for multiple reasons including them being one linear story and being filmed at the same time being two of them. That film should be considered one 11 hour masterpiece. If you were twisting my arm though, I think i would choose ROTK is my favorite. I love your list! Seeing DOTD there and showing Romero some love is awesome. I met Romero last year and the man is a great guy
It’s a pleasure to support and be the first to comment on your site!
So concerning my picks, the LOTR Trilogy I had to emphasize the Trilogy just because simply one isn’t better than the other and all 3 are needed to complete the story. For instance the dark knight Trilogy, all 3 of those movies could stand alone, you don’t really need to see batman begins to understand the dark knight or see the dark knight to get dark night rises. While they all 3 tell the story each individual film can stand on its own where as you need the fellowship to get the two Towers or the return, you can’t just watch return of the king and understand the whole story.
They differ very slightly. Goodfellas is my #1 all time. While Back to the future and Ghostbusters are definitely in my top 15. My top 10 would be
Goodfellas
Godfather
Godfather 2
Dawn of the Dead (Romero/Argento)
Empire Strikes Back
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I just can’t break them up all 3 are equally great to me)
Batman
The Dark Knight
Scarface
Halloween
Thank you for the support! Are any of your top 10 differ from my top? Very curious
Wow, great site David, we don’t always agree on the wrestling but we sure agree on top 10 movies!
I totally agree on LOTR trilogy. I think seeing as a whole for multiple reasons including them being one linear story and being filmed at the same time being two of them. That film should be considered one 11 hour masterpiece. If you were twisting my arm though, I think i would choose ROTK is my favorite. I love your list! Seeing DOTD there and showing Romero some love is awesome. I met Romero last year and the man is a great guy
It’s a pleasure to support and be the first to comment on your site!
So concerning my picks, the LOTR Trilogy I had to emphasize the Trilogy just because simply one isn’t better than the other and all 3 are needed to complete the story. For instance the dark knight Trilogy, all 3 of those movies could stand alone, you don’t really need to see batman begins to understand the dark knight or see the dark knight to get dark night rises. While they all 3 tell the story each individual film can stand on its own where as you need the fellowship to get the two Towers or the return, you can’t just watch return of the king and understand the whole story.
They differ very slightly. Goodfellas is my #1 all time. While Back to the future and Ghostbusters are definitely in my top 15. My top 10 would be
Goodfellas
Godfather
Godfather 2
Dawn of the Dead (Romero/Argento)
Empire Strikes Back
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I just can’t break them up all 3 are equally great to me)
Batman
The Dark Knight
Scarface
Halloween
Thank you for the support! Are any of your top 10 differ from my top? Very curious
Wow, great site David, we don’t always agree on the wrestling but we sure agree on top 10 movies!