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Robert Rodriguez was the shit when I first started getting into filmmaking. He’s what inspired me to start making movies and to this day he still does. Sure, those 10 Minute Film School featurettes on his DVDs definitely motivated me, but it was his films that always fed my love for my hobby. I think the first film I saw of his was Desperado. From then on I was hooked. I rented them all, bought them all, and read his book Rebel without a Crew (aff link).

I’ll begin my list with…

1. Planet Terror

Probably his best film and one that completely exceeded my expectations. I can’t give all the credit to Rodriguez for obvious reasons. But as a stand alone film it’s still fucking awesome. The storyline, the effects (over the top squibs), the acting were all top-notch. A great balance of humor and drama, the film will always be one of my favorites of all time.

2. El Mariachi

While Mariachi wasn’t the first film I saw in the Mexico Trilogy, I think it’s one of his best. Why? Because his scarce budget brought out one of my favorite traits of Rodriguez, his creativity. And besides that, while it is a dead simple action flick, it’s unique in almost every other way. Gritty and realistic, with a splash of humor every now and again. Great flick.

3. Sin City

One of his most popular films, I feel guilty for including it among this list. Even Robert himself would agree that much of the credit should go to Frank Miller. But with that said, Robert made it happen and in a totally cool way. There isn’t a lot more I can say other than how Roger Ebert summarized…

…it’s like a comic book brought to life and pumped with steroids. [his review]

I totally fucking agree.

4. Desperado

The one that started it all for me. I want to say the first time I saw it was on one of it’s regularly scheduled showings on TNT. I’m not sure if they still air it on that channel any more, but I remember there was a while when it played all the time. The film is very similar to El Mariachi, which is what makes it a sweet flick in some ways but also lowers it in this list just a bit (same old, same old). Still, the double-barreled shotgun, hot as hell Salma Hayek, and coooool Antonio Banderas are the three reasons why this film is sick.

5. Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Lastly, the last film of the Mexico Trilogy. While it didn’t do as well as I thought it should’ve with critic reviews (I say fuck the critics, although I still take their opinion more than I should), it certainly deserves a place on this list. What I like about the movie is that it’s different while also being traditional. Try to infer what the hell I mean by that. Anywho, it had an “epic” feeling and thus ended an epic trilogy.

So those are my favs, and yours?