The Gunslinger45's top 50 favorite movies

[The Gunslinger45]

When I joined this forum I had already created a top 25 favorite movie list. But upon arriving here I noticed that most users had lists ranging from top 50 to 100, and occasionally more than that. So I took it as a challenge to add to my list and I decided that a top 50 would be best. This way you get a feel for my cinematic tastes, and I do not feel like I am throwing movies onto the list at random. This list covers several different genres, most of the MPAA ratings, ranges across several decades, and a ton of distribution companies. Some you may disagree with me, some you might agree. Keep in mind this is not a list of what I believe are the greatest movies ever made, this is a list of my favorite movies of all time. So even if I say it is one of the greatest movies of all time and it is not very high on the list, it is because it is not due to it being a lesser movie, it just is not as personally loved to me as other films on this list. And be warned that some of the selections I have made may give you sudden jerking movements of the neck from a result of you saying “why the hell is this movie on the list” or “He ranked this movie above that! HERETIC!” So you have been warned. I also try to include some data such as the year of release, rating, production company, the country of origin and the rating from Rotten Tomatoes. So sit back relax, and enjoy the ride. These are my top 50(ish) favorite movies of all time.

50. http://gcaggiano.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/the-battle-of-algiers.jpg

The Battle of Algiers: 1966 (NR)
Algeria (Italian Production) / Rizzoli, Rialto Pictures
99% (CF)
This movie is on my list less in terms of entertainment, but more of what it presents and achieves from a cinema standpoint. The movie details the guerrilla war between the native Algerians and the French. On one side in the FLN or National Liberation Front; a group of Algerians who use many different forms of urban warfare and terrorism to strike at their enemies. The film goes into detail on their cells, how the FLN is organized, tactics, and gazes into the motivations and lives of the FLN members. We see who they are and the horrible crimes they commit from murdering police to setting bombs to target the non Algerian civilian population. On the opposite end is the French military, which do not fare much better in terms of depiction. They are lead by Lieutenant Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), and they crack down hard on the FLN with their own set of atrocities including brutal torture including the use of blowtorches straight beatings. No party in this film is glorified, and everyone can be condemned for their actions. The purpose of this film is not to celebrate either side, it is a look at urban warfare. The film is shot in a way that tries to make it look like a documentary or footage taken from a news crew. It allows the viewer to feel that they are actually in the Casbah while the movie plays on. The film is shot in Algeria, spoken in both French and Arabic, and is an Italian production. They also take a page from Italian neo realism and use non professional actors for most of the roles. In fact only the role of LTC Mathieu is played by a professional actor. The rest were normal people and the extras in this movie numbered in the thousands. I think this adds to the effectiveness of the movie since doing a movie like this which is supposed to be about regular people and shot so that it looks like real footage, it would be distracting to see professional actors in the lead roles. This movie also has some controversy. For starters the film was banned in France for 5 years due to the nature of the films subject matter. In addition, this movie was not only a big hit with the art movie and foreign film crowd, but also with the left wing radical sectors of the 1960s. Now it is said that some of the films terrorist acts were copied by certain political groups including the Provisional IRA, the Black Panthers, and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. This gave the movie a bit of a reputation for inspiring political violence. A reputation I think is bull****, these groups did not need inspiration to commit violence, and they would have done it anyways. They were violent radicals before and remained violent after seeing the movie. Just because it is Andreas Baader’s favorite movie does not mean the film is dangerous. The film is excellent in its own regard and should continue to be viewed. And The Battle of Algiers begins my list at number 50.

[The Gunslinger45]

49. http://www.moviewallpapers.net/images/wallpapers/1968/2001-a-space-odyssey/2001-a-space-odyssey-9-1600.jpg

2001 A Space Odyssey: 1968 (G)
USA / MGM (original) now Warner Brothers
96% (CF)

This movie is on my list because on a purely technical level, this is the best movie ever made in my opinion. It used some outstanding effects and cinematic wizardry that created some awesome sequences! Co Written by Kubrick and Arthur C Clarke, it begins with the Dawn of Man, leads into the space station with the two astronauts (Kier Dullea and Gary Lockwood) and HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain), and then goes into the Star gate and star child sequence. It is a meditation on humans, technology, evolution, and what the future is for us as a species. As such the movie is less of a narrative movie with a traditional 3 act story and was made to be more of an experience. In fact the only part of the movie that really does feel like a traditional sci-fi movie is the part of the movie that deals aboard the spaceship Discovery One. This is where the ship’s AI the HAL 9000 goes on a killing spree and has to be shut down. And even though it is only part of the film, it is still very good on its own. I can however say that the movie as a whole is an excellent experience. The shots in combination with classical music have created some unforgettable images and sequences. The very minimal dialogue in certain scenes combined with the memorizing effects creates one of the best visual experiences I have ever had. Now the end can get rather confusing and the whole movie is up for interpretation. I myself look at it as a relationship between man and technology, from the basic tools and weapons from the early days to the HAL 9000. Technology has advanced as we have evolved as a species and the space age technology has reached the peak of technological advancement. So much so we have created an artificial being of circuits and wires that has the capacity for thought. But what happens when that same technology turns on us since we are a species capable of great violence and much of our technology is a reflection of that (starting with the bone clubs). Or at least that is what I got out of it. Either way 2001: A Space Odyssey is a fantastic movie! And a must see experience. And it is number 49 on my list.

[jiraffejustin]

I've not seen Battle of Algiers, but 2001 is one of my favorite movies of all time.

[The Gunslinger45]

I've not seen Battle of Algiers, but 2001 is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Well it is a damn good movie. Though my favorite Kubrick film is yet to come.

[The Gunslinger45]

As for The Battle of Algiers I really dug it for the visual style and the subject matter. It also happens to be my favorite war film.

[The Gunslinger45]

48. http://wrongsideoftheart.com/wp-content/gallery/posters-t/toxic_avenger_1_poster_01.jpg

The Toxic Avenger: 1985 (R)
USA / Troma Entertainment
63%

And with this selection I have done three things. Number one: I have given certain viewers of this list whiplash (I warned you!). Number two: I have shown my ability to appreciate the very best and very worst that cinema has to offer. And finally I have proven that any attempts to label me as a pretentious film snob will be seen as complete bull s@&t. And yes I have some weird tastes in movies. Troma Entertainment is an independent film company that has stayed in business for almost 40 years by making movies that are cheaper than dirt and try to capture the feel of 50’s monster movies with plenty of camp. The movie is directed by Troma co founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, and covers the fateful events when 98 pound weakling Melvin (Mark Torgl) feel into a vat of toxic waste where he became a hideously deformed creature of super human size and strength. And thus was born, the Toxic Avenger (or Toxie for short). This movie is what I like to call the very best of the very worst of cinema and I simply adore it. The Toxic Avenger is a horror comedy low budget exploitation film with three things going for it: a very weird and very unique premise, lots of practical gore effects, and lots of camp. And I do love me some camp. The plot is simple, after becoming the first super hero from New Jersey, Toxie begins to clean up all the crime in his town of Tromaville. They are many bad men in this town, and Toxie with his newfound powers becomes a one freak wrecking ball of death against crime. The plot is very nonexistent, as it is a collection of scenarios for which the Toxic Avenger to kill bad guys in a very creative fashion. But like I said, one of the things this movie has going for it is the practical effects. And given the trend of CGI gore in horror movies nowadays, it is incredibly refreshing to be reminded of the day when practical gore effects were the norm and not the rarity. There is also a romantic subplot where Toxie wins the heart of his blind girlfriend Sarah. I admit this kind of movie is not for everyone. The acting is over the top, the production values are beyond cheap, and there is no subtlety to the villains who are unquestionably evil. But to those of us who love it, it is a cult classic. Spawning not only a short lived Saturday morning cartoon show called Toxic Crusaders and also an off Broadway musical. It also spawned three sequels. Two and three are not so great, while Citizen Toxie was in my humble opinion the best of the sequels and pretty damn good. At least by Troma standards. So why is this ranked above a classic like 2001? Number one, it is not my all time favorite Kubrick movie (which is much later on this list), and number two this movie is just more fun and has a certain charm to it. I am also a big fan of Kaufman in general. Not only does he continue to make weird and unusual fare with the likes of Sgt Kabukiman: NYPD, Troma’s War, and the very loose adaptation of the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet, title Tromeo and Juliet; but he also is a big supporter of independently made movies, very fan friendly, and was actually selected as one of the voters in the latest Sight and Sound director’s poll! If you are curious on what films he voted for here is the link.

http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandsoundpolls/2012/voter/1036

For an even bigger head scratcher he was the production designer for My Dinner with Andre, he was a bum in Rocky, and has produced and or acquired early films from then rising stars such as Paul Sorvino, Billy Bob Thorton, Kevin Costner, and Samuel L. Jackson. And much like Roger Corman, he was also the foot in the door for such directors as James Gunn (who wrote Tromeo and Juliet) and Oliver Stone (who actually acted in Battles Love Returns). He is by far not the greatest director nor does he make the best movies, but there is a weird quality to these movies that I hold very dear to my heart. Cheap exploitation fun and living better through chemistry with The Toxic Avenger at number 48.

[jiraffejustin]

Hell yeah! The Toxic Avenger is awesome. I might consider nominating it for a Hall of Fame sometime in the future....if someone doesn't beat me to it. *hint hint*

[The Gunslinger45]

HA! Another Troma lover. And here I thought I was the only one! I AM NOT ALONE!

[Gabrielle947]

I have The Battle of Algiers in my watchlist for ages.I always have a feeling that it's a boring film,so I avoid it.Now I'm not in the mood for it,but I'll try to watch it whenever I can. :))

Also,just rewatched 2001 and I pretty much agree with everything you said. ;) It's probably the only film which I can enjoy despite the fact that basically I don't get it.

[The Gunslinger45]

47. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrYWu_kc6Sw/T3enlyrF9qI/AAAAAAAABm8/6OC3AcfMV1Q/s1600/The-Raid-poster.jpg

The Raid: Redemption: 2011 (R)
Indonesia / Sony Pictures Classics
84% (CF)
The tagline is not a lie. I was raised on a lot of action movies as a kid, and despite the genre nowadays having nowhere near the same level of glory it used to in the Schwarzenegger and Stallone days, I still consider myself an action movie loving guy. So when this movie came out in theaters, I had no real expectations on what I was going to see since I assumed I had seen most everything an action movie could throw at me. I was very wrong! The story revolves around a raid of a drug lord’s headquarters in a tenement building by the local SWAT team. Once the cops are far enough inside the drug lord tells his cronies who live there that if they help kill the cops, they can live in the building rent free. And once this happens the building becomes a 15 story blood bath! Once this movie starts the action it rarely lets off the throttle! This is easily one of the most violent pieces of cinema I have ever seen! It is a bloody orgy of gunfights, machetes, silat, and some new and creative ways to kill people! There is also a subplot between the relationship of one of the cronies and one of the cops (Iko Uwais) and another subplot I would rather not spoil, but the main focus is the cops trying to get out of this building alive. The fight choreography is highly stylized and very well put together, the way they incorporate the weapons and hand to hand fighting are very well done, and the set pieces are fantastic! I was fortunate enough to see this in the brief run it had in the theaters, and it is easily of the best and freshest action movies I have seen in years. This movie will always however be forever linked the movie Dredd since they do have basically the same premise and were released to American audiences the same year. Both deal with law enforcement agents sent to get a drug lord out of a very tall building and both have to fight their way out. And while I did like Dredd, and it found lots of cool and new ways to shoot people in the face, I prefer The Raid: Redemption for turning the violence up to 11. And it is my 47th favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

I have The Battle of Algiers in my watchlist for ages.I always have a feeling that it's a boring film,so I avoid it.Now I'm not in the mood for it,but I'll try to watch it whenever I can. :))

Also,just rewatched 2001 and I pretty much agree with everything you said. ;) It's probably the only film which I can enjoy despite the fact that basically I don't get it.

While I feel there are more entertaining movies (see number 48) I just adore The Battle of Algiers. I sought it out because of the reputation it had for being a so called "dangerous film."

[jiraffejustin]

I've seen The Raid too, it's quite a bit of fun. The only problem I had was occasionally during the fight scenes it looked as if the person who was swinging stuff at the other guy's head was intentionally aiming over instead of the person ducking it. I know that may sound trivial, but it actually took me out of some of the fight scenes. But then a dude would get thrown through a wall or something and I was back in it. A good movie overall.

[The Gunslinger45]

I've seen The Raid too, it's quite a bit of fun. The only problem I had was occasionally during the fight scenes it looked as if the person who was swinging stuff at the other guy's head was intentionally aiming over instead of the person ducking it. I know that may sound trivial, but it actually took me out of some of the fight scenes. But then a dude would get thrown through a wall or something and I was back in it. A good movie overall.

By far one of the most violent and beautifully choreographed movies I have ever seen! And to each his own. I seem to one of the few people who prefer it to Dredd. Which I still thought was very good.

[The Gunslinger45]

46. http://awesomebmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/the-omega-man.jpg

The Omega Man: 1971 (PG)
USA / Warner Brothers
59%
I love post apocalyptic movies. I love the concept of survival in a world that has fallen apart, I love the struggle to get through the day, I like the sets and locations a lot of these movies have, and I really dig watching these movies with the eye for how the characters try to survive. I like that these movies allow a viewer to insert themselves into these survival situations and allow the viewer to analyze the main characters decisions. Would you do the same thing in this case, could you do it better, is it wise to do this, are these people smart or are they idiots? I like movies that allow me to do this, and post apocalyptic and zombie movies lend themselves very well to this mind set. And this movie is the first of several movies dealing with The End of the World as we know it (or TEOTWAWKI for short). This movie is an adaptation of the novel I Am Legend, and I admit it does stray from the source material quite a bit. But what the movie does give us is a pretty damn good sci-fi action movie with one of my all time favorite actors Charlton Heston; who himself is no stranger to science fiction. The story is about the last man on Earth named Neville (Heston) who was a military scientist during the Cold War. Biological war broke out between the Russians and Chinese throwing the world into conflict. Neville found a cure to the biological agent, but before he could get in made in mass quantities, he got infected with the agent and was forced to inject himself with it. He remains the last man on Earth, (or at least LA). During the day he searches for food, gathers supplies, exercises and tries his best to coop with loneliness and try to remain sane (the early scene with the pay phone best showing his struggle). But by night he must bunker down in his penthouse and fight off the vampires who seek to kill him. Unlike the most recent incarnation of I Am Legend, these vampires talk, and they rage against what represents the old order of man. They burn books; they curse science and technology, destroy museums, and they do so with the political fervor of 60’s and 70’s political radicals or the Manson family. But like other incarnations they are allergic to the sun and can only come out at night. They seek to destroy Neville for what he represents and Neville kills them in order to stay alive. The set pieces are great as Heston has in my opinion the greatest post apocalyptic hideout ever. It is the fourth floor penthouse where he is surrounded by all of what represents human civilization. He was a scientist so has a laboratory. His walls are filled with culture, bookshelves of poetry and fine art. He has technical gadgets such as his surveillance equipment, his stereo equipment, and his garage has classic American muscle and pony cars like the Mustang. And to top it off he has a plethora of booze and high powered firearms! The story also has some religious imagery as he tries to create a cure from his own blood and during his final death pose looks like Christ on the cross. It also has one of the first interracial kisses (and I guess love scenes) between Heston’s Neville and his love interest Lisa (Rosiland Cash). It was critically panned at the time, but it is seen by many as a sci-fi classic. And I adore this movie! A post apocalyptic gem and it is number 46 on my list.

[CelluloidChild]

Nice review of Battle of Algiers. Anyone who's interested in learning more about the context of the events depicted in the film should read the works of Frantz Fanon, particulary A Dying Colonialism.

The Raid: Redemption, however, I feel was way over-hyped, except for the violence.

[The Gunslinger45]

I will do one more movie before I get ready for bed.

45. http://yinedergi.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/redbeard1.jpg

Red Beard: 1965 (NR)
Japan / Toho
75%
I cannot give enough praise to Akira Kurosawa. He is truly one of the greatest directors and one of the most influential men in his profession. He directly influenced the likes of Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Spielberg, and just about every film maker of that generation. Truly he was a legend of cinema. And In my humble opinion many Kurosawa’s best movies stared an actor that is tightly connected with the legendary director, and one of my favorites Toshiro Mifune. This movie was actually Mifune’s last move with Kurosawa and it was a masterful performance. Mifune plays an old doctor nicknamed Red Beard (real name Niide) who is the director of a clinic. His newest intern is from Nagasaki named Yasumoto. Yasumoto is young, arrogant, and selfish. And he is furious that his assignment is to this clinic as he thought he was going to eventually become the doctor to the shogun. He sulks during the day, he drinks sake, and refuses to wear his doctors uniform. Yasumoto however begins to change as he encounters several patients and learns their stories; several are told in flashbacks. Yasumoto then begins to feel compassion for his destitute patients. He eventually sheds his kimono and wakizashi (a sign of his samurai birthright) and dons his doctor’s uniform. He also develops a very close relationship with a young girl who becomes his first patient. This movie explores one of Kurosawa’s favorite themes of humanism, and it is a testament to human kindness. Many of the people shown in this movie are despicable human beings who do various horrible acts to their fellow man. But with the help of Dr Niide and Dr Yasumoto, humankind’s ability to do good far outshines the bad in this movie, as Dr Yasumoto learns what it really takes to be a doctor. It has the ability to pull the heart string, water the eyes, and actually make you remember that no matter how bad we as a people may seem, there are still good people in this world. I love the message, I love the acting and the sets, and I love the movie, and it is number 45 on my list.

[The Gunslinger45]

44. http://img.wonderhowto.com/img/41/31/63404962224623/0/escape-from-new-york.w654.jpg

Escape from New York: 1981 (R)
USA / Embassy Pictures
83%
In addition to being a fan of post apocalyptic movies, I am also a big fan of dystopian future movies, movies where the future is bleak, dark, and run by some kind of totalitarian government. And John Carpenter gave us one of the best in Escape from New York. Crime is at an all time high, and Manhattan Island has been converted into a giant prison. The guards patrol the boarders on the prison, but inside it is run by the cons. The President of the United States is trapped in the prison after Air Force One is hijacked, and the warden of the prison (Lee Van Clef) sends in former Special Forces officer and soon to be inmate Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to get him out. The deal is set, Snake has 24 hours to get the president out of New York, and he gets a full pardon. Snake oozes pure cynicism from every pore. He is a disaffected soldier who sees the current US government as betraying what it stands for, part with how the government is run and for actions taken in WWIII in Leningrad. As such Snake is now the ultimate anti-authority figure. And while the war still rages on in more than one way, Snake claims no side but his own. He also is not a straight shoot ’em up action star (though he is handy with a gun and his fists) but he is also a very cunning warrior who uses his brain to out fox his opponents on more than one occasion. The production design for the movie is perfect! The city is run down and without power save for certain areas. The rest is left to rot and the movie shows that the inhabitants of this prison are completely cut off, and have to make do with what they find. This allows for very creative set pieces such as the arena in which Snake engage in a gladiatorial death match, the floors of the World Trade Center, and the home of the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes). And as with a lot of Carpenter films, he self composed the score on a synthesizer. It is an excellent piece of B movie style fun with one of my favorite characters in the cinema. And Escape from New York is my number 44 favorite movie.

[jiraffejustin]

I haven't seen any of your last three choices, but I certainly want to. I love Kurosawa, but he's had so many great films out, I haven't been able to see them all. Red Beard is moved up the queue now.

[The Gunslinger45]

I haven't seen any of your last three choices, but I certainly want to. I love Kurosawa, but he's had so many great films out, I haven't been able to see them all. Red Beard is moved up the queue now.

I admit The Omega Man fits a really specific niche for me with post apocalyptic fare, and big pluses since Heston is in it (one of my favorite actors) and it does have a certain 70's feel to it that I like a lot. And Escape from New York is in much the same category (granted that was the 80s but it was written after being inspired by Watergate) so they do reflect not so much cinematic achievement, but more of an aesthetic and themes I really really like. Plus Snake Plissken is uber badass.

Red Beard on the other hand is really legit. Of course it is it is from Kurosawa. And it is in my opinion one of his best.

[jiraffejustin]

I admit The Omega Man fits a really specific niche for me with post apocalyptic fare, and big pluses since Heston is in it (one of my favorite actors) and it does have a certain 70's feel to it that I like a lot. And Escape from New York is in much the same category (granted that was the 80s but it was written after being inspired by Watergate) so they do reflect not so much cinematic achievement, but more of an aesthetic and themes I really really like. Plus Snake Plissken is uber badass.

Red Beard on the other hand is really legit. Of course it is it is from Kurosawa. And it is in my opinion one of his best.

I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic action movies as well, and I also enjoy seeing Heston on the big screen. John Carpenter was on a role up to and through the 80s, so I trust Escape from New York to be a lot of fun.

On the subject of Troma, I've only seen The Toxic Avenger. Do you have any recommendations? I've been looking at The Class of Nuke 'Em High for awhile, but I haven't plunged yet.

[The Gunslinger45]

I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic action movies as well, and I also enjoy seeing Heston on the big screen. John Carpenter was on a role up to and through the 80s, so I trust Escape from New York to be a lot of fun.

On the subject of Troma, I've only seen The Toxic Avenger. Do you have any recommendations? I've been looking at The Class of Nuke 'Em High for awhile, but I haven't plunged yet.

I have only seen Class of Nukem High 2, and that was years ago. The Toxic Avenger 2 & 3 are not very good, but The Toxic Avenger IV Citizen Toxie was pretty damn good. Sgt Kabukiman: NYPD is pretty silly but fun. And Tromeo and Juliet is a very loose adaptation of The Bard's original play for the purpose of gore and ****. There are quite a few title on Netflix if ya got it.

[The Gunslinger45]

43. http://mollytanzer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/tremors.jpg
Tremors: 1990 (PG-13)
USA / Universal
88%
And we continue my strange fascination with horror comedy and survival situations, and I like horror comedy. The movie is set in Perfection Nevada, where the town is under siege by “Graboids” subterranean slugs of gigantic proportions and very carnivorous. They travel through the ground, are attracted by noise, and are a throw back to 50’s monster movies. The main cast includes two day laborers named Val and Earl (played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward), the owner of the local general store Chang (Victor Wong), my favorite prepper couple Burt Gummer and his wife Heather (by Micheal Gross and Reba McEntire), and newly arrived grad student Rhonda (Finn Carter). The movie plays out as a gigantic struggle for survival where the town must fight to avoid the creatures picking off the inhabitants one by one. And quite frankly it is a lot of B movie fun. I especially love the running gag dealing with swearing and saying “Pardon my French” and the scene where a graboid enters the recreation room of Burt and Heather. A recreation room with a wall of various firearms, lots of ammo, reloading equipment and the elephant gun! Showing me a rec room I hope to one day have. It is an awesome bit of horror comedy, and my favorite Kevin Bacon movie ever. It if fun, suspenseful, and knows when to make a joke. And Burt Gummer is one of my favorite movie characters of all time. There is just something awesome about a man whose favorite phrase is “Just a handful of household chemicals in the proper proportions.” If you have not seen it, I say it is worth a shot. And it is number 43 on my list of favorite movies.

[The Gunslinger45]

42. http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/40/4057/P9KLF00Z/posters/planet-of-the-apes-1968.jpg
Planet of the Apes: 1968 (G)
USA / 20th Century Fox
89% (CF)

In the realm of sci-fi, Charlton Heston actually has a few movies to his credit as I have covered with The Omega Man, but by far his best venture into sci-fi was the classic Planet of the Apes. He plays Taylor, a human astronaut who travels space until he lands on an unknown planet in an unknown time. On this world apes are the highly evolved species and it is humans that are the animalistic creatures, a bit of social satire from the original book. In addition to being the more evolved species on this world they also have a caste system. The gorillas are the military warrior types. The orangutans are the politicians and bureaucrats while the chimpanzees are the scientists. Taylor is captured by the apes and is about to be experimented on given the fact that he shows intelligence not seen in the humans the apes typically encounter. This leads to one of my favorite lines in movies with “Get your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!” and it also will eventually lead to one of the best twist endings in all cinema. Charlton Heston is fantastic as usual, Roddy McDowell is great as Cornelius, and the character of Dr Zaius is a slimy villain and the main protagonist of the film who hides a dark secret. The movie was also noted by John Chambers ground breaking prosthetic make up, and it spawned several sequels. I enjoyed each to a certain degree (though the third one was rather silly with the whole time travel and celebrity premise). And it is my love for this movie that makes me despise that God awful 2001 remake by Tim Burton. And I do not care to watch the reboots, since I liked the originals more than enough. And there is no replacing the original, and that is why Planet of the Apes is my number 42 favorite movie.

[jiraffejustin]

Good call on Planet of the Apes. Before I saw it for the first time, I was thinking it was supposed to be a cheesy sci-fi movie. Boy was I wrong. It's not my favorite sci-fi movie from '68, but my favorite sci-fi movie from '68 has already showed up on your list. :up:

[The Gunslinger45]

1968 was a good year for sci fi. But my favorite sci fi flick comes later.

[mark f]

Yeah, Apes and 2001 are in my Top "100" (over 160 now), so you know I greatly approve of them and can certainly understand why you love the others. :)

[The Gunslinger45]

Thanks mark f. Oh hell yeah. They are true classics of sci fi.

[The Gunslinger45]

41. http://www.loftcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/evil-dead-2-poster.jpg
Evil Dead II: 1987 (R)
USA / Rosebud Releasing
98% (CF)
As you can see horror comedies are a trend on my list, and how can I talk about horror comedy without touching on Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, the sequel (or reimagining) to the very popular first film The Evil Dead. And while I did enjoy the original, I like this version the best. Why? The original was a movie that was a blend of horror and comedy, but to me it had more emphasis on the horror and gore. And while this movie had plenty of those, there was more emphasis on the comedy; particularly the slap stick. It also had a greater focus on the character Ash played by the greatest B movie actor of all time, Bruce Campbell. Ash takes his girl Linda up to a cabin in the woods for a romantic getaway. They encounter the book known as Necronomican Ex Mortis, the Book of the Dead. Inadvertently reading the book, they release the evils from the book and Ash and Linda become possessed. Linda is killed and Ash must fight his own possession and try to send the evil demons back to Hell where they belong. To describe it in a word…groovy! This is one of the other campy and fun comedic horror fests that I like. It has lots of the same bloody fun as the first with a few better practical effects and much improved make up then the first. It is from the franchise that helped start Sam Raimi’s career and it is the best Bruce Campbell movie of all time in my opinion. It is a cult classic and my fan boy card would be revoked if I did not mention a film from this franchise. And if you are curious to know, I thought the remake was pretty mediocre. Stick to the original trilogy, and Evil Dead II takes the number 41 spot on my list.

[The Gunslinger45]

40. http://www.turnbacktogod.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/the-ten-commandments-1956-movie-04.jpg
The Ten Commandments: 1956 (G)
USA / Paramount
91%
Okay we have had a lot of sci-fi and camp, how about a classic! With Charlton Heston of course. I love Epic movies, I love the scale they had, the huge budgets, big name stars, grandiose drama, and they did it all before computer generated effects. And within that genre I have a particular affinity for the biblical epic. This is the film adaptation of the story of the Book of Exodus (with a few other influences here and there) which tells the story of Moses (Charlton Heston) and the Jews liberation from Egypt. The sets are large and painstakingly created, the wardrobes are fantastic; and the cast includes Heston, Anne Baxter, and Yul Brynner. So we are talking some big name star power. And the back and forth between Heston’s Moses and Yul Brynner’s Ramses fit the movie perfectly. Moses pleads to his brother to let his people go, while the pharaoh heart is hardened. It is one of the great battles of wills between Ramses ego and pride against the man who brings forth the will of God. The movie is also very well known for one scene in particular, the scene where Moses parts the Red Sea in one of the best early special effects of its day. So much so the scene is iconic of early Hollywood cinema. I adore this movie as it is so iconic of the earliest days of Hollywood and for its depiction of the Bible on screen. And it was also the last film directed by the great Cecil B DeMille. And it is my 40th favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

39. http://www.buyzombie.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/zombieland-poster.jpg
Zombieland: 2009 (R)
USA / Columbia Pictures
90% (CF)
I love me a good zombie picture. But for the longest time the zombie comedy movies, left me un-amused. From Return of the Living Dead to Shaun of the Dead, I was simply not laughing; until I saw this movie, which had me rolling in the aisles. And one of the quickest ways a film can endear itself to me is to make me laugh. The more the better, and in recent years this was one of those movies that did just that, taking one of my favorite kinds of movies, and making it humorous. And it was one of the best times I had in the movie theaters! The movie follows the travels of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), who is trying to get home after the zombie apocalypse when he encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson). The two team up in their travels and eventually encounter sister team Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) and Wichita (Emma Stone). The sister duo are on their way to California, and eventually the men escort them to where they are going, and many laughs are had on the way, including quite possibly the greatest cameo in any movie ever. If you have not seen it (for what reason I do not know), I dare not spoil it. Aside from the many creative ways to kill zombies and the hilarious rule systems that Columbus follows. They are so funny they are practically a character in the movie. It is also a celebration of the freedom one has when the world comes to an end. That being said, it does have a pretty heavy focus on the relationships between the four characters. Tallahassee and Little Rock make their connection as well as advancing the romantic interests of Wichita and Columbus. And while there are many flaws with how this film’s post apocalypse scenario is (from plentiful gas, electricity, and surprisingly plenty of food after TEOTWAWKI) this movie is a comedy first and foremost, and succeeds greatly in that department. Quite a few laughs, lots of zombies, and very funny scenarios; it is very easy for me to count this among my favorite movies. And it is my 39th favorite movie.

[fuze931]

39th you mean buddy :) Great pick!

[The Gunslinger45]

Typo fixed! lol thank you fuze

[fuze931]

No problem good sir :) I am keeping up with this and putting stuff I haven't seen on my watchlist.

[The Gunslinger45]

Sweet! Which ones made the list so far?

[fuze931]

Toxic Avengers will be first.

[The Gunslinger45]

It is on netflix, so that helps. Hope you like it. It is weird I warn you. lol

[fuze931]

I like wierd!

[The Gunslinger45]

I like wierd!

You will dig it then

[The Gunslinger45]

38. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--suf1NO5gio/T5CYyENAq2I/AAAAAAAAFKs/AMywpnDnKFI/s1600/the_expendables_domestic_poster_ver3.jpg
The Expendables: 2010 (R)
USA / Lionsgate
41%
This movie could be a bit dividing, but dammit all to hell I love it! I love action movies. I have been raised on the genre since I was a kid and by far the action movies of the 80’s and early 90’s were the best of the bunch and contained some of my favorite movies. So when a movie was announced that was going to feature action heroes from the 80’s and 90’s along with action heroes of the present, I was sold instantly. And while Sylvester Stallone is not my favorite action movie star, he was pretty good in this movie. The casting for this movie was great though. Modern day action heroes like Jason Statham teamed up with Stallone, Dolph Lundgren (who for some reason every movie he is in I seem to enjoy just because), and Jet Li. And it also made legit for action movies the likes of UFC great Randy Couture and Terry Crews (who filled in the role intended for Wesley Snipes). And it also had cameo appearances by my two favorite action heroes Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. And the bad guy was played by none other than Eric Roberts. And then for sh*ts and giggles we had Stone Cold Steve Austin, but we also had Mickey Rourke who is no stranger to action films with his role as Marv from Sin City. The plot is simple. We have our team of good guys hired by Bruce Willis to take out bad guy, bad guy gets his ass handed to him, end credits. Standard 80’s action movie format. Plot? Not so great. Action? IN SPADES! AND IT KICKED ASS! It was very reminiscent of the kind of movies I grew up on. It celebrated the movies that I loved as a kid and had some pretty big action movie greats. It also had one of the best and bloodiest end fight scenes I have seen in a long time. Think the end to Commando only longer and on steroids! And while the Expendables 2 had more action heroes in it (including bigger roles for Schwarzenegger and Willis), the action was in my opinion better in the first movie. Not to mention a better villain. Van Damme was okay as a villain, but if both he and Lundgren are going to be in a movie, Lundgren is the better villain. Hell Lundgren WAS a villain for most of this movie! The movie was also one of the best times I had in the cinema. Since I was a kid and watched a lot of 80’s and 90’s action movies via Blockbuster video, it was great to see this on the big screen. It is also my favorite Stallone franchise, and I cannot wait for the third installment. The Expendables, at the number 38 slot.

[The Gunslinger45]

37. http://weekdaymatinee.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/936full-ikiru-poster.jpg
Ikiru: 1952 (NR)
Japan / Toho
100%
Akira Kurosawa is best known for his samurai films, particularly those with Toshiro Mifune. So when another movie of his that does not fit into that category gets praised as much as it does, it really does say something about the film and the filmmaker. The focus of the film is on Mr. Kenji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura), a long time government bureaucrat who is diagnosed with stomach cancer. He is shaken by this news and spends the movie seeking various attempts to find meaning to his existence. This proves hard as his wife is dead and he is estranged from his son. He tries several means of spending the rest of his days, but in the end he settles on a selfless act of cutting through miles of red tape in order to get a park made. Ikiru is a movie that is one part a commentary on government bureaucracy, one part a look at the human condition, and one final part a plea to live life while you can. It is a beautifully shot movie and has an excellent cast, and really has the ability to strike an emotional cord. I particularly like when they are at Watanabe’s funeral (he had stomach cancer you should have seen the spoiler coming)! When all the bureaucrats begin to flash back to the now very different Watanabe trying to get the park made. He was still a rather meek character but his resolve was firm. His moments in the movie where he is shown singing his favorite song swinging on the swing in the new park in the snow was a very emotional scene; and I simply adored it! It was a fantastic movie by one of my favorite directors of all time. And it is number 37 on my list.

[The Gunslinger45]

36. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_zHHraxF5E/TvXgJUIkiBI/AAAAAAAADko/izYEFupycr0/s1600/Day-of-the-Dead-on-DVD-1985-Original-Zombie-Horror-Classic-Movie-Romero.jpg
Day of the Dead: 1985 (NR)
USA / United Film Distribution Company
81%
While Zombieland was a lot of fun, there are no greater zombie movies made other than those by the zombie movie king, George A. Romero. And his original trilogy of zombie movie has stood the test of time. This movie is the final installment of the Dead trilogy, taking place in the bunker of a military facility located in Fort Meyer Florida. At this time the world has been overrun by zombies, George liked to blend in satire with each of his zombie movies, and this movie is a satire on the military and by extension the government. The military is represented by Captain Rhodes, and the science department is represented by Dr Logan (nicknamed Frankenstein) and Sarah. Sarah wants to continue experimenting on the zombies to find a cure, while Frankenstein has had himself a bit of a break down and believes he can get the zeds to behave; which is a very unpopular idea among the military members. Captain Rhodes (like many officers I have met) is a complete tool. He is very full of himself and is constantly at odds with Dr Logan. He has no interest in the science projects; he wants to kill all the zombies; which was the proper tactic in the beginning, but now that the zombie apocalypse is in full swing, the proper course of action is planning his ex-fil. The enlisted members are crude, racist, and undisciplined. Either these were the sh*t bags of the company who miraculously survived, or these were some ******** they pulled off the streets and pressed into service. And since a few of them are fat and all were privates despite being in the 30’s either interpretation is possible. Now granted we in the infantry are very foul mouthed crude and tell some very sick jokes, but we do so in the company of other infantrymen and not around females otherwise there are serious consequences. But then again Captain Rhodes seems to be the sole authority of military justice, and I doubt he is going to stop and hold a hearing about feeling getting hurt. Sarah and her friends are also uneasy around Rhodes as once he decides it is time to bug out, the majority of them will be expendable and they have to plan their escape as well. The movie is a great zombie flick and is one of the best examples I can give for practical gore effects in a movie. The make-up was also fantastic, and there were lots of great scary elements for fans of the genre. Over all a great movie, and it is number 36 on my list.

[jiraffejustin]

Day of the Dead is usually underrated, nice to see you approve of it. It's my second favorite in the trilogy behind Night and ahead of Dawn.

[The Gunslinger45]

Day of the Dead is usually underrated, nice to see you approve of it. It's my second favorite in the trilogy behind Night and ahead of Dawn.

spoilers, all three make my list. In fact I only really really hated Survival of the Dead. *HATE!*

Diary I thought was pretty good, and Land was mediocre. Though I really dislike the CGI gore effects. It is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to horror movies.

[jiraffejustin]

spoilers, all three make my list. In fact I only really really hated Survival of the Dead. *HATE!*

Diary I thought was pretty good, and Land was mediocre. Though I really dislike the CGI gore effects. It is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to horror movies.

I've never seen any of the Dead movies outside of the main trilogy. I pretty much agree about CGI gore. Tom Savini should be hired to handle the gore of EVERY horror movie. That guy is a legend.

[Pussy Galore]

Ikiru is a great movie it's probably on my top 30. Nice list so far !

[The Gunslinger45]

I've never seen any of the Dead movies outside of the main trilogy. I pretty much agree about CGI gore. Tom Savini should be hired to handle the gore of EVERY horror movie. That guy is a legend.

It should be law! BUT NOOOOOOOO! Gotta go for the computer now! *sigh*

[The Gunslinger45]

Ikiru is a great movie it's probably on my top 30. Nice list so far !

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it!

[The Gunslinger45]

35. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y1USaJemzSs/TNMNDCVBeqI/AAAAAAAAFWI/tq7SDNJ6VlE/s1600/cape_fear.jpg
Cape Fear: 1991 (R)
USA / Universal
76% (CF)
I love Martin Scorsese as a director. To me he is one of those directors who very rarely turns out a bad movie. The man is a walking encyclopedia on film, film techniques and history and he has created some of the greatest cinematic works of all time. With that being said, he is also one of the few directors who can do a remake of a movie, and not only make it good, but actually make it better. Such is the case with Cape Fear. I have seen both the 1962 original movie with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum and Scorsese’s version. And to be honest, not only do I like the remake better, I think it is the stronger movie. The original was a good movie (by no means bad) but I just did not think it was THAT great. But more importantly I thought Scorsese brought more to the table. The story deals with lawyer Saw Bowden, who is the attorney for one Max Cady. Max Cady is a rapist and gets sent to prison for it. Max has gotten out, and now wants his revenge of Sam. But instead of just going on a killing spree, he uses the law to taunt Sam knowing that he can get close to him, but there is nothing Sam can do legally to prevent it. In the original, the character of Sam Bowden was played by Gregory Peck, who played the character as a pretty squeaky clean guy from the start. He has a loving family in a wife and daughter, and a good job as a lawyer and is an upstanding citizen with a good relationships with the cops. And while that makes his future actions more shocking and desperate, it just felt weird to me. In the remake the role of Sam is played by Nick Nolte, he too has a wife and daughter and is a lawyer, but he is a much more flawed and I think interesting character. He is a philanderer and he suppresses evidence that could lead to Max getting off. To me this kind of role requires someone who has a greyer moral bearing and that I think helps the remake more. Going into watching the original Cape Fear, I knew of Gregory Peck playing Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the most morally good fictional heroes ever. Here he is being asked to play a guy who hires thugs to kick the crap out of Cady. It just did not fit for me, and so I think Nolte’s character wins out there. Mitchum in the original was fantastic, and the actor was the best part of the original movie for me. But that being said, Robert De Niro just out does him. De Niro is an actor that is at his very best when his character is the more unhinged. In addition, there are scenes from the remake not in the original movie that adds to the fear created by Cady. Like the scene where he is working out in his prison cell covered in tattoos dealing with justice and punishment, the cigar at the movie theater scene, but especially when he introduces himself to Sam’s daughter at her school. By this time in the movie we have seen what this man is capable of and we know he is a monster, so for him to act nice and… seductive to this high school girl, the tension I felt in this movie sky rocketed! And speaking of which, I HATED the daughter in the original movie. She talked like a tiny adult and not like a kid. In this movie Juliette Lewis plays the daughter as a tad awkward, and a bit inverted. Just like a normal teenager! She got an Oscar nod for the role and so did De Niro. But this movie still stayed true to the original movie. It focused on what is right, and what is legal, it explored how far a man will go to protect his family and it also had cameo’s by Peck and Mitchum in the movie! What Scorsese added to the film was great, and what was weak in the original, I say he made better. And while a movie like this would have been improved by being in black and white, the film was not hurt by being in color. And what was made was a fantastic psychological thriller, and it is my 35th favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

34. http://girlmeetsfreak.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/night-of-the-living-dead-poster1.jpeg
Night of the Living Dead: 1968 (NR)
USA / Public Domain
96% (CF)
Where the Day of the Dead first set the stage in the middle of the zombie apocalypse when the zeds had taken over, this movie was set right as the very first zombies were being encountered. It has a very boots on the ground feel to it, since it takes place predominantly inside of a little two story house and very rarely ventures out of it. The majority of the movie deals with fortifying the structure to ward of zombies, gathering whatever supplies they can from the house, and finding and improvising weapons. And while the scares of the zombies come from outside the house, the drama is on the inside as characters argue over whether to hide or escape. There is some commentary on racism with the butting of heads between Ben and Harry thought I still remain confused as to whether it was intentional or not. I have heard stories to attest to both. Either way the two have many a heated argument, and the topic of racism becomes a far more prominent and obvious theme in his later works. Once again, I really like this movie for the ability to put yourself into the situation. It is a scenario that is pretty ****ing scary. You are surrounded by a horde of the undead; you have limited food, water, and supplies on hand. You have limited ammo, and limited means of defense. What do you do? How do you solve this problem and how do you deal with the issues between the other people involved? I really like these kinds of movies and it shows. And it was the first of a great trilogy of zombie movies. And it is my number 34 favorite movie.

[Godoggo]

I agree with you about Scorsese's Cape Fear being the better movie. It's the first time I ever noticed Juliette Lewis and I became an immediate fan.

[The Gunslinger45]

It was this movie where I created my remake formula.

1. Only remake a property that was not that good to begin with or is a foreign film not in the popular knowledge of the casual movie goer.
2. Get a damn good cast
3. Have a legit director at the helm.

[The Gunslinger45]

33. http://www.itusozluk.com/image/the-king-of-comedy_40100.jpg
The King of Comedy: 1983 (PG)
USA / 20th Century Fox
93% (CF)
The King of Comedy is a movie that stands out on my list because it is a movie directed by Scorsese and features Robert De Niro, but it is very far away from the kind of work they usually do when they pair up. In a Scorsese movie De Niro usually plays a macho character that fits his on screen persona in a movie that often deals with urban crime or grit. In this movie De Niro plays a very un-De Niro kind of character. Contrast his role in this movie, with the role of his that the previous Scorsese movie he was in, Raging Bull, where he played boxer Jake Lamotta. Very macho, very flawed, very insecure, and sadomasochistic in the ring. But in this movie, the role is a complete 180. In this movie De Niro plays Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring stand-up comic and autograph collector. This is not a testosterone filled boxer, the man is a nerd who lives in his mother’s place and has day dreams about interacting with the subject of his fan-boy obsession Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). These fantasies are so strong that Pupkin has difficulty telling fantasy from reality, and begins to try and get uncomfortably close to Jerry. With the help of his friend Masha (Sandra Bernhard) Pupkin sets into motion a plan to achieve the fame he wants, his ticket is Jerry’s show, and attempts to do so through very extreme means. The movie is a head of its time by giving us a glimpse of what will become almost common in the reality TV days of fame and celebrity. Pupkin shows the ridiculous and rather insane ways someone will try to achieve their 15 minutes of fame. Pupkin and Masha also show the dangerous extremes of celebrity obsession to the point of idolatry. It is a very interesting look at these kinds of characters and it told a very interesting story along with it. Unfortunately the movie going audience was less impressed at the time, hoping for another Raging Bull or Taxi Driver. As such the movie was a flop upon release, but the movie has garnered more than enough praise since then. It is also my third favorite movie Scorsese has done, and it is my 33rd favorite movie of all time.

[Guaporense]

Great list so far. I enjoyed every movie I watched from this list. I am also thinking of watching those post apocalyptic action movies like Escape From New York and Omega Man, since I love The Road Warrior.

[jiraffejustin]

I LOVE The King of Comedy, it was almost the film I nominated for the HoF.

[The Gunslinger45]

Glad to see people are liking my list so far.

[The Gunslinger45]

32. http://www.fondospeliculas.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/blade.jpg
Blade: 1998 (R)
USA / New Line Cinemas
55%
Blade is a not only a great action horror movie, but it is a milestone in fan boy history. Originally the only comic book movies that were good and hits were Richard Donner’s Superman (1978) and Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). But any attempts at other not as famous properties were much less successful, especially for Marvel Comics properties. And countless more properties were stuck in production hell. Comic movies around 1997 ranged from mediocre like Spawn, to the cinematic abomination called Batman and Robin. And then in 1998 came Blade, starring Wesley Snipes, the movie that saved the genre from mediocrity. This was the movie that started the comic book movie boom of the new millennium, and more good quality comic book movies were released. And while Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000) and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) were much bigger successes critically and financially, Blade was the first financially successful Marvel comic book adaptation, and acted as the trail blazer for future comic book movies. It also showed that not only could comic book movies still be successful, but it could also be done with lesser know comic book characters at the helm. You did not need a Batman or a Superman anymore, opening the gates to endless possibilities. There were significant changes to Blade’s character from the source material though, and for the better in my opinion. In the comics Blade was a bit of a black stereotype. His mom was a prostitute; he was raised by a vampire hunter who was also a jazz musician and a heroin addict named Jamal Afari; he had to deal with supernatural street gangs, and the like. This adaptation cleaned up the more stereotypical parts of his origins, while still keeping true to his origin. Snipes made the role his, playing Blade as a combination swordsmen / gunslinger with a pinch of subtle humor. I like to think of him as one part Dirty Harry and one part Toshiro Mifune’s ronin samurai from Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Also his vampiric powers were more pronounced in the movie then they were in the comics. He has all of the vampire’s powers, none of their weaknesses, but still suffers from the bloodlust. Then they introduced Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) who replaced Jamal as his surrogate father, mentor, and weapons guy. Whistler was not in the comics, but actually first appeared in the Spider Man animated TV show. And Blade in the movie and TV show was an African American from Detroit, when in the comics he was actually British. The film does have one of his main villains from the comics in Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorf), who was also the vampire that attacked his mother and lead to Blade’s dhampir powers. The plot follows Blade’s eternal quest to hunt down and kill vampires which leads to him trying to foil Frost trying to resurrect an ancient vampire blood god. The cast is excellent and even Dorf gives a pretty good performance. And like I said, it was not a critical success but it was a financial success, and allowed for the green lights for X-Men and Spider Man and then a slew of other comic book movies. And it is my number 32 favorite film.

[The Gunslinger45]

31. http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111208113520/filmguide/images/8/85/The-terminator-poster.jpg
The Terminator: 1984 (R)
USA / Orion Pictures
100% (CF)
As a kid who was raised on movies rented from Blockbuster Video, there was no bigger action star then Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was a staple of the action movies that defined the 80’s and 90’s. Tall, pumped, and with a very distinct vocal pattern that separated himself from the likes of other action movie stars like Stallone, Willis, Van-Damme, and Segal. And in my opinion, he is the greatest action movie star of all time. But solely as an actor… well let’s just say he won’t be playing Hamlet anytime soon. And that one scene from Last Action Hero doesn’t count! Arnold was always at his best when he was given roles that catered more to what he had. Characters that did not require the chops of say Laurence Olivier or Daniel Day Lewis, but could be made credible by his large stature and thick accent. His first break was in Conan the Barbarian, which gave him a name and credibility. But the role that sealed the deal was in The Terminator where he played an emotionless killing machine sent back in time to kill Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton). And Arnold in this role created one of the most recognizable characters, and his famous “I’ll be back” catch phrase. Needless to say the movie was a success. The movie is classic sci-fi; Arnold tries to kill Sarah Conner, and Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) who is also sent back in time acts as her protector. The movie combines time travel science fiction, with the pursuit thriller aspect of horror, with the shoot outs of an action movie to create on hell of a thrill ride. The effects used were all practical using animatronics and stop motion for some of the robot effects. And the make up for Arnold won a few awards, including a Saturn Award. It was a big hit for Cameron. The only real downside for Cameron was that Harlan Ellison sued Cameron for stealing from some of his Outer Limit episodes he wrote, and successfully sued Cameron to get acknowledgement for drawing from his material. But it is a great movie in its own right despite this, and it is the biggest franchise of my favorite action hero. The Terminator at number 31.

[The Gunslinger45]

30. http://remingtons.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/m1.jpg
M: 1931 (NR)
Germany/ Vereinigte Star Film
100% (CF)
Fritz Lang is one of two directors I became a big fan of in recent years (the other being Kurosawa). And this movie was the movie that started it all. M was the movie surrounding the search for a child killer that has the town in a panic. You feel the anxiety and paranoia in the opening scenes, as every one of the town’s folk is calling out others as the child killer over even the most innocent of occurrences like telling a child what time it is. And it is not just the police who want this killer found, it is the crooks too. Both sides are scrambling to find this killer (played by Peter Lorre), and I found this movie particularly interesting from my education in criminology. The explanations for the killings and methods used by the cops were of great interest to me for this reason. In addition, we have a killer who is very impulsive in his killings, but writes hand written notes to the papers announcing he will kill again. This is fascinating to me since Lorre is shown to be overcome by the urge to kill in one scene, but writes letters to the cops in a manner that seems to say he knows what he is doing is wrong. Is it possible that he wants to get caught, even maybe on an unconscious level hence the writing to the paper? Or is it more likely he does get pleasure out of it, and that is part of the fun. I am more inclined to believe the second explanation. Which makes one of my favorite scenes all the more desperate. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when he is confronted by the guild of criminals who give him a mock trial before they try to kill him. Lorre puts on a great performance as he tries to save his own skin. The movie is shot beautifully in black and white, and is filled with shadows. But what do you expect from Fritz Lang who is the master of shadows? This movie laid the ground work for a lot of psychological thrillers to come as well as many a film noir. And it is my all time favorite from one of my favorite directors. I look forward to watching more of Lang’s filmography. Until then, M comes in at number 30.

[The Gunslinger45]

29. http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/d/die_hard-10449.jpg
Die Hard: 1988 (R)
USA / 20th Century Fox
94% (CF)
Do I really have to go into detail here? It’s Die Hard! It is possibly the greatest action movie of the 80’s, and many would argue the greatest action movie ever. That alone seals the deal on this list. It was the first action movie role for Bruce Willis, who previously has been known for Moonlighting, and gave us the awesome character of John McClane. It was the first movie appearance for Alan Rickman who was fantastic as the villain Hans Gruber. Like a lot of action movies of the day the plot is simple. The Nakatomi Building is taken over by Hans and his boys, and McClane has to kill them. Unlike other action movies headed by say Stallone or Schwarzenegger, McClane is a man of average height and build thrust into an unusual situation where he sustains many injuries that affect his performance but has to fight through it. He is not the untouchable fighter like Segal in just about every movie he was ever in, or Stallone in First Blood: Part II, and he is not unstoppable like Schwarzenegger in the Terminator movies or Commando. In terms of action movie heroes of the 80’s and 90’s McClane was probably the closest we got to an actual human being. He has flaws, he has issues with his wife, he has insecurities, he is vulnerable to attacks, and he is not invincible. And in terms of other action movies, this is also the movie that is the most grounded in reality. Okay so a lot of this is very Hollywood, but when compared to other action movies, this is the one that is closest to reality. The action was fantastic, the characters were great, Bruce and Rickman were phenomenal, and it was a lot of fun to watch. This was defiantly one of the best action movies of the 80’s and a feather in the cap for director John McTiernan. And it is my number 29 favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

28. http://www.leeaaron.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/tropic_thunder_poster_01.jpg
Tropic Thunder: 2008 (R)
USA / Dreamworks Pictures
83% (CF)
As I said before, one of the quickest ways a movie can endear itself to me is by making me laugh. And this is a damn funny movie. The movie focuses on the making of a fictional Hollywood film called Tropic Thunder based of a fictional book set in the Vietnam War. The movie being made is a gigantic blockbuster film with fictional big name celebrities played by Ben Stiller (a fading action hero), Robert Downy Jr. (the multi award winning talent who goes overboard with his method acting), Jack Black (the Chris Farley character who stole Eddie Murphy’s fat suit shtick), rap star Alpa Cino (played by Brandon T Jackson) and an up and coming actor (played by Jay Baruchel). And the movie has Apocalypse Now levels of difficulty during its shoot. The director is forced to make a hard decision, and it ends up back firing leaving the stars of the film stranded in the jungles of Indochina. The cast was actually pretty awesome despite the fact that I am not the biggest fan of Ben Stiller, though he does play a role different then his usual fare. Robert Downey Jr. however is FANTASTIC! He plays Kirk Lazarus, who is an Australian born actor who undergoes a controversial operation to play the African American sergeant of the film. Robert Downy Jr. must then as a white man play an Australian, who must play an African American, but do so in a manner that an Aussie who would knows little of African American culture would see a black man and act like that. I don’t care who you are that is a hell of a character right there, and it was hilarious! But given the whole issue of a white guy in black face, the movie itself calls out the issues with that for us; so the audience does not have to. That was a big purpose of the Alpa Chino role, as well as a VERY interesting turn at the end of the movie. Jack Black was given a character that played to his strengths, and Jay Baruchel character was very funny. And out of nowhere, Tom Cruise in prosthetic make up, who steals the scene every time he is on screen. This movie was a Hollywood movie that mocked the process of making a Hollywood movie, and big Hollywood celebrities in general. It was very funny, and had me laughing my ass off. It also had one of my favorite DVD commentaries I have listened to, where Robert Downey Jr. does most of the DVD commentary in the voice of Kirk Lazarus. It was a lot of fun, a very self aware movie that made many its jokes at Hollywood’s expense, and had some very memorable characters and funny ass lines. And it is my 28th favorite movie.

[Watch_Tower]

I'm enjoying your list so far, absolutely love Ikiru, M, Die Hard and one of my favourite comedies ever, Tropic Thunder. Not really a fan of the schlocky B movie horrors you have but good to see some under appreciated movies finally making the rounds.

[The Gunslinger45]

Oh there are going to be a few more movies on my list I guarantee will probably not show up on other lists. I put up more tonight after work since I am away from my lap top.

[The Gunslinger45]

and I am back. Let us resume!


27. http://jmount43.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/936full-the-boondock-saints-poster.jpg?w=729&h=1024
The Boondock Saints: 1999 (R)
USA / Franchise Pictures
20%
The Boondock Saints is a movie that often met with mixed feelings among film buffs. For some, it is a fun action film with some cool characters with some awesome dialogue. For others it is a film derivative of other films (Death Wish and the like) while trying to capture the feel of a Tarantino crime film without his dialogue. Then again anyone who knows me in person knows that I do not like Tarantino’s movies, especially due to the dialogue. But I will admit the plot is very simple. The McManus brothers (nicknamed the Saints) played by Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus embark on what they think is their new calling, killing scum bags everywhere they find them. That is the entirety of the movie. There is nothing really deeper to the movie, it is a collection of scenes where the Saints find some bad guys and they kill them. This is very similar to the structure of the Death Wish movies with Charles Bronson, except Bronson’s character gets more of a character arc in his film. And since Death Wish was a simple rape/revenge film; that does say something about this movie. But unlike Bronson’s character, the McManus brothers are far more entertaining and have a very strong supporting cast. Il Duce is played fantastically well by Billy Connelly, Willem DaFoe is excellent as the brilliant and openly gay FBI Agent Smecker, and Dolly, Duffy, and Greenly play the very humorous trio of Boston’s "finest" detectives. Even the bad guys have great casting, even casting Ron Jeremy as a very sleazy Mafioso. In addition to the great casting, the gun fight scenes are very well shot and choreographed in slow motion and the score for the movie is pretty damn awesome. And having Smecker at the crime scenes narrate how the killings went down with him walking around in the scene I thought was a very creative choice for the movie. And the scene where he screams out “THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT” is actually one of my favorite scenes of all time. The plot is not the strongest, and it is not the most original concept for a movie, but in terms of the number of cool characters and entertainment, it is hard to beat in my humble opinion. But just as interesting as the movie is the documentary Overnight, which shows director Troy Duffy’s start from having one of the hottest script in LA, and showing his hubris and self destruction before he was even able to hit the big time. Kind of shows why it took 8 years to make Boondock Saints II. That being said, it is my number 27 favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

26. http://www.cityonfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/goodfellas_poster-1.jpg
Goodfellas: 1990 (R)
USA / Warner Brothers
97% (CF)
About as far back as I can remember I was always a big fan of movies and TV. And while I do not watch much TV anymore save for the news, TV still had its influences growing up. One of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid was the Spielberg produced Animaniacs. One of the shorts featured on the show was a group of three pigeons called the Goodfeathers, and I thought they were funny as hell. I was around ten or so, and I found out that this segment of the show was based off a movie. So naturally I had to see the movie. And thus was my first introduction to Martin Scorsese. And OH BOY was this a lot more violent then the cartoon! The film follows the rise and fall of real life gangster Henry Hill, played in the movie by Ray Liotta. His rise is coincided with the rise of two other mob guys, his friend and mentor Jimmy Conway (De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). They show the lure and seductive aspect of the gangster life. They do heists (including the big Air France Robbery), extortions, beatings, shake downs, and one occasion,they whack a made man due to Tommy's temper. NEVER mention a shine box to Joe Pesci! And whats more, they keep getting away with it. Henry eventually gets married and starts a life with his new bride. But all is not happy as eventually the good times come to an end, and this leads to Henry’s fall from grace from the mob. This is a fantastic gangster picture told from the prospective of the main character in a narrative voice over format. He is basically telling us the viewer his life and how he lived it. He tells what was good, what was bad, and where it went wrong. Ray Liotta was great as Henry Hill, and he had an excellent supporting cast since De Niro and Pesci give in fantastic performances. De Niro played upon macho persona that he created from movies like Raging Bull. Pesci also turns in an outstanding performance as the violent tempered and homicidal Tommy. Pesci even walked away with the Oscar for best supporting actor. It is an epic piece of crime drama and it is masterfully crafted by Scorsese himself. It is a fantastic movie with great characters, a great story, great sound track, and lots of memorable lines and scenes. My first, but not my last Scorsese film I have seen. And it is number 26 on my list.

[The Gunslinger45]

25. http://www.itusozluk.com/image/terminator-2-judgment-day_28696.jpg
Terminator 2: Judgment Day: 1991 (R)
USA / Tri Star Pictures
98 % (CF)
Like I said, Schwarzenegger is at his very best when his roles cater to his limited acting chops. The Terminator was a big hit, so naturally a sequel was planned. But holy hell did the makers of this movie up the ante in the sequel! They made everything bigger! Bigger budget, bigger action, bigger stakes, and a new and more intimidating villain. And Arnie reprises his role, but this time he has been sent back in time to protect John Conner from the newest Skynet killing machine, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick). And the movie is a giant action movie that is one of the cases where in my opinion the sequel is by far superior to the original. The original Terminator film had less emphasis on Arnie and more on Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton. And while Michael Biehn is a better actor and Kyle Reese was an uber bad ass character, a movie like Terminator 2 needs to focus primarily on Schwarzenegger. And the special effects were greatly improved. The original had a certain scene in which a robot with a Schwarzenegger face wad cutting out his eye that is damaged. And while it is cool, it does look very dated. There were several breakthroughs in special effects in making this movie, especially with the liquid metal villain the T-1000. From his hands turning into stabbing weapons to his face getting blown in half by a shotgun round you can tell a lot of work was put into these effects. Half of the effects were practical effects like prosthetic make ups and other half special effects done with CGI. And while the CGI is dated in this movie as well, Terminator 2’s effects still hold up pretty well. Arnie was great, his relationship with John was very touching, and Linda Hamilton is transformed from terrified waitress in the first movie, to hard ass in the second! And all the action is done to one of the greatest themes of all time. And it was a lot of fun to watch! And it is my 25th favorite movie of all time.

[The Gunslinger45]

24. http://www.moviepilot.de/files/images/0248/9902/ben_hur.jpg
Ben-Hur: 1959 (G)
USA / MGM
89%
Ben-Hur is an adaptation of a novel written by Lew Wallace called Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. To be even more precise it is a remake of the 1925 silent film also made by MGM. So it is a remake of a movie which was an adaptation of the book inspired by The Bible. Charlton Heston plays Jewish Prince Judah Ben-Hur, who is the head of the house of Hur. The movie follows his journeys from life in Judea, imprisonment, and his eventual return home all the while intercut with his several encounters with a mysterious new prophet who turns out to be Jesus Christ. This is a religious themed movie, but the religious content is not thrown in your face or forced on you. Hell, Jesus is not the main focus. He comes and goes throughout the movie. You peek in during his travels, you see his Sermon on the Mount, his trial, and you see his crucifixion. But Jesus is not on screen long during any of those times, but when he is on screen you feel it. You never see Christ’s face or hear him speak. In fact most of the shots of him are from behind. But you don’t have to see his face or hear him speak. The look on the characters who encounter Jesus faces tell all the details and expresses all the emotions the viewer needs. The ability to do so with very little screen time is a credit to the production as well as the source material. Heston is fantastic as always, and you believe his friendship with Boyd’s Messala is genuine, which makes his betrayal all the more dramatic. You feel Ben-Hur’s pain when he learns of the fate of his mother and sister, and you genuinely feel the hate in his heart when he talks about Messala. The sets are huge and multiple in scale. You have Jerusalem, the ships in the sea that are attacked by pirates, Rome, the Coliseum where the chariot race takes place, the Leapers den, and more! Each set has painstaking detail put into every inch! It is no wonder that the cost of this movie reached $15 million dollars, which made it the most expensive movie at that time. But it raked in the money at the box office earning $74 million dollars domestically and $147 million dollars worldwide upon its initial release. It also cleaned up at the Oscars, nominated for 12 Academy Awards and winning 11, including Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Director. It only lost in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay, which went to A Room at the Top. It is a tale of revenge, hatred, and redemption. Epic and inspirational, it is also my 24th favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

23. http://www.traileraddict.com/content/unknown/tokyo_story.jpg
Tokyo Story: 1953 (NR)
Japan/ Shochiku Eiga
100%
I have a deep love for Japanese cinema and this movie is not only among the greatest Japanese films, but one of the greatest of cinema as a whole, and is considered director Yasujiro Ozu’s masterpiece. The story follows an elderly couple from the rural town of Onomichi. The grandfather Shukishi (Chishu Ryu) and his wife Tomi (Chieko Higashiyama) are leaving their home to visit their adult children in post war Tokyo. They have a son who is married and is a doctor, they have a daughter who is a beautician, and they have a daughter in law who is the widow to their son who died in WWII. They also see their son who lives in Osaka. To try and describe the plot any further I think does a disservice to the emotional response to the film invokes. The film examines the generational gap, it looks at the relationship between parents and their children, how they drift away from their parents as they age, the heartbreaking way the parents and their widowed daughter interact, and the importance of family bonds. It is such a beautiful movie that does so much with so very little. This is not an epic odyssey, it is not a big budget action movie, and it is not a raucous comedy. It is a very simple story of a family’s trip to see their kids. And you have to admire a movie that can elicit that kind of emotion off such a simple premise. It is a slow movie, but it never drags. In addition, the camera rarely moves. The shots are mostly static. But that only further enhances how good of a movie this is with doing so little and getting so much emotion. And the critical reception shows as this is often named among the greatest movies of all time in various critic polls. If you don’t mind foreign films then give it a shot. It is a beautiful experience of a movie and a must see for serious cinemaphiles. And it is my 23rd favorite movie.

[Guaporense]

Tokyo Story is on my top 10 (one of the 17 movies in my "top 10")! + rep

[The Gunslinger45]

I knew you would like a few the the ones I post tonight. Especially Tokyo Story and The Terminator

[The Gunslinger45]

22. http://conservativenewager.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/the-hunt-for-red-october.jpg
The Hunt for Red October: 1990 (PG)
USA / Paramount
95% (CF)
I am a big fan of Cold War themed movies. It was a time period when the two biggest world powers were at odds. And even though the US and the Soviets never fought head to head, there was a gigantic chess match over global influence, political ideals, and weapons stocks. Each side developed new military crafts, bigger bombs, and space technology to have a leg up on the opposite side. A key part of the each side’s defense strategy were submarines, in particular those with thermonuclear missile capabilities. Each side had fleets of nuclear subs in the oceans keeping the other side in check. And it is this vessel that plays prominence in this movie. The movie is adapted from the book of the same name by Tom Clancy, and the story is set on a brand new submarine built by the Russians. The submarine called the Red October (named after the October Revolution which would bring Lenin to power) and is built upon a magnetohydrodynamic drive. This system would use no moving parts, which in turn makes no noise in the water thus is completely undetectable to sonar and cannot be defended against! In a Cold War environment the idea of such a weapon existing is terrifying, and the gravity of such a weapon is shown early in the movie when the Red October seemingly goes rogue and takes this new undetectable submarine on a course for the United States! Cold War tension reaches its peak in this movie which excellently shows the scale of what is at stake. The cast is excellent, Sean Connery plays Soviet Captain Marko Ramius quite well (even though he does not attempt an accent). Baldwin plays Ryan as a young man, young and inexperienced, which fits this story since this was the first novel Tom Clancy wrote that features this character. I won’t spoil the end, but it is a good one. I also really love the score for the movie, particularly the parts that are sung in Russian during certain naval battle scenes and also in the opening. The movie was also a big hit at the box office, and nabbed an Oscar for Best Sound Editing. Cold War drama on the high seas with The Hunt for Red October, and it is my 22nd favorite movie.

[CelluloidChild]

I'm also a sucker for these Cold War submarine flicks. The sausage-fest claustrophobia intensifies the drama.

I should watch Red October again because it's been a long time. Crimson Tide with Gene Hackman and Denzel was also pretty good. K-19: The Widowmaker too.

But none of them come close to the WWII drama Das Boot.

Edit: Just watched Red October. The movie didn't hold up for me. With each twist, meandering between bungling Soviets and save-the-day Americans, the plot became increasingly incredulous. As you alluded to, Sean Connery's Scottish accent - whether speaking Russian or English - was a distraction.

The final scene, with defecting Soviet commander Courtney quoting Christopher Columbus and CIA agent Alec Baldwin replying 'Welcome to the New World' was simply embarrassing.

Now I'd put Red October at the bottom of the pile of these submarine films.

[The Gunslinger45]

For me it was the opposite. I liked Crimson Tide, but I was severely disappointed with K19 The Widowmaker when I saw it in the theaters. I do need to still see Das Boot though.

[The Gunslinger45]

21. http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110928143254/doblaje/es/images/e/ea/Vertigo1958.jpg
Vertigo: 1958 (PG)
USA / Paramount (original) now Universal
98% (CF)
While I said that Fritz Lang laid the groundwork for the psychological thriller with M, the man who perfected the psychological thriller was Alfred Hitchcock. Vertigo begins with John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) an ex cop who suffers from acrophobia and depression. He is hired by his old friend Gavin (Tom Helmore) to follow his wife Madeline (Kim Novak) who is acting mysteriously. At this point of the movie you really try to figure out what is going one. Is Madeline faking it all? And if so what for? Is she loopy? Or is her alleged condition for real? You are racking your brain to figure out this movie! Things become even tenser as they investigate what is going on together and they begin to develop feelings for each other. But tragedy strikes, leading to one of the best plot twists I have ever seen in a movie! I dare not ruin the ending. Hitchcock’s technical prowess and ability to create suspense are on full display, particularly the dolly zoom which was used to show Scottie’s acrophobia. I never felt bored, as every moment is designed to illicit a response from the audience. The mystery of the first half draws you in and Kim Novak does an excellent job acting. She really sells the part and keeps the audience guessing. The twists in the movie are phenomenal and really add to the thrills this movie creates! The psychology of the movie really stands out as it looks at fear, mental illness, obsession, and it touches just a little on jealousy. Unfortunately the viewing public and critics dismissed the movie at first, but it has been re-examined and is now considered a classic and has even dethroned Citizen Kane as the best movie ever made in the 2012 Sights and Sounds critics poll! THAT is a noteworthy accomplishment! An impressive thrill ride and fantastic direction by the master of suspense himself, Vertigo is my 21st favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

20. http://cinegeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/the-road-warrior.jpg
The Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max 2): 1981 (R)
Australia / Warner Brothers
100%
This movie is basically a continuation of the Cold War themes I like. What happens after the bombs have dropped and the apocalypse is in full swing? And one of the movies that help define and greatly influence post apocalyptic movies was this Australian classic. A sequel to the original Mad Max, The Road Warrior starts where the last movie left off, Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) driving off into the Outback desert after avenging the death of his murdered wife and son. Now roving groups of bandits ravage the Outback in search of food, supplies, and gasoline. Max is not too much different; doing what he can to survive. He encounters an eccentric aviator called the Gyro Captain who tells him of a location where there are people who have built a refinery to pump out oil to turn into gas, and that Max can go there to get as much as he wants. This naturally peaks Max’s interest, but this has also caught the attention of a motorized gang leader named Humungous and his gang of BDSM gear wearing raiders. The movie’s action scenes all use practical effects for their car chases, and all the stunts are done the old fashioned way, which is a welcome relief from the CGI horseshit of movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious. And the final showdown is enormous, lots of different vehicles, lots of suspense, lots of thrills and lots of fun. But the thing that is most notable about the movie is the production design, in particular the costumes. The look of the raiders is head to toe BDSM leather and the hair for the men is of punk rock origin. I don’t know if that was for symbolisms or not. Maybe it is supposed to show that after society collapsed these people have given into their baser instincts and have turned to raping and pillaging, and this pleasure for inflicting pain in symbolized in the leather man get up? Either that or the costume designer was in a rush and grabbed the stuff of the rack at a leather shop. I don’t know, but I love the aesthetic choice, and it has influenced countless other post apocalyptic media. In addition this movie was a BIG hit at the box office. And that can only mean one thing, it spawned a slew of Italian knock offs like The New Barbarians and 1990 The Bronx Warriors. And while it does not accurately display what the apocalypse most likely will be by any stretch of the imagination it is become a very influential piece of post apocalyptic media, as well as the best of the Mad Max trilogy. I for one am dreading the fourth sequel. Mad Max in The Road Warrior as my 20th favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

19. http://kingsheepblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/the-road-movie-poster.jpg
The Road: 2009 (R)
USA / Dimension Films
75% (CF)
This is another post apocalyptic movie, but this movie in a very different vein as The Road Warrior. The Road Warrior is more of a sci-fi action movie. The Road is much more of a serious drama. Adapted from a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, this tells the story of a father and son and their odyssey across the apocalyptic wasteland to try and get to the coast. We do not know what caused the apocalypse, but we do know that the planet has rotted and the wildlife is dying. And unlike The Road Warrior, the pair does not have a vehicle and must traverse the land via the shanks-mare. The cast is top notch. The father is played by Viggo Mortensen and his son is played by Kodi Smit-McPhee. I have not seen much of the kids work but he is a really talented young actor! The mother is played by Charlize Theron, and there is even a brief appearance by Robert Duval! And anyone who has seen To Kill a Mockingbird knows he does not need a lot of screen time to leave an impression. The reason I like this movie so much is also the reason why this is the movie on my list I watch the least. It is so BLEAK! There is no color in this movie. It is all brown and grey. The father and son travel together in a land where there are no clear skies, it is all cloudy and rainy. They must avoid bands of cannibals, but defending themselves is limited since they only have two bullets in the revolver. They must try and find food where there is little to none. There is no trust besides each other since it is a survival of the fittest dog eat dog world. The actors show the hopelessness of their situation, you feel their despair, and you can see Viggo struggle with the idea of ending his son’s life as well as his own to escape the living hell they endure every day. The movie also has a subtle religious message and use of some Christian imagery. The father and son talk about “carrying the fire in their hearts” which means that they keep their souls and humanity and do not become monsters like the cannibals who murder and rape. It emphasizes that when times are at their worst, that is when a man’s true self is tested, and it is then that we need the light of God to guide us. Which in and of itself is a beautiful message. I also like the fact that this post apocalyptic environment is much more grim and severe then The Road Warrior. Yes the Outback is barren desert does fits an apocalyptic scenario, but this movies setting is downright depressing! Which I think fits a lot better for this kind of movie. And even though I do not watch it as often as the others on this list, if I can still feel the emotional impact from a movie I haven’t watched in years, that movie is doing something right. Number 19 on my list with The Road.

[Gabrielle947]

Cape Fear is a great thriller and Goodfellas is one the my favorite films.:up:

Night Of The Living Dead,Die Hard(saw it for the first time only few days ago :D),Vertigo were enjoyable,although not something I'd include in my top list. ;)

Not a big fan of M and The Road.

My least favorite are The Boondock Saints and Tropic Thunder.Disliked both.

I haven't seen Terminator yet (I know,I know :D) and Hunt For Red October looks interesting.Maybe I'll see it someday.

Your list is actually very interesting,full of different types of films. :up:

[The Gunslinger45]

Cape Fear is a great thriller and Goodfellas is one the my favorite films.:up:

Night Of The Living Dead,Die Hard(saw it for the first time only few days ago :D),Vertigo were enjoyable,although not something I'd include in my top list. ;)

Not a big fan of M and The Road.

My least favorite are The Boondock Saints and Tropic Thunder.Disliked both.

I haven't seen Terminator yet (I know,I know :D) and Hunt For Red October looks interesting.Maybe I'll see it someday.

Your list is actually very interesting,full of different types of films. :up:

Yeah I have a wide taste in movies. From the art house to the grind house.

[Cobpyth]

Goodfellas - Scorsese's masterpiece and best film

Vertigo - Hitchcock's masterpiece and best film

They both made some AWESOME pictures, but these two are their best, in my opinion.

Great choices!

[The Gunslinger45]

Goodfellas - Scorsese's masterpiece and best film

Vertigo - Hitchcock's masterpiece and best film

They both made some AWESOME pictures, but these two are their best, in my opinion.

Great choices!

Thanks!

[The Gunslinger45]

18. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WkKZJVG5wTk/TTgZ3j4kbmI/AAAAAAAC9rk/Cu4ekB4Raq8/s1600/team_america_world_police.jpg
Team America: World Police: 2004 (R)
USA / Paramount
76% (CF)
I love satirical movies, and the masters of contemporary satire are the guys who gave us South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Trey and Matt at this time were expanding their horizons into movies. Their first two tries BASEketball and Orgazmo however were not successes. They did, however, have a hit with South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. This time around they wanted to do something not associated with their hit TV show, and choose a satire of the War on Terror. But unlike other satirical classics, these guys are doing it … with puppets. That’s right; puppets are used to convey their satiric message about terrorism. And it is HILARIOUS! The protagonists are Team America (played mostly by Parker and Stone), and they are literally the world’s police, a critique on US Foreign policy. They are gung-ho, violent, and have little regard for collateral property damage. They just want to get the terrorists. What I like about the terrorists is that they are presented as legitimates threats (one even looking like Osama Bin Laden). They try to blow up Paris with a WMD but are thwarted. They stop the terrorist threat but at great expense to the Paris scenery. One antagonist other then the terrorists, is North Korean Dictator, Kim Jung Il, who is providing the terrorists with WMDs as part of his master plan. Or master “pran,” as the Chinglish is VERY thick, which adds to the comedic effect. But the highlight of the antagonists has to be the Film Actors Guild which is made up on very prominent and outspoken liberal actors in Hollywood. And naturally they bitch and whine thinking that they have all the answers to global affairs. And they are lead by Alec Baldwin played by voice acting titan Maurice LaMarche. The humor of this movie is satire, but that does not prevent Parker and Stone from adding lots of toilet humor with their social commentary and plenty of creative profanity. Hell they even use dick jokes AS social commentary. The monologue at the end where Gary sums up the War on Terror from the sides of the pro war hawks, the anti war left, and the terrorists with “d!cks, p*ssies, and @$$holes” cracks me up EVERYTIME and is in my opinion the best and funniest way to get the point across. The reaction from the celebrities who were mocked was varied. Alec Baldwin apparently has a really good sense of humor and laughed his ass off at his portrayal. Sean Penn however was not amused, and even wrote the comedic duo a very angry letter ending with “f#ck you.” To top it off, the songs on the soundtrack are funny as hell. In true Trey and Matt style they find the ability to get laughs from the worst in bad taste with a song like “Everyone has AIDS.” But the best song by far is the theme song. I remember laughing my ass off in the theater and I am still laughing now. The masters of satire and Team America: World Police coming in at number 18.

[Mr Minio]

The Boondock Saints I found quite enjoyable, same as Goodfellas, of which I am not a big fan, unlike most of the people here. I rate them both 2.5

I really like Terminator. Arnie's campy acting finally paid off as he found a perfect role for him. 3

Never seen Ben-Hur and to be honest I am not really looking forward to it. Neither am I impatient to see The Road Warrior.

Tokyo Story is an enthralling film and a proof that you don't need any fancy effects or complicated story to create a good film. 4

The Hunt for Red October is as mediocre as Goodfellas.*

Vertigo is simply gorgeous. 4

The Road I loved mainly due to the emotional impact it had on me. I cried during both the movie and the book. Have you read the book? 4.5

* I deliberately used the word "mediocre".

[The Gunslinger45]

I have yet to read the book, but I am buying it eventually. And yes I still feel the emotional impact The Road had on me to this day, and I saw this movie once years ago. THAT is some excellent film making right there! Hence why I put it above what many consider the greatest and most influential post apocalyptic movie of all time.

[Mr Minio]

Hillcoat is a man! The Proposition is good as well. Yet to see Lawless.

[honeykid]

Team America is so good. So very, very good.

[HitchFan97]

Wow, a diverse list if ever I've seen one. Some seriously great movies here, albeit for very different reasons :D

[The Gunslinger45]

Diverse is one way to describe my list. Lol and it will continue into my top 10.

[Watch_Tower]

Aw man, good to see some of my absolute faves on your list. I'd just like to talk about three of those movies:

Goodfellas: I'm a Scorsese fan and thought Goodfellas was terrific upon first viewing but the more I watch it, the less I like it. De Niro is on cruise control, playing the same character he has played multiple times before in multiple gangster movies. Joe Pesci is brilliant but his character is yet again unoriginal and although Ray Liotta turns in his best performance, I think the ideas of snitching and betrayal within the mafia and their consequences were handled with more gravitous, pinache and brutality in The Godfather Part II. Goodfellas seems a rehash of almost every other gangster/crime thriller ever made.

The Road: One of THE most beautiful and touching movies ever made. I haven't read the novel so don't know how it stacks up but as pure cinema, films don't get much better. I'm often annoyed by child performances in movies but this kid delivers a genuine and heartfelt performance. I found the ending to be slightly out of sync with the overall theme of the movie but hey, we can't have it all.

Team America: I laughed and I laughed hard! That is all I require from a comedy.

[Watch_Tower]

Aw man, good to see some of my absolute faves on your list. I'd just like to talk about three of those movies:

Goodfellas: I'm a Scorsese fan and thought Goodfellas was terrific upon first viewing but the more I watch it, the less I like it. De Niro is on cruise control, playing the same character he has played multiple times before in multiple gangster movies. Joe Pesci is brilliant but his character is yet again unoriginal and although Ray Liotta turns in his best performance, I think the ideas of snitching and betrayal within the mafia and their consequences were handled with more gravitous, pinache and brutality in The Godfather Part II. Goodfellas seems a rehash of almost every other gangster/crime thriller ever made.

The Road: One of THE most beautiful and touching movies ever made. I haven't read the novel so don't know how it stacks up but as pure cinema, films don't get much better. I'm often annoyed by child performances in movies but this kid delivers a genuine and heartfelt performance. I found the ending to be slightly out of sync with the overall theme of the movie but hey, we can't have it all.

Team America: I laughed and I laughed hard! That is all I require from a comedy.

[The Gunslinger45]

I know EXACTLY how you feel about The Road! And yeah Juliette Lewis from Cape Fear and Kodi Smith McPhee in this movie are among the best performances by a kid I have ever seen!

[The Gunslinger45]

And so we resume again

17. http://www.casualoptimist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/dirty_harry.jpg
Dirty Harry: 1971 (R)
USA / Warner Brothers
95% (CF)

I love Clint Eastwood, he is my favorite actor, and this is one of his signature roles. Eastwood has a long career playing tough guys from all walks of life, but one of his most popular characters is Inspector Harry Callahan. A no bull **** San Francisco cop who earned the nickname “Dirty Harry” in this franchise of crime thrillers. He is first introduced as he is conducting an investigation of a serial sniper called “Scorpio” who has begun his reign of terror by killing random members of the Bay area populace. Callahan’s attitude about criminals and his preferred method of dealing with them is established in the mayor’s office when he talks about dealing with an attempted rapist. And his effectiveness in doing just that is shown as he responds to a bank robbery that is happening across the street from his favorite diner. It is in this scene where he gives his famous “Do I feel lucky?” monologue. The Scorpio killer continues his campaign of murder, killing people with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. Callahan goes to whatever lengths possible to try and save a captured teenage girl, and breaks more than a few rules of police procedure. This leads to a theme of the Dirty Harry films of political bureaucracy standing in the way of justice. It expresses a perceived frustration of laws enacted that protect criminals more than the civilian populace, and our hero Callahan is the only one who can carry out what is right. This theme actually had more than a few movie critics and cinema goers calling Callahan a fascist and a bigot, and condemned the movie as a “far right assault on liberal values.” But I never saw that. To me he was a guy who, if the law was inept, will cross ethical and legal lines to see justice is done. He also became the template for future rogue cop characters. And the allegations of racism were complete ******** since they were pissed that the bank robbers in one of the first scenes of the movie were Black. The main villain of the damn movie is a white guy and you are seriously pissed some crooks on screen for less than 5 minutes were robbing a bank and happen to be Black? What the hell? But then again this was the 70’s, a time of very hyper political views. And judging by the box office, they were mostly ignored. This movie also was responsible for turning the Smith & Wesson Model 29 into one of the most popular gun purchases in the US at the time and made the 44 Magnum cartridge a big seller. It was a great little crime thriller and was so successful that 4 more sequels were made. Dirty Harry at number 17.

[honeykid]

Hey! Another good one. Gunslinger, this might the start of a roll. :p

[The Gunslinger45]

16. http://roadmoviemobcinema.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/casablanca.jpg
Casablanca: 1942 (PG)
USA / Warner Brothers
97% (CF)

This is a movie most people would not expect me to love. When you look at my list as a whole you see certain commonalities like satire, post apocalyptic movies, zombie movies, B-grade horror comedies, Kurosawa, classic sci-fi, comic book movies, action movies, thrillers, and movies dealing with the Cold War. So a movie that’s focus is centered primarily on a love story don’t generally come to mind when one would think of my favorite movies. Now I have seen some very good romance movies like Ghost, The Quiet Man, and Princess Bride, but they are not among my favorite movies. So what makes this movie so special? Let’s find out. But first some back story. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick, a cynical American expatriate who runs a night club/gambling hall in the Moroccan city of Casablanca. Casablanca is a part of Unoccupied France and is free from Nazi rule. It has also become a beacon for refugees seeking to escape the War and try to go to a safer country. In order to escape to either Portugal or America they need a visa, which they can buy, but they are hard to get, and very expensive. As such many of the now broke refugees are stuck in Casablanca. In Rick’s club a guy named Ugarte (Peter Lorre) has killed two German couriers and stolen letters of transit, which would allow the holder to leave Casablanca and travel to Portugal and he gives the letters to Rick for safe keeping. One of the people to step into Rick’s club is his former lover, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergmen) and her Czech Resistance Leader husband Laszlo (Paul Henreid). The rest of the movie centers on what to do with the letters and the Nazi’s pursuit of Laszlo for his escape from a concentration camp, but the biggest emphasis in on Rick and Ilsa and their past in Paris. Now I love these characters, particularly Rick. Rick is established early on as the ultimate neutral party in the goings on of the world. And after you learn of his past with Ilsa you think he is just a broken cynic. But as you learn more about him you learn that is not the case. You learn he was a gun runner who ran weapons to the Ethiopians when Italy invaded in 1935, and during the Spanish Civil War he fought with the Loyalists against the fascists. Deep down under that hard boiled shell is the heart of a true underdog. This cynic with a heart character is the signature Bogart role which made him a cinema icon. Ilsa’s affair with Rick is also complicated. She loves her husband very much, but she still has feelings for Rick from their time together. You feel the tension the two have, particularly when Ilsa first steps into Rick’s club when she has Sam (Dooly Wilson) play their song “As Time Goes By.” The end scene is one of the most famous in all cinema, and it is one I am not ashamed to say makes me tear up when Rick and Ilsa say goodbye. Deep down I am a very sentimental bastard, and this movie knows how to play my heart strings. And I am not the only one; it is consistently named as one of the greatest films of all time and the greatest romance movie ever. What can I say, I love the movie, and it is my 16th favorite movie.

[Camo]

Some great choices so far, as well as alot of new films for me to watch :). I can't wait for your no.1:D

[The Gunslinger45]

Some great choices so far, as well as alot of new films for me to watch :). I can't wait for your no.1:D

Glad to see you are enjoying my list. And thanks for the reps. Srsly I check my rep counter a few minutes ago it was like 260 something now it is over 300!


Edit: I just remembered you and me have a common love very very high in my top ten. Hope you like it, I got very wordy and spoiler-ific on my review.

[The Gunslinger45]

15. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_tcui_8uPV8/UDT7F6funII/AAAAAAAAKNQ/rHducA_LLpQ/s1600/a-fistful-of-dollars-1964-movie-poster.jpg
A Fistful of Dollars: 1964 (R)
Italy / United Artists
98% (CF)
This is the movie that started the popularity of the spaghetti western, made by the best director of the genre, and staring my favorite actor in the role that made him big. Need I say more? A Fistful of Dollars was an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. But Sergio Leone failed to get the rights. So naturally Toho sued. And though America had to wait a few years to see this movie, it was worth the wait. The plot follows Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name (a parallel to Toshiro Mifune’s nameless “thirty something” ronin samurai) as he rides into town where two crime families are fighting it out in the streets on who gains control of the town. You have the Baxter family and the Rojos, both are bad people so Clint cooks up a plan where he can play both sides of the feud and make some money. This is done by Mifune in Yojimbo, only he does it to whip out the two families so the town can start fresh from corruption and less emphasis on profit. Clint on the other hand is in it for the money and he starts to make a pretty penny. Eastwood also adds nods to Mifune’s performance such as doing everything with his left hand except shoot, and the way he scratches his beard. Both characters are crafty bastards, using their wits to get out of trouble and plan their next move. In addition, Clint gets called by a different name in each of the spaghetti westerns he is in, just like Mifune in Yojimbo and Sanjuro. But I actually like Sergio Leone’s version better. In Yojimbo, the crime bosses are aided by a family in their struggle. In A Fistful of Dollars, the crime family and the business families are merged into one, making the plot a little easier to follow. Making this story into a western fits the John Ford western influence that Yojimbo had, and adding the spaghetti western style score also enhances the mystique of the movie. And the final showdown in this movie is my personal favorite in any movie I have ever seen. When Clint faces down Ramon of the Rojos, Clint has a pistol and Ramon has his rifle, (a parallel to the sword versus gun fight in Yojimbo) and what ensues is an iconic cinematic scene where Clint manages to defeat his enemy using his brain as well as his skill with a pistol. This is the movie I use also use as an example as how a remake can be done right. It takes a previous story, puts a different spin on it, fronts a great lead and has a great director behind it. And while I am certainly breaking some sort of rule by saying it is my favorite of the trilogy above a classic like The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly; after multiple viewings of all three movies I still say that while all of them are great movies, it is this one that still remains my favorite of the three. And I can’t say it is the Kurosawa influence since I came to this conclusion long before I became a Kurosawa fan. This is easily one of my favorite Clint Eastwood movies with my favorite Eastwood franchise, and one of my favorite movies of all time. Classic Eastwood, at the number 15 spot.

[Camo]

Glad to see you are enjoying my list. And thanks for the reps. Srsly I check my rep counter a few minutes ago it was like 260 something now it is over 300!

I repped all the movies you've posted because all the ones i've seen i like/love and the ones i haven't i now want to see :)

[The Gunslinger45]

14. http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/j/jaws-10787.jpg
Jaws: 1975 (PG)
USA / Universal
100% (CF)

Adapted from the book by Peter Benchley, the story is of a quiet town in New England community named Amity Island and its struggle to rid itself of a man eating great white shark. The three main characters are Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), Hooper, the shark expert (Richard Dreyfuss), and the deranged seaman Quint (Robert Shaw) and all three are charged with killing it. The opening scene establishes the shark’s presence, but the score by John Williams and the fact that you do not see the shark for most of the movie really makes this movie scary. It follows a lot of the minimalist rules that Hitchcock used to scare and thrill people in his movies. But the shark itself is not the scariest part, it is the parts where you know the shark is there and you cannot see it. That is what makes this movie so terrifying. Particularly to me, since I am terrified of sharks! Obviously my vacations do not lead me to tropical islands. So much so when I decided to join the armed services I opted for the Army instead of the Marines. Why? The USMC is naval infantry. Naval means boats. Boats go in the water. Shark’s in the water. Our Shark. And the thought of a shark that big and has the taste for human flesh scares the **** out of me! The shooting of this movie is notorious as one of the most difficult, with multiple technical issues such as unwanted boats in the shots, the shark not working, Quint’s boat the Orca sinking and multiple delays which sent the film way over budget. It was slated to be released during the summer, which at the time was when studios would release movies they thought would underperform. But then it became the highest grossing movie at that time. This film (along with Star Wars) ushered in the era of the summer blockbuster centered Hollywood business model. Winter would no longer be when the studios would put out the movies they thought would be a hit. That for now on would be the summer. It also caused studios to abandon the small initial release and progress up to more theaters from there to the initial wide release. It also saw auteur movies lessen in favor for the blockbuster’s high profits. As for the movie’s legacy on our culture, the movie score is so iconic that once you hear it you know exactly what it is referring to. This has made it riff for parody and homage. And composer John Williams earned an Oscar for it. The movie also inspired lots of people to not go into the water at the beach (myself included). And sadly it also led to hordes of fisherman who went out in to the waters to fish for sharks and has lead to a significant decrease in the population. This also led to the original author Peter Benchley to write books about the sea and shark conservation in response to these actions. But at its core it is simply an excellent horror/thriller movie. What more can I say about a movie that scares me? It is simply a great movie. Jaws coming in at number 14.

[The Gunslinger45]

I repped all the movies you've posted because all the ones i've seen i like/love and the ones i haven't i now want to see :)

Greatly appreciated my friend.

[The Gunslinger45]

Hey! Another good one. Gunslinger, this might the start of a roll. :p

I think so.

[honeykid]

Jaws is a great choice, though I would say that considering its position on my own list. :D Casablanca's ok, though I've never really gotten what's so wonderful about it. Fistful Of Dollars? Ah, well. Nevermind. :p

[HitchFan97]

Haven't seen Fistful of Dollars, but the last few are all great. :up:

[The Gunslinger45]

13. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-61egtoyTv3c/UARMmtJdrSI/AAAAAAAAI6M/45N1hYQSBU4/s1600/the_dark_knight_poster.jpg
The Dark Knight: 2008 (PG-13)
USA / Warner Brothers
94% (CF)

Some of you will like this one, others won’t. Me? I love this movie for multiple reasons. First off, it’s Batman, my favorite superhero. Second, this movie transcends being just a comic book movie. And third, this is the peak of the movie trilogy that helps us to forget about the AWFUL Schumacher Batman movies. The movie is about the eternal struggle between the unstoppable force and the immovable object, order versus chaos, good versus evil, and how far a man is willing to go to stop it. You have Batman (Christian Bale) once again pitted against his greatest foe the Joker (Heath Ledger). The movie starts off with the Joker stealing a lot of cash from a Mob bank, he then works out a deal with the various mob heads that he will kill the Batman for half the stolen loot. And what begins is Joker’s reign of terrorism on Gotham City. He commits horrible and unspeakable crimes and he says he will stop if Batman reveals his secret identity. Batman is faced with a lot of ethical choices, not only how far he is willing to go to stop the Joker but also the burden of dealing with the knowledge that this psychopath is targeting others to get to you, and the responsibility one feels. You see Batman struggle with these choices and what decisions he makes.It also tackles topics that were relevant at the time like high tech secret surveillance technology, privacy, how much power should one man hold, and the moral implications of it all. The idea of who the real heroes should be is also explored. Batman does what he does in hopes that one day his services will no longer be needed, and he finds the possible successor to his struggle to end crime in Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). It is in Dent where he believes Gotham’s true hope comes from, an honest man in the Criminal Justice system and not a man with a mask. He wants Dent to be the White Knight Gotham deserves, which makes his fall all the more tragic. The cast as a whole is great. Sure the Bale Batman voice is kinda weird and he is no Kevin Conroy, but I thought he did very good. But Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker stands head and shoulders above the other actors in this movie. His portrayal as the Joker was sublime, perfectly capturing the Joker not as a money grubbing crook, but as psychopath whose motivations are beyond sanity and logic. But he is more than just a one note psychopath as Heath also brings the perfect amount of dark humor that makes the Joker what he is. The humor is subtle in some cases, and in other times it further enhances his menace and shows how unstable he is! These are not Whedonisms to break up tension; these show the character’s derangement and even sometimes enhance the tension. Ledger tragically died before the film’s release due to a toxic combo of prescription medication, and he would be posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role. The final scene between Dent (now Two-Face) and Batman is the most poignant part of the movie. And I love the way it ends. Cementing not only Batman’s role in Gotham City but establishing what is truly important to Gotham and who the real heroes should be. This movie also took references and ideas from certain Batman story lines, including The Long Halloween, and one of my favorites The Killing Joke allowing the movie to be faithful to the source material. And it comes in my list as my number 13 favorite movie.

[Camo]

Haven't seen Fistful of Dollars, but the last few are all great. :up:

You should try the Dollars Trilogy when you get the chance Hitch, i've got a feeling you'll love it from your posts that i've read. Have you seen any of Leone's movies?

[The Gunslinger45]

12. http://pixelhunt.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/dawn_of_the_dead_1978.jpg
Dawn of the Dead: 1978 (NR)
USA / United Film Distribution Company
94%
I am a big fan of zombie movies, and the king of zombies is George A. Romero. The movie is set in the very early stages of a zombie apocalypse. Society is still standing, but it is a house of cards waiting to fall and everyone knows it. People are starting to head for the hills and have gone into full survival mode. Our story follows around four people who have jacked a helicopter and are trying to find a spot far away from the swarms of the undead. They eventually settle on a mall in suburban Pennsylvania. Originally the plan was to stop for supplies, but they decide to stay after they decide the mall has too many resources they cannot ignore. This will lead to a giant sequence where they have to rid the mall of zombies, clean the place up and help themselves to the goods. This starts to become a ham fisted satire of the consumer culture. Zombies are consumers, no happiness in possessions, etc. Once again this movie is an excellent example of allowing the viewer to insert his or herself into the movie so he/she can analyze the survival strategies of the characters. I also enjoy that you see where these people started from when society was beginning to crumble and how you see them transition from normal civilians with normal lives, to refugees trying to survive. It also has the same boots on the ground feel as Night of the Living Dead in the beginning, but I admit once their new sanctuary is secure, it does start to feel like a fortress. But then that begins the more social commentary part of the movie, and the feeling of safety is shattered by other humans. Humans are just as much a threat in this movie; after all evil men will be around even after society collapses. And I do love the inclusion of the raid on the mall by them. It is also has one of the best examples of practical gore effects in movies. So many horror movies these days use CGI gore it is sad, there was a time when this was a real trade, and effort was put into these effects! And Tom Savini shows why he earns the nickname “Godfather of Gore.” A must see for any horror fan, and it is my 12th favorite movie.

[Camo]

13. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-61egtoyTv3c/UARMmtJdrSI/AAAAAAAAI6M/45N1hYQSBU4/s1600/the_dark_knight_poster.jpg
The Dark Knight: 2008 (PG-13)
USA / Warner Brothers
94% (CF)

Some of you will like this one, others won’t. Me? I love this movie for multiple reasons. First off, it’s Batman, my favorite superhero. Second, this movie transcends being just a comic book movie. And third, this is the peak of the movie trilogy that helps us to forget about the AWFUL Schumacher Batman movies. The movie is about the eternal struggle between the unstoppable force and the immovable object, order versus chaos, good versus evil, and how far a man is willing to go to stop it. You have Batman (Christian Bale) once again pitted against his greatest foe the Joker (Heath Ledger). The movie starts off with the Joker stealing a lot of cash from a Mob bank, he then works out a deal with the various mob heads that he will kill the Batman for half the stolen loot. And what begins is Joker’s reign of terrorism on Gotham City. He commits horrible and unspeakable crimes and he says he will stop if Batman reveals his secret identity. Batman is faced with a lot of ethical choices, not only how far he is willing to go to stop the Joker but also the burden of dealing with the knowledge that this psychopath is targeting others to get to you, and the responsibility one feels. You see Batman struggle with these choices and what decisions he makes.It also tackles topics that were relevant at the time like high tech secret surveillance technology, privacy, how much power should one man hold, and the moral implications of it all. The idea of who the real heroes should be is also explored. Batman does what he does in hopes that one day his services will no longer be needed, and he finds the possible successor to his struggle to end crime in Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). It is in Dent where he believes Gotham’s true hope comes from, an honest man in the Criminal Justice system and not a man with a mask. He wants Dent to be the White Knight Gotham deserves, which makes his fall all the more tragic. The cast as a whole is great. Sure the Bale Batman voice is kinda weird and he is no Kevin Conroy, but I thought he did very good. But Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker stands head and shoulders above the other actors in this movie. His portrayal as the Joker was sublime, perfectly capturing the Joker not as a money grubbing crook, but as psychopath whose motivations are beyond sanity and logic. But he is more than just a one note psychopath as Heath also brings the perfect amount of dark humor that makes the Joker what he is. The humor is subtle in some cases, and in other times it further enhances his menace and shows how unstable he is! These are not Whedonisms to break up tension; these show the character’s derangement and even sometimes enhance the tension. Ledger tragically died before the film’s release due to a toxic combo of prescription medication, and he would be posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role. The final scene between Dent (now Two-Face) and Batman is the most poignant part of the movie. And I love the way it ends. Cementing not only Batman’s role in Gotham City but establishing what is truly important to Gotham and who the real heroes should be. This movie also took references and ideas from certain Batman story lines, including The Long Halloween, and one of my favorites The Killing Joke allowing the movie to be faithful to the source material. And it comes in my list as my number 13 favorite movie.

+ repped as soon as i saw the movie, after reading i'd have liked to have given a second one :). Great review :up:. Btw i've got a recent edition of The Long Halloween, which starts off with an interview with Nolan discussing the influence it had on TDK.

[The Gunslinger45]

+ repped as soon as i saw the movie, after reading i'd have liked to have given a second one :). Great review :up:. Btw i've got a recent edition of The Long Halloween, which starts off with an interview with Nolan discussing the influence it had on TDK.

Srsly? BAD ASS! Great buy!

[HitchFan97]

You should try the Dollars Trilogy when you get the chance Hitch, i've got a feeling you'll love it from your posts that i've read. Have you seen any of Leone's movies?

Just The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. I liked it, but mostly for Clint. I'm not a huge fan of Westerns :shrug: Once Upon a Time in America is something I'm looking quite forward to.

[The Gunslinger45]

11. http://imgc.artprintimages.com/images/art-print/the-producers-1968_i-G-40-4033-EUFLF00Z.jpg
The Producers: 1968 (PG)
USA / MGM
93% (CF)

Mel Brooks is, in my opinion, the greatest comedic director of all time. He is a master of satire, genre parody, and generally raunchy jokes. He has given us such so many memorable comedies. And I just really love the concept of this movie. Two Jewish Broadway producers Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) come up with the brilliant idea that you can make more money with a flop then you can with a hit. Raise one million dollars, put on a $60,000 dollar flop, bank the rest and move to Rio De Janeiro! So they set off to find the worst play ever written. And they hit the jackpot with “Springtime for Hitler” a play written by a former German soldier and Hitler admirer named Franz Liepkind (Kenneth Mars). He agrees to have his play produced and the two producers begin getting the money and get set to get the play made. The movie also has my favorite cinematic musical number “Springtime for Hitler” which features SS officers singing, chorus girls in Nazi digs, dancers with beer, pretzels and German items on their boobs; and Mel Brooks himself doing a voice over where he says “Don’t be stupid be a smarty, come and join the Nazi Party.” Cracks me up every time. This movie was not successful at all upon initial release, as this was not that long after WWII, so Hitler jokes were considered taboo. It was not until a little later that the true comedic genius was seen and it is now considered one of Mel Brook’s greatest movies. Zero Mostel of theater fame was splendid in this movie. He plays Max Bialystok as a money grubbing shagger of little old ladies who was once a giant in the theater, but whose star has faded. Gene Wilder on the other hand is a sheltered and innocent accountant who has no experience in theater let alone fraud. And Dick Shawn plays a fantastic character named Lorenzo Saint DuBois, but his friends call him LSD. Minor spoilers, he plays Hitler. But the best performance in my opinion is Kenneth Mars who has to make a man who fought for the Nazis, loves Adolph Hitler, and is insinuated to be a holocaust denier and somehow make him likeable. He has a bit of innocence to him, like what he is saying is not to be malicious but because he is so dense he doesn’t know any better. And his performance is fantastic. This would later earn accolades to include getting Mel an Oscar for his screenplay, would be named one of AFI’s best comedies of all time, and would even get a Tony winning Broadway play based upon it made! It is one of the funniest movies ever made, one of Mel Brook’s best satires, and was the first movie to give us Gene Wilder. Classic movie. So much so I nominated it for the first round of the MOFO Hall of Fame; and it is my 11th favorite movie.

[Camo]

Just The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. I liked it, but mostly for Clint. I'm not a huge fan of Westerns :shrug: Once Upon a Time in America is something I'm looking quite forward to.

I hated westerns until Unforgiven :shrug:. I watched the trilogy from the start, only because it was on Netlix though. You should give Once Upon a Time in The West a try after OUATIA, i personally prefer it to the Dollars Trilogy but i think i'm in the minority :).

[Nostromo87]

Dawn of the Dead (1978) is a fantastic pick :up:

[The Gunslinger45]

And that is films 50 to 11. When I resume my list I will be posting fewer entries at a time. Partially because these being my top 10 favorite movies of all time, I have A LOT to say about them. These are not only movies that are great to watch, but great to talk about. So not only will my reviews be longer, but I will also post less movies at a time.

Also two reviews will contain spoilers. Those will be movie number 9, and for my favorite movie. I do so for number 9 due to the nature of it's ending and I go into great detail for my favorite movie because I want to show why I love it so much. In addition, there are a few movies with very interesting back stories and controversies so they will be addressed there two.

And finally I will inject a few YouTube clips for my top ten. 1-3 clips for each movie, and I will include one of the original trailers for my favorite movie.

With that being said I will begin my top ten tonight.

[The Gunslinger45]

10. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQ_U7QcOG_8/TqxTy_dJOBI/AAAAAAAAALs/V0lUKgZsmtU/s1600/drstrangelove-poster.jpg
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: 1964 (PG)
USA / Columbia Pictures
100% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuP6KbIsNK4

I can sum up this movie in one sentence. Stanley Kubrick is ****ing insane! The man’s a cinematic genius, but that does not mean he can’t be a little nuts. It covers the same Cold War themes as The Hunt for Red October: mutually assured destruction; focus on military machines built to deliver a nuclear payload, a focus on Soviet and US players, and was also adapted from a serious cold war thriller called Red Alert by Peter George. And it was going to be a serious movie until Kubrick decided “F@#k it! We’re going for dark satire!” And the timing could not be worse, as this was released when the Cuban Missile Crisis was still fresh in people's minds! And here was a movie that not only talked about mutually assured destruction; it mocked the concept all together! That takes big brass balls! The plot starts when Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) deploys his group of the B-52 bombers outside of Soviet airspace to begin Wing Attack Plan R. He tells them that a shooting war with the Russkies has begun and to proceed to their targets. In reality there is no war going on, and the general is actually a paranoid lunatic who is seeking to achieve three goals. One: to strike the first and decisive blow to eliminate the Communist threat. Two: to end Communist infiltration, and finally the preservation of our precise… fluids. Yeah the Brigadier General is out of his ****ing mind. In a scramble to prevent nuclear annihilation, both the President of the United States (Peter Sellers), Air Force General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott), RAF Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers again), the Russian Ambassador (Alexei de Sadeski), the presidential cabinet, and the mysterious expert on nuclear arms and nuclear war Dr. Strangelove (thrice Peter Sellers) all try to put their heads together to end the upcoming nuclear war. Problem is one of the planes set to carry out Plan R headed by Major Kong (Slim Pickens). Due to some damage taken in entering Russian Airspace, they are unable to receive radio communications from base as they head towards their primary targets in Russia, hence a scramble to halt that plane to avoid it dropping its payload. The film is blessed with an excellent cast. Peter Sellers plays three roles in this movie. In fact that was one of the stipulations in getting the movie off the ground. Sellers was also supposed to play Major Kong, but an injury prevented him from doing so, so they hired Slim. Either way the number of roles he plays is beyond impressive and shows his range as an actor. Sterling Hayden plays the part of Brigadier General Ripper and was actually coaxed out of retirement by Kubrick to play this role. He convincingly plays the role of a madman. When you watch him talk about the communist plot of water fluoridation you believe he is serious! He plays it so straight that not only is it terrifying, it’s hilarious! The performance of George C. Scott is of particular note since it displays Kubrick’s directorial insanity. Scott knew this movie was going to be a satire, but he wanted to play the role of General Turgidson straighter then Kubrick wanted. Kubrick got around this by suggesting that Scott do some comedic over the top “practice takes” to warm him up for the “real takes” promising no one would ever see the practice ones. Instead he used the over the top takes in the final cut of the film, prompting George C. Scott to vow he would never work with Kubrick again. The result is comedic gold! Kubrick’s other insane directing choices include the table in the war room. He insisted it be the color green to show that these people were gambling with the lives of millions in a giant game of nuclear poker. Problem is we never got that imagery since the movie is shot in black and white! And the movie was actually supposed to end with a big pie fight in the war room. They only got one chance to shoot this scene and multiple factors, including everyone involved having too much damn fun, led to the scene being scraped. The movie ends in my opinion the way it should. It is just a better note to end on. Plus there was a line in the pie fight about the President being “struck down” by a pie to the face, which would have made the initial screening just after the JFK assassination in really bad taste. Only the man who adapted Lolita would be crazy enough to satirize Cold War strategy at the height of the Cold War. And while I admit, it is not a comedy that makes me roll on the floor laughing a lot, it was still funny as hell, insightful, and helped to cement Kubrick’s reputation as the mad genius of cinema. And it is number 10 on my favorite movie list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww7WlSPi9gc

[Cobpyth]

HUGE thumbs up!

Dr. Strangelove is one of those rare comedies that become even better with each rewatch. It's one of the most ingenious satiric films ever made and belongs to my favorite movies of all time.

5+

[The Gunslinger45]

HUGE thumbs up!

Dr. Strangelove is one of those rare comedies that become even better with each rewatch. It's one of the most ingenious satiric films ever made and belongs to my favorite movies of all time.

5+

Starting my Top Ten with, in my opinion, Kubrick's best movie.

[Mr Minio]

I'd say it's more like a satire than comedy, actually. I like the line about all the countries that used nuclear weapon during the WWII and doctor's disobedient arm was quite funny, but overall it was probably my least favourite Kubrick. 2.5

[The Gunslinger45]

9. http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/The-Book-of-Eli-Poster.jpg
The Book of Eli: 2010 (R)
USA / Warner Brothers
48%

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKK7LmywKOQ

This is definitely the most controversial pick on my list. Now yes I have The Toxic Avenger on my list, and while The Book of Eli is a better film, The Toxic Avenger is not in my top ten. Regardless of that, I really do love this movie. I love post apocalyptic movies, I love movies with religious themes, I love action movies, and I love Denzel Washington as an actor. And this movie has all four elements combined. The story is straight forward. It is 30 years after the bombs have dropped, and Denzel Washington is the title character named Eli. Eli is charged by a voice to bring a book to a safe haven on the west coast. This being the post nuclear war, Eli must walk from where ever he is to the west coast. We are introduced to Eli in the wasteland, where he is shown to have significant survival skills. We also establish Eli’s fighting skills when a group of people try to ambush him. He easily dispatches the group with his machete in a well choreographed opening action sequence. He then makes a stop in a town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie insists (IE forces) Eli to stick around after he learns that Eli is a literate man. Carnegie has been sending his boys out for years apparently to find a certain book. The book he is looking for turns out to be in Eli’s possession which is a copy of The Holy Bible. Carnegie wants to use the book as a means of control, the opposite of Eli’s mission to save the word of God so it can be spread. Carnegie wants the book, and will take it at any costs, even trying to murder Eli in the streets. Problem with that plan becomes evident when bullets seem to miss Eli when they are fired at him like he is being protected. Eli also seems to know just where to shoot, even at long ranges with just a pistol. Eli manages to escape the attempt on his life, and Carnegie’s mistress’ daughter Solara (Mila Kunis) escapes with him. Solara is intrigued by Eli and the book, and follows him. While they travel Eli gives his back story. After the bombs had dropped some people got it in their heads religion was to blame, so their inner Nazi’s came out and they started burning Bibles. This Bible Eli has is the last remaining copy, and the voice told him where to find it, and told him to take it to the west coast safe haven. I cannot discuss the movie in full without talking about the ending, so I will give spoilers for this movie since this is what is talked about quite a bit when discussing this movie.


In the end it is revealed that Eli is blind. He has been for the whole movie, and The Holy Bible he has been carrying is in Braille. Now this is what makes the movie very controversial, since the twist had a lot of people crying bull ****. After all how can a blind man do what he does in the movie, and it seems to be a fair criticism. After all I held similar reservations after I saw it for the first time. Then I watched it for a second time with my brother and I paid particular attention to Eli’s actions and what he says in reference to his sight. After seeing it again, I have two counters to the criticisms. First off the blindness is foreshadowed. Eli never makes a reference to sight. He always refers to his other senses, he says “hear that” and “smell that” when communicating with others, he always has his fingers on the pages of the book when he reads, and he is shown using only his other senses. Like when he could smell people trying to ambush him. As for how he can shoot people trying to kill him and shoot cats with a bow and arrow for food, you can think of it in two ways. First off he is blind so his other senses are now superhuman, much like Daredevil. The second interpretation, God does his seeing for him. After all I have heard of bigger miracles such as parting the Red Sea or the Resurrection, so God guiding a blind saint where to point the gun at the people trying to murder him is not that big a leap. My second counter is that Eli being blind actually fits the mold for a lot of prophets in the Bible. God has a habit for choosing unlikely men to become the vessels for his word. For example, Moses, the man who led the Hebrews out of bondage, delivered the Ten Commandments, helped form the laws the ancient Hebrews lived by, and was their leader as they wondered the desert for 40 years, had a stutter. Noah, the guy who built the Ark, he was an alcoholic. Hell, going out of Judeo-Christianity, even Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, when he was writing the Quran was illiterate! So once again, blind gunman? Not out of line with regards to past prophets. There is one final criticism I must address I cannot explain away. This cannot be chalked up to religious symbolism or themes, this is a hard fact. That fact is that books that are written in Braille do not fit into the same size books as those written with words. A complete Bible in Braille will take up lots of shelf space and comes in volumes. So it is impossible for the book Eli to have to be a full copy of a Bible. But they keep it in the movie and I can see why. They keep it in the movie because without it being in Braille, then Carnegie can read it and we have no twist. And Carnegie not being able to read the book also fits the religious symbolism that in order to understand the true meaning of the Bible you need to have the Holy Ghost, which Carnegie does not have. With that being said, I still love the movie, as I like other movies with problems in it. After all, even Citizen Kane had a plot hole. How the hell could the nurse hear Kane whisper Rosebud, from behind a closed door all the way across the room? I don’t know, but that does not stop it from being the single most praised movie of all time. I chalk up this little detail to willing suspension of disbelief.

As for the critics who say you need to be religious to enjoy this movie, this is not true. I watched this movie with my brother and he loved this movie! And my brother is not a religious man by any stretch of the imagination. He really liked the post apocalyptic setting which had towns run by wasteland scum, cannibals, raiders, a vast bleak desert look that looks like it has been ravaged by the nukes, and it has a kick ass protagonist played by Denzel Washington. He described this movie as the closest thing to a Fallout movie he will likely ever see (except without Ghouls or Super mutants). This movie also explores religion as a whole, that there are men who use religion for great evil, but that at its core there are very good messages and lessons in religion and they should not be cast aside due to the evil actions of the past. I will admit however that the delivery of the message lacks the subtlety of The Road. As such this lack of subtly will alienate the more hardcore agnostic and atheist viewers. And to boot, it lacks the more traditional presentation of a biblical epic. But I think that adds to why I like it so much. It chooses it’s delivery in the unlikeliest of formats, in a post apocalyptic action movie with one of my favorite actors as the main character. If you keep these ideas in mind when you watch it, it is a damn good movie. A controversial pick, it is also my number 9 favorite movie.

[Mr Minio]

Now that's a good flick. 3

Maybe the book you're referring to was a hoax, Eli knew the Bible by heart anyway. However, this interpretation kills a bit of religious context of the movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

8. http://schaumburglibrary.org/movies/files/2010/10/blazing-saddles.jpg
Blazing Saddles: 1974 (R)
USA / Warner Brothers
89% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=493pL_Vbtnc

I think humor is at its best when it borders on bad taste. And no comedic director does it better then Mel Brooks. This movie is rude, crude, and is a brilliant satire of racism as a whole. And while The Producers has my favorite concept for a Mel Brooks movie, this one makes me laugh the most. Set in 1874, the movie is the story of Bart (Cleavon Little). Bart is working on the railroad when due to employer apathy he and his friend nearly die in quicksand. Bart retaliates against his boss Taggart (Slim Pickens) by hitting him on the head, for which he is arrested and sentenced to the gallows. Taggart’s boss is the State Attorney General Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman), and Hedley wants control of the town of Rock Ridge so that he can build the railroad through it. Problem is people still live there, so he sends Taggart and his men to run the people out of town. In the process the town’s sheriff is murdered and the town petitions the Governor (Mel Brooks) to send them a new one. Lamarr can’t send a competent law man to Rock Ridge, so his plan is to send a sheriff that the towns people themselves would likely kill. He gets Bart out of prison and convinces the Governor to appoint Bart sheriff. Bart is dispatched to Rock Ridge where a celebration is waiting for him. Leading to easily one of my favorite scenes in all of cinema! Be warned their is offensive language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvZdVK913I

Bart must now assume his duties as sheriff, try and win the town folk’s approval, and fend off Hedley Lamarr and company as they try to take over the town. And it is hilarious! There are so many racial jokes, and combined with the repeated use of the N word, it is a movie that could not be made today. It is so politically incorrect, and I love every minute of it! The comedic ensemble is fantastic including Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid and Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp. The movie satires racism, it has loads of visual gags, the best fart joke in movies, and at the end it doesn’t just break the fourth wall, it tears it down as the fight spills into Warner Brothers Studios! Anachronistic to the very core! It is in my opinion the crowning achievement Mel Brooks has done, and it is regarded as a comedy classic. And with good reason when you have Richard Pryor, one of the funniest men to ever live, as a co writer and the greatest comedic director co writing and directing with his usual troupe of comedic actors. It also grossed over 100 million dollars at the box office… in 1974! Only the tenth film at that time to do so! So it is also extremely popular! It is comedy gold, and if you have not seen it you’re doing the French Mistake! And it is my 8th favorite movie of all time.

[The Gunslinger45]

Now that's a good flick. 3

Maybe the book you're referring to was a hoax, Eli knew the Bible by heart anyway. However, this interpretation kills a bit of religious context of the movie.

That is possible. Then again that would mean he knew it all before the bombs dropped. I do like mine my interpretation since it just oozes with subtext. Either way great movie.

[fuze931]

Book of Eli is one of the most underrated films I have seen in awhile. Great action, awesome twist, and what a beautiful set. Gary Oldman may have been the typical cliche "villian", but his charm sprinkled with a dash of chaos was a tremendous concoction of a role, and if you think about it, he thought he was doing the right thing, also.

[The Gunslinger45]

Heads up, this review is going to be a long one.

7. http://www.flicksandbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/the-avengers-movie-poster.jpg
The Avengers: 2012 (PG-13)
USA / Paramount
92% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzSXz-sxVKk

This was the ultimate culmination of the comic book movie boom. Not only is it one of the crowning achievements of comic book movies, it was started by and tied together 5 different movies! This is the cinematic version of a comic book crossover event! But holy hell did it took a while to get here. Like I said before, after Blade we got good comic book movies like X-Men (2000), Spiderman (2002), Blade II (2002), The Punisher (2004), and Batman Begins (2005). But we also got some really terrible movies like Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003), Blade Trinity (2004), Fantastic Four (2005), Elektra (2005), Superman Returns (2006), Spiderman III (2007), and Green Lantern (2011). Trust me there were a lot more! And after 2004, the bad movies began to outnumber the good. Well in April of 2005 Marvel’s CEO Avi Arad with some help from Merrill Lynch began to organize the company to finance its own movies based on its characters, namely an Avengers movie where it would be tied together by five different films. And since Marvel would be pulling the strings, this would allow not only more control over what was put on screen, but also enable better quality, and more faithful adaptations. The result became Marvel Studios.

And the very first film Marvel Studios worked on was a character whose rights they had regained from New Line Cinemas, Iron Man (2008). And it was awesome! Robert Downey Jr. was a perfect casting choice for Tony Stark. He perfectly captured Starks ego, arrogance, swagger, and eccentricities that make him such a good character. And while I miss Tony being an unashamed hawk like in his early days of the comics, they stayed pretty damn close to his more contemporary origin story. So I can’t complain too much. It also introduced Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) of the organization that would later be called SHIELD. And at the end of the credits for Iron Man was the first of many post credit scenes, which introduced Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and he wanted to talk to Tony about the Avengers Initiative! After that the fanboy waters had been chummed!

That same year a reboot Hulk movie was released called The Incredible Hulk (2008) and it was a major improvement on the horrendous Ang Lee Hulk of 2003. Best of all was getting Edward Norton to be Dr Bruce Banner and a far improved CGI Hulk who actually said some of his signature dialogue like, “HULK SMASH!” instead of being a silent grunting brute. Best of all those lines were delivered by Lou Ferrigno who played the Hulk in the 70’s TV show I used to watch on the Sci-Fi Channel as a kid. Both movies were financial successes (though Iron Man was far more successful).

What followed included Iron Man 2 (2010). I am probably in the minority, but I really liked this movie. We got more pathos with Stark and Mickey Rourke, who rarely gives a poor performance, played Ivan Vanko who was an amalgamation of villains Whiplash and the Crimson Dynamo. This movie also introduced Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, and was another box office success.

The following year came Thor (2011) which gave the Odinson his first movie appearance since the God awful TV movie Return of the Hulk. It also introduced to the world Chris Hemsworth in the role that made him a star. And it is actually my favorite of The Avengers tie in movies. I thought Hemsworth was perfect casting for the Thunder God; he had the look, the build, and the presence of royalty. And Tom Hiddleston as Loki was absolutely flawless! However I thought the change from the actual pagan gods to beings from another dimension called Asgard and being an immortal race of aliens from who were mistaken for gods on Earth and where worshiped as the Aesir was pretty silly. But I really liked everything else about the movie, so I did not let that get me down. And this fact allowed the casting of really good actors in certain roles which normally would not be given to a non white actor. Most notable was Idris Elba as Heimdall and Tadanobu Asano as Hogun of the Warriors Three. It had great characters, a perfect balance of action, drama, and humor to break up the tension. Hell Kenneth Branagh was in the director’s seat! So you know that Thor’s speech patterns would be regal when you have Hamlet directing. It did not have as many “doths” or “yay merrilys” as the comics, but it was enough to get the point across. And it did show Thor's transformation from arrogant prince to humble defender of Midgard. And to top it off, it also introduced Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

Finally there was Captain America: The First Avenger headed by Chris Evans. And boy was this a surprise! Chris Evans previously appeared in the horrendous Fantastic Four movies where he played the Human Torch. And he was extremely annoying and unlikable. In this movie though, Evans gets the part right. He plays Steve Rogers as young and idealistic, if not a tad naïve. But the kid’s heart is in the right place, and he expertly portrayed the Star Spangled Super Soldier on the big screen! It was also in this movie that set the plot for The Avengers by revolving around the Tesseract (or Cosmic Cube for comic book fans) that was shown in the Thor post credit scene. And it also included a few nods to the original comic such as the show Roger’s puts on where he punches Hitler in the face (which was the cover of the first issue in the 40’s). And at the end of the movie was the trailer for The Avengers movie itself!

All of the primary cast members from the previous movies would be in this movie (save for Ed Norton who was replaced by Mark Ruffalo) and the story would continue from where the previous movies left off. Now a lot of people were very worried that such an anticipated movie would not live up to the hype. I mean this is a massive movie with a huge budget and ties together the stories from all the other movies. There are a lot of things that could go wrong. And it could not be helped that one anxiety at the time was that this movie was being directed by Joss Whedon. Whedon at this time was primarily known for directing TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. And to be honest I was one of those who had major worries about Whedon’s directorial capabilities. I did not watch Buffy, and while I did watch a few episodes of Angel, it was nothing impressive. That was until a few months before the movie came out. I had checked out another TV show Whedon worked on called Firefly, and I really liked it. Unfortunately the TV show was canceled after only one season and during mid story to boot. But I knew that after the TV show was canned Whedon directed a movie to finish the story of the show. This was a movie called Serenity, and after watching that movie a lot of my concerns were relieved. It showed not only can Whedon direct a big sci-fi action movie, but he can also balance a large cast. All of which would be necessary for this movie.

Then the day came when I saw The Avengers, AND IT WAS EVERYTHING I HAD HOPED FOR AND MORE! Whedon balanced the cast members screen time very well. Each member of the Avengers was given their “moments” which was where they had either a really kick ass scene or action sequence. So everyone got to look badass. Loki also made his return as the main villain. The plot is standard superhero fare. Villain runs amok, tries to take over the world with an alien invasion, and the heroes must come together to stop him. The action beats were all there, the scale was huge, the world was at stake, and the final showdown was easily one of the best I had ever seen! What sets this movie apart from the others is not only the scale but what can be called the movies “Whedonisms.” Joss Whedon likes to add a little bit of comedy into his works. As a scene progresses on, and you get quick comedic beats in, usually in the form of a funny line, a quick visual joke, or the occasional running gag (like Agent Colson’s Captain America man crush). This movie has a lot of Whedonisms, but that does not distract from the movie. The movie is still an action movie based around superheroes and you never lose that feeling. It is just something extra that enhances the movie experience. This movie is a gigantic fun action movie, and helps separate it in tone from the more dark and serious comic book movies like The Dark Knight. In addition, The Dark Knight was a movie where Nolan tried to set the character of Batman in reality. Hence certain elements that were present in the comics were omitted because… they work better in the context of the comic book universe. That’s why Ra’s al Ghul had no Lazarus Pits, and Bane was presented without the muscle enhancing drug Venom. The Avengers on the other hand fully embraces the comic book movie idea. It blends science, magic, and an inverted character who turns into a giant green rage monster when he gets pissed the **** off! And it was fantastic! It gained praise from critics, and also annihilated box office records, becoming the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time. This was mostly due to repeat business as a lot of people went and saw this movie multiple times. Hell I saw it four times in the theaters! This is the movie I saw the most in theaters. I also acted as the guy who got some of my friends and co-workers to see the movie with me. I even broke my general rule of not seeing a movie in 3D (the other reason it made so much money) for three of those viewings just to get the box office up. And I hate paying extra cash to see a movie with 3D, and quite frankly I generally hate 3D movies! But the 3D in this movie was okay. And most importantly I wanted this movie to out-gross the very mediocre Avatar, and the over long Titanic, so I had no issues paying extra. It is also the movie where I had the most fun seeing it in theaters, and the movie that I can honestly say is my favorite movie in terms of pure entertainment. Sure it has a few flaws. Namely the fact that the majority of the character development for Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk was in the 5 tie in movies. Like any good comic book tie in, you really to read the tie in issues to know the bigger picture. It makes the movie that much better. But with that being said, the movie was exactly what it needed to be. And the movie delivered what it needed in spades! One of the greatest comic book movies ever and a milestone in fanboy history, The Avengers, at number 7.

[Daniel M]

Jaws and A Fistful of Dollars are great, Casablanca is really good too although haven't seen in a while.

Watched Dirty Harry for the first time (somehow, as I love Eastwood) last night, was really enjoyable :D

Edit: Blazing Saddles and The Dark Knight are both really good films, and I think Dr. Strangelove is one of Kubrick's many masterpieces. The Avengers I thought was really good and can see why super hero/comic fans would love it, although not so much too my tastes.

And you can count me as another person who likes The Book of Eli, it's a bit too brutal, dark and grim at times, but overall I find it quite an entertaining film :)

[Mr Minio]

Now that's a bad movie! I didn't even want to watch it, but since I'd heard it's awesome like five thousand times I decided to give it a try and was quite disappointed. It felt like the plot was only an excuse to show all the special effects, which were one of the very few advantages of this flick. However, the film wasn't atrocious and was even a bit entertaining, but certainly didn't live up to the hype! 2

[The Gunslinger45]

To each there own. I can understand why some would not care for it, but I love the movie.

[CelluloidChild]

Hell I saw it four times in the theaters! This is the movie I saw the most in theaters. I also acted as the guy who got some of my friends and co-workers to see the movie with me. I even broke my general rule of not seeing a movie in 3D (the other reason it made so much money) for three of those viewings just to get the box office up. And I hate paying extra cash to see a movie with 3D, and quite frankly I generally hate 3D movies! But the 3D in this movie was okay. And most importantly I wanted this movie to out-gross the very mediocre Avatar, and the over long Titanic, so I had no issues paying extra.

Marvel Studios should recognize fans like you. At least with a free ticket to Avengers 2.

[The Gunslinger45]

Marvel Studios should recognize fans like you. At least with a free ticket to Avengers 2.

If they did that they would need to hand out A LOT of free tickets! :D I was not the only one who saw this movie more then once to get the box office up.

[jiraffejustin]

I was thinking The Avengers was going to suck going into the movie, the only reason I went is because my friends basically begged me to go. It was way better than I expected.

As far as superhero movies go, I still prefer the Nolan Batman trilogy, the 1966 Batman, and Watchmen though.

[The Gunslinger45]

I have not seen Watchmen yet, but only because I already read the comics.

[jiraffejustin]

I have not seen Watchmen yet, but only because I already read the comics.

Yeah, the comics are the better work, and I know a lot of people HATE the movie. But the movie is enough of it's own thing, while staying true (enough) to the comic that it's worth seeing. I still need to see the complete version though, the added animated bits about the Black Freighter seem interesting.

[Gabrielle947]

Avengers was entertaining,I'm not a big fan of action or superhero films,so basically I don't remember anything about Avengers now except that I enjoyed it. :up:
I still need to see the complete version though, the added animated bits about the Black Freighter seem interesting.
I always watch the longest version of the film but the Black Freighter story makes the film really heavy and depressing.I don't think that film gets better because of it but it definitely improves the devastating atmosphere.

[The Gunslinger45]

6. http://pics.filmaffinity.com/Rashomon-166287858-large.jpg
Rashomon: 1951 (NR)
Japan / Daiei Film Co.
100% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCsUQ9rxiE4

So what movie do I rank above The Avengers? A Kurosawa movie of course! Rashomon is often said to be one of if not the best Kurosawa movie and it is very easy to see why. While it does take place in feudal times, Rashomon is not a samurai movie in the same vein as Yojimbo, instead this movie is a psychological thriller. The story begins outside of Rashomon gates, where during a downpour we meet a woodcutter (Takashi Shimura), a priest (Minoru Chiaki), and a commoner (Kichijiro Ueda). The commoner asks what has the monk and woodcutter so down, and they say that they have just been at a trial for the rape of a woman, and how multiple people have testified and given contradictory reports. The main players are the bandit Tajomaru (Toshiro Mifune), a samurai (Masasuki Mori), his wife (Machiko Kyo), and the woodcutter. What happens is that Tajomaru convinced the samurai to go off the road with his wife to sell ancient swords he claims to have found. The samurai agrees and he takes his wife to go off into the woods. When they are deep in the woods, Tajomaru ambushes the samurai, ties him up and rapes his wife, which is about as simply as I can put it. The genius and innovation behind this movie is that each character tells the story in flashback and while each story follows the same points, are very different and all are contradictory. Each of the testimonies where shown to be entirely plausible, but all are in doubt due to certain circumstances. To top it off, the certain testimony at the trial is called into question when new facts concerning the crime scene are discovered. It is an examination of point of view and the meaning of truth. And each of the four people who gave a story has their character cast into doubt. This movie gave rise to the “Rashomon effect,” a cinematic device that will use the flashback techniques to show multiple points of view of one single event. This would be used in movies like The Usual Suspects, Vantage Point, and Basic. The ending however is extremely poignant! I got a few tears in my eyes at the end! See this movie now if you haven’t! The movie was very well received in the western world, but oddly enough it confused many Japanese critics. Many claimed that it did well overseas because it was a more “western” film and others thought it did well because it was exotic. I don’t get the gripes personally, as it is easily one of my favorite films Kurosawa has done, and I am not the only one who believes it. It is often named among the best and most influential films. Either way you look at it, Rashomon is a brilliant piece of Japanese cinema, and it is my 6th favorite movie of all time.

[JayDee]

Awesome pick with Avengers! :up: I need to try and catch up with the rest of your list

And I enjoyed your review of it, reminded me of my own fanboy ramblings back when I first saw it. JayDee's Avengers review (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=809529)


Now that's a bad movie! I didn't even want to watch it, but since I'd heard it's awesome like five thousand times I decided to give it a try and was quite disappointed. It felt like the plot was only an excuse to show all the special effects, which were one of the very few advantages of this flick. However, the film wasn't atrocious and was even a bit entertaining, but certainly didn't live up to the hype! 2

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/Hulk_zps69da1059.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/Hulk_zps69da1059.jpg.html)

[The Gunslinger45]

Excellent review JayDee! You touched on a lot of the points I did as well as a few I did not. Very well done! Oh and the Hulk pick made me lol

[The Gunslinger45]

Okay now the number 5 spot is a tie. I have tried to find out which one I like better, and I can't. It is like choosing between kids; not gonna happen. So instead we have 5A and 5B.

5A. http://dslusar.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clerks-movie-poster.jpg?w=719&h=1024
Clerks: 1992 (R)
USA / Miramax
88% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBtUFSHl4ZY

Clerks follows a day in the life of Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halleron), a clerk at the local convenience store the Quik-Stop. He is in his early twenties, is not in college, and hates his dead end job. But he does nothing to advance his station in life and does his job with the bare minimum of effort. His counterpart is Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), who works at the video store next door. If Dante does the bare minimum, Randal does even less than that. He is hostile to customers, routinely tears up customer membership cards, and is so bad at his job I am shocked he has one. The movie begins on Saturday morning on Dante’s day off and he is called into work. And the day he has is absolute hell. He has to juggle being assaulted with cigarettes, issues with his girlfriend Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), issues with his cheating ex-girlfriend Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer), hockey on the roof, dealing with local drug peddlers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (director Kevin Smith), hanging out with Randal, and the strange and unusual customers who happen to come into the stores. And between all of that comes a sh*t ton of very funny discussions about movies, sex, relationships, and the random bullsh*t that a couple of guys would have just sitting around at work with nothing to do. The best way I can describe this movie is one half heart mixed with one half raw humor. The extremely crude language is very creative, as are the situations Dante and Randal are put into. But the movie is not just a collection of dick and fart jokes. You see Dante is torn between his current girlfriend, and his cheating ex-girlfriend he still has feelings for. He faces the choice of staying with his current girlfriend who is crazy about him, brings him food at work, and wants to see him get out of this soul crushing hellhole that is the Quik-Stop. Caitlin on the other hand, he dated for years in high school and she cheated on him all the whole time. He also has to struggle with the choice to stick with the easy and secure job he hates or to quit and face uncertainty as he tries to get a better job or go to school. The movie leads to interpersonal conflict all around, but ultimately the day has to come to an end with the closing of the store. And it is full of Kevin Smith's signature dialogue. And it is one of the funniest movies I have seen.

[fuze931]

Yes!

[The Gunslinger45]

5B. http://images.fan-de-cinema.com/affiches/comedie/clerks_ii,2.jpg
Clerks II: 2006 (R)
USA / Weinstein Company
63%

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0R3OjMcOqg

Then there was Clerks II, which followed Kevin Smith’s Jersey Girl a critical and a commercial disappointment. Jersey Girl was a love letter to Kevin’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith, and while it had nowhere near the same level of raunchiness or humor, the movie had a double dose of the heart that is reminiscent of Chasing Amy. And to be honest, I liked it. But the tabloids were much more focused on the behind the scenes, especially since this was when star Ben Affleck was still dating Jennifer Lopez and it was the most unpleasant shoot Smith was on. After the wrap, he felt he needed to go back to the well and decided to make Clerks II, and he set the movie ten years after the events of the original. The movie opens in black and white as Dante pulls up to the familiar Quik-Stop. Dante opens the shutters to reveal that the stores are burning down and this leads to the transitions to color. Faced with their unemployment, they have no choice but to work in the fast food industry. They get jobs at the local Mooby’s, a fictional fast food chain tied to a cartoon character first seen in Dogma. Like the first Clerks, this follows the now thirty year old men in a day at their jobs. They deal with the same annoying customers, Jay and Silent Bob are hanging out in front of the restaurant, and Dante and Randal still fire back and forth the same hilarious dialogue as before. A few new characters are also added. Becky (Rosario Dawson) is their boss and Elias (Trevor Fehrman) is the awkward fry cook. But instead of this being a rehash like say Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, these characters have grown. Dante is engaged to a woman named Emma (Smith’s wife Jennifer Schwabach) and is trying to advance his station by moving to Florida to manage his fiancée’s father’s car wash business. Jay is now sober (a reflection of Jason Mewes’ own troubled drug history) and has found Jesus. Silent Bob is his sponsor, and Randal is now having issues about his best friend and constant companion moving away to Florida. But despite these changes they are still the same characters. Randal is still hostile to the customers, Dante is caught in yet another love triangle, and despite being sober and God fearing, Jay is still a foul mouthed pot dealer who puts the moves on every chick he meets. The movie also continues to be focused on a day in the life of these characters as was Clerks, but now the stakes are higher and the gags are larger. Even Smith shows his maturation as a film maker by actually moving the camera more instead of having it be mostly stationary like in the original. The humor in the original was mostly word play, but with a bigger budget allows for bigger jokes. This is shown in a bigger primary set, more location shooting then the original, and even a dance number. But the biggest part is one of the final scenes as Randal tries to throw a surprise going away party for Dante by hiring a Tijuana donkey show performance in the restaurant! And due to certain “confusion” hilarity ensues with one of the funniest scenes I have ever seen in my entire life put on screen! I nearly died laughing when I saw this in theaters! The end is also a big emotional payoff as each character’s crisis is solved, the two clerks finally find their true station in life, and it is a big happy ending. And it brings an end the stories of characters I have enjoyed since I was a teenager. I loved these movies then and I still love them now. Clerks and Clerks II tied for the number 5 spot.

[fuze931]

Ummmmm......





YES!!!!

[The Gunslinger45]

4. http://www.affiches-et-posters.com/images/products/xl_2651-affiche-du-film-gran-torino-clint-eastwood.jpg
Gran Torino: 2008 (R)
USA / Warner Brothers
80% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NelBNtNm8l0

Clint Eastwood has been on screen as an actor for what seems like an eternity. And he has been behind the camera as a director for almost as long. And this is my personal favorite movie he has done. The story centers on Walt Kowalski, a Korean War vet whose wife just died. He lives alone in his house in the old neighborhood of Detroit. He is the last of the old neighborhood that lives there, as the rest of his neighbors are Hmung (people from the Indochinese Mountains of China, Laos, and Cambodia). And since he is not particularly close to his immediate family, he chooses to stay in his own house. Walt is also very racist, as it is not uncommon to hear him say something form his mental rolodex of racial slurs. Things start to change however one night when he prevents his neighbor Thao from stealing his prized 72 Gran Torino. The theft was part of an initiation into a Hmung gang, and when they try to get Thao to do another theft for them, Thao says no. They are about to beat the crap out of him when they are confronted by Walt with an M1 Garand who tells them to “Get off my lawn.” The gang bangers flee and Walt is now the new hero of the neighborhood. His Hmung neighbors bring him food and various gifts that he does not want. Thao’s older sister Sue Lor is the most adamant about making a connection with Walt, despite the various slurs which she laughs off. Thao is sent over to help Walt around the house to atone for trying to steal his car. The two ends up spending a lot of time together and the two become rather close. Thao gains the father figure he never had, and Walt gains a closer family bond to them more than he does with his actual family. Walt gets to pass on what he knows to the next generation while Thao learns to become a man. It is a touching tale of drama with Clint Eastwood reprising his signature tough guy role. However unlike other previous tough guy roles this is not in a crime thriller like Dirty Harry or a spaghetti western. In fact there is very little action in it. It is very dialogue heavy, but it is never boring, there is purpose to each line and Eastwood injects some humor into a lot of it. Eastwood’s portrayal as Walt is more of a tragic figure in need of redemption. He was a very cold father, he his dying of cancer, and must face his mortality. He is also a working class man who is a relic of a different age long gone, but what he has to teach is not outdated. And while he still holds old prejudices, he slowly changes while still being the same man he always was. It is a very touching movie while presenting itself with all the pissed off gruff you expect from an Eastwood movie. It is easy to enjoy, and considering it made a mountain of cash at the box office, it is safe to say lots of people enjoyed it. This movie however was ripped off at the Oscars, not receiving a single nomination, adding to my beefs with the Academy. But it is a great movie. Easily one of my all time favorites at number 4.

[CelluloidChild]

Rashomon is awesome. Perhaps the beginning of postmodern storytelling in film?

[The Gunslinger45]

Well Kurosawa was a big influence of modern cinema.

[The Gunslinger45]

Here we go, the final three! And we all saw this one coming, more Kurosawa!

3. http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110411231551/eiga/images/b/b9/Seven_Samurai_2.jpg
Seven Samurai: 1954 (NR)
Japan / Toho
100% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nha8ICFYMzs

I love Akira Kurosawa; he was simply a cinema legend. And it shows in the greatest samurai movie ever made. There is a very poor village of farmers who are plagued by bandits, who come and steal their crops and food. Fearing starvation, they go to another nearby village to hire ronin samurai to fight off the bandits. They have no money to give to the samurai and they can only pay them in white rice while they eat millet (a food stuff of no nutritional value). They first find Kambei (Takashi Shimura) during a hostage situation. A thief has taken a child captive and is hiding in a shack. Kambei shaves off his top knot (a symbol of honor for a samurai) in order to pass as a monk. He brings rice balls to the thief and the boy, and then strikes killing the thief and saving the child’s life. After that is resolved, he agrees to fight for the villagers and suggests that a total of seven samurai are needed to fight the 40 bandits. The young and inexperienced Katsushiro (Isao Kimura) is quick to join after witnessing Kambei’s rescue of the child, and Kambei then recruits the good natured Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba). Next they get one of Kambei’s old lieutenants to join named Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato) as well as the good humored but mediocre swordsmen Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki). The last two to join are master swordsmen Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi) and Kikuchiyo played by one of my favorite actors Toshiro Mifune. Kikuchiyo is not actually a samurai, he was born a farmer but wants to rise above his station, and he has a stolen birth certificate and a giant sword to fit the part. He is the drunken comedic foil to the proper samurai, adding comedic relief as well as a few moments of genuine drama to the story. Plus he is great with the kids. They go to the village, erect defenses and lay the battle plan for the fight all the while exploring the relationship between the farmers and the samurai. And the final battle is a long one, just a little more than an hour of film time, and spans several days in the movie. And it leads to arguably the best final showdown in cinema history. The acting is fantastic, the sets are huge and shot on location, and scenes toward the end are shot in the rain and freezing cold. What makes it all the more impressive is that these scenes call for certain characters (namely Mifune) to be in minimal cloths, so many an actor suffered on this set. One of the biggest influences on Akira Kurosawa was America’s own John Ford, the man who directed many a John Wayne movie including The Searchers. Kurosawa uses many western stock characters and themes in the movie. In addition many of Kurosawa’s shots in his movies are inspired by shots you would see in westerns. So it is fitting that Hollywood remade Seven Samurai into a western. And in 1960, that remake was released as The Magnificent Seven. The movie is great and has a stellar cast, but in my humble opinion is not as good as the original. And Seven Samurai was also remade into other movies that share the same plot such with movies from The 13th Warrior to A Bugs Life. Still nowhere near as good. It is Kurosawa's best movie, and one of my all time favorite! Seven Samurai at number 3.

[Mr Minio]

So what movie do I rank above The Avengers? A Kurosawa movie of course! Damn, how can you distinguish which one is better out of your favourite movies? I couldn't make a top 50 or 100 list, because I'd rather eat a herring pie than sort these films in exact, numerological order.

Rashomon is often said to be one of if not the best Kurosawa movie and it is very easy to see why. It's my favourite of Kurosawa too. Simply glorious. 4.5


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/Hulk_zps69da1059.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/Hulk_zps69da1059.jpg.html)




http://s24.postimg.org/9ad658psl/fassbender_magneto.jpg

Gran Torino is an excellent film. 4

[The Gunslinger45]

Damn, how can you distinguish which one is better out of your favourite movies? I couldn't make a top 50 or 100 list, because I'd rather eat a herring pie than sort these films in exact, numerological order.

It's my favourite of Kurosawa too. Simply glorious. 4.5




http://s24.postimg.org/9ad658psl/fassbender_magneto.jpg

Gran Torino is an excellent film. 4

THAT pick made me LOL!

And to be honest it took me over a month to finish this list. And to be honest writing out the reviews of why I liked them really helped in making my decision. Some I could not even come to a true conclusion on, like my number 5 spot. But I spent a long time thinking about what makes my favorite movies, and it was a lot of fun.

[The Gunslinger45]

As for my favorite Kurosawa movie, see number three. Though that was also one of the hard decisions. Which Kurosawa movie do I like more? The psychological thriller or the greatest samurai movie ever! I went with more Toshiro Mifune.

[CelluloidChild]

You inspired me to watch both Clerks movies. Thanks for the good time!

I'd seen the first one at the theater when it came out, but I'd never seen the animated funeral parlor scene, which was added years later. (That scene was great, but the line in the subsequent scene about 'leaning on the coffin' then became awkward, because that's not what happened in the animated scene.)

It was, as you point out, great to observe the stylistic differences in the two films. The original was filmed on a production budget of 27,000 bucks. I guess that accounts for all those long single-shot scenes, which I really like because they add an intimate quality and accentuate the snappy banter. I figured the whole sealed shutter device was to prevent glare from the window - but I just read it was because they filmed the whole thing at night in the convenience store where Kevin Smith was working during the day.

Compared to the grittier black and white Clerks I, the sequel (which I just watched for the first time) was, as you say, larger and more fun, with lots more laugh out loud moments. Jeff Anderson's acting was good in the first film, and was even better in the second.

Other interesting things I read concerned the rating of the movies. The MPAA hit the first one with an NC-17 rating despite no violence or nudity - solely for the language. The Weinsteins hired Alan Dershowitz to fight the MPAA, and they changed it to an R rating - which they subsequently gave to the second one as well, despite its raunchier content.

[Mr Minio]

I went with more Toshiro Mifune. I prefer Tatsuya Nakadai. And Seppuku.

[The Gunslinger45]

Good choice. Thought I have not seen that movie yet, though he was in Yojimbo and Sanjuro

[Mr Minio]

Watch it then, but be careful, as it may change your opinion about the best samurai movie!

[The Gunslinger45]

I have seen the recent remake to Harakiri. It was good

[The Gunslinger45]

Either way it is in my watch list on Hulu

[The Gunslinger45]

You inspired me to watch both Clerks movies. Thanks for the good time!

I'd seen the first one at the theater when it came out, but I'd never seen the animated funeral parlor scene, which was added years later. (That scene was great, but the line in the subsequent scene about 'leaning on the coffin' then became awkward, because that's not what happened in the animated scene.)

It was, as you point out, great to observe the stylistic differences in the two films. The original was filmed on a production budget of 27,000 bucks. I guess that accounts for all those long single-shot scenes, which I really like because they add an intimate quality and accentuate the snappy banter. I figured the whole sealed shutter device was to prevent glare from the window - but I just read it was because they filmed the whole thing at night in the convenience store where Kevin Smith was working during the day.

Compared to the grittier black and white Clerks I, the sequel (which I just watched for the first time) was, as you say, larger and more fun, with lots more laugh out loud moments. Jeff Anderson's acting was good in the first film, and was even better in the second.

Other interesting things I read concerned the rating of the movies. The MPAA hit the first one with an NC-17 rating despite no violence or nudity - solely for the language. The Weinsteins hired Alan Dershowitz to fight the MPAA, and they changed it to an R rating - which they subsequently gave to the second one as well, despite its raunchier content.

Oh you are quite welcome. I am glad you enjoyed it. And yes the MPAA is not a consistent rater of movies. Why no NC 17 rating for a movie with a donkey show and one for just the dialogue is beyond me. XD

[CelluloidChild]

Oh you are quite welcome. I am glad you enjoyed it. And yes the MPAA is not a consistent rater of movies. Why no NC 17 rating for a movie with a donkey show and one for just the dialogue is beyond me. XD

The way I understood it is the MPAA probably didn't want Alan Dershowitz on their case a second time.

[The Gunslinger45]

That would make sense. But the MPAA have a history of rating one movie one way, and a similar movie another way.

[The Gunslinger45]

2. http://www.heymiller.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/red-dawn-movie-poster-1984-10107352731.jpg
Red Dawn: 1984 (PG-13)
USA / MGM
53%

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGz3L_M20zo

This is the last of the movies with Cold War themes on my list. The Hunt for Red October looked at the Cold War dealing with a near miss of a nuclear holocaust. Dr Strangelove explored mutually assured destruction and mocked it, and as a continuation of the the Cold War post apocalyptic movies explore life after the bombs have dropped. Red Dawn on the other hand covered the idea of what happened if during the Cold War the bombs never dropped, but instead the Russians had invaded. Five minutes into this movie you see a Colorado high school overrun by Russian, Cuban, and Nicaraguan paratroopers to begin their invasion of the US. Escaping the fray at the school, a group of teenagers including Matt Eckert (Charlie Sheen) and adult brother Jed Eckert (Patrick Swayze) grab a bunch of guns and supplies and head for the mountains. The group adds two additional members and they start a guerrilla war against their Soviet invaders calling themselves the Wolverines. They set up ambushes, bomb movie theaters with Soviet films (namely Alexander Nevsky), raid prison camps, blow up Soviet vehicles, and leave the Russkies lying in puddles of their own blood. The plot is simple, the characters are not the most complex, but the drama is real and the violence is in mass amounts. And though the violence is relatively bloodless like in a John Ford western the number of violent acts is staggering. In fact this movie was considered the most violent movie at the time in terms of number of violent acts on screen. This movie even held the record in the Guinness Book of Records. It was also the first movie to be distributed with the PG-13 rating.

To talk about this movie I have to talk about John Milius. John Milius was a film student at the University of Southern California and in a group of friends that included Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola. He chose film school after being turned down for the Marines due to asthma. He was mostly a writer in his early days. He was an un-credited writer on Dirty Harry, The Hunt for Red October, and Jaws, a credited co-writer on Magnum Force and Apocalypse Now, and wrote and directed Conan the Barbarian as well as this movie. He was also the writer who came up with a lot of the most memorable lines in American cinema. He wrote the “Do I feel Lucky” monologue from Dirty Harry, “Go ahead make my day” from Sudden Impact, the “Charlie don’t surf” and “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” lines Robert Duvall says in Apocalypse Now, and he had a hand in the USS Indianapolis speech Quint gives in Jaws. He eventually decided to direct so he could see his works fully realized on screen without the studios butchering the script. The biggest influences on his directing were both John Ford and Akira Kurosawa, but the likes of David Lean, Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah, and his friend and mentor John Huston have had influences on him as well. And even though he was friends with some of the biggest names in film making, he was always considered an outsider because of his politics in the left leaning Hollywood system. A self described “Zen Anarchist” who just as easily is pro gun, but also wants to see Rush Limbaugh drawn and quartered. Not even a joke.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/09/john.milius.movies/index.html

Milius aligned himself with the conservative members of Hollywood and was seen by many in the industry as a nut job. The movie was a hit at the box office, taking in over 38 million dollars on a 4 million dollar budget. But the reviews were mixed. Some liked the movie while others condemned the movie as saber rattling and jingoistic. In addition, some people said that it was a dangerous film during the Cold War. Okay a critic does not like a movie, fine, but dangerous? Why Red Dawn? To be fair Red Dawn was made at a time of renewed tensions between the Soviets and the US, such as the CIA backed funding of Mujaheddin in Afghanistan, increased military spending on nuclear arms, the Soviets own domestic issues such as inefficient agriculture and manufacturing, the Polish solidarity movement, the shooting down of a Korean Airlines 747 with Congressman Larry McDonald on board and killing 269 people in total, and the like; tensions were tight. And the Doomsday Clock at the year of its release was set at 11:57, the highest the clock has been since the Russian tested their first nuke. But still, why such the backlash? Movies have been released and praised even when the films subject matter reflects troubled times. For starters there is no movie released at a worst time then I can think of off the top of my head then Dr Strangelove. I already went into detail of its release, the Cuban Missile Crisis and what not. And yet despite this, it was still a considered great movie by the critics. And while Dr Strangelove is a better crafted film by a master director, I never heard that movie being called dangerous. And even a movie that gained a reputation for being “dangerous” can still be considered great. One such praised movie is also my 50th favorite movie on this list and actually has an influences on this one, The Battle of Algiers. As I said, The Battle of Algiers gained a bit of a reputation for its popularity with radical elements of the 60’s and 70’s due to possible “inspiration” for their violent terrorist acts. A reputation I have called BS on and explained in that review. And once again it is a better movie, but still why the outcry over Red Dawn and not The Battle of Algiers by critics? Why call one movie dangerous when there are other films? Did Red Dawn have any sort of bearing on the climate of the politics between the US and the USSR? F@$K NO! It was a movie! And nowhere near influential enough to influence social policy. So I ask again, why was this movie called dangerous and not others? My explanation is simple. First off I think some degree of favoritism was in play. Critics did not want to have movies they actually liked seen as dangerous because that would hurt those movies. And then there is the second reason. Dr Strangelove was able to get away with a lot because it mocked all aspects of the Cold War arms race, including both the US and the USSR. In The Battle of Algiers there was no good side in this movie as both powers commit horrible acts and it is very difficult to sympathize with either side. Red Dawn on the other hand, clearly took America’s side. This is a very pro America movie in which ordinary Americans rise up against Communist forces that are labeled as the bad guys. Now the Cuban Colonel Bella (Ron O’Neal) is shown to be dissatisfied with his role as a conqueror and oppressor rather than as the revolutionary of the people he sees himself as. It shows that not all of the communists are one note demons, though he was the only one who got that arc. So in short, Red Dawn is pro America, pro second amendment, and very anti-communist. Yeah I can see why certain Hollywood types and critics would hate this flick. And that is fine. It is not a movie made with them in mind. It is one thing to say you dislike a movie, but to call a movie dangerous period is silly.

From many interviews I have read from him, Milius states he was for the most part blacklisted from a lot of work in Hollywood, as well as never given full control as a director ever again. Even despite the nearly 10 fold profit of the movie. He still found some work, but for a guy who had legitimate talent as a writer and was behind the movie that gave the greatest action hero in Arnold Schwarzenegger his first real big break, and helped write one of Francis Ford Coppela’s greatest works it is sad that politics got in the way of his career. But what he gave us can never be taken away. If you cry out “WOLVERINES!” people know exactly what you are talking about! And if you have ever seen Walter in The Big Lebowski, take a guess who is friends with the Coen Brothers and inspired that character. ;) And before they started dirty dancing, it was also the first pairing of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. There is a documentary about him that should be coming out soon, and I want to pick it up when it comes out on DVD. He is one of my favorite writers and has a hand in four of my all time favorite films. What more can I say about this movie other then it is a low brow The Battle of Algiers, and number 2 on my list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoM6IFiyRjE

[honeykid]

Some great choices on the last two pages, as well as Gran Torino and The Avengers. :p I've not seen either of those films, but, you know, I don't have to.

Also, Mr. Mino complaining that an action movie was an excuse for the effects? Really? You don't say. :D

[The Gunslinger45]

Thanks HK. Just one more movie and I will release it later today. :D

[Mr Minio]

Also, Mr Minio complaining that an action movie was an excuse for the effects? Really? You don't say. :D Films like Looper, The Dark Knight Rises, X-Men: First Class and Running Scared can also be treated as action films with special effects, but in those movies special effects were an addition to the plot. In The Avengers we had quite opposite situation. At least to me.

[Guaporense]

The Avengers was better than The Dark Knight Rises but I agree that X-Men: First Class was the best out of the three. The Avenger's is pretty conventional in plot so one can say it is an excuse to display especial effects since the plot is similar to many earlier movies.

However, despite it's formulaic nature I still enjoyed The Avengers very much, even though I think it is one of the weaker movies that I have watched that are on this list.

[The Gunslinger45]

However, despite it's formulaic nature I still enjoyed The Avengers very much, even though I think it is one of the weaker movies that I have watched that are on this list.

I admit this, however never underestimate a fan boy's love. lol

[The Gunslinger45]

Well folks the time has come for me to reveal and review my all time favorite movie. Some of you know it already. Many have seen it already. So this review will be a love letter to the movie and explain why I love it so much. It will be also be the longest review I do. Mostly because I have a lot to say.

[The Gunslinger45]

1. http://www.gatodegrandesbotas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/TAXI-DRIVER.jpg
Taxi Driver: 1976 (R)
USA / Columbia Pictures
98% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqLyTdcMLhc

Taxi Driver is often named as one of the greatest movies Martin Scorsese has ever made, and it has made quite a few lists of the greatest movies ever made. And it is very easy to see why. The movie is set in 1970’s New York City when Times Square was still seedy as hell and New York City as a whole was considered a cesspool. Watching this movie it really reflects that feeling. From some of the neighborhoods, people in the background, the sex shops and porno theaters, to character’s apartments you really feel like this city is starting to crumble. Especially since very little of anything redeeming is shown. The protagonist is an honorably discharged Marine by the name of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). He describes himself as “God’s lonely man” suffering from isolation and the after effects of the Vietnam War. He also has a very difficult time connecting to people, even though he tries to do so on several occasions. He suffers from insomnia, and as a result takes a job as a taxi driver working nights “anytime anyplace.” When he is not working he has a habit of going to porno theaters and keeping a diary. His diary expresses the frustrations of a man who sees nothing but filth around him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsQypGlE7c8

We also see that Bickle is (among other things) a racist, a homophobe, and a tad sexist. But all is not lost for Travis, as there is one beautiful thing in NYC, as he introduces himself to Betsy (Cybil Shepard) a woman who is working for the presidential campaign of Democratic politician Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris). Betsy also seems to be a lonely person in New York, (after all she agreed to go out with Travis after the most awkward beginning to a courtship I have ever seen). Awkwardness aside, it seems Travis is doing well, he goes on a lunch date and he asks her out for a second date. She says yes. The second date is an unmitigated disaster. Betsy breaks off contact with Travis, and now with nothing left that is beautiful in his life and completely alone; he sinks into a deep and dark depression. After a very disturbing fare (played by Scorsese himself), Travis goes to talk to a fellow cab driver Wizard (Peter Boyle). Travis expresses he has some bad thoughts in his head, and Wizard does little to dissuade those thoughts. After that, Travis begins to get “orga-ni-zied”, and he sets his sights on killing Charles Palantine. He arms himself and begins a physical training regimen that gets him into shape. Also in proper military fashion he acquires a secondary target, a young prostitute named Iris (Jodie Foster), or more accurately her pimp “Sport” (Harvey Keitel). Travis becomes obsessed with Iris and wants to see her stop hooking and return home to Pittsburgh so she can live a normal life. The movie moves along at a fairly slow pace, but it gets kicked up a notch for a few minutes at the end. Where Travis releases his anger and frustration in violence, and engages in one of the most violent and gritty shootouts of all time!

The movie presents a more negative view of vigilantism than a movie like The Dark Knight, in which you know that Batman is the good guy because… he’s Batman! Travis Bickle on the other hand is not a hero. He does have good qualities; he wants more from his life then self pleasure, served honorably with the Marines, wants to help Iris, and he prevents an armed robbery of a store. But he is obviously suffering from some serious psychological issues, and any good qualities he has get overshadowed by the fact that he means to kill a presidential candidate. The ending shows the power of perception. Travis fails to shoot Palantine, but succeeds in killing Sport and freeing Iris. As such Travis gets celebrated in the press as a hero who takes the law into his own hands and fights the scum of New York City. But had he been a little quicker on the draw he would have been reviled as a murderer and a monster. He also wins back the affections of Betsy at the end of the movie showing that the one beautiful thing in all New York has not left him. But when he gives a final look back in the rear view mirror, it does suggest he is still unstable and could snap again.

A second interpretation reflects Martin Scorsese’s religious leanings. Scorsese was raised Catholic and at one point wanted to go into the priesthood before he chose a film career. Scorsese once compared Bickle as a saint who wishes to purify his mind and body early in the movie. Travis begins thispurification by eating right, exercising, and by not popping pills. After he decides to go after Palantine he holds his hand over a flame on his oven. One can see this as Travis just being crazy, but famed critic Roger Ebert seems to suggest he is testing the fires of Hell. The idea does fit as Travis is still living in sin even though he is in the process of purifying himself. He stills goes to porno theaters and he continues his violent plans against Palantine. But at the same time he does want redemption, and he finds the key to his redemption in Iris. After the failure to kill Palantine he goes off to save Iris himself, and he is celebrated as a hero. Does this mean Travis find redemption in reality or in his mind? That is up to the viewer.

The movie is pure genius! In fact I only have one very minor gripe with the movie. When Travis meets Easy Andy to get some guns, he chooses 4 pistols. The first is the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in 44 Magnum, a Smith & Wesson snub nose 38 SPL, a Walther PPK in 380 ACP, and a Colt 25 ACP he turns into his sleeve gun. My only issue with this scene is Travis Bickle is an ex-Marine, and in the suitcase is a perfectly good 1911A1 in 45 ACP, a gun he would be very familiar with from his time in the USMC. The Model 29 is even called unsuitable by Fast Eddie himself. So why does Travis choose the 44 Magnum and not the trusty 45? My best guess is this was more of an influence of the Dirty Harry movie than anything else. After all Dirty Harry was released only 5 years before this movie, and the writer Paul Schrader and Scorsese most likely saw it.

Robert De Niro plays Travis as a man unhinged in spectacular fashion. De Niro is one of those actors who have to ability to melt into the role. Any trace of him as an actor is gone and all that is left is the character. Part of that has to do with De Niro’s method style of acting. Travis Bickle is based upon Arthur Bremer, the would-be assassin who shot Presidential candidate George Wallace. This man’s diaries had been published, and De Niro listened to taped readings of the diaries. In addition, De Niro got himself a cab license and drove around New York City picking up fares. De Niro also interviewed a few soldiers to get down the Middle America way of talking that he does in the movie. That is incredible dedication.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBfzq8ysdg

In addition to De Niro’s acting, actress Jodie Foster’s acting is FANTASTIC! Part of what makes her performance so good is that she was 14 when this movie was shot, and she is showing more talent as a teenager then some big name actresses are showing as adults in movies today *cough* Jessica Alba! That is impressive, and shows why she is my favorite actress! The Bernard Herrmann score for this movie is haunting! It sets the mood and perfectly sets the tone for the movie. What do you expect from the guy who did the scores for Citizen Kane, Psycho, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Vertigo?

In addition to all the praise I can heap on this movie, I can identify with the theme of loneliness. After I graduated from college, I opted to stay to attend graduate school and earn my masters degree. After that, all my college friends and roommates moved away and left me alone. I was not a drinker at the time, nor was I a pot head, and I hate the bar and club scenes. And since that is about 95% of all social interactions in my little college town, for two years I lived pretty much like a hermit.

The film is also directed by my favorite director of all time, Martin Scorsese. The movie keeps to Scorsese’s themes of urban crime and grit (where he is at his best). The movie was also a financial success, taking in $28 million on a $1.3 million budget. The movie does have a few controversies however. It will always be linked to the attempted shooting of President Ronald Regan, as Hinckley tried to kill Regan to impress Jodie Foster. What a nutjob. It also had to be edited at the end to get an R rating. The final shoot out, was deemed too graphic by the MPAA, and the colors had to be desaturated to allow the blood to appear brighter and somehow less offensive. Killjoys. But Scorsese said in the end he liked the change. There were also a few people concerned about Jodie Foster being in the movie with more graphic scenes she was in like the final shoot-out and when Travis first meets her in person pretending to be a john. For more graphic scenes of a sexual nature Jodie actually had her older sister as a body double. And as for the final shootout, she was there for the set up of the scenes and effects so she could see what was going to happen. This helped alleviate potential trauma to the young actress.

But the controversies aside, I still love this movie. And I am not the only one who loves this movie, as it was nominated for four Academy Awards, won 3 BAFTA awards, and won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival (the highest honor they have). And the late Roger Ebert also called it one of the best films he has ever seen. And to top it off it was added to the National Film Registry to be preserved for all time in the Library of Congress, as it is deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to film. My love for this movie is also part of the reason I am not a Rocky fan, it won for best picture in 1976 beating out this movie. And the lack of a Best Director nomination for Scorsese is one of many beefs I have with the Academy. It also shows that you don’t have to do a movie about a good guy to make a great movie. De Niro would continue to make movies with Scorsese in the same vein with movies like Goodfellas, Casino, the Cape Fear remake, and what many consider to be Scorsese’s greatest work Raging Bull. But this is the movie that is my personal favorite pairing of the two and in my opinion Scorsese’s best. It is a perfect blend of gritty urban violence, character study, and beautiful cinematic art. It is also a movie I can say gets better every time I watch it. And there is no higher praise I can give to a movie. And it is my all time favorite movie.

[The Gunslinger45]

So that was my 50 favorite movies of all time. I had fun making it and sharing it with you. I hope you enjoyed it as well.

[Nostromo87]

taxi driver is a stellar pick at #1. sorta regret not putting it into my top 30

i think it is Scorsese's masterpiece and the best DeNiro movie

[The Gunslinger45]

taxi driver is a stellar pick at #1. sorta regret not putting it into my top 30

i think it is Scorsese's masterpiece and the best DeNiro movie

As do I. It is clear and above all the other movies. This is my favorite movie, and I consider it one of the greatest movies of all time.

[honeykid]

An excellent choice, GS. :up:

Like you, I love Taxi Driver and, probably like you, that means I have no real idea of how many times I've seen it. :D

[The Gunslinger45]

An excellent choice, GS. :up:

Like you, I love Taxi Driver and, probably like you, that means I have no real idea of how many times I've seen it. :D

I lost count but it keeps getting better!

[HitchFan97]

Fantastic pick for #1. Love, love, love Taxi Driver.

[The Gunslinger45]

Fantastic pick for #1. Love, love, love Taxi Driver.

Thanks! I knew you would like it!

[Godoggo]

I love Red Dawn and Taxi Driver is brilliant. Congrats on finishing your list. Good job. :highfive:

[The Gunslinger45]

Thanks! :highfive:

Glad to see other people love Red Dawn as much as I do.

[Guaporense]

Taxi driver is a classic. It is pure atmosphere.

I now feel like watching it again.

[The Gunslinger45]

As do I. But I have an early day tomorrow. This weekend I will try to. :D

[Mr Minio]

<clicks on his favourite movies>
Oh well...
Not bad. 3

[Gabrielle947]

awesome review of Taxi Driver :up: I adore the film but I find a bit unpleasant to watch since it deals with awkward things.

[The Gunslinger45]

Thanks! Certain points get very awkward. Like the second date.

[Daniel M]

Taxi Driver is a brilliant choice. I think it was the first ever film that I watched when I wanted to start watching films seriously, and the first time I thought to myself 'now this is a masterpiece of a film, 10/10', I watched it again within a week of seeing it and it was just as good. Then I watched it recently as they have it on Sky Movies now and it was even better for me, Scorsese's best in my opinion.

[BlueLion]

Taxi Driver has the greatest character study I've seen in film, and it certainly is one of the greatest films ever made. Top choice.

This is my favourite scene in the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bukPGph2ec

Scorsese himself has said that it is the most important scene in the movie, just google it and you'll see what I am talking about. The camera movement at 1:02 in that scene is probably the single most powerful shot I've seen in film.

Even Ebert analyzed it in his review, and it was his review, in which he quoted Scorsese, that made me see the scene differently. This is why I am thankful to Ebert. Also, there is nothing awkward about the movie.

[mark f]

If you don't think "it deals with awkward things", you're crazier than Travis Bickle.

[BlueLion]

Well, maybe the scene at the theater is. But other than that, it isn't really awkward to me.

[mark f]

Travis Bickle is the definition of an awkward human. If he weren't, there'd be no point to the movie. Iris isn't in an awkward situation for someone who should be in middle school?

[JayDee]

Just gone back through your list, a very eclectic mix. When I saw the rather arthouse start I was worried it wasn't really going to be for me and then you dropped in The Toxic Avenger! :D

Anyway I've not had a chance to read through all the reviews but films from your list that I really like/love include - The Raid, Escape From New York, Tremors, Planet of the Apes, Zombieland, Terminator, Die Hard, Terminator 2, Vertigo, Team America, Dirty Harry, Jaws, Avengers, Rashomon, Seven Samurai

There are also a few I really dislike/hate but why go negative? :D


Oh and I've added your list to the collection of top 100 lists.

[CelluloidChild]

Taxi Driver has the greatest character study I've seen in film, and it certainly is one of the greatest films ever made. Top choice.

This is my favourite scene in the movie.

Scorsese himself has said that it is the most important scene in the movie, just google it and you'll see what I am talking about. The camera movement at 1:02 in that scene is probably the single most powerful shot I've seen in film.

Even Ebert analyzed it in his review, and it was his review, in which he quoted Scorsese, that made me see the scene differently. This is why I am thankful to Ebert. Also, there is nothing awkward about the movie.

Thanks for the clip. And I searched for and read what Scorsese said about why the movie revolves around this one scene.

Actually, I think it undermines your claim that 'there is nothing awkward about the movie.'

Scorsese said that the camera pans away from Bickle because it is too painful to witness the character's rejection. If that's not the definition of awkward, what is?

[BlueLion]

Thanks for the clip. And I searched for and read what Scorsese said about why the movie revolves around this one scene.

Actually, I think it undermines your claim that 'there is nothing awkward about the movie.'

Scorsese said that the camera pans away from Bickle because it is too painful to witness the character's rejection. If that's not the definition of awkward, what is?

For me, Taxi Driver is a very depressing movie. I guess I just see it differently. So that shot basically sums up the movie, it means there is no escape for Travis. For me that's the definition of loneliness, and depression.

[The Gunslinger45]

Just gone back through your list, a very eclectic mix. When I saw the rather arthouse start I was worried it wasn't really going to be for me and then you dropped in The Toxic Avenger! :D

Anyway I've not had a chance to read through all the reviews but films from your list that I really like/love include - The Raid, Escape From New York, Tremors, Planet of the Apes, Zombieland, Terminator, Die Hard, Terminator 2, Vertigo, Team America, Dirty Harry, Jaws, Avengers, Rashomon, Seven Samurai

There are also a few I really dislike/hate but why go negative? :D


Oh and I've added your list to the collection of top 100 lists.

Kickass! Glad you enjoyed my list and thanks for adding it to the MOFO collection

[The Gunslinger45]

A few stats I collected from my list.

Top 50 Movie Stats

Rating:
(R): 25
(PG-13): 4
(PG): 8
(G): 4
(NR): 10

Genre:
Comedy: 9
Action: 9
Drama: 8
Thriller: 7
Horror: 6
Post Apocalyptic: 4
Comic Book: 3
Sci-Fi: 2
Western: 1
Romance: 1
War: 1

Year of Release:
2010s: 4
2000s: 7
90s: 8
80s: 9
70s: 6
60s: 8
50s: 7
40s: 1
30s: 1

Country of Origin:
USA: 41
Japan: 5
Italy: 1
Algeria: 1
Germany: 1
Indonesia: 1
Australia: 1

Distribution Companies:
Warner Brothers: 10
Paramount: 5
MGM: 4
Universal: 3
20th Century Fox: 3
Toho: 3
Columbia: 2
Miramax: 1
Dimension: 1
Tri-Star Pictures: 1
Dreamworks Pictures: 1
United Film Distribution Co: 1
Shochiku Eiga: 1
United Artists: 1
Weinstein Company: 1
Vereinigte Star Film: 1
Daiei Film Co.: 1
Franchise: 1
Orion: 1
New Line Cinema: 1
Public Domain: 1
Lionsgate: 1
Embassy: 1
Sony Pictures Classics: 1
Rizzoli: 1
Rosebud Releasing: 1
Troma: 1

Rotten Tomato’s Rating:
Certified Fresh: 34
Fresh: 11
Rotten: 6

AFI Top 100 Movies: 8
Empire Top 500 Movies: 27
Empire Top 100 World Cinema: 6
National Film Registry: 15
2012 Sight and Sound Critic Top 250 Poll: 12
2012 Sight and Sound Director Top 100 Poll: 10

Oscars: 26
BAFTAs: 12
Golden Globes: 5
Saturn: 5
Golden Lion: 2
Silver Lion: 2
Palme d’Ors: 1

[The Gunslinger45]

And while I am at it, 5 honorable mentions and some fun facts.

Honorable Mentions:


http://www.flyanddandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/metropolis.jpg
Metropolis: 1927
(NR)Germany / UFA
99% (CF)


http://ultimatereviews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/the-departed.jpg
The Departed: 2006 (R)
USA / Warner Brothers
93% (CF)

http://base.hipertextual.com/files/2012/03/Sin-City.jpg
Sin City: 2005 (R)
USA / Dimension Films
78% (CF)


http://wouterdeboeck.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/the-last-of-the-mohicans.jpg
Last of the Mohicans: 1992 (R)
USA / 20th Century Fox
97%

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EqSsnQjiwD4/T90n5x1a66I/AAAAAAAABS8/8Py8zBkFuX4/s1600/predator-movie-poster.jpg
Predator: 1987 (R)
USA / 20th Century Fox
78%

Fun Facts
It was not only The Producers that had a musical made about it. There were off Broadway plays for both The Evil Dead and The Toxic Avenger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfOpNOldOWU

Both Clerks and The Toxic Avenger had animated series at one point. Clerks: The Animated Series was on ABC for all of two episodes (a pity because I thought they were funny) and T he Toxic Avenger became the Toxic Crusader in a short lived Saturday morning Cartoon, now available on YouTube on Troma’s page. I can only recommend the Clerks cartoon as that was the one that was actually enjoyable.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100627013604/adultswim/images/b/b6/Clerks-The-Animated-Series.jpg

[CelluloidChild]

For me, Taxi Driver is a very depressing movie. I guess I just see it differently. So that shot basically sums up the movie, it means there is no escape for Travis. For me that's the definition of loneliness, and depression.

Yes, loneliness is certainly a defining characteristic of Travis' life, but it's not what I find fascinating about his character or the movie. Rather, it's the conflicts that tear him up, such as the purity/filth conflict Gunslinger alludes to; and the related whore/goddess dynamic that Scorsese talks about in his interview with Ebert.

After all, there are usually reasons that people don't feel like they fit in and find a lone-wolf existence easier. How the film portrays some of these underlying factors and a few of their consequences is where, for me, its genius lies.

[Mr Minio]

Had I made my top list, American films would be in the minority I am aware. Nice to see some stats and honorable mentions! I have to watch Metropolis!

[The Gunslinger45]

Got the rep increases stats for my 51 favorite movies. It shows among the movies I like, which ones are the most popular among the MOFO community.

Goodfellas: 1990 (R): 14
Taxi Driver: 1976 (R): 12
Planet of the Apes: 1968 (G): 11
Zombieland: 2009 (R): 10
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: 1964 (PG): 9
Dirty Harry: 1971 (R): 9
The Terminator: 1984 (R): 9
Night of the Living Dead: 1968 (NR): 9
2001 A Space Odyssey: 1968 (G): 9
The Battle of Algiers: 1966 (NR): 9
Rashomon: 1951 (NR): 8
The Dark Knight: 2008 (PG-13): 8
Vertigo: 1958 (PG): 8
The Avengers : 2012 (PG-13): 7
Tokyo Story: 1953 (NR): 7
Terminator 2: Judgment Day: 1991 (R): 7
Die Hard: 1988 (R): 7
M: 1931 (NR): 7
Tremors: 1990 (PG-13): 7
Seven Samurai: 1954 (NR): 6
Jaws: 1975 (PG): 6
Team America: World Police: 2004 (R): 6
The Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max 2): 1981 (R): 6
Cape Fear: 1991 (R): 6
Evil Dead II: 1987 (R): 6
Clerks: 1992 (R): 5
A Fistful of Dollars: 1964 (R): 5
Casablanca: 1942 (PG): 5
Ikiru: 1952 (NR): 5
The Raid: Redemption: 2011 (R): 5
Gran Torino: 2008 (R): 4
Blazing Saddles: 1974 (R): 4
The Producers: 1968 (PG): 4
Dawn of the Dead: 1978 (NR): 4
The Road: 2009 (R): 4
Ben-Hur: 1959 (G): 4
Tropic Thunder: 2008 (R): 4
The King of Comedy: 1983 (PG): 4
Day of the Dead: 1985 (NR): 4
Escape from New York: 1981 (R): 4
The Toxic Avenger: 1985 (R): 4
Red Dawn: 1984 (PG-13): 3
The Book of Eli: 2010 (R): 3
The Boondock Saints: 1999 (R): 3
Red Beard: 1965 (NR): 3
Clerks II: 2006 (R): 2
The Hunt for Red October: 1990 (PG): 2
The Expendables: 2010 (R): 2
The Ten Commandments: 1956 (G): 2
The Omega Man: 1971 (PG): 2
Blade: 1998 (R): 1


Obviously the Scorsese greats are the most popular. Kurosawa and Kubrick are pretty damn popular, as is Schwarzenegger as The Terminator. And I seem to be one of the only schmuck here who loves Wesley Snipes killing vampires. I was also surprised The Toxic Avenger got as many + reps as it did. Either way, this list was a lot of fun.

Expect me to do a list of my Top 15 most HATED films in the future in a similar format in the future.

[JayDee]

I know in terms of how long it has taken this is not the 'snappiest' of comebacks, but I just came across the perfect riposte to being told "bitch please" and immediately thought of this thread.




http://s24.postimg.org/9ad658psl/fassbender_magneto.jpg



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/497873c5-b178-4530-a985-c023f75ef31e_zps148cce07.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/497873c5-b178-4530-a985-c023f75ef31e_zps148cce07.jpg.html)

[Nostromo87]

Got the rep increases stats for my 51 favorite movies. It shows among the movies I like, which ones are the most popular among the MOFO community.

Dawn of the Dead: 1978 (NR): 4


c'mon people! i know there's more than 3 other idiots out there like me who think this movie is awesome

[Mr Minio]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/497873c5-b178-4530-a985-c023f75ef31e_zps148cce07.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/497873c5-b178-4530-a985-c023f75ef31e_zps148cce07.jpg.html)


http://i43.tinypic.com/346l305.jpg




















http://i39.tinypic.com/8y6m1u.jpg

[JayDee]

That's not a superhero! You've broken the motif of our back and forth! Therefore Mr Minio forfeits, JayDee wins!!! http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/yay_zpsd08ca4bc.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/yay_zpsd08ca4bc.gif.html) :p

[Mr Minio]

Fassbender is an hero even if he doesn't play one. Thus, Mr Minio prevails!

[JayDee]

Fassbender is an hero even if he doesn't play one. Thus, Mr Minio prevails!

:shifty: Eh.....eh..... Ah! :idea: Well he may be a hero, but he could never be an hero! Therefore, JayDee does indeed win as a result of MovieForums' rarely enforced 'nitpicking' rule! Party time!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/spiderman-dancing-o_zpse1e9f2c4.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/spiderman-dancing-o_zpse1e9f2c4.gif.html)


And in case you were going to say that English is not your native language, save it! Being foreign is no excuse!!! :p

[mark f]

Silent h = an hour
Hard h = a hero

[Mr Minio]

Damn you English.

What about a tie, JayDee?

[Guaporense]

English is hard.

[JayDee]

Damn you English.

As a proud Scot that's a sentiment I too have often expressed! :p

What about a tie, JayDee?

Hmmm.....acceptable. :highfive:

[The Gunslinger45]

As a proud Scot that's a sentiment I too have often expressed! :p

They may take our lives, BUT THEY'LL NEVER TAKE OUR FREEDOM!

[honeykid]

Culloden. :p

[Mr Minio]

Hmmm.....acceptable. :highfive:

http://i41.tinypic.com/eulug8.jpg

[JayDee]

Culloden. :p

Bannockburn!!! :p

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/English_zpsdf970284.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/English_zpsdf970284.jpg.html)

"I know why the sun never sets on the British Empire, God would never trust an Englishman in the dark" ~ Duncan Spaeth


(Just so you know I cleaned up the picture a bit. It did not originally have the asterisk there! :D)


Oh and Mr Minio are you a Michael Fassbender stalker?! :D

[JoeHorrorFanatic]

Rather than boring you with my thoughts on every single movie I've seen on that list, I'm going to keep it simple by saying that you have some excellent taste in movies, my friend. The only one on that list that I've seen and disliked is The Omega Man, but I didn't hate it.
I don't know if I'll ever do one of these. It's easier for me to just do a top ten list for some specific genre, because my all time favorite movies tend to change with the weather. It was even hard for me to make a top ten list when I signed up for this site.

[JayDee]

By the way Gunslinger I would just like to apologise for hijacking your thread to conduct my little feuds! :D I feel bad for taking focus off the hard work you put into assembling your list.

[The Gunslinger45]

By the way Gunslinger I would just like to apologise for hijacking your thread to conduct my little feuds! :D I feel bad for taking focus off the hard work you put into assembling your list.

None needed this is funny as hell! Besides the list is complete.

[The Gunslinger45]

And while I am at it more Honorable Mentions

http://www.viewclips.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-The-Curse-of-the-Black-Pearl-2003.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g192/feechrahad/poultrygeist.jpg

http://www.mattfind.com/12345673215-3-2-3_img/movie/l/m/s/all_about_eve_1950_580x810_508012.jpg

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjIwNTM4Njg2NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDQwMTAwNA@@._V1._SX640_SY948_.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WkKZJVG5wTk/TRQ9l_7bnRI/AAAAAAAC2Ng/j1kMTTiTxZM/s1600/poster_boondock-saints-2-.jpg

[honeykid]

+ rep for Pirates and All About Eve.

[teeter_g]

+ rep for Saints 2

[mark f]

- rep for Saints 2. Oh, wait a minute. :)

[The Gunslinger45]

- rep for Saints 2. Oh, wait a minute. :)

Lol

[JoeHorrorFanatic]

It's good to finally meet someone else who's seen Poultrygeist and loved it. I'm not a fan of most Troma movies, but I enjoyed the hell out of that movie, The Toxic Avenger, and Cannibal: The Musical.

[The Gunslinger45]

Some of Troma's movie have been disappointments like Surf Nazi movie, but most of Lloyd Kaufman's stuff is great! And yes it is by far the greatest zombie chicken movie ever!

[honeykid]

My g/f bought Poultrygeist last year for us to watch. Still haven't, yet, but I hope I enjoy it as much as you do. Like Joe, though, I'm not a Troma fan.

[The Gunslinger45]

I call myself a fan of Troma movies, but mostly those which are directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. I have not seen many of the other Troma movies

[JayDee]

None needed this is funny as hell!

Really?!! You must be very easily entertained. Although if that's the case I suppose it would explain some of the films that somehow ended up on the list! :p

[The Gunslinger45]

Really?!! You must be very easily entertained. Although if that's the case I suppose it would explain some of the films that somehow ended up on the list! :p

Like Troma and the Boondock Saints? lol I just like the Scots vs English bits and the lol worthy photoshop pics.

[JoeHorrorFanatic]

My g/f bought Poultrygeist last year for us to watch. Still haven't, yet, but I hope I enjoy it as much as you do. Like Joe, though, I'm not a Troma fan.
Poultrygeist isn't for everyone. It's non-stop camp all the way through, and I've even seen one person describe it as being pretty bad even for a Troma flick.

[The Gunslinger45]

Poultrygeist isn't for everyone. It's non-stop camp all the way through, and I've even seen one person describe it as being pretty bad even for a Troma flick.

And I have heard some people call it Troma's masterpiece. It is in the eye of the beholder.

[Miss Vicky]

I got maybe 20 minutes into Poultrygeist and shut it off. Haven't touched it since.
Saints 2 was not good but not awful. Love Pirates.

[edarsenal]

always arriving at the END of a good party I've gone through the top 17 and found a very enjoyable list AND reviews of said movies. Gonna hafta go back and read from the the very beginning, very soon.
GREAT list gunslinger!! REPS ALL AROUND!!!

[The Gunslinger45]

Thanks dude! Glad you are enjoying it!

[honeykid]

Poultrygeist isn't for everyone. It's non-stop camp all the way through, and I've even seen one person describe it as being pretty bad even for a Troma flick.
I don't know if I'll like it or not, but "non-stop camp all the way through" will sell me on most things. I'm an avid Eurovision fan. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocFhFNxu5Jghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL9-8OlUGHM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV3xp5ZXSYAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb46Mhy_mCI

[The Gunslinger45]

I don't know if I'll like it or not, but "non-stop camp all the way through" will sell me on most things. I'm an avid Eurovision fan. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocFhFNxu5Jghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL9-8OlUGHM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV3xp5ZXSYAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb46Mhy_mCI

No Genghis Khan? I love me some Moscow! lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQAKRw6mToA

[Beatle]

1. http://www.gatodegrandesbotas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/TAXI-DRIVER.jpg
Taxi Driver: 1976 (R)
USA / Columbia Pictures
98% (CF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqLyTdcMLhc

Taxi Driver is often named as one of the greatest movies Martin Scorsese has ever made, and it has made quite a few lists of the greatest movies ever made. And it is very easy to see why. The movie is set in 1970’s New York City when Times Square was still seedy as hell and New York City as a whole was considered a cesspool. Watching this movie it really reflects that feeling. From some of the neighborhoods, people in the background, the sex shops and porno theaters, to character’s apartments you really feel like this city is starting to crumble. Especially since very little of anything redeeming is shown. The protagonist is an honorably discharged Marine by the name of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). He describes himself as “God’s lonely man” suffering from isolation and the after effects of the Vietnam War. He also has a very difficult time connecting to people, even though he tries to do so on several occasions. He suffers from insomnia, and as a result takes a job as a taxi driver working nights “anytime anyplace.” When he is not working he has a habit of going to porno theaters and keeping a diary. His diary expresses the frustrations of a man who sees nothing but filth around him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsQypGlE7c8

We also see that Bickle is (among other things) a racist, a homophobe, and a tad sexist. But all is not lost for Travis, as there is one beautiful thing in NYC, as he introduces himself to Betsy (Cybil Shepard) a woman who is working for the presidential campaign of Democratic politician Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris). Betsy also seems to be a lonely person in New York, (after all she agreed to go out with Travis after the most awkward beginning to a courtship I have ever seen). Awkwardness aside, it seems Travis is doing well, he goes on a lunch date and he asks her out for a second date. She says yes. The second date is an unmitigated disaster. Betsy breaks off contact with Travis, and now with nothing left that is beautiful in his life and completely alone; he sinks into a deep and dark depression. After a very disturbing fare (played by Scorsese himself), Travis goes to talk to a fellow cab driver Wizard (Peter Boyle). Travis expresses he has some bad thoughts in his head, and Wizard does little to dissuade those thoughts. After that, Travis begins to get “orga-ni-zied”, and he sets his sights on killing Charles Palantine. He arms himself and begins a physical training regimen that gets him into shape. Also in proper military fashion he acquires a secondary target, a young prostitute named Iris (Jodie Foster), or more accurately her pimp “Sport” (Harvey Keitel). Travis becomes obsessed with Iris and wants to see her stop hooking and return home to Pittsburgh so she can live a normal life. The movie moves along at a fairly slow pace, but it gets kicked up a notch for a few minutes at the end. Where Travis releases his anger and frustration in violence, and engages in one of the most violent and gritty shootouts of all time!

The movie presents a more negative view of vigilantism than a movie like The Dark Knight, in which you know that Batman is the good guy because… he’s Batman! Travis Bickle on the other hand is not a hero. He does have good qualities; he wants more from his life then self pleasure, served honorably with the Marines, wants to help Iris, and he prevents an armed robbery of a store. But he is obviously suffering from some serious psychological issues, and any good qualities he has get overshadowed by the fact that he means to kill a presidential candidate. The ending shows the power of perception. Travis fails to shoot Palantine, but succeeds in killing Sport and freeing Iris. As such Travis gets celebrated in the press as a hero who takes the law into his own hands and fights the scum of New York City. But had he been a little quicker on the draw he would have been reviled as a murderer and a monster. He also wins back the affections of Betsy at the end of the movie showing that the one beautiful thing in all New York has not left him. But when he gives a final look back in the rear view mirror, it does suggest he is still unstable and could snap again.

A second interpretation reflects Martin Scorsese’s religious leanings. Scorsese was raised Catholic and at one point wanted to go into the priesthood before he chose a film career. Scorsese once compared Bickle as a saint who wishes to purify his mind and body early in the movie. Travis begins thispurification by eating right, exercising, and by not popping pills. After he decides to go after Palantine he holds his hand over a flame on his oven. One can see this as Travis just being crazy, but famed critic Roger Ebert seems to suggest he is testing the fires of Hell. The idea does fit as Travis is still living in sin even though he is in the process of purifying himself. He stills goes to porno theaters and he continues his violent plans against Palantine. But at the same time he does want redemption, and he finds the key to his redemption in Iris. After the failure to kill Palantine he goes off to save Iris himself, and he is celebrated as a hero. Does this mean Travis find redemption in reality or in his mind? That is up to the viewer.

The movie is pure genius! In fact I only have one very minor gripe with the movie. When Travis meets Easy Andy to get some guns, he chooses 4 pistols. The first is the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in 44 Magnum, a Smith & Wesson snub nose 38 SPL, a Walther PPK in 380 ACP, and a Colt 25 ACP he turns into his sleeve gun. My only issue with this scene is Travis Bickle is an ex-Marine, and in the suitcase is a perfectly good 1911A1 in 45 ACP, a gun he would be very familiar with from his time in the USMC. The Model 29 is even called unsuitable by Fast Eddie himself. So why does Travis choose the 44 Magnum and not the trusty 45? My best guess is this was more of an influence of the Dirty Harry movie than anything else. After all Dirty Harry was released only 5 years before this movie, and the writer Paul Schrader and Scorsese most likely saw it.

Robert De Niro plays Travis as a man unhinged in spectacular fashion. De Niro is one of those actors who have to ability to melt into the role. Any trace of him as an actor is gone and all that is left is the character. Part of that has to do with De Niro’s method style of acting. Travis Bickle is based upon Arthur Bremer, the would-be assassin who shot Presidential candidate George Wallace. This man’s diaries had been published, and De Niro listened to taped readings of the diaries. In addition, De Niro got himself a cab license and drove around New York City picking up fares. De Niro also interviewed a few soldiers to get down the Middle America way of talking that he does in the movie. That is incredible dedication.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBfzq8ysdg

In addition to De Niro’s acting, actress Jodie Foster’s acting is FANTASTIC! Part of what makes her performance so good is that she was 14 when this movie was shot, and she is showing more talent as a teenager then some big name actresses are showing as adults in movies today *cough* Jessica Alba! That is impressive, and shows why she is my favorite actress! The Bernard Herrmann score for this movie is haunting! It sets the mood and perfectly sets the tone for the movie. What do you expect from the guy who did the scores for Citizen Kane, Psycho, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Vertigo?

In addition to all the praise I can heap on this movie, I can identify with the theme of loneliness. After I graduated from college, I opted to stay to attend graduate school and earn my masters degree. After that, all my college friends and roommates moved away and left me alone. I was not a drinker at the time, nor was I a pot head, and I hate the bar and club scenes. And since that is about 95% of all social interactions in my little college town, for two years I lived pretty much like a hermit.

The film is also directed by my favorite director of all time, Martin Scorsese. The movie keeps to Scorsese’s themes of urban crime and grit (where he is at his best). The movie was also a financial success, taking in $28 million on a $1.3 million budget. The movie does have a few controversies however. It will always be linked to the attempted shooting of President Ronald Regan, as Hinckley tried to kill Regan to impress Jodie Foster. What a nutjob. It also had to be edited at the end to get an R rating. The final shoot out, was deemed too graphic by the MPAA, and the colors had to be desaturated to allow the blood to appear brighter and somehow less offensive. Killjoys. But Scorsese said in the end he liked the change. There were also a few people concerned about Jodie Foster being in the movie with more graphic scenes she was in like the final shoot-out and when Travis first meets her in person pretending to be a john. For more graphic scenes of a sexual nature Jodie actually had her older sister as a body double. And as for the final shootout, she was there for the set up of the scenes and effects so she could see what was going to happen. This helped alleviate potential trauma to the young actress.

But the controversies aside, I still love this movie. And I am not the only one who loves this movie, as it was nominated for four Academy Awards, won 3 BAFTA awards, and won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival (the highest honor they have). And the late Roger Ebert also called it one of the best films he has ever seen. And to top it off it was added to the National Film Registry to be preserved for all time in the Library of Congress, as it is deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to film. My love for this movie is also part of the reason I am not a Rocky fan, it won for best picture in 1976 beating out this movie. And the lack of a Best Director nomination for Scorsese is one of many beefs I have with the Academy. It also shows that you don’t have to do a movie about a good guy to make a great movie. De Niro would continue to make movies with Scorsese in the same vein with movies like Goodfellas, Casino, the Cape Fear remake, and what many consider to be Scorsese’s greatest work Raging Bull. But this is the movie that is my personal favorite pairing of the two and in my opinion Scorsese’s best. It is a perfect blend of gritty urban violence, character study, and beautiful cinematic art. It is also a movie I can say gets better every time I watch it. And there is no higher praise I can give to a movie. And it is my all time favorite movie.

I've been trying to understand it since the last millenium. Is he good or evil?

[MovieFan1988]

I've been trying to understand it since the last millenium. Is he good or evil?

Neutral, a good guy with sort of a messed up brain

[MovieFan1988]

Good Movie list Gun, a few favorites of mines i see on here

[Guaporense]

I've been trying to understand it since the last millenium. Is he good or evil?

Neither. Isn't reality a bit more complex than "good" or "evil"?

[Derek Vinyard]

Solid list man !