Top 5 films of all time

5. “Blade Runner 2049” (2017)

Set 30 years after the original, Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049” follows K, a specially trained LAPD officer known as a blade runner. When K is charged with hunting down lone Replicants, hauntingly humanlike robots that have all gone rogue since the dissolution of their manufacturer during 2019, he must find Rick Deckard, a retired blade runner who may hold the secret to unlocking the mysteries of the Replicants and the truth to K’s own identity. Superior in nearly every way to its predecessor Ridley Scott’s 1982 film “Blade Runner,” itself an adaptation of Phil- ip K. Dick’s seminal science fiction novel

“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

“Blade Runner 2049” represents the pinnacle of traditionally highbrow sci-fi, executed masterfully by Villeneuve without the pretentiousness the term “highbrow” often embodies. With first-rate performances from Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas and Sylvia Hoeks, coupled with Academy Award-winning cinematography from industry great Roger A. Deakins, “Blade Runner 2049” emerges as one of the most pivotal sci-fi films of this generation and a film any fan of the genre should see.

3. “Spirited Away” (2001)

Visionary anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away”

“Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” in the original Japanese follows Chihiro, a sullen 10-year-old girl who, as her family moves to the suburbs, comes across a hidden world of gods and monsters at the center of which rests a massive bathhouse ruled by an evil witch whose intentions are shrouded in mystery. Chihiro, alongside the strange boy Haku, must figure out how to get home and save her parents from the witch, Yubaba, who has captured them.

Like many of Miyazaki’s films, “Spirited Away” is about self-discovery and its protagonist’s coming of age against fantastical odds and powerful, otherworldly forces. Miyazaki’s signature wandering, almost aimless storytelling accompanies some of the greatest visuals ever drawn, enlivened in each moment by Joe Hisaishi’s pensive and playful score. Here is the magnum opus of Miyazaki’s commendable career in animation.

4. “Parasite” (2019)

“Gisaengchung” in the original Korean follows the Kim family, a clan of destitutes living in the slums of Seoul, as they attempt to infiltrate the lives and home of the wealthy Parks. Driver, tutor, nanny whatever angle the Kims can work, they take. A kind of symbiotic relationship forms, always at risk of falling into chaos as the Kims’ depth of infiltration into the Parks’ existence rises to parasitic levels.

A commentary on social inequality, “Parasite” presents a clash of class in the most extreme terms, a kind of tall tale about how the wealthy treat the poor and vice versa. What is most impressive about the film is the melding of genres: comedy, drama, thriller and, most surprisingly, horror, as dark secrets of the Park family’s residence unfold bit by bit under the excellent direction of Bong. The pacing is secondto-none, allowing for a growing intensity that can only explode breathlessly.

2. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)

The third and final film of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is the series’s best and the epitome of fantasy filmmaking. An adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel of the same name, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” follows Hobbits Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee along the final stages of their quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat the Dark Lord Sauron before he can assume physical form and conquer the whole of Middle-earth from his seat in Mordor. At the same time, the wizard Gandalf and Aragorn, the king of Men, race to amass an army to face Sauron’s forces on the field and buy Frodo and Sam as much time as possible.

1. “Interstellar” (2014)

Christopher Nolan’s science fiction epic “Interstellar” follows former NASA pilot Cooper as he and a team of explorers endeavor to find a new planet for humanity to call home with the assistance of a recently discovered wormhole near Saturn. For such a simple plot, it is a wonder how “Interstellar” balances the most complex concepts of astrophysical theory with the starkly human experiences of love and protection at its emotional core. Nolan manages to relate science and feeling directly through a truly unique narrative that explores the force emotions can have across space and time. At the center of this narrative are Cooper and his daughter Murph, whom he leaves behind on Earth for his mission. This decision will impact his journey and the fate of all humanity in some truly mind-bending and nuanced ways only possible under the careful weaving of Nolan.

The pinnacle of passionate adaptation and literary appreciation, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” is respectful of Tolkien’s vision and a digestible film for all audiences despite its nearly three-and-a-half-hour runtime. In fact, it is continuously engaging, pushed by a breathless momentum of excitement and artistry such that it slips by in an ecstatic rush of entertainment. At the film’s heart lies a narrative of inexhaustible friendship against the darkest force of evil and the temptation of power, making for a simply satisfying viewing and conclusion to nearly 10 hours of breathtaking adventure.

Elevating the film is its magnificent cast. Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway deliver career-best performances, and child actor Mackenzie Foy brings a bit of innocence to the occasionally heavy subject matter as Murph. Accompanying the film is Hans Zimmer’s best score to date and astonishing visuals that earned the film the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects.

Despite its ranking, “Interstellar” is not a perfect film. Indeed, no film can claim as such, but it has informed my passion for the film industry and my understanding of what a film can be, especially a strictly genre film. The final product of Nolan, his cast and his crew is truly different from any other cinematic experience out there, and that is as perfect as it can get.