JURASSIC PARKJURASSIC PARK (1993) by Steven Spielberg made me want to make movies. Seeing the T-Rex roar was terrifying and I had to know how it was done. From that moment on I was a filmmaker. Great combo of VFX and live-action models. And that eye. So good.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) by Stanley Kubrick is a classic, but also just great. It’s an epic, in scale, time, and plot. And the end is a trip. However, I love the scene where it all collides and HAL9000 has a decision to make about the Pod Bay Doors. I held my breath as long as I could when I saw this film and didn’t know it until I pulled in a huge breath of air all while still focused on what was going to happen next. Great movie.

THE SHININGTHE SHINING (1980) by Stanley Kubrick was the scariest thing I’d ever seen at the time I saw it but more because of the psychological thrills than anything else. This scene with Lloyd the bartender was especially inspirational to me. I loved the change in Jack as he gets to know Lloyd and his mental transition takes place. Great filmmaking.

SAVING PRIVATE RYANSAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) by Steven Spielberg was a gift from the heavens when I saw it. I was sick with the flu or something and had been in bed for days when my dad tossed this on and I was suddenly in the most intense s#it I’d ever seen. The opening beach scene is amazing, just amazing. It taught me so much about lighting, camera work, how to tell the story through focus, how much shot choice really matter, sound design and time warps — which I would get more of later from Christopher Nolan —.

THERE WILL BE BLOODTHERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) by Paul Thomas Anderson is perfect. An epic that builds to an end about a milkshake, what’s not to love, and Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano both give career-best performances. I was truly inspired after seeing this film and Daniel Plainview (DDL) has become one of the most inspirational characters to me. Absolutely a favorite film.

PAN'S LABYRINTHPan's Labyrinth (2006) by Guillermo del Toro is a movie that creates an amazing atmosphere through its direction, camera composition, detail to sets, editing and sound mixing. A noteworthy comp: Pairing the villain to the pale man at the dinner table. This scene with the Pale Man was very inspiring for me as her escape seems doomed and her fate worse and worse by the minute as the Pale Man gains on her efforts. The sound design and camera shots build a character who becomes so terrifying without any dialog that I was locked into the film from start to finish all 15 times saw it. Amazing.

HOT FUZZHOT FUZZ (2007) by EDGAR WRIGHT opened my eyes to what could be done with editing, comedy, and transitions. Edited by Chris Dickens, this film never stops telling its story visually and creates a pacing that sets a perfect tone and style for every scene. The transitions were especially important to me. The editing makes them informational and also fun to watch. This is explained well in Every Frames A Painting’s video here.

THE DARK KNIGHTTHE DARK KNIGHT (2008) by Christopher Nolan was the best film I’d seen in a long time and it was inspirational for a number of reasons, especially with the opening scene — plot, character, acting, camera, directing, script, editing, sound mixing… literally, everything in this movie is perfect. Nolan and his crew made one bad-ass movie. It’s the opening scene that really hooked me. Someone’s got to make things messy and The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, does it so very very well. Bale is also amazing as usual.

INCEPTIONINCEPTION (2010) by Christopher Nolan is an inspiration to what can be achieved with a great story, some kick-ass cinematography, an amazing art team, and the right balance of practical effects mixed with VFX. The hallway scene is so good because of how it was filmed and the motion that the characters create is an eye-candy to see.

GRAVITYGRAVITY (2013) by Alfonso Cuarón blew my mind wide open. It’s hard to choose one scene that did it, but the opening scene is truly amazing. It’s one long beautiful shot combined with some serious VFX planning and rendering. Its heart-stopping action that doesn’t stop. Best movie of 2013.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLYTHE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (1966) by Sergio Leone has a standoff scene that changed my world. There’s a fortune to be had and too many people to have it. Waiting for the guns to draw is so intense. The cinematography is amazing and the characters make every frame gold. They’re all exceptional, but Tuco, played by Eli Wallach, is my favorite. The film’s and Leone’s histories with Spaghetti Westerns are also exciting to read about.

INSIDE OUTINSIDE OUT (2015) by Pete Doctor & Ronnie Del Carmen was an inspiration for me because of where the film takes place and how the characters relate to each other. It was more than people reacting to each other, these characters can’t exist without each other and the deep emotional strings that PIXAR is known for pulling really get a tug in this one. The opening scene was the one that pulled me in and opened my eyes to the unexplored places a story could take place.

MAD MAX FURY ROADMad Max Fury Road (2015) by George Miller was my movie of the year for 2015. I love the Mad Max series, but this one is something special. George Miller went all out and it once again showed me what is possible with practical effects for a very imaginative and difficult filming process. The sandstorm scene is particularly amazing and impactful for me as it showed what could be done with silence in a story. The film builds to this scene and then from complete silence to an epic soundtrack takes you through a visual masterpiece of color and wreckage all while you hope to anything that poor Max will survive it. I loved the minimal dialog to focus people’s attention on the words when they were said. I very much enjoyed his approach to cut the film as a silent film, even down to including film-speed changes to increase the action during scenes.