Even though it’s been years since their release, they can still compete with the new releases we see in the cinemas and on streaming services. Let’s get into it!

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump has been one of those movies I can watch over and over without getting tired of it. Forrest is such a pure, kind character who somehow ends up in the middle of huge historical moments, like fighting in the Vietnam War and meeting presidents. My favorite scene is when he just starts running, and people join him without even asking why. It was a gentle yet powerful reminder that sometimes you don’t need a reason to start something. You just do it. This movie taught me that life can be unpredictable, but if you keep moving forward and stay kind, amazing things can happen.

Inception 

The first time I watched Inception, my mind was completely blown. I couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks because I was so amazed at what happened, even though the movie was pretty long. It’s about a group of people who enter dreams to plant ideas, and the way they explore different dream levels feels like solving a puzzle while running a marathon. 

If there’s one thing I loved about this movie, aside from Leonardo DiCaprio, it is that our thoughts and beliefs shape our reality. It also made me think about how powerful the mind is… and yes, that spinning top at the end still makes me wonder if it’s all a dream. Before you start watching this, make sure you have a good internet service provider if you’re streaming, so you can really understand what the movie is about. 

Fight Club 

Okay, I might be breaking the first rule of Fight Club by even talking about it… but I can’t help it. This movie is just that good. It’s about a guy who’s completely fed up with his boring life, and then he meets Tyler Durden — a wild, unpredictable man who changes everything. They start a secret fight club where strangers punch each other to feel alive, but soon it spirals into something much bigger and much darker. The plot twist, though, is definitely mindblowing. I could never forget what this movie did to my brain. 

2001: A Space Odyssey

This movie isn’t for everyone, but I loved how different it felt from anything else I’ve seen. It’s slow and quiet, and it makes you feel tiny compared to the universe.  My favorite scene is when HAL 9000, the spaceship’s computer, says, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” It’s chilling and unforgettable. The movie made me realize how far technology could go and how it can both help and harm us. It’s one of those films that leaves you with more questions than answers, and I kind of love that. Since it’s a relatively old movie, you can also watch this on traditional TV like DISH TV. Make sure to watch this!

Mean Girls

On Wednesdays, we wear pink, of course. I can’t miss this on our list. It’s literally the ultimate guide to surviving high school drama. You’ll meet Cady, a typical girl who gets pulled into the most popular group in school called The Plastics. At first, she’s just trying to fit in, but before she knows it, she’s caught up in gossip, lies, and the infamous Burn Book. My favorite scene has to be the cafeteria map breakdown. It’s hilarious how they explain where every group sits, and honestly, every school has that. 

Final Thoughts

These are my top 5 most iconic movies of all time. No matter what you try to watch in this list, I’m confident that you will love it as much as I did. Just make sure that if you’re streaming them online, you need to have a fast internet connection so you can enjoy the entire movie. Happy watching!

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Fight Club

This film became a cult classic almost instantly. A fierce and brutal movie about feeling detached from the modern world, feeling like the consumerist culture offered nothing and wanting something simpler and more violent. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt’s characters start having fights in public and amazingly more people join, seemingly made up almost entirely of people who don’t look like the sort of people who get in fights. Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) turns them into something far more sinister; along the way giving the legendary rules of the club.

In my opinion Fight Club is both Brad Pitt’s and Edward Norton’s best film, both giving amazing performances with Pitt’s Tyler Durden becoming a film icon. It is a film that feels as relevant today as it did then – watch it.

Office Space

This little known Mike Judge film should come with a warning that after watching it you will probably want to quit your job. A hilarious work-based comedy about someone stuck in a job they don’t see the point of and him wondering why he should even care. After a derailed session with a hypnotherapist, the lead character acts on his impulses, turning up late, telling his manager what he really thinks and knocking down a wall of his cubicle. Where does this fearlessness lead? Crime.

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

The film that launched a thousand bad British gangster films into production. One of the most damning things I can think to say about this film is that I liked it when I was a teenager and no longer see the appeal. Perhaps I am being too harsh – the film was certainly of its time and made a huge impact. Historically it’s been hard for British gangster films to compete with their American cousins – they were cooler, they had more money (the gangsters and the studios) and everything was on a bigger scale. Lock Stock showed that you could make a successful and popular British gangster film that still felt British.

10 Things I Hate About You

Quite simply 10 Things… is one of the best teen movies ever made. Using Shakespeare’s Taming of a Shrew as a blueprint it told a story of teenage life and love wonderfully. The central four actors are all perfect in their roles and at least two have gone on to become major film stars. The film reolves around the father setting a rule that for the younger sister to date, the older sister must be dating as well, leading to man 1 who wants to date younger sister to recruit man 2 to date older sister – got it? For all of the deviousness going on with the plot, there is a niceness to the film. The two male leads aren’t awful selfish misogynists, the female leads are intelligent women while being completely different characters.

Election

Alexander Payne’s whipsmart Election is a high-school film like no other. Centred around the election for class president, an almost meaningless office, teacher Matthew Broderick conspires to stop seemingly unstoppable, manipulative and overachiever Reese Witherspoon’s Tracey Flick winning the election. Witherspoon is sensational as Flick, sometimes almost seeming like a sociopath but never quite reaching it. Broderick is at his best as the teacher’s life falls apart – only partly connected to his class president plan.

The Mummy

The Mummy, likes Jaws, is a film whose reputation has suffered because of the sequels. I forgot that Jaws is a masterclass of tension and acting and I forgot that The Mummy is a hugely enjoyable action adventure romp that rarely got made even back in the nineties. Starring quintessential 90s leading man Brendan Fraser and too-good-an-actor-for-this-film Rachel Weisz the filmmakers were clearly going for a new Indiana Jones style film and while not reaching those heights it is a lot of fun.

Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace

I had never been more excited for a film release in all my life. A new Star Wars film seemed like an impossible event. I remember my dad shouting for me to come downstairs because a tv show was going to play the trailer (which I watched over and over again online, or as much as you could with pre-broadband internet). I managed to convince myself I liked it, focusing on the good bits like Darth Maul and the excellent John Williams score. As time passed though I realised it wasn’t a very good film. After the ferocious maelstrom of criticism that accompanied The Last Jedi I am actively trying to tone down negative feedback – The Phantom Menace was disappointing. It’s albatross hung heavily around the neck of The Force Awakens which against all expectations – including my own – was great.

The Sixth Sense

This is surely one of the cultural touchstones of the year – a film that seemingly everyone saw. This, like another film on this list, has a “twist” and is probably the default example of a “twist film”. A great horror/ghost story of a boy who sees dead people and the psychiatrist trying to help him, who naturally enough starts from the position that ghosts aren’t real, and that’s how he’ll help him. The slow realisation that the child might actually be right is played very well. Of course, this is the film that launched M. Night Shyamalan’s career and that has been, at best, a mixed bag. If somehow you still haven’t seen this film go and find it.

Toy Story 2

The Toy Story trilogy (soon to be quadrilogy) is held up by some as the best trilogy in cinema history and quite frankly it’s hard to argue. Each film is brilliant yet different from the others. Following the practically perfect Toy Story was always going to be a challenge but the filmmakers succeeded. Toy collector Al, surely one of the greatest villains in cinema history, steals the incredibly valuable Woody causing the rest of the Toy Story gang to band together to get him back. Featuring incredibly fun new characters like Stinky Pete, Tour Guide Barbie and Evil Emperor Zurg – Buzz Lightyear’s archnemesis. The film is a triumph.

Being John Malkovich

When I first saw this film I didn’t know what to make of it. I liked it but couldn’t quite explain why. It’s one of those films where if someone asked you to explain why it’s good it was a struggle. It still is. A bizarre story of love, jealousy and a portal into the head of John Malkovich, and not a character played by Malkovich, the actor John Malkovich. Directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, both known for making weird films this is probably their weirdest.

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