Mike Leach Asks You: Three Best Movies Of All Time?

Just out of curiosity from a variety of sources, what are the three best movies of all time?

— Mike Leach (@Coach_Leach) June 5, 2013

Well don't mind if I answer partner.

Missed the cut

Star Wars: If I were 15 years younger, this would have been my number one film. Then again, if I were 20 years younger, it's quite possible that Land Before Time would have been my answer. Just remember that 10 minutes of this movie is spent watching two robots wandering the desert. And there are about three dozen versions of this film out

Lawrence of Arabia: Speaking of deserts, this is the best movie to be set in a desert, beating out Transformers by about 10,000 kilowatts.

Shawshank Redemption: I love Shawshank, you love Shawshank, everyone and their koalas love Shawshank. But one of the three best movies of all time? It's not particularly influential and the story is pretty safe and unambitious. I'll be searching for Zihuatanejo one day, but it isn't in the top three films of all time.

Casablanca: Top five film. Memorable characters, ta movie full of quotes and beautiful cinematography. Not dated at all. It's a bit too much of a movie though, a castle in the clouds type thing--everyone becomes a little too good a little too quickly. I'd have to say it'd probably be the best work of magical realism on a movie screen, but it just misses the cut off. It takes a lot to make the best three.

Citizen Kane: Influential in almost every way imaginable, so I can see why it is considered the best film ever by people I never end up talking to in real life. Kind of like Pete Carroll winning year after year though, I can imagine a lot of people being bored to death with the methodical plot.

Goodfellas: An incredible piece of storytelling, it showcases the power of movies and their ability to translate history and society to the masses in ways most historical texts lack the ability to do. It is also one of the few times an omnipresent narrator hasn't made me want to look up to the sky and wish for giant robots to start attacking everything on the screen.

My three best movies

The Seven Samurai. Kurosawa had to get on this list somehow. He's too good of a director not to be on here. His movies are intricate stories that weave dialogue and action so fluidly together. They touch on cultural and social themes while also being technically profound.

Rashomon is probably the most influential with regards to storytelling and almost certainly the most unique. Yojimbo is intriguing from a psychological and strategic standpoint, and I'm guessing a film Tarantino has watched about a hundred times a year.

But I'd have to say Seven Samurai is a little better than those two with regards to its storytelling. The character development is fluid and very much in tune with how you would expect people to act. It very much feels like you're in 14th century Japan waiting for the bandits come attack the village.

The Godfather. Goes without saying. It's tough to think of films with better acting in terms of not only dialogue but action and emotion. You have two of the greatest acting performances of all time in Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, with a vast supporting cast that doesn't feel at all dwarfed by their presence. You have an incredible story that resonates with some of the most classic themes of all time.

Why does this film resonate so powerfully four decades later? I'd have to say it's the universal themes central to human existence that make it such a touchstone. Power, responsibility, family, strategy, love all are central in development and storyline. (And guns too. Can't forget guns.)

Dr. Strangelove. I don't laugh easy when it comes to movies. But Strangelove cracks me up almost everytime I watch it. Just wait for George C. Scott to start making faces.

Dark humor is my deal. Sometimes it's hard to relate harsh truths without making people tune out. So comedy can be such an effective tool, and Dr. Strangelove does a remarkable job at relaying those absurdities in both the political and military sphere. Those are two places that aren't easy to satirize on the big screen without people thinking you're the next Michael Moore.

In terms of satire on the big screen, doesn't get any better than not allowing a mineshaft gap.

What are your three best movies of all time? Mike Leach wants to know!