Top 10 favourite movies.
- Thread starter topcropper
- Start date
#1 = Fight Club.
#2 = Inception.
#3 = we have a tie - Amelie & A Very Long Engagement - looooove Audrey Tautou.
#4 = the Bourne trilogy, soon to be quad.
#5 = Blue Brothers - original.
#6 = Dogma.
#7 = Life of Brian, Monty Python.
#8 = Trainspotting.
#9 = All Alfred Hitchcock - love the way that guy can make you squirm with no gore or violence.
#10 = tiebreak again, The Matrix Trilogy and Animatrix.
#2 = Inception.
#3 = we have a tie - Amelie & A Very Long Engagement - looooove Audrey Tautou.
#4 = the Bourne trilogy, soon to be quad.
#5 = Blue Brothers - original.
#6 = Dogma.
#7 = Life of Brian, Monty Python.
#8 = Trainspotting.
#9 = All Alfred Hitchcock - love the way that guy can make you squirm with no gore or violence.
#10 = tiebreak again, The Matrix Trilogy and Animatrix.
A nice little discussion. I watch a bit of film, including non-English films. Here are some other film polls I enjoy (mostly polls of film critics, film directors, and other film professionals):
Sight and Sound film magazine Has been done every 10 years since 1952!
They Shoot Pictures Don’t They? An aggregation of various prominent film polls.
Senses of Cinema A film poll conducted by an Australian online film magazine.
1001 films to see before you die - That is the list. The book gives fuller information.
As for me, my list conflates both my “favourite” and “best” films. So in no particular order, and with many honourable mentions (it was impossible to stick to ten!):
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968, USA): From the majestic opening fanfare of Also Sprach Zarathustra, the amazing jump cut from a bone to a spaceship, and the meticulously prepared special effects that hardly seem dated, there is much in this film. Honourable mention: Also see Kubrick’s version of The Shining (1980).
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979, USA): Both the original version and longer 2001 “redux” version are available. I prefer the original, as the storyline is more focused and concise. Honourable mentions: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) – hard to go past these other Coppola films, and one of those rare series where a fantastic first film is surpassed by its sequel.
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958, USA): Perhaps the most intricate and disturbing of Hitchcock’s films. It demands repeated viewings. Of course, don’t miss the famous “vertigo” effect produced by the camera. Honourable mentions: Too many! North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954). A prolific director, with numerous masterpieces.
Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968, Italy/USA): This is gun-slinging as high art, with several iconic gun fights and a mind-blowing Ennio Morricone score. Also a loving homage to many great westerns, with a scene shot in John Ford’s beloved Monument Valley. Honourable mention: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953, Japan): “Not to have seen Tokyo Story is not to have lived”. I wouldn’t quite go that far, but this is a film of radiant humanity. It is a tale of generational conflict between elderly parents and their adult children, who mostly have no time for them anymore. Resigned, observant, yet never despairing, it transcends its particular setting: a post-war booming Tokyo, and becomes universally recognisable.
Ugetsu Monogotari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953, Japan): “No praise is too high for this man” – Orson Welles (director of Citizen Kane). A cautionary tale of mindlessly pursuing greed set in feudal Japan. Mizoguchi’s famed wide angle shots, fluent elaborate camera work and astonishing visual beauty all come together in this masterpiece. Perhaps the greatest of Japanese directors, but following his premature death, he was overshadowed by his contemporaries Ozu and Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai) Honourable mentions: The Life of Oharu (1952) – majestic and tragic, Sansho Dayu (1954) – I haven’t seen this yet; it has the reputation of being Mizoguchi’s finest film of all.
The Leopard (Luchino Visconti, 1963, Italy): A rare occasion where a masterpiece novel is adapted into a film of equal quality. Lampedusa’s novel of aristocratic decline during Italy’s 1860s Risorgimento is captured with exquisite and opulent period detail. Burt Lancaster is commanding in the title role. Honourable mention: Death in Venice (1971) – another superb adaptation by Visconti of Thomas Mann’s famous novella.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928, Denmark): A dramatisation of Joan of Arc’s trial, it almost defies belief that such a film was made in the silent era. Stupendous camera angles help make it wrenchingly moving experience.
Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966, France): A story that tracks the fortunes and mostly cruel misfortunes of a donkey Balthazar and his owner Marie. Told in Bresson’s trademark concise style it reaches a state of grace that is ineffable.
Bashu: The Little Stranger (Bahram Beizai, 1985, Iran): Perhaps the greatest post-Iranian revolution film. As well as being a great story it examines the effects of war’s horrors on a child, the need to belong, compassion, the role of women in society and many other things. It lies in the vanguard of the New Iranian Cinema, which was sometimes viewed, during the 1990s, as the most significant national cinema apart from Hollywood. Honourable mentions: Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990, Iran), The Runner (Amir Naderi, 1985, Iran).
Others that didn’t make my “director’s cut”:
Citizen Kane (Orson Wells, 1941, USA): Often seen as the #1 American film. So many cinematic innovations in this film.
Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927, Germany): Even those it’s mostly seen in a butchered form, it still staggers to this day. It has recently been fully restored.
The Searchers (John Ford, 1956, USA): The finest of Ford’s westerns. It looks simple, but it is beautifully shot and there is much subtlety lying beneath the surface is this epic story.
Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophuls, 1948, USA): Based on Stefan Zweig’s story set in fin de siècle Vienna, a man receives a “letter from an unknown woman”, and so a tale of forgotten love commences. Exquisite cinematography and highly moving. Lola Montes (1955) and The Earrings of Madame de…(1953) are arguably even better, but I like Unknown Woman the best.
Anything by Charlie Chaplin: His humour is well-nigh universal. See Modern Times, The Circus, The Kid etc.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975, Australia): The eerie atmosphere, the mystery of the disappearance, make it the finest Australian film I’ve seen so far.
Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, NZ/USA, 2001-3): A stupendous achievement. As a fan of the novels, I couldn’t have asked for much more.
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985, Russia): Perhaps the most harrowing war movie I’ve seen, and there’s some pretty stiff competition there!
Then there are many great films for children that I could talk about, but I’ll start another thread for that: http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65743
Sight and Sound film magazine Has been done every 10 years since 1952!
They Shoot Pictures Don’t They? An aggregation of various prominent film polls.
Senses of Cinema A film poll conducted by an Australian online film magazine.
1001 films to see before you die - That is the list. The book gives fuller information.
As for me, my list conflates both my “favourite” and “best” films. So in no particular order, and with many honourable mentions (it was impossible to stick to ten!):
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968, USA): From the majestic opening fanfare of Also Sprach Zarathustra, the amazing jump cut from a bone to a spaceship, and the meticulously prepared special effects that hardly seem dated, there is much in this film. Honourable mention: Also see Kubrick’s version of The Shining (1980).
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979, USA): Both the original version and longer 2001 “redux” version are available. I prefer the original, as the storyline is more focused and concise. Honourable mentions: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) – hard to go past these other Coppola films, and one of those rare series where a fantastic first film is surpassed by its sequel.
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958, USA): Perhaps the most intricate and disturbing of Hitchcock’s films. It demands repeated viewings. Of course, don’t miss the famous “vertigo” effect produced by the camera. Honourable mentions: Too many! North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954). A prolific director, with numerous masterpieces.
Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968, Italy/USA): This is gun-slinging as high art, with several iconic gun fights and a mind-blowing Ennio Morricone score. Also a loving homage to many great westerns, with a scene shot in John Ford’s beloved Monument Valley. Honourable mention: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953, Japan): “Not to have seen Tokyo Story is not to have lived”. I wouldn’t quite go that far, but this is a film of radiant humanity. It is a tale of generational conflict between elderly parents and their adult children, who mostly have no time for them anymore. Resigned, observant, yet never despairing, it transcends its particular setting: a post-war booming Tokyo, and becomes universally recognisable.
Ugetsu Monogotari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953, Japan): “No praise is too high for this man” – Orson Welles (director of Citizen Kane). A cautionary tale of mindlessly pursuing greed set in feudal Japan. Mizoguchi’s famed wide angle shots, fluent elaborate camera work and astonishing visual beauty all come together in this masterpiece. Perhaps the greatest of Japanese directors, but following his premature death, he was overshadowed by his contemporaries Ozu and Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai) Honourable mentions: The Life of Oharu (1952) – majestic and tragic, Sansho Dayu (1954) – I haven’t seen this yet; it has the reputation of being Mizoguchi’s finest film of all.
The Leopard (Luchino Visconti, 1963, Italy): A rare occasion where a masterpiece novel is adapted into a film of equal quality. Lampedusa’s novel of aristocratic decline during Italy’s 1860s Risorgimento is captured with exquisite and opulent period detail. Burt Lancaster is commanding in the title role. Honourable mention: Death in Venice (1971) – another superb adaptation by Visconti of Thomas Mann’s famous novella.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928, Denmark): A dramatisation of Joan of Arc’s trial, it almost defies belief that such a film was made in the silent era. Stupendous camera angles help make it wrenchingly moving experience.
Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966, France): A story that tracks the fortunes and mostly cruel misfortunes of a donkey Balthazar and his owner Marie. Told in Bresson’s trademark concise style it reaches a state of grace that is ineffable.
Bashu: The Little Stranger (Bahram Beizai, 1985, Iran): Perhaps the greatest post-Iranian revolution film. As well as being a great story it examines the effects of war’s horrors on a child, the need to belong, compassion, the role of women in society and many other things. It lies in the vanguard of the New Iranian Cinema, which was sometimes viewed, during the 1990s, as the most significant national cinema apart from Hollywood. Honourable mentions: Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990, Iran), The Runner (Amir Naderi, 1985, Iran).
Others that didn’t make my “director’s cut”:
Citizen Kane (Orson Wells, 1941, USA): Often seen as the #1 American film. So many cinematic innovations in this film.
Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927, Germany): Even those it’s mostly seen in a butchered form, it still staggers to this day. It has recently been fully restored.
The Searchers (John Ford, 1956, USA): The finest of Ford’s westerns. It looks simple, but it is beautifully shot and there is much subtlety lying beneath the surface is this epic story.
Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophuls, 1948, USA): Based on Stefan Zweig’s story set in fin de siècle Vienna, a man receives a “letter from an unknown woman”, and so a tale of forgotten love commences. Exquisite cinematography and highly moving. Lola Montes (1955) and The Earrings of Madame de…(1953) are arguably even better, but I like Unknown Woman the best.
Anything by Charlie Chaplin: His humour is well-nigh universal. See Modern Times, The Circus, The Kid etc.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975, Australia): The eerie atmosphere, the mystery of the disappearance, make it the finest Australian film I’ve seen so far.
Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, NZ/USA, 2001-3): A stupendous achievement. As a fan of the novels, I couldn’t have asked for much more.
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985, Russia): Perhaps the most harrowing war movie I’ve seen, and there’s some pretty stiff competition there!
Then there are many great films for children that I could talk about, but I’ll start another thread for that: http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65743
Hi all,
I couldn't name just my favorite 10, there are many good ones out there. Here are some of my preferred ones..
Independence Day
Star Trek First Contact
Star Trek (2009)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Sting
Life of Brian
Bourne movies
Die Hard 1,3 and 4 (2 was ordinary)
Wall Street
Star Wars (first 3 episodes 4,5 and 6
)
Tootsie
Top Gun
Blues Bros
The Castle
Apollo 13
Thirteen Days
Ben-Hur
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Easy Rider
Forrest Gump
Ghostbusters
Groundhog Day
Jurassic Park
Lawrence of Arabia
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Right Stuff
bye
I couldn't name just my favorite 10, there are many good ones out there. Here are some of my preferred ones..
Independence Day
Star Trek First Contact
Star Trek (2009)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Sting
Life of Brian
Bourne movies
Die Hard 1,3 and 4 (2 was ordinary)
Wall Street
Star Wars (first 3 episodes 4,5 and 6
)Tootsie
Top Gun
Blues Bros
The Castle
Apollo 13
Thirteen Days
Ben-Hur
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Easy Rider
Forrest Gump
Ghostbusters
Groundhog Day
Jurassic Park
Lawrence of Arabia
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Right Stuff
bye
12 Monkeys? I forgot that one. What a great movie. Also, one of those movies that you don't really get whats fully happening till you watch it again, then you end up watching 4 or 5 times. Some movies you can only watch once.
See ya's.
What does one's preferred movie genre say about their personality?
.....don't worry, there will be oodles of the pschyo-babble gaggle anal-ysing every small detail looking for some hidden meaning. Apparently it's all very interesting.
I've watched it quite a few times and still enjoy seeing it. You're right that it takes a few viewings to understand. I think that Brad Pitt is awesome in this one as the loony eco-terrorist.
On that analysis, what is the internal rate of return like these days?
Did you get to the Titanic exhibit btw? Be interesting?
Do we have any cwucifixions?