Zotis' Top 100 Favorite Films

Okay, let's start the new year off with something that I've put off for far too long.

I really wanted to add Gimme Shelter, but I'll wait for the next rendition because I can't really place it without putting some considerable thought into where it would go and what would get knocked off. Yeah... it's weird but sometimes I actually don't knock off the bottom movie (though obviously something near the bottom).

Okay anyway, I don't know how much depth I'll go into talking about them, for the sake of speed. I may give a paragraph, or maybe just a sentence, or I may just post pictures and director/writer/actors/genre/year etc...

Oh, and for the record I rate all of these movies except for the top 5 which I give .

#100

Shinjuku Triad Society

I loved the dark gritty feel, and all of the characters were so interesting. I thought the acting was pretty good unlike most of Miike's movies. There was some pretty gruesome violent and sexual content. The main character was a kind of anti-hero. I think the cinematography alone would put most people off of the movie, but it really works to create the dirty disgusting feeling that is crucial to the grungy atmosphere. IMDB lists it as a Crime/Drama/Mystery, but I think Crime/Thriller is more fitting.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is one of those actresses I tend to keep tabs on, looking at upcoming work. Smashed was a movie that I heavily anticipated, but I didn't get a chance to see it until it was on video. It had a brief theater run and only in a few select theaters, so I missed it. But when I finally got to see it anticipation had built my expectations up quite a bit, and it did not dissapoint. As the lead a lot of weight was on her shoulders to deliver a strong acting performance, and that she did with magnificance.

Wong Kar-wai's reputation proceeded him. I had been wanting to check him out for a while. I had also been wanting to introduce myself to Chinese New Wave (or is it Hong-Kong New Wave?). I was delighted with this movie. It was so well shot, and there were many subtleties that fascinated me. I loved the characters, the acting, the crazy events transpiring, and well... everything. It's a great movie. For some reason I had kind of forgotten about Wong Kar-wai and I haven't watched anything else of his. I'll have to be sure to throw another one of his movies onto my to-watch list.

Hell yeah. This gon' be good.

Tarkovsky was another director who's reputation was so immense that I had to watch his films. So far I've only seen two, but I intend to watch them all. His style is very interesting, but I do get some weird vibes. He tends to do these sci-fi elements but without the special effect techniques to actually pull them off. Despite that hinderance his skill is undeniable. He is a kind of film making genius that is rarely seen. It's a tragedy he died so young. There are certain elements of his films that I love, and certain elements that are a little bit boring. It's mostly his philosophical ideas, the acting he gets from his actors, and the intellectual dialogue that captivate me.

I'll probably rep all of the entries in the list even if I haven't seen them, because I have a feeling they are all going to be interesting choices. I've only seen Stalker out of this group, and obviously that's a great film that's grown on me as time has passed. The other three are the type of selections that make me excited for this list. I don't know much about them, so now I have something to read about. Good stuff, Zotis, keep 'em coming.

This is the second and final Miike movie that will appear on my list. I used to place Audition fairly high, but it's been bumped completely off my top 100. It is absolutely essential to watch the extended uncut version of Ichi the Killer. The theatrical version cuts the most violent bits out of every violent scene and it completely ruins the movie. If you watch the theatrical version you'll come away thinking the movie was okay but nothing special, but if you watch the extended uncut version the movie is shocking and delivers it's themes like a dagger to your gut. This movie impacted me quite a bit when I first saw it, and it was during an important turning point in my exploration of cinema.

Thanks JJ, I hope you enjoy.

I've always loved Tarantino since I was a kid. I watched this twice in theaters because it really excited me. Tarantino has a flare for artsy creativity that I find really intreaguing. Some of his movies are considerably better than others, and I think this was one of his better ones. I especially liked Melanie Laurent and Christopher Waltz in this. There are so many stars playing interesting roles, like Mike Myers' little cameo.

The Whispering Corridors films are Korean ghost stories. There are some classic horror elements, but they are not scary at all. All of the movies are fairly good except for IV: Voice, but A Blood Pledge is by far my favorite. The characters are fascinating, and it's a really touching story about suicide, friendship, and betrayal.

This gonna be good!!

I can already see that I'll be looking a lot of these up, and adding a bunch to my watchlist.

I've struggled with Tarkovsky, but I've seen 5 of his movies and the viewings have gotten better as I've gone along. Stalker was the first one I saw and it was just ok for me.

I like Ichi the Killer and Bastards plenty.

You chose a great Wong Kar Wai film, so thumbs up for that.

I haven't seen the others except Basterds and Stalker but I am interested in Shinjuku Triad Society.

Oh yea Zotis, I see that Gimme Shelter almost made your countdown. Will you be turning in a documentary list?

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Fallen Angels is the only Wong Kar-Wai film i've seen but i barely remember it so i can't really comment on it. Ichi The Killer is one of my friends favourite films, i have only watched certain scenes from him not the full thing so again i can't really comment, looked mad though, I put Inglorious Basterds off for ages, i always end up doing that with Tarantino films but yeah i liked it alot and it is now my third fave Tarantino after Dogs and Pulp.

Cancel that, I see from your other thread it's a different Gimme Shelter. Turn in a docs list anyway.

Thank you guys for your awesome support. I'm going to steam through this, so it should be fun. Not like my top 150 attempt which was kind of a disaster, lol.

I won't be turning in a documentary list. To be honest I don't really enjoy participating in the MoFo top lists. I didn't even put any documentaries in my top 100. But in retrospect I should at least have put the documentary American Hardcore in my list. I also really liked the documentaries Army of One, and Lioness. There's also a really good documentary on psycology that exposes a lot of psuedo science and corruption in the psychiatric field and pharmeceuticals.

If only there was a documentary about female snipers during WWII...

you haven't listed the Scream movies yet

Of those, I've only seen Basterds and Stalker, both favourites, and both part of my own Top 100!

So far I have only seen Basterds and Stalker. Basterds is an all time favorite if mine and sits between 15-20 on my 100. I really enjoyed Stalker. Guap nominated it for a HOF and I gave it a 4/5. I look forward to more Tarkovsky despite only being luke-warm on Ivan's Childhood.

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