Why don't we discuss our favorite films? Film came as most prominent artistic expression of the past century, starting as silent shorts and slowly progressing from black & white into color and talkies. Each decade brought it's favorite actors, directors and screenwriters. There hasn't been an art-form that encompassed so many people into creative expression within one project. Feel free to pass along your favs in any imaginable genera. Suggest film that comes as pure entertainment, sitcom, melodrama, comedy, action, horror etc. If you fancy Film Noir, Italian Neorealism, Dogme 95 or cinema of moral consciousness that would be even better. Toss your Top 10 from past year or Top 100 of all times. If you feel like passing your comments on documentaries, latest blockbusters or film festivals go ahead. It would be interesting to see what films Prius owners tend like or dislike. Where would the world be without Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy or Harold Lloyd?
Hard to bring it to 10. First, easy for me The Godfather Then, in no certain order, off the top of my head Godfather Part II Hoosiers (just enjoy it) Braveheart In the Heat of the Night The Guns of Navarone On the Waterfront To Kill a Mockingbird Bridge on the River Kwai Silence of the Lambs Like Justice Potter Stewart wrote about pornography, "I know it when I see it", these movies are some of the ones that ....if I flip through the channels, no matter how late, it's, watching til the end time... even if I own the damn thing on DVD or VHS!! That is how I know it's one of my favorites.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Catskillguy @ Apr 13 2006, 10:26 PM) [snapback]239524[/snapback]</div> Fine selection, I share deep affinity for 'To kill a mockingbird', On the waterfront' and 'In the heat of the night' splendid.
I like wide-screen technicolor huge spectacles. BTW everything listed would be widescreen. If it was originally in Black and white..then that way. No colorizing. No pan and scan. Ben Hur Ten Commandments Bridge on the River Kwai The Great Escape Lawrence of Arabia Citizen Kane Gladiator Gone with the Wind Amadeus Jaws Dances with Wolves Planet of the Apes (first one only) The Hunt for Red October I like swashbucklers: Captain Blood - Errol Flynn Adventures of Robin Hood - Errol Flynn Mask of Zorro - Tyrone Powell Mark of Zorro - Antonio Banderas Prisoner of Zenda - Both the Stewart Granger and the Ronald Coleman Princess Bride Ladyhawke Ivanhoe - A & E miniseries Man in the Iron Mask -Richard Chamberlain Count of Monte Cristo - Richard Chamberlain Three Musketeers - Richard Lester Four Musketeers - Richard Lester I also like comedies, especially if they parody something else. The Great Race The Assassination Bureau The President's Analyst Our Man Flint movies Pink Panther series with Peter Sellers (except the last one) Young Frankenstein Blazing Saddles The Producers -Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder Bell, Book and Candle Some Like it Hot Blackadder: british series with Rowan Atkinson For Romances: Sabrina - Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Boghart, William Holden Pride and Prejudice - A&E miniseries with Colin Firth Funny Face Roman Holiday (hmmm. Seems to be an Audrey Hepburn pattern here.) Gambit The Thin Man series (well, *I* find them romantic) Pretty Woman Dracula - Frank Langella My all time favorite Boghart film? We're No Angels, with Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Basil Rathbone and Leo G. Carroll. Include this with Holiday Fare. Okay include: Maltese Falcon Casablanca But if you do noir you have to include: Sunset Boulevard Hitchcock. Well..any Hitchcock film. Holiday Fare: Charlie Brown Christmas How the Grinch Stole Christmas Miracle on 34th St. -Edmond Gwenn, Natalie Wood, Maureen O'Hara Holiday Inn (original black and white, uncut) White Christmas The Classic Musicals Oklahoma South Pacific Carousel The King and I Sound of Music My Fair Lady West Side Story Wizard of Oz Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Singing in the Rain American in Paris anything with Fred Astaire Foreign films: Carmen - Carlos Saura, Antonio Gades, Laura del Sol Beauty and the Beast - Jean Cocteau Opera: Carmen - Julia Migenes-Johnson, Placido Domingo Ballet: Nutcracker: Mikhail Barishnykov Other: Any Bond movie, but especially the early Connery and later Brosnan Hatari The Quiet Man Clint Eastwood's spaghetti Westerns Three Mules for Sister Sara Cat Ballou Shawshank Redemption Close Encounters of a Third Kind The first three Star Wars I.E. IV, V and VI The Raiders of the Lost Ark movies 2001: a Space Odyssey Soylent Green Silent Running Dr. Strangelove Jurassic Park Forrest Gump Batman and Batman II (Keaton only) Mummy I and II Silence of the lambs Documentaries: March of the Penguins Mad Hot Ballroom Shakespeare: Hamlet (the best production I saw was Hallmark Hall of Fame with Richard Chamberlain. It's unavailable) Romeo and Juliet - Franco Zeffirelli Much Ado About Nothing -New York Shakespeare, Joseph Papp production, Sam Waterston Taming of the Shrew - American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, Marc Singer Twelfth night- two best I saw were both TV productions. 1998 Helen Hunt and 1980 Felicity Kendall Midsummer Night's Dream - James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Joe E Brown, Dick Powell, Victor Jory first on my list. Second would be the 1999 remake with Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci and Michelle Pfeiffer. Sherlock Holmes: I'm partial to Basil Rathbone but Jeremy Brett was probably truest to the canon. TV Miniseries: Shogun Of course, everything is subjective. You can see the top 250 movie list at Internet Movie Database. Also top movies for women, men, and 100 worst films. You can also search by decade as well as search by title, actor and genre. Internet Movie DataBase
This is just my top list as of right now...it changes with my mood: Big Night The Breakfast Club The Big Chill To Kill a Mockingbird Moonstruck The Life of Brian Best in Show Bread and Tulips If These Walls Could Talk Guess Who's Coming to Dinner The Big Lebowski Ordinary People Parenthood Schindler's List ...And Justice for All Animal House
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 13 2006, 11:23 PM) [snapback]239542[/snapback]</div> Splendid selection wonderfully categorized. "If it was originally in Black and white..then that way. No colorizing. No pan and scan." Wholeheartedly agree, original aspect ratio that was intended by the director shouldn't be manipulated by the incompetent production companies (coropratization of art-form). It's like cropping massive painting of Rubens so it would fit through the doorway into some museum. Few titles of yours that especially caught my attention: 'Amadeus' 'Planet of Apes' original, besides being a blockbuster and entertaining film, it has a deeply reflective plot on human ego. Powerful examination of a human psyche. 'Sunset Boulevard' 'Carmen' celebrating the spirit of flamenco in an effectual way, masterfully done by Saura, great directing. 'Dr. Strangelove' how valid today, Kubrick's mastery. 'Beauty and the beast' what a masterpiece! Too bad Cocteau left us only a handful of films, his early poetic surrealism is a perfect example of pure art captured on film. You must have seen his 'Orphic Trilogy' Shakespeare titles worth noticing as well and of course Hitch has left so many greats 'The lady vanishes' or 'Rebecca' dozens of great ones. I must admit you're a cineast! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Emma @ Apr 13 2006, 11:45 PM) [snapback]239554[/snapback]</div> Great list, 'The life of Brain' and 'Big Lebowski' I would re-visit today.
from my 5 star ratings on netflix: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Barton Fink (1991) Being There (1979) Blade Runner (1982) Blazing Saddles: Special Edition (1974) Chinatown (1974) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) A Day at the Races (1937) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Fargo (1996) Gattaca (1997) Ghost in the Shell (1995) Ghostbusters (1984) Groundhog Day (1993) His Girl Friday (1940) The Maltese Falcon (1941) The Matrix (1999) Metropolis (2001) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) The Producers (1968) Pulp Fiction (1994) Raging Bull (1980) Raising Arizona (1987) Ran Ronin (1998) Run Lola Run (1998) Sleeper (1973) Spirited Away (2002) Les Triplettes de Belleville Victor / Victoria (1982) Young Frankenstein (1974)
Bladerunner and Gattaca. Both excellent films and warnings of the direction we're heading. For silent films; Metropolis. Disney is a whole other category.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 14 2006, 12:16 PM) [snapback]239756[/snapback]</div> That metropolis in my list was the anime flic. Although I highly rate the silent film as well. Incidentally, if any netflix subscriber would like to become a "friend", I'm game. My tastes run to noir, sf, black comedy, anime. As my sons say, "why don't you ever get any good movies, dad?" [moderator: I seem to have a problem with concatenating my submissions. This was submitted by itself then got inserted in a reply to another post, so I'm resubmitting it. My apologies if it shows up twice] My 1 star ratings on netflix: Alphaville (1965) Batman Forever (1995) Battlefield Earth (2000) The Big Bounce (1969) Club Dread (2004) Clue (1985) Four Rooms (1995) Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) Ocean's 12 Paparazzi (2004) The Player (1992) Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) Runaway Bride (1999) Starsky & Hutch (2004) Top 100 The Stepford Wives (2004) Top 100 Wild Wild West (1999) XXX: special edition I don't include any MST3K type movies. I tend to save 1 star as a vindictive response to movies that waste my time and money under the pretense of entertaining me. MST3K type movies are invariably entertaining. [moderator: post #10 should have been two replies and looked that way in the previews.]
Who Killed the Electric Car Don't look for it on DVD just yet, but at least it is playing at the festivals now. Look for my name in the credits.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 14 2006, 01:16 PM) [snapback]239756[/snapback]</div> I'd like to add few more flicks to futuristic prophesies, among mentioned Lang's classic 'Metropolis' (look for new re-mastered 118 mins Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation version, still incomplete film), and great suggestions of Godard's 'Alphaville', 'Bladerunner' and 'Gattaca'. '1984' - Radford 'Brazil' - Gilliam 'A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)' - Spielberg <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Apr 14 2006, 01:46 PM) [snapback]239769[/snapback]</div> Looks like a great documentary in vain of 'The Corporation'. Will check for credits! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RonH @ Apr 14 2006, 01:09 PM) [snapback]239755[/snapback]</div> Nice seeing these being mentioned: Kurosawa's 'Ran' and Tykwer's 'Run Lola Run' Japanese anime is really getting popular in past few decades deservedly so: 'Spirited away' Fine list
Some of my favs off the top of my head: Sure-fire favorites (toss into the DVD player at almost any time): Star Wars Lord of the Rings Indiana Jones The Black Hole The Matrix Mad Max Aviator Various others: Baise Moi Murderous Maids Natural Born Killers Fight Club The Crying Game Boys Don't Cry Looking for Mr. Goodbar Kill Bills Pi Requiem for a Dream Run Lola Run The Ninth Gate The Outlaw Josie Wales Unforgiven Gladiator Blazing Saddles 40 Year Old Virigin 2001 2010 First Contact Final Fantasy The Day After Tomorrow The Day After Impact The Perfect Storm Titanic Coffin Joe (foreign) House of 1000 Corpses The Devil's Rejects Dawn of the Dead Day of the Dead 28 Days Outbreak Night of the Living Dead Silence of the Lambs Hannibal Damien, The Omen series The Others WWII Documentaries (I must have like 20) A View to a Kill Moonraker The Professional Russ Meyer Films The ILSA Films The Brown Bunny and finally, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle B)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Apr 14 2006, 03:02 PM) [snapback]239812[/snapback]</div> Fine list, truly more action oriented. nice to see: 28 Days and Baise Moi
All-time favorite -- Amadeus, I just loved that movie. Anyone remember I Love You to Death -- hilarious! Peace --
I like Chaplin's short movies (The Mutual comedies, and the Essenay comedies.) For a couple of modern movies: Frida The Widow of St. Pierre The Rocky Horror Picture Show is worth it just for the drag-queen act song that Dr. Frankenfurter does near the beginning.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjflowers @ Apr 15 2006, 08:48 AM) [snapback]240136[/snapback]</div> Saw "love you to death" the other night on cable. Think Kline's character was reformed? Another good blue collar infidelity flick is "out cold" with John Lithgow. Terri Garr looked maaarvelous. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dsunman @ Apr 15 2006, 06:38 AM) [snapback]240109[/snapback]</div> from IMDB: baise moi: "Two young women, marginalised by society, go on a destructive tour of sex and violence. Breaking norms and killing men - and shattering the complacency of polite cinema audiences." "breaking norms"? are there no standards in film today?
Godfather II: Best movie ever made IMHO Godfather:Second Best The rest in no particular order Harold and Maude: Great dark comedy and Cat Stevens music. Death can be funny! Ship of Fools: Relic from a bygone era, when actors were valued more than special effects. Interview with the Vampire: My favorite vampire movie though many good ones have been made. This one never bogs down. Neil Jordan (the Crying Game) directed it. Moulin Rouge: Brought back the musical to a generation who never knew what a musical was. Shakespeare in Love: Until this movie came out Amadeus was my favorite but I think this movie is the better of the two. Auntie Mame: Just a personal favorite that never fails to make me laugh every time I see it. God Bless Peggy Cass. HairSpray: John Waters first main stream movie and Divine's last. Great Camp Rosemary's Baby: One of the few movies that actually followed the book. Suttle in the fact that they did not rely on shock horror. Ruth Gordon makes the movie.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RonH @ Apr 15 2006, 11:16 AM) [snapback]240169[/snapback]</div> Perhaps if one thinks of major studios, but film in general has no limitations globally. Universal creativity embraces all kinds of extremes such as; two hours of passing clouds with poetry (Monteiro), filmed still image of Empire State Building for more then 8 hours (Warhol) etc, all types of avant-garde with films being shot for few seconds. Stan Brakhage has been scratching the emulsions and hand painting images on individual frames, therefore composing short films of unparalleled beauty etc. In terms of subject matter it's like literature, poetry with no boundaries and scripts that are so predictable on one hand and stories that are left to individual interpretation with convoluted metaphors or symbolisms, some targeting narrative aspect of the film and other stimulating the visual concepts of the film. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Apr 14 2006, 12:34 PM) [snapback]239741[/snapback]</div> Captivating film indeed, sarcasm at it's best. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjflowers @ Apr 15 2006, 09:48 AM) [snapback]240136[/snapback]</div> "I love you to death" truly hillarious, can't forget it.
Mine in no particular order... anything by Mel Brooks The Day the Earth Stood Still and 2001 (best 2 sci fi flicks ever) all three Monty Python movies The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, The Birds, and North by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock Way Out West - Laural and Hardy Will probably think of more as time goes on...
