A Must Read: The Five Best Films of All Time

ESTIMATED READING TIME : FIVE MINUTES

Film is the most collaborative of all art forms. Writers, directors, actors, cinematographers, editors, musicians, set designers, wardrobe, lighting designers and dozens, if not hundreds, of other artists all working together to tell a story and create a piece of art. With so many moving parts, and so many things that could go wrong, it is a minor miracle to even get a film made. To make a great film is a staggering achievement. To make one of the top five films of all time, is a testament to the incredible talent, hard work and artistry of the people who made them. 

These five films stand as the pinnacle of artistic achievement in filmmaking. They will live on as a monument for future generations to look upon and see the greatness our species has residing deep within its heart and soul. 

Let us look upon these masterworks and find our own inspiration to reach higher in our own lives, dig deeper into our own souls and artistically strive to capture the ever elusive magical perfection that is so beautifully on display in these gems.

Without further ado…I give you the top five films of all time.

5. JACK

Jack is, without question, esteemed director Francis Ford Coppola's greatest film. The film boasts one of the greatest ensemble casts ever assembled, with Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Fran Drescher and Bill Cosby all starring alongside lead actor Robin Williams. Williams plays Jack Powell, a young boy who grows four times faster than normal due to a disease. This performance shows Williams at the height of his dramatic powers and he gives a transcendently resplendent and authentic performance. Williams unforgettable and brutally realistic portrayal, without the slightest whiff of sentimentality, is the lynch pin that makes Jack Coppola's crowning achievement.

4. STRIKING DISTANCE

When you put the greatest actor, and the greatest actress of a generation in a film together, magic is bound to happen. Striking Distance is living proof of that. This uncommonly original film stars Bruce Willis as a Pittsburgh Police River Rescue Squad cop, and boasts a supporting turn from Sarah Jessica Parker as his new partner. When you take two magnetic performers known for being artistically daring and committed like Willis and Parker, and add in the pulse-pounding excitement and prestige of the life of Pittsburgh river cops, you get the combustible magnificence that is Striking Distance. An absolutely heart-racing, gut-wrenching and mind-blowing film that speaks to the stoic and noble Pittsburgh River Cop in all of us.

3. CUTTHROAT ISLAND

Director Renny Harlin's swashbuckling magnum opus is, without any doubt, the greatest big budget pirate movie ever made. The film stars the luminous Geena Davis in the penultimate role of her career as pirate Morgan Adams. Legendary actor Matthew Modine's tour-de-force supporting performance as con-man and thief William Shaw is as good as anything ever captured on film. Combine the mastery of America's two most gifted actors with an incredibly intricate script, and Harlin's deft and subtle touch and you have a masterpiece of epic proportions. Cutthroat Island is such a treasure that it is universally recognized as the last word in the dramatic-action genre. There will never be another Cutthroat Island, there CAN never be another Cuthroat Island, there MUST never be another Cutthroat Island.

2. I LOVE TROUBLE

In 1994, when word came out that the two most talented actors on the planet, Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte, had agreed to work together, cinephiles were all a buzz. Then, when those same cinephiles heard the story these two masters were going to be bringing to life, the buzz morphed into an all out frenzy. The story of the film is summed up thusly, "rival Chicago reporters Sabrina Peterson (Roberts) and Peter Brackett (Nolte) reluctantly join forces to uncover a train wreck that leads to the discovery of genetically altered milk conspiracy. They bite off more than they can chew while pursuing the story, and fall in love."

This is one of those stories that is so rare and originally unique as to be pioneering. I Love Trouble is an incomparably taut drama, a raucous and laugh out loud comedy, an exquisitely tender love story and a remarkably nail-biting mystery-thriller, all impeccably wrapped up in one. Add in Roberts and Nolte at the pinnacle of their artistic genius, and you have, unquestionably, the second greatest film ever made.

1. CAPTAIN RON

Captain Ron is the story of Ron (Kurt Russell), a sailor with a quirky personality and a checkered past, and Martin (Martin Short), a middle-class family man who hires Ron to sail a yacht through the Carribean with Martin and his family aboard. Captain Ron is universally hailed as Kurt Russell's masterwork, and is the crowning achievement for the man most consider the greatest actor the world has ever known.  The film is at once a brooding character study, showcased by the intensity and mastery of Russell's performance, but also a vivid, fierce and visceral family drama, highlighted by a complex, detailed and delicate treasure of a performance by Martin Short. Captain Ron is the art of filmmaking's piece de resistance. The craft, skill, talent and passion on display in Captain Ron is so exquisite that it transcends being just a film and becomes a showpiece of that which humanity is capable. It is impossible to watch Captain Ron and not be changed. The film alters your perception of humanity, of family, of yourself. Captain Ron is not just an artistic masterpiece, it is a spiritual one, bringing to the viewer a transcendent insight of religious proportions. The perfection of Captain Ron is a sign of mankind's continued evolution and a symbol of hope for the future of our species and our planet. Captain Ron is not just a film, and not just a character, Captain Ron is us…sometimes the best of us, sometimes the worst of us…but undeniably he is ALL of us.

There you have it, the top five films of all time. I hope you enjoyed the list. Although, as is universally acknowledged, my list is the only list that matters, you should please feel free to add your own list and opinions in the comments section. God Bless Us Everyone. And have a safe and enjoyable April Fools Day.