With any top 10 list, especially one orientated towards movies or music, there is bound to be disagreement. The British Film Institute’s list is characteristically diverse and eclectic. Do you agree with the list? Have you seen any of the movies? If you have a view, please use the comments section below.
The BFI is a charitable organisation in the U.K. with the aim to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image. The BFI maintains the world’s largest film archive. It also runs a five screen cinema on London’s south bank.
The top ten are:
10. Only Lovers Left Alive
Only Lovers Left Alive is a British-German vampire film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, and starring Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, and Jeffrey Wright. With the plot:
“A depressed musician reunites with his lover, though their romance – which has already endured several centuries – is disrupted by the arrival of uncontrollable younger sister.”
9. The Stuart Hall Project
The Stuart Hall Project is a documentary tribute to Stuart Hall, who was the pioneer of cultural studies and a political thinker.
The move “takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride through the upheavals, struggles and turning points that made the 20th century the century of campaigning, and of global political and cultural change.”
8. Inside Llewyn Davis
Inside Llewyn Davis is an American comedy-drama film written, directed and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Oscar Isaac in the title role as a New York City folk singer. In terms of the premise:
“A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.”
7. The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands
The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands is an old movie, made in 1927. The reason that it features on the list is because the BFI National Archive recently restored what it calls “one of the finest films of the British silent era.” The film shows:
“Dramatic reconstruction of two 1914 naval battles off Coronel and the Falkland Islands.The first a defeat of the British by Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee, the second a retaliation by the British under vice Admiral Sturdee.”
6. Lilting
Lilting is a 2014 British drama film written and directed by Cambodian-born British director Hong Khaou. The movie plot runs:
“Lilting tells the story of a mother’s attempt at understanding who her son is after his untimely death. Her world is suddenly disrupted by the presence of his lover. Together, they attempt to overcome their grief whilst struggling against not having a shared language.”
5. Heli
Heli is an independent Mexican crime drama film directed by Amat Escalante. The movie featured newcomers Armando Espitia, Andrea Vergara, Linda González, and Juan Eduardo Palacios. With the story:
“Heli must try and protect his young family when his 12-year-old sister inadvertently involves them in the brutal drug world. He must battle against the drug cartel that have been angered as well as the corrupt police force.”
4. 20,000 Days on Earth
20,000 Days on Earth is a British documentary film. The movie depicts 24 fictitious hours in the life of Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, composer and actor Nick Cave. Nick Cave is best known for his musical work with the band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1983, a group known for its eclectic influences and musical styles.
3. The Great Beauty
The Great Beauty (La grande bellezza) is an Italian film co-written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The film won Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. The movie is about:
“Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.”
2. Nymphomaniac (Parts I and II)
Nymphomaniac is a two-part drama art film written and directed by Lars von Trier. The movie stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Connie Nielsen, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, and Willem Dafoe. The movie divided critics. The premise is simple:
“A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac recounts her erotic experiences to the man who saved her after a beating.”
The scenes depicted are somewhat more complex.
1. Under the Skin
Under the Skin is a science fiction thriller art film directed by Jonathan Glazer. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien seductress who preys on men in Scotland. Most of the characters were played by non-actors; many of the scenes where Johansson’s character picks up men were unscripted conversations with men on the street filmed with hidden cameras. In terms of the plot:
“A mysterious woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. Events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.”
That is the list. What do you think?
