Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

There are certain movies that only show their true colors once the clock strikes twelve. The following are recommended if you cannot sleep at three in the morning.

1. Carrie

This movie is adapted from Stephen King’s book of the same name. It is about a timid and mousy girl who is bullied by her class mates at school. They play a prank on her just to get her to come for prom night. When she’s on stage, they drop a bucket of pigs blood on her. Needless to say, she doesn’t like that too much so she decides to use her telekinetic powers to kill all of them.

2. Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead is about zombies who are dying (pun intended) to get some fresh human flesh and their main target is a group of five people who try desperately to survive through the night.

3. The Ring

The Ring is basically about a bizarre cursed videotape- once you are done watching it, the phone will ring and Samara (a little ghost girl) will tell you that you will die in seven days. Naomi Watts takes it upon herself to uncover the mystery and falls into a well.

4. The Sixth Sense

This film is about a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who claims that he can see dead people. A child psychiatrist (Bruce Willis) decides to help him and help the boy get rid of his fears.

5. The Blair Witch Project

When this movie was released, the audience was told that three students went off into the woods to make a documentary about The Blair Witch and the footage was found a year later. However, it was merely a prank and the three students were only actors. It is an extremely disturbing movie and the camera work is shaky enough to make you nauseous.

These top 10 movies are so boring that they are simply unmissable. The listed films have achieved notably negative reputations as being called the worst films ever made, rated by Roger Ebert, Rotten Tomatoes and multiple other movie critics.  In other words, in writing this article, we feel you can do without watching these films.

1. You’ve Got Mail

Any movie that stars Meg Ryan has to be slightly boring but this one definitely takes the cake. It revolves around two rival bookstore owners who start chatting on the internet without knowing each other’s identities. He finds out and falls in love with her but she hates him. Surprise surprise, she falls in love with him too in the end.

2. Legends of the Fall

Legends of the Fall talks about William Ludlow and his sons Samuel, Alfred and Tristan. It is set in the earlier part of the 20^th century and the plot unfolds to reveal quite a tangled web. Samuel’s fiancée, Susanna falls in love with Tristan while Alfred falls in love with her. The bond that exists between the three brother is obviously ultimately broken.

3. AI- Artificial Intelligence

David is played by Haley Joel Osment, an advanced robot who hopes to develop real emotions in order to gain back the love of his estranged mother. His journey is quite long and will make you fall asleep.

4. Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky stars Tom Cruise who plays the character of David Aames. David takes everything for granted- especially his friends, lovers and family members. The movie pulls the audience into the character’s twisted psyche. This may sounds interesting but it honestly is not.

5. The English Patient

The English Patient revolves around a Hungarian mapmaker who is slowly but surely losing his memory. The story is so dull and so boring, that you will want to pull your hair out by the end of it. It also features a troubled nurse and thief of some sort.

Vampire books and movies have become very popular after the Twilight series was released recently. However, these films are classics and Edward Cullen cannot be compared to these legendary vampires.

1. John Carpenter’s Vampires

This was released in 1998 and stars James Wood who plays the character of a vampire hunter. His parents were killed by vampires which is why he takes it upon himself to kill each and every vampire in town.

2. Lost Boys

Released in 1987, Lost Boys is very popular amongst hardcore vampire movie goers. Two boys along with their single mother move to a new town after which the younger son befriends a few odd boys. These kids say that they are vampire hunters while the older brother starts showing signs of becoming a vampire and the younger one takes it upon himself to save his brother.

3. Interview with a Vampire

This movie is based on a book by the same name by Anne Rice. It revolves around Louis, a plantation owner who becomes lifeless after his brother dies. Lestat, a vampire asks him if he wishes to become like him and Louis accepts. However, he does not enjoy his new life very much and the two change a little girl after which the two start living as a family during the 1700s. A young journalist then interviews a vampire who says that he is about 200 years old and delves into his life story.

4. Dracula

This legendary film was released in 1958 and starred Christopher Lee. After getting attacked by Jonathan Harker, Dracula starts preying on Harker’s fiancée’s family after moving away. Dr. Van Helsing is the one and only vampire hunter who can protect them. This movie was critically acclaimed and was laced with both sexuality and gore.

5. Bram Stoker’s Dracula

This film was released in 1992 and was created keeping a modern audience in mind. The cast was great and the director did a great job which became apparent after it won innumerable awards.

It is said that the cast and crew of a film carries a film, no matter how outstanding the script is. These Hollywood actors definitely understood that and made these movies what they are today.

1. Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks was brilliant in Big. His acting was effortless and perfect and when asked about it, he said that all he did was tap into a child’s mind. Needless to say, he should have won an Oscar- make that several Oscars!

2. Al Pacino

Al Pacino plays the character of a homosexual man in Dog Day Afternoon who robs a bank because he is not financially stable enough to sponsor partner’s sex affirmation surgery. The plot of the film is hilarious and this actor knows exactly what to do in order to make a film stand out. The audience is supposed to think of him as a hero and not a villain and the best part is that this goal was achieved!

3. Sir Peter O’Toole

It has been said that Sir Peter O’Toole’s performance in Venus was one of his best. The plot revolves around an aging man, namely him, who falls in love with Venus, an underage but undeniable beautiful teenage girl.

4. Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers has achieved the impossible in Dr. Strangelove – he plays four roles and interestingly, they are all very different from each other. He manages to change his colors like a chameleon as and when the director commands him to do so.

5. Sir Paul Scofield

His performance in A Man for All Seasons was nothing if not flawless in every way. His character was extremely knowledgeable when it came to Jesus and the Bible and needless to say, he knew almost everything about the religion.

Most teenagers like to watch movies about teenagers because they can relate to the characters. Even though the following movies will be liked by people of all ages, they will be adored by teenagers.

1. Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The plot of this film revolves around high school students in California. The main characters are looking for relationships. Their respective friends help them out and a boy named Jeff Spicoli is a major part of the movie as well

2. Elephant

Even though this film created a lot of controversy, it is still among the best by Van Sant. It basically deals with the problem of students carrying guns to school. The actors were not too well-known but the story was powerful and the cinematography was stunning which is what made the movie memorable.

3. To Sir with Love

This film stars Sydney Poitier who plays the role of a congenial teacher. It is set in London against the backdrop of poverty and the problems surrounding racism are brought up as well. A song with the same title gained instant popularity after the film’s release and was sung by Lulu.

4. Y Tu Mamá También

This film is about three people who decide to go on a road trip. The two boys are in their teens while the woman is about 28 years old. Certain economic realities are brought to light as the movie progresses. The two protagonists share a special relationship and elements of homosexuality are introduced as well.

5. American Graffiti

American Graffiti talks about four teenagers who discover themselves right before they go off to separate universities. Set in the 1960’s, it features all those aspects of the good old life that we all miss including drive-ins and racing. The soundtrack only adds to the overall quality of the film.

The Hindi Film Industry also known as Bollywood, is based in Mumbai, India and is one of the largest commercial industries in the country today. It has been around for over 100 years and is doing immensely well, with over 700 movies being released every year. This article looks at the top 10 Bollywood movies that will go down in history.

1. Sholay

Sholay was directed by Ramesh Sippy and released in 1975. The cast includes legendary actors like Amitabh Bachan, Jaya Bachan, Hema Malini and Dharmendra. Sholay is the biggest Bollywood film in terms of both its popularity and the amount of money it still continues to make.

2. Mughal-e-Azam

Mughal-e-Azam was directed by K.Asif and came out in 1960. The budget of the movie was very high at the time and the sets were so complicated, that it took over 15 years to make the film. It was said to be the best film created by Indian cinema till Sholay hit the theatres.

3. Mother India

This film starred the likes of Sunil Dutt, Nargis and Rajendra Kumar. Directed by Mehboob Khan, it won the hearts of many in the country and is a must-watch for those who need a good cry!

4. Guide

Guide released in 1965 and was produced by the legendary actor Dev Anand who was also part of the star cast. It was based on a novel with the same name by R.K. Narayan and was among the few Hindi films that had the privilege of being a part of the Cannes Film Festival.

5. Awara

This film was directed by Raj Kapoor was released in 1951. It was a part of a few nomination during the Cannes Film Festival 2 years later and is doted on by people all over the world.

Movies are never complete without its stunts performed either by the actors themselves or their doubles. Making a stunt successful involves hours of hard work and expense from the entire crew of the film in production. Here is looking back at the some of the best stunts in Hollywood history.

1. Crane Jump; Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craig’s death-defying acrobatics performed in the opening scenes of Casino Royale is one of the best stunts in 007’s movie history. In the scene James Bond chases a suspect down the streets and buildings and finally on top of a 200 foot crane.  It showed of the agility and fitness of the actors involved in the scene. This scene also won the stunt team the ‘Best High Work’ in the prestigious World Stunt Awards.

2. Boat Chase, The World is not Enough (1999)

In this chase James Bond leaps his boat into a 360 spin to wreck the gun placement in the villains’ boat. The 14 to 15 minute chase has been voted one of the most exciting boat chases of all time. This scene took seven weeks to shoot, as the speed limit of boats at 9 MPH on the river Thames had to be factored in. This scene was not supposed to be included in the movies opening sequence, however, after it was shot the reactions and shot looked very real and hence was edited and added.

3. Jump Stunt from car to Bus; Speed (1994)

In this sequence cop Jack tavern jumps from a moving Jaguar onto the speeding bus. He rips the door of the Jaguar to leap into the bus, though he loses balance and his feet drag on the ground. Keanu Reeves performed this stunt himself in spite of director Jan de Bont calling for a body double.

4. Hijack Stunt; Cliffhanger (1993)

The stunt performed by stuntman Simon Crane, had corrupt treasury agent Richard Travers hijack a plane carrying $ 100 million. After recovering the money he slides down a cable to Eric Qualens’ Learjet. This stunt cost $ 1 million to execute. Apparently the film’s budget was insufficient to complete this stunt, so Sylvester Stallone cut his salary by that amount to allow the stunt to be finished.

5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

The stunt where the Terminator is chased by his arch-villain T-100 in a helicopter is another dangerous stunt performed. The helicopter chased the truck under an overpass and crashes on the freeway.  To make the stunt look real the pilot flies the helicopter up to the underpass but flies away in the last second.

6. Police Story (1985)

This movie is full of dangerous and real-life stunts performed by Jackie Chan. Stunts such as Jackie Chan hanging onto a double decker bus window through an umbrella handle, the mall fight in which Jackie Chan and his stunt team members perform tumbles, flips and jumps through escalators, windows, stairs etc were very difficult to co-ordinate and make it look natural. The finale scene where Jackie Chan jumps and slides down a mall post covered with lights before smashing into a wooden canopy. All these scenes make Police Story a must watch movie for stunt lovers.

7. Truck Chase Stunt; Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

This truck chase stunt was performed as homage to a similar stunt performed in John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939) and is considered as one of the most exciting stunts performed. Stuntman Terry Leonard tried to execute it a year earlier for a movie but failed. In this stunt Indiana Jones is dragged under and then out behind a moving truck and climbs up and throws off all the German soldiers. This stunt took eight weeks to complete.

8. Ski Jump; The Spy who Loved Me (1977)

A favorite James Bond stunt, the opening sequence featured James Bond jumping down a parachute and skiing down a snow covered mountain dodging bullets was shot at Asgard Peak, Baffin Island, Canada. This stunt could’ve gone horribly wrong as a disengaged ski prevented the chute from opening as the stuntman was falling. However, things fell in place and the shot passed uncut and complete.

9. Chariot Race, Ben-Hur (1959)

This incredible dangerous sequence was directed by the then legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt. In the scene, during the chariot race Ben-Hur’s chariot jumps over a crashed chariot and he is thrown off to the front of his chariot; while barely holding on, he manages to climb back onto the chariot. The body double just suffered a minor cut on his chin in this performance.

10. House-fall; Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)

A dangerous stunt performed at that time. This involved Buster Keaton standing in front of the house and the wall of the house collapses around him. He however remains standing, unhurt and stone-faced.

Short films are popular because they are usually very artsy and since they are short, easy to follow, they have also won a number of awards. The following are the 10 best from last year.

1. Skhizein

This drama in 3D animation is about a man who feels himself floating out of his body after an encounter with a meteorite. This movie is haunting and beautiful at the same time and takes the viewer through the contours of a mind that is determined to destroy itself.

2. The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

This film falls under the stop-motion category and explores the theme of desperation. It is about a navigator’s voyage and the obstacles he faces along the way. His aim is to save and protect his wife. The movie is set against a backdrop of Victorian life that is peppered with science-fiction elements.

3. Hirsute

Hirsute is about a young man who has figured out how to break the barriers of time and therefore, travel back and forth between the past, present and future. The movie takes off when he meets his future self- only he is hairless and extremely arrogant.

4. The Most Beautiful Man in the World

A little girl meets a stranger on her patio just when she is sure that her life is about to change. The film is vague and ambiguous which is what makes it poetic and beautiful. The child-like elements add to the movie’s appeal and leave the viewers wanting more when the credits start rolling.

5. That’s Magic!

The plot of this short film focuses on a master of the stage who has become dispassionate and unemotional over the years. His life takes a major turn when he is forced to scrutinize and examine the magic in daily and routine happenings.

Stephen King writes books that are chilling enough to keep you awake at night for a year or so. The following are the scariest of the lot.

1. Pet Sematary

This movie focuses on a pet cemetery which is haunted and if you bury your pet there, it will come to life but not as the cute and loyal creature you remember it to be. A family loses their son and decides to bury him in the same “sematary” for some absurd reason. He does come back but makes it a point to take a dozen people back with him.

2. Storm of the Century

This terrifying story is about an unknown man who turns up during an awful blizzard in some godforsaken island. He is peculiar and knows how to bend the will of those around him to make sure that he gets what he wants.

3. 1408

1408 stars Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusak. It is about a hotel room which has seen a lot of life, so to say and therefore, has quite a dreadful history. Those who visit the hotel keep away from the room but one brave author decides to check in and prove the rumors wrong. Let’s just say he doesn’t succeed.

4. Children of the Corn

Children of the Corn is about a child who takes it upon himself to persuade all the children in town that it is their job to kill the adults.

5. It

Some adults realize that the evil bully from their past has returned. He is evil and he appears without prior notice. He has supernatural powers and he is a clown. The adults aptly name him It.

The overall popularity of the films in this article is determined by the rating given to them on popular film websites such as IMDB and the like. The following won Oscars but got very dismal ratings.

1. Terms of Endearment

Rating- 7.3

This film won an Oscar for Best Picture and beat movies like The Dresser and Tender Mercies. The star cast included Jack Nicholson and Shirley McLaine. It is an ordinary film about a mother and daughter duo and their journey as they try to find happiness and joy in very different ways.

2. Chariots of Fire

Rating- 7.3

This film is about two athletes, Eric and Harold. They reach some sort of compromise and manage to run during the 1924 Olympics. It stars Ben Cross and Ian Charleson and was directed by Hugh Hudson. It beat other deserving movies like Reds and On Golden Pond.

3. An American in Paris

Rating- 7.3

An American in Paris is laced with romantic complications because while Jerry, an artist falls in love with Lise, a French girl, an heiress falls for Jerry. A very messy triangle is formed and the movie is quite a snooze-fest. Many people agree with the fact that Quo Vadis should have won.

4. Gentleman’s Agreement

Rating- 7.3

Gregory Peck plays the character of a journalist at a well-known magazine in New York. He gets a break and decides to be Jewish for a while so that he can write about bigotry and its effects. The rest of the movie is about how he is denied certain basic rights and refused a job.

5. Titanic

Rating- 7.2

Most people will be appalled to see this movie on this particular list because people all but fawn over it till date. It’s basically about the unsinkable ship that ends up sinking. Leonardo DiCaprio plays his part perfectly and so does Kate Winselet. But then again, it mustn’t be all that hard to pretend to be filthy rich, right?