View Full Version : Sane's Top 100
Thought it was time I make my own Top 100 thread. I love reading other people's and finding movies I haven't seen so hopefully other people can find something on this list they might like.
As I mentioned in my review thread, I've been somewhat re-born this year in terms of movie watching. This list is made up purely from movies I have seen this year (501 so far) and the order is according to the rating I gave them at the time of watching. So, this will be interesting for me as well because I haven't actually sat down and organised the order in advance.
100. What Time is it There (2001) - Tsai Ming Liang (Taiwan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/Whattimeisitthere.jpg
I've see four Tsai movies and he has a style that I really like. Often scenes are long with almost nothing happening and no dialogue. It gives you time to take in the scene, think about the characters and gain a greater understanding of their lives and how they think. This movie is actually his most "normal" for want of a better word. It does have a reasonable amount of dialogue and is, in some ways, a romantic comedy. Also has some scenes that show Tsai's influences from French cinema.
99. Through the Olive Trees (1994) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Through_the_Olive_Trees_poster.jpg
Worth including just for it's final scene - an extended shot with no dialogue that seems to last for about 15 minutes (but I'm sure it's much shorter than that) that actually provides great tension. It's a movie about a romance (kind of) set within the making of a movie. It was my first Kiarostami movie and have watched about six more since.
98. Three Colors: Blue (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2c/Bluevidcov.jpg
The first in the well known trilogy. Beautifully shot by Kieslowski and acted by Binoche. Binoche loses her husband and child in a car accident and struggles to cope. The Three Colors trilogy deals with issues in French society but that's all a bit over my head so I just watched them as movies without that level of depth and Blue is still great.
97. Papillon (1973) - Franklin J Schaffner (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Papillon_ver1.jpg
Great performances from McQueen and Hoffman in this prison escape movie adapted from the French novel.
96. Moneyball (2011) - Bennett Miller (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Moneyball_Poster.jpg
I'm not ashamed to admit it, I'm a Brad Pitt fan. Not a great actor yet but he does tend to always be in very good movies. There aren't too many superstar actors you can say that about. I'm also a sports fan (although I'm Australian so don't really follow baseball) so this was, for me, a very good film. Apart from it just being interesting from a sports perspective, it had three very good performances from Pitt, Seymour Hoffman and, in particular, Hill. I mentioned this in another thread but Hill could become a very good character actor in the future - like Ned Beatty :)
cricket
09-17-13, 08:30 PM
I thought Papillon and Moneyball were both excellent films.
bluedeed
09-17-13, 08:36 PM
99. Through the Olive Trees (1994) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Through_the_Olive_Trees_poster.jpg
Worth including just for it's final scene - an extended shot with no dialogue that seems to last for about 15 minutes (but I'm sure it's much shorter than that) that actually provides great tension. It's a movie about a romance (kind of) set within the making of a movie. It was my first Kiarostami movie and have watched about six more since.
Did you see the preceding films, Where is the Friend's Home and Life, nd Nothing More. They're regarded as a loose trilogy by many so I've been holding off on seeing this film until I could get a hold of the others.
Mmmm Donuts
09-17-13, 09:26 PM
Yes, yet another list!
I have Moneyball, but haven't gotten around to watching yet.
Really like Moneyball.
I can't get over the fact that you have seen over 500 movies this year.
Really like Moneyball.
I can't get over the fact that you have seen over 500 movies this year.
Did you see the preceding films, Where is the Friend's Home and Life, nd Nothing More. They're regarded as a loose trilogy by many so I've been holding off on seeing this film until I could get a hold of the others.
No, unfortunately I didn't realise that at the time. I knew little of Kiarostami and only found out about it, strangely enough, through a Chinese forum my wife visits. Didn't do any research and just watched it. Will probably wait a while and then watch them in the correct order.
Really like Moneyball.
I can't get over the fact that you have seen over 500 movies this year.
Got a lot of time on my hands :) I quit work and went back to studying this year and have a long commute - about 2 hrs each way - so watch movies on my ipad each day. We also don't really watch TV at home - just movies.
Nice, Ill probably hit about 120 this year and thought I was doing well.
Yes, yet another list!
I have Moneyball, but haven't gotten around to watching yet.
Have been wanting to do one for a while but thought there were too many running. Saw Mr Minio and Teeter G finished their's today so thought "it's now or never" :)
honeykid
09-17-13, 10:34 PM
Blue is fantastic. I'm sure Red will turn up later on your list, but I think Blue is the best.
I've not seen Moneyball, but I would like to. Hated Papillon to the point I'm not even sure if I finished it or not. I probably did, because it was well over 20 years ago and I used to put myself through it back then, but I remember nothing about it.
Blue is fantastic. I'm sure Red will turn up later on your list, but I think Blue is the best.
Spoiler Alert, I did rate Red slightly higher but overall I thought Blue had a better story and was better acted. I just felt Red really came together in the last 5 minutes and it earned extra points for finalising the trilogy.
I've not seen Moneyball, but I would like to. Hated Papillon to the point I'm not even sure if I finished it or not. I probably did, because it was well over 20 years ago and I used to put myself through it back then, but I remember nothing about it.
I actually watched it twice this year and felt a bit like you after the first viewing. I decided to give it another go by breaking it up into two sittings (it's quite hard to watch because it's long and not exactly "entertaining") and I enjoyed it a lot more.
Mr Minio
09-18-13, 08:10 AM
Great list! I love Tsai films I've seen and can't wait to see more.
I was disappointed with two Kiarostami films I've seen so far, but your list makes me wanna give him another chance.
Blue is my least favourite of the trilogy, but still a good film.
Papillon is a good movie, too.
Can't wait to see more entries here!
I believe that past 6 months I've seen about 350 films. Past a year I've seen about 600.
+1 for Blue. I also prefer Red but Blue is my second favourite of the trilogy. I haven't seen any of the other ones but i'll probably get around to them at some point.
95. Lust, Caution (2007) - Ang Lee (Taiwan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Lust_caution.jpg
Ang Lee can probably be described as a "world" director because he is Taiwanese but really learnt to make movies in the US. This is one of his movies set in mainland China and Hong Kong. Highly controversial in China due to it being sexually explicit. It's set during China's occupation by Japan around WWII. It's about university students planning to murder a Chinese government official who is a puppet for the Japanese. Despite the controversy it is actually just a really good war/spy movie. Stars one of my favourite actors, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who will probably show up in this list more than any other actor.
94. Lady Vengeance (2005) - Park Chan Wook (Korea)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/SympathyForLadyVengeance_Poster.jpg
The third in Park's vengeance trilogy and IMO the second best. At times both over the top, like it's two predecessors, and extremely violent and hard to watch. I'm not sure if many will agree with me but I actually think the 2000s is the best decade for movies. For me this is the decade that Asian film making rose up to the level of the US and Europe thanks in part to the number of extremely high quality movies coming out of Korea. That's not to downplay the quality that has come out of Japan for the last 60 years but now China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea are at or near that level.
93. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Kill_bill_vol_one_ver.jpg
My favourite American director of the past 20 years and I honestly believe his catalogue already rivals many of the great American directors - maybe not in terms of depth yet but definitely quality. Good story, very well written, perfectly acted, very well directed, just a really good movie. One of the things Tarantino does well is put together a flawless cast - in this, everyone is perfect for their role. Before seeing it I wasn't sure about Lucy Liu but she was a real highlight.
92. The Isle (2000) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/97/The_Isle_Poster.jpg
Kim Ki Duk is a real enigma. Some of his movies are fascinating but completely miss the mark in some areas - they leave me really unsure after they are finished if they were actually good. But they always make me think. He also gets criticised for being too violent and misogynistic but he is responsible for one of the most beautiful love stories I have seen on screen (that will come later :)). The Isle is one of his earlier films - it is beautiful at times and then shocking at others. By this stage of his career he wasn't able to get everything together to make a truly great movie but you can see he was on his way. Like many of his films, the lead character doesn't actually speak for the entire movie. Like I said, an enigma.
91. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/Inglourious_Basterds_poster.jpg
More Tarantino, more Brad Pitt :) When I first saw this I thought it was Tarantino's weakest but after watching it again this year I gained new appreciation. I'm sure my comments will get boring with Tarantino films - very well written, great casting, very well directed, well acted, etc. He just knows how to make very good movies. Worth mentioning Pitt and Waltz. Whilst Pitt's performance wasn't perfect he showed that he has some really good comic timing, and Waltz was, as he seems to always be, brilliant.
Pussy Galore
09-18-13, 08:09 PM
The only ones I've seen so far are Moneyball, Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds. Both Tarantino's are awesome and Moneyball is pretty good
donniedarko
09-18-13, 08:29 PM
Blue, Moneyball, Lady Vegenance, Kill Bill Volume 1, and Inglorious Bastards, are all films I like. 5/5 on ones I've seen, nice
Great list! I love Tsai films I've seen and can't wait to see more.
First movie of his I saw was Good Bye Dragon Inn which, for someone who hadn't watched too many "arty" movies, was a bizarre experience. Literally nothing happens ... for the entire movie. Just long shots, sometimes with people, sometimes without. It just had some brief moments, some quite funny, that made it worthwhile. At the end I though "well, that was weird, but I think I liked it". So he's partly responsible for opening my mind up to the fact that movies can be all different things - they don't have to follow any sort of set structure. It also made me realise that movies can let you think about what is happening on screen - they don't have to spell everything out. So now I'm generally happy to watch any sort of movie - style doesn't matter as long as it's an experience :)
honeykid
09-18-13, 08:45 PM
I have Lust, Caution and I like Ang Lee, but I've still not seen it.
I should watch Kill Bill again, but I much preferred vol 2 (or the second half) to the first. I remember The Isle when it came out, but I didn't get around to seeing it. I thin it has a few fans on the site, though.
IB usually pops up on these lists and, as always, I've don't understand why. I'd think of it as the Tarantino film for people who don't like Tarantino, but his fans seem to like it, at least, as much as everyone else, so...
Looking forward to seeing the rest.
IB usually pops up on these lists and, as always, I've don't understand why. I'd think of it as the Tarantino film for people who don't like Tarantino, but his fans seem to like it, at least, as much as everyone else, so...
Not sure if this is what you mean but I thought it was a bit more subtle than his other movies at times. I really appreciate directors who can build tension - whether it be in a horror/thriller sense or, as I mentioned in regards to Through the Olive Trees, tension as we wait for a character to make a decision. The scene where Waltz is talking to the French guy with the Jewish family under the floor is incredibly tense and Tarantino draws it out - whereas perhaps in his other movies he wouldn't of. Also when we are waiting for the dude with the baseball bat to show himself the first time (Eli Roth's character from memory).
bluedeed
09-18-13, 09:19 PM
IB usually pops up on these lists and, as always, I've don't understand why. I'd think of it as the Tarantino film for people who don't like Tarantino, but his fans seem to like it, at least, as much as everyone else, so...
People who love movies usually love it because it's a movie about the power of movies.
HitchFan97
09-18-13, 09:19 PM
More lists, yesss. This one looks like it'll be very eclectic and interesting, can't wait to see what's coming up. :up:
The Gunslinger45
09-18-13, 09:23 PM
IB usually pops up on these lists and, as always, I've don't understand why. I'd think of it as the Tarantino film for people who don't like Tarantino, but his fans seem to like it, at least, as much as everyone else, so...
I can safely say that this theory fails to apply to me. :p
Mr Minio
09-19-13, 06:59 AM
The Isle is one of my favourite Ki-duk films!
Lady Vengeance and Inglorious Basterds are pretty cool as well.
Make sure to watch Lady Snowblood if you liked Kill Bill. It was the main inspiration for Tarantino when he was making Kill Bill.
Going to make a slight change to how I do this. I was listing countries in regards to where the movie is from but that actually can get quite complex in terms of where they are made, where the director is from, where the money comes from, etc. So, I'm going to change it to just where the director is from. Will probably edit the earlier entries.
90. Shutter (2004) - Banjong Pisanthanakun/Parkpoom Wongpoom (Thailand)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Shutterposter.jpg
Something that I find exciting about the movie world over the last 15 years is not just that the main Asian movie markets have improved, as I mentioned earlier, but there are some good movies coming out of the smaller markets as well. Things like The Raid: Redemption from Indonesia (which didn't quite make my list) and quite a few movies from Thailand. This is a Thai horror movie that is very much based on the Japanese style of horror. That is, scary Asian girls with wet hair :) Overall this is a good movie with a good story and reasonably good acting. Most importantly, I've watched it twice and it scared the crap out of me both times. BTW, there is an American version which I haven't seen but it doesn't appear to be very good.
89. Seven Samurai (1954) - Akira Kurosawa (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Seven_Samurai_poster.jpg
I feel a little bit bad that I've only got one Kurosawa movie on my list and it is down so low. Two more of his movies almost made the list, Yojimbo and Ame Agaru (After the Rain), but so far I've just had more of a connection with Ozu's movies from that period of Japanese cinema. I plan to watch more of Kurosawa's non-Samurai movies in the future which I think I will appreciate more. Anyway, not much needs to be said about this movie - everyone has seen it or knows about it. Very good movie.
88. Schindler's List (1993) - Steven Spielberg (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Schindler%27s_List_movie.jpg
If there is one thing in movie's I hate it is a director telling us when we should get emotional. That should happen naturally with a well told story and characters with depth. For me Steven Spielberg doesn't always get this right but for the most part in Schindler's List he did and it ended up being one of his best movies. It is also his best movie visually - the scene with the little girl in the red coat is one of the most memorable in the history of movies.
87. Monsters (2010) - Gareth Edwards (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/MonstersUK.jpg
Very low budget sci-fi movie about alien creatures taking over the northern half of Mexico. A guy and a girl have to travel through the area, which is basically quarantined, to get back to the US. This is probably the movie I have watched the most over the last couple of years. Whenever I had time to kill I would put it on because it had a combination of an interesting story with great visuals and, in particular, music and sound effects. I always found some scenes quite mesmerising. It's far from perfect but in parts it is brilliant.
86. The Matrix (1999) - Andy & Lana Wachowski (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/The_Matrix_Poster.jpg
I watched this as part of putting together my list for the 90s countdown and expected it to have aged really badly but I think I actually liked it more than when I saw it the first time. I think it's a great story that is presented very well. There is an issue with the story actually being too involved so they end up just taking the easy way out and getting the characters to simply tell us everything that wasn't put on screen but overall I really enjoyed it. BTW, Keanu Reeves is a terrible actor, however he does have a particular talent that is valuable. He is usually quite likeable which means he can keep us engaged when we would normally tune out with anyone else who was that bad. You kind of end up smiling rather than rolling your eyes. That helps in creating a hero for us to follow.
I love The Matrix. Shows that blockbusters can be philosophical as well as entertaining.
Pussy Galore
09-19-13, 07:58 PM
Seven Samurai, Schinder's List and Matrix are excellent !
The Gunslinger45
09-19-13, 08:04 PM
Schindler's List and the Matrix are great, but Seven Samurai is a top ten favorite film of mine!
honeykid
09-19-13, 11:42 PM
Seven Samurai is just brilliant. Schindler's great too. :up:
85. The Kid (1921) - Charlie Chaplin (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7d/The_Kid_poster.jpg
I'm not proud to admit it but I was a silent film bigot prior to this year. I don't remember ever watching one and if I did I didn't give it the attention it deserved. That's all changed, thanks mainly to Chaplin, and now the silent film medium/genre is one of my favourites. I still haven't seen enough and from memory there is only one more on this list, not counting the Kim Ki Duk films that might as well be silent. Chaplin is one of the greatest directors of all time at getting performances out of his cast, and himself, that create a real emotional attachment with the audience. As with City Lights, he just knows how to push the right buttons.
84. Happy Times (2000) - Zhang Yimou (China)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/HappyTimesUSOnesheet.jpg
Zhang is another who knows how to engage the audience emotionally - at least he always seems to with me. It's the story of a guy down on his luck who brags about opening a hotel to a potential wife. The "hotel" is actually just an abandoned bus but he gets stuck within the lie when he agrees to give the woman's blind daughter a job as a masseuse. To cover up he enlists friends to act as clients. There is nothing particularly original about this and some could say it is manipulative but for me it was just a beautiful story about two people who help each other at a difficult time in their lives. The chemistry between the two leads was amazing - they portrayed a kind of father/daughter relationship in a very caring way. Both of their performances were great as were those of the support cast.
83. La Haine (1995) - Mathieu Kassovitz (France)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Haine.jpg
Story of a multi-cultural group of friends in Paris following one of their friends being hurt in a riot. As you can see from much of my list so far I tend to watch more Asian movies than European. That's not because I necessarily like them more - I just find it somewhat easier to find quality movies and directors because for most of Asia (except Japan) there is really only a 25 year history so the numbers are smaller and it is easier to identify the quality. I'm sometimes a bit daunted when I look at the history of European cinema and don't know where to start. Anyway, this was one of the first French films I watched and showed a much grittier side to their cinema that I wasn't really aware of.
82. Four Lions (2010) - Christopher Morris (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7a/Four_Lions_poster.jpg
Morris deserves credit for managing to make a comedy about terrorism and not offending the entire world. It's about a group of (bumbling) UK jihadists planning a suicide attack. More recent events have made the subject of this movie perhaps even more offensive than it originally would have been to some. For me, the key to it was that (despite it making me feel a bit uncomfortable about laughing) it is just a really funny film. It actually handles all of the issues it deals with pretty well but if this topic may offend you, don't watch it.
81. Three Colors: Red (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Three_Colors-Red.jpg
Final instalment of the French trilogy - this time starring Irene Jacob. Jacob's character finds out one of her neighbours' hobby is spying on people. I mentioned earlier when Blue showed on the list that in many ways I though Blue was actually a better movie but Red just all came together at the end and I gave it a slightly higher rating because as the final of the trilogy it brought everything together. Like Blue, just a very good movie in it's own right.
donniedarko
09-20-13, 06:42 PM
Schindelrs List is stunning and The Matrix remains a decent block buster. The Kid is a really nice film, La Haine is one of my all time favorites, Four Lions is funny and has a bizzare ending, finally, Rogue is really cool
+1 for Red and Seven Samurai. I desperately need to watch Schindlers List and More Chaplin. When i was a kid The Matrix was one of my fav films, but in recent years i've lost love for it. Haven't seen the rest.
BTW, there was a slight error earlier in the thread. I mentioned After the Rain as being a Kurosawa film - well, he wrote it and started pre-production but passed away and someone else actually directed it. Still, beautiful movie and definitely worth watching.
The Gunslinger45
09-20-13, 08:26 PM
I have seen Red and it is my favorite of the trilogy. I have not seen Four Lions, but I want to! It looks hilarious!
Guaporense
09-20-13, 10:44 PM
I should watch Kill Bill again, but I much preferred vol 2 (or the second half) to the first.
IB usually pops up on these lists and, as always, I've don't understand why. I'd think of it as the Tarantino film for people who don't like Tarantino, but his fans seem to like it, at least, as much as everyone else, so...
Well, Kill Bill is a movie with very broad appeal among young people.
honeykid
09-21-13, 12:51 PM
The Kid is the only Chaplin film I've ever seen and liked. It's still not funny, but it's so touching. I haven't rushed to see it again, because I don't think I'll like it as much, but that I did is still quite surprising to me.
+ rep for La Haine, Red and Four Lions, as well.
The Kid is the only Chaplin film I've ever seen and liked. It's still not funny, but it's so touching. I haven't rushed to see it again, because I don't think I'll like it as much, but that I did is still quite surprising to me.
+ rep for La Haine, Red and Four Lions, as well.
The first of his I watched was City Lights because I saw it being discussed here and was really surprised by how touching that was. Really opened my eyes to his work. I agree on the comedy as well - that whole slapstick thing isn't of much interest to me. For me his movies are all about being kind-hearted - not repeatedly falling over :)
80. Taste of Cherry (1997) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Tasteofcherryposter.jpg
The second Kiarostami movie on my list - and not the last. I really love the style of Iranian cinema - usually relatively simplistic stories about real people. This one has what could be considered a more in depth story but is still handled in the same minimalistic manner. Basically a man drives around looking for someone who will bury him once he commits suicide. He interacts with various people who gradually appear to make him reconsider his plan. The final scene (of the fictional part of the movie - the actual ending shows Kiarostami during the filming of the movie) is brilliantly ambiguous. Kiraostami is good at endings :)
79. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Irvin Kershner (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/SW_-_Empire_Strikes_Back.jpg
I'm not sure I can add anything particularly profound to all that has been written about the first two Star Wars films. So I won't try ;)
78. Summer Interlude (1951) - Ingmar Bergman (Sweden)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Sommarlek.jpg
I'm gradually making my way through Bergman's outstanding catalogue and this is one of my favourites so far. A ballerina receives the diary of her first love and travels back to the island on which they met - we then see their relationship through her memories. Beautifully shot and brilliantly acted by Maj-Britt Nilsson. It gives us an early look at the themes that would repeat in much of Bergman's later work - with some specific scenes that he almost expands on later. Eating Wild Strawberries, a chess game with a dying person ...
77. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Frank Darabont (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/ShawshankRedemptionMoviePoster.jpg
A movie designed to be uplifting - and I was uplifted. Darabont crossed the line with The Green Mile IMO but with Shawshank he was just able to stop it sliding into being completely emotionally manipulative. Thanks should probably go to Freeman for his great performance that managed to keep the movie at least a little bit restrained.
76. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Steven Spielberg (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Saving_Private_Ryan_poster.jpg
One of the best war movies ever made - obviously the beach landing scene is well known but for me the scene near the end just before the final battle is brilliant. Everyone is lying in wait as we hear the tank approaching - Spielberg created one of the most tense scenes I can remember as we build up to the tank appearing from behind a building.
BTW, I choose to ignore the existence of the opening and closing scenes of this movie ...
I love Empire,SPR, and Shawshank Redemption. Excellent choices.
bluedeed
09-22-13, 01:02 PM
80. Taste of Cherry (1997) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Tasteofcherryposter.jpg
The second Kiarostami movie on my list - and not the last. I really love the style of Iranian cinema - usually relatively simplistic stories about real people. This one has what could be considered a more in depth story but is still handled in the same minimalistic manner. Basically a man drives around looking for someone who will bury him once he commits suicide. He interacts with various people who gradually appear to make him reconsider his plan. The final scene (of the fictional part of the movie - the actual ending shows Kiarostami during the filming of the movie) is brilliantly ambiguous. Kiraostami is good at endings :)
I thought Taste of Cherry's ending was a bit heavy-handed. It felt way clumsier than the ending of Close-Up, which is similar in intent I think. I think the film is pretty great throughout, but I'm too much of a meta-thinker for the ending to get to me, but in Close-Up it was perfect.
Do you mean the ending showing the film crew? If so, I kind of agree. I actually thought it was just a bit weird and out of place. The ending of Close Up on the other hand tied up the story perfectly.
I loved the ending of the fictional story in Taste of Cherry though.
With quite a degree of arthouse on your list there's quite a lot I've not seen. However there are a few of my own real favourites on there such as Seven Samurai, The Matrix, Empire Strikes Back, Shawshank Redemption and Saving Private Ryan. Also really enjoyed both Four Lions and Monsters. Also recently watched and reviewed Schindler's List for the first time. Great film but really not one I could ever see becoming a favourite.
75. Life of Pi (2012) - Ang Lee (Taiwan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/Life_of_Pi_2012_Poster.jpg
I've never really thought of Ang Lee as being one of my favourite directors but as this is his second on my list, maybe I should. This was a great story very well told. I've mentioned in other threads that what I really want out of a movie is for it to make me feel and think. Life of Pi had my wife and I discussing at length which of the stories was true and what it was saying about religion. Then a week later we had the same discussion with my brother. It turned out that the story meant different things to all of us. Can't give much higher praise than that to a movie of this kind.
74. The Last King of Scotland (2006) - Kevin Macdonald (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d9/Last_king_of_scotland_uk.jpg
This was a movie that I avoided when it was first released. I usually have a pretty open mind and will watch most movies but I just tend to get put off by "Oscar buzz". It's not fair on the movies themselves but I have little interest in what films and actors win Oscars and I find that the ones that get the most publicity around Oscar time have a tendency to be mediocre. Anyway, with this I shouldn't have been so narrow minded because it's an excellent movie with a great performance my Whittaker.
73. Juno (2007) - Jason Reitman (Canada)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ec/Junoposter2007.jpg
It seems to be a very polarizing thing, quirkiness. Don't quite understand it myself but nothing seems to generate hate so much as a "quirky" movie. If you read negative opinions of Juno they invariably include words like "quirky", "indie" and "hipster". Personally, I'm not entirely sure what any of those words really mean in relation to a movie and don't get why those things annoy people so much. For me, Juno was just a really funny film with a heart. I'm a fan of Cera and Bateman thanks largely to their ability to play comedic characters with insecurities. Only downside for this movie was Jennifer Garner but probably not her fault - just the character she was given.
72. A Hijacking (2012) - Tobias Lindholm (Denmark)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8d/A_Hijacking_Official_Movie_Poster.jpg
This movie tells the story of the crew of a Danish cargo ship that gets hijacked by Somali pirates. It is really a character study of two people - the chef on the ship and the CEO of the company in Copenhagen carrying out negotiations. This movie is just brilliantly acted - particularly by Soren Malling who plays the CEO. This is seriously one of my all-time favourite performances. We literally see him change throughout the movie from a self-confident successful businessman to almost a nervous mess as the weight of being responsible for people's lives breaks him down.
71. The Hangover (2009) - Todd Phillips (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Hangoverposter09.jpg
Just a really funny film. Also, it's quite well shot for a comedy - some really nice looking scenes. BTW, a word of advice, don't watch the sequel on a first date with a relatively shy girl. Wasn't very romantic :(
Guaporense
09-22-13, 09:13 PM
Juno and Hangover were very fun films (specially the second). Juno also felt very realistic in handling it's characters.
You'll be happy to know I watched My Neighbour Totoro last night :) Great movie - definitely my favourite Miyazaki film. Too late to make this list but will probably include it as a kind of supplementary when I get to where it would have ranked.
Mmmm Donuts
09-22-13, 11:03 PM
BTW, a word of advice, don't watch the sequel on a first date with a relatively shy girl. Wasn't very romantic :(
As opposed to this one, which was very romantic???
Excellent set, Juno and the Hangover were just a lot of fun, and I've heard only good things about Life of Pi from family and friends.
But I'm still adamant on Ryan Gosling or Will Smith deserving the Oscar that year :D
rauldc14
09-22-13, 11:18 PM
Shawshank andSaving Private Ryan are awesome and should be higher. The Hangover is a comedy classic for me too.
As opposed to this one, which was very romantic???
Good point :)
Excellent set, Juno and the Hangover were just a lot of fun, and I've heard only good things about Life of Pi from family and friends. Apart from the story something I didn't mention is that it's a beautiful movie visually. Basically it's mostly animated of course but created a very nice atmosphere.
cricket
09-23-13, 12:08 PM
The Hangover is my favorite comedy since the 80's.
I do want to see The Last King of Scotland, mainly because I think Forest Whitaker is an incredible actor.
Gabrielle947
09-23-13, 01:34 PM
Actually I only now figured how much I like The Last King Of Scotland.It wasn't even in my top 100,now it surely would be.Will rewatch. :up:
rauldc14
09-23-13, 02:07 PM
I also liked Juno and Life of Pi. Perfect by no means, but fun films.
honeykid
09-23-13, 05:57 PM
The Last King Of Scotland is a very good film. Not exactly entertaining, but good nonetheless. Juno I have, but haven't seen.
Gabrielle947
09-23-13, 06:35 PM
Juno I have, but haven't seen.
watch it,so we could both dislike it. :D
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Stanley Kubrick (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Clockwork_orangeA.jpg
The first half of this is one of the most brilliantly filmed and written movies of all-time. Unfortunately every time I've seen it I've had trouble staying focussed in the second half. Still, deserves it's place here on the first half alone.
69. Psycho (1960) - Alfred Hitchcock (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Psycho_%281960%29.jpg
Iconic suspense/horror movie from Hitchcock. I've re-watched four of his films lately and to be honest a couple of them left me slightly disappointed but this (and one other that will appear later) seem to have hardly aged at all. Even when you know what is going to happen there is still a great deal of tension. As with all of Hitchcock's films, it is visually great - particularly the use of lighting. To be honest I'm not the biggest fan of Perkins' acting ability but he did a good job here.
68. Ponyo (2008) - Hayao Miyazaki (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/Ponyo.jpg
So, A Clockwork Orange & Psycho followed by a cartoon about a fish that falls in love and turns into a five year old girl!?! I don't like to use this word when discussing animated movies because it seems a bit patronising but with Ponyo it is the best way to describe it - delightful. Was my favourite Miyazaki film up until two days ago and shows his talent for creating engaging stories for and about children that are equally enjoyable for adults. Like most Ghibli films, beautiful to look at.
67. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) - Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/49/Monty_python_and_the_holy_grail_2001_release_movie_poster.jpg
I can't think of a movie that is as consistently funny as this - even watching it for the 20th time I find myself constantly giggling throughout. By no means a "great" movie as it is really just a collection of skits held together by a loose story line but it is a "great" piece of entertainment.
66. The Grandmaster (2013) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/The_Grandmaster_poster.jpg
The first (and definitely not last) appearance on this list of my favourite director. I'm not sure I can name a more visually stunning movie than this. Creating beauty on screen, often out of relatively ugly urban landscapes, has always been a trademark of Wong but in this film he outdid himself. Some of the fighting scenes are amazing. It's got a great cast with Chang Chen, Zhang Ziyi (who seemed to win the 2046 audition to replace Maggie Cheung as Wong's actress of choice) and the incomparable Tony Leung Chiu Wai. Unfortunately this isn't a perfect movie and has some story issues. It was supposed to be a biographical story about Ip Man but is really just a martial arts movie with him as one of the characters. But, visually, it's a masterpiece.
The Hangover is my favorite comedy since the 80's.
I can't think of a better one off the top of my head.
I also liked Juno and Life of Pi. Perfect by no means, but fun films.
I agree completely.
Actually I only now figured how much I like The Last King Of Scotland.It wasn't even in my top 100,now it surely would be.Will rewatch. :up:
I've only watched it once but seems like a movie that would improve on re-watches due to the performances.
Not a lot of love for that last set. That should have been a crowd pleaser compared to what I've got coming up ;)
65. The Face of Another (1966) - Hiroshi Teshigahara (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/The_Face_of_Another_poster.jpg
A man has his face disfigured in an industrial accident and has a lifelike mask made for him. The movie is about identity, morality, how our "masks" affect how we act and so on. In addition there is a separate story about a beautiful woman who had half of her face burnt (she was from Nagasaki) and how she reacts to the reactions of others. A fascinating movie.
64. Cries and Whispers (1972) - Ingmar Bergman (Sweden)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/58/Ciesandwhispers.jpg
My favourite Bergman movie so far. An emotionally draining story of two sisters watching over a third sister as she is dying. There is a lot of distance between the sisters with them unable to really connect or provide comfort. It is the maid who is the only one actually capable of doing so. Lots of common Bergman themes appear again here and like all his movies it is beautifully shot - although perhaps more bright and colourful than many of his other movies.
63. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Vittorio De Sica (Italy)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/20/Ladri3.jpg
Great example of Italian neorealism - yes, I read that on Wikipedia. Had no idea what neorealism actually was before watching this film but now I'm a fan :) Touching story of a man in post war Italy trying to recover his stolen bike which is needed for his job. Shows a great relationship between father and son and the struggles in Italy at that time. Has one of the more emotional endings in movie history.
62. The Apartment (1960) - Billy Wilder (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/Apartment_60.jpg
Something I've found interesting as I become more interested in movies is just how many of the old favourites I remember watching with my parents when growing up were Billy Wilder films. Unfortunately only one made this list, and I only watched it for the first time recently, but I also have a great fondness for movies like Sabrina and Witness for the Prosecution. The Apartment is simply a great story with fantastic performances - particularly by MacLaine.
61. American History X (1998) - Tony Kaye (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/American_history_x_poster.jpg
This is a movie that, in the past, would have been very close to my top 10 but a combination of changing tastes and it not being quite as good as I remembered in a recent re-watch have seen it slide down my list of favourites. It's still an excellent movie with great performances - something that Kaye seems to be good at getting out of his actors. Unfortunately another feature of Kaye's movies is sometimes the stories seem a bit contrived in order to say what he wants to say. I don't have a problem with what he wants to say - just sometimes lacks a bit of subtlety when getting his point across.
The Sci-Fi Slob
09-24-13, 06:21 PM
Unfortunately another feature of Kaye's movies is sometimes the stories seem a bit contrived in order to say what he wants to say. I don't have a problem with what he wants to say - just sometimes lacks a bit of subtlety when getting his point across.
'Contrived' is a word that should be seldom used to describe cinema or any other creative art for that matter. :rolleyes:
'Contrived' is a word that should be seldom used to describe cinema or any other creative art for that matter. :rolleyes:
Disagree. The greatest movies for me are those where everything appears to come together naturally. An appearance of being artificial limits the effect of a movie. When a character does something that is clearly done to further the director's point, rather than being something that seems to be a natural action of that character, then it's contrived.
The Sci-Fi Slob
09-24-13, 07:07 PM
When a character does something that is clearly done to further the director's point, rather than being something that seems to be a natural action of that character, then it's contrived.
Natural actions..? This is cinema, not life.
Sorry mate, there is too big a disconnect here if I need to explain that. Surely you understand that the writer/director creates the characters and they can then make decisions that appear natural or unnatural based on what is believable for those characters?
Great picks with American History X and Bicycle Thieves, both are in my top 10 atm.
The Sci-Fi Slob
09-24-13, 07:37 PM
Sorry mate, there is too big a disconnect here if I need to explain that. Surely you understand that the writer/director creates the characters and they can then make decisions that appear natural or unnatural based on what is believable for those characters?
You don't need to explain anything my friend, forums are designed to bring together differing opinions. I do understand that actors can get caught up in their roles. If they didn't, then we would not have the "tears in the rain" speech at the end of Blade Runner.
You don't need to explain anything my friend, forums are designed to bring together differing opinions. I do understand that actors can get caught up in their roles. If they didn't, then we would not have the "tears in the rain" speech at the end of Blade Runner.
Fair enough. For me, a good example of "contrived" in movies is Man of Steel. Some people love it whilst I thought it was quite poor due largely to scenes designed purely to create emotion or to force the story to get where the director wanted it to go - like the, IMO, ridiculous tornado/Costner scene. A good movie does what it needs to do whilst appearing "natural" - in MOS I found it to be largely completely artificial.
60. Act of Dishonour (2010) - Niloufar Pazira (Canada)
http://www.traileraddict.com/content/e1-entertainment/act_of_dishonour.jpg
This is probably quite an unusual choice but this, and a related movie, had quite a big impact on me. Act of Dishonour is really on this list representing both movies. In 2001 Mohsen Makhmalbaf (the director that the guy in Kiarostami's Close Up was pretending to be) made a movie about Afghani refugees called Kandahar. Part of that movie focussed on a reporter who had fled to Canada years earlier leaving her sister behind - she now came back to Afghanistan to find her after receiving a letter. That reporter was played by Pazira. As Iranian movies like to do sometimes, this blurred the line between fiction and non-fiction as the story was an adaption of what Pazira did in real life. She is a refugee living in Canada who travelled back to Afghanistan to find a friend (not her sister).
Kandahar was a really good film and it made me look up Pazira and find out more about her. As it turned out she is a documentary maker who did one feature film (AFAIK) - Act of Dishonour. It's basically a Canadian movie set in Afghanistan and covers, amongst other things, honour killings. It's a very good movie in it's own right with some stunning visuals and a very emotional ending. However, as I said, this placing on my list is more a reflection of Pazira's small, but IMO fascinating, impact on the world of movies. Stars Marina Golbahari who was in a relatively well known Afghani film called Osama. BTW the shot on the poster is in the movie and is a beautiful scene - and reflects the fact that this movie, though Canadian, is very much made in the Middle Eastern style.
59. 12 Angry Men (1957) - Sidney Lumet (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/12_angry_men.jpg
Classic courtroom drama - with no shots of the actual courtroom from memory. Fantastic Cast - Henry Fonda, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, etc.
58. There Will be Blood (2007) - Paul Thomas Anderson (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/There_Will_Be_Blood_Poster.jpg
Paul Thomas Anderson movies have passed me by a little bit. Not really sure why but it is something I'm trying to rectify. This is an excellent movie about the business of oil wells. As is usually the case, excellent performance by Daniel Day Lewis.
57. Star Wars (1977) - George Lucas (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/StarWarsMoviePoster1977.jpg
I don't really like calling this "Episode IV" or "A New Hope". It's Star Wars and always has been. I think the fact that he made three bad prequels and at the same time thought it was OK to change the name of this movie sums up what George Lucas has become. Still, lets ignore all that and focus on what great movies he used to make :)
56. The Road Home (1999) - Zhang Yimou (China)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Road_Home_Poster.jpg
Zhang may be a challenger for the title of director with the most movies on this list. He has the ability to make visually beautiful movies about characters that I really care about. This is really a relatively simple romance but he elevates it by telling a backstory that gives the characters real depth. I got married this year so I guess I've been in a romance movie frame of mind :) Anyway, I may, or may not, have shed a tear or two during this. It's about a son who goes back to his hometown after his father's death. His mother wants the father's coffin to be carried along the road to their village so he remembers his way home. Damn it, made me cry again ...
honeykid
09-26-13, 10:03 AM
12 Angry Men and Star Wars. :cool: There Will Be Blood just bored me, while I've not seen the other two.
donniedarko
09-26-13, 11:52 AM
Got behind on this list, here's what a +reopen for
12 Angry Men, There Will be Blood, The Hangover, Psycho, A Clockwork Orange, The Face of Another, Cries and Whispers, American History X, Bicycle Thieves,Taste of Cherry, and Saving Probate Ryan
I've seen a handful of others, but these are the ones that stuck out. Great list
Mr Minio
09-26-13, 12:27 PM
Act of Dishonour is kinda obscure and I haven't heard about it. :) Good list.
Thanks guys :)
55. Raging Bull (1980) - Martin Scorsese (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/Raging_Bull_poster.jpg
I think this is the first Scorsese film on my list. The big guns are coming out now :) Obviously a great performance by De Niro and brilliantly shot by Scorsese. Something stops me from considering this to be a truly great film but it's close.
54. The Bow (2005) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6a/The_Bow_%28film%29_hancinema_movie_poster.jpg
Kim Ki Duk is one of the few directors that make films that really don't fit into "genres" - or even if they do, the film is still more a "Kim Ki Duk" than a "Drama" or a "Romance". Off the top of my head, Lars Von Trier is like this and you could really say the same for Tarantino. As with many of Kim's movies, this is, in simple terms, a romance. But also like his other's, it's so much more than that. This is about a 60 year old man who "finds" a young girl and raises her on a boat that is rented out to fishing groups. The whole movie is shot on this boat. She is now about to turn 17 - and on that day they will get married. This is immediately pushing into a weird area - but it is a Kim Ki Duk film so it's to be expected. Plans get messed up when a student comes to the boat and both falls in love with the girl and raises the issues that are going through all of our heads. From there, well, it all gets kind of weird. It has a truly bizarre ending that could put people off but if you like that Fantasy element that Kim can bring into his movies then it will probably work for you as it did for me.
53. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Terry George (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Hotel_Rwanda_movie.jpg
Set during the time of the Rwandan genocide - an event which, to my embarrassment, I don't know very much about. This was an interesting movie from a historical perspective and made me want to learn more about what actually happened. It is also just a great story in the unlikely or unwanted hero mould - like Schindler's List in some ways I guess. Great performance by Cheadle.
52. Fargo (1996) - Coen Brothers (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Fargo.jpg
My favourite Coen Brothers movie. Well written and full of great performances. It's also a movie I find constantly amusing. Their humour really connects with me - and with this I found Macy & McDormand to be brilliant exponents of that humour.
51. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Michael Cimino (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/The_Deer_Hunter_poster.jpg
It's not really possible for a movie starring De Niro and Cazale to be anything less than excellent. Throw in the likes of Walken and Streep and you really have the reason why this is such a good movie. It's pre Vietnam War scenes create a real level of depth in each of the characters and their changes both during and after the war are handled brilliantly.
Mmmm Donuts
09-26-13, 07:06 PM
53. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Terry George (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Hotel_Rwanda_movie.jpg
Set during the time of the Rwandan genocide - an event which, to my embarrassment, I don't know very much about.
Don't be, especially if you happen to be American. It's one of those things that countries are really embarrassed about, and try not to share so much in the classroom. Clinton took way too long to respond to the events that were unfolding. In fact, I believe he himself said that if America had intervened as soon as the reports came in, they could have saved something like 60% of the casualties of the genocide. Excellent movie, though.
The Gunslinger45
09-26-13, 07:10 PM
+ rep for a double dose of De Niro.
Mr Minio
09-26-13, 07:15 PM
Nobody tells about love as Kim Ki-duk does. Great director.
donniedarko
09-26-13, 08:58 PM
Raging Bull is a cool film, Hotel rwanda while it has some beautiful scenes, didn't touch me as a genocide movie perhaps should. Fargo is a nice, simple, minimal style film
+ rep for a double dose of De Niro.
I think he's going to get just pipped at the post by a certain Hong Kong actor in the race for most movies on my list but as far back as I can remember he has been my favourite or near favourite actor.
Nobody tells about love as Kim Ki-duk does. Great director.
Both of those statements are very true :) Nobody, ever, has made love stories like Kim.
He's really starting to push Wong Kar Wai in terms of my favourite director. He's only made one weak film that I've seen, Address Unknown, and his good ones are often great.
Raging Bull is a cool film, Hotel rwanda while it has some beautiful scenes, didn't touch me as a genocide movie perhaps should. Fargo is a nice, simple, minimal style film
It was interesting how it dealt with the actual genocide and in some ways it didn't really get into it too much - it was something that the characters (and viewers) knew was happening but often wasn't addressed directly. Again, like Schindler's List, it was more a character study of the central character. I would agree it perhaps wasn't as touching as it could/should have been.
Don't be, especially if you happen to be American. It's one of those things that countries are really embarrassed about, and try not to share so much in the classroom. Clinton took way too long to respond to the events that were unfolding. In fact, I believe he himself said that if America had intervened as soon as the reports came in, they could have saved something like 60% of the casualties of the genocide. Excellent movie, though.
I'm Australian but we pretty much ignored it too :(
Gotta remember to use that multiquote thingy ...
Into the top 50 ...
50. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Apocnow.jpg
If Apocalypse Now stopped about 2/3rds of the way through it would probably be in my Top 10 movies. Almost everything up to that point is brilliant and in terms of actual depictions of war, I'm not sure there is any movie better. Unfortunately I'd don't love the last third but overall this is an excellent movie.
49. Aliens (1986) - James Cameron (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Aliens_poster.jpg
This will be one of my highest ranked pure sci-fi/action movies - and one of the only ones above it will be another James Cameron movie ;) Cameron is brilliant at doing stuff like this. Unfortunately he occasionally decides he needs his films to have "emotional" moments and there is almost nobody worse. So stick to the action James!
48. Tokyo Story (1953) - Yasujiro Ozu (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/Tokyo_Story_poster.jpg
I watched this on an iPad in a airport as flight after flight was cancelled - messing up our holiday to Queensland. Given those circumstances, it probably shows how good a movie Tokyo Story is that I enjoyed it as much as I did. I will watch it again in the near future and I would imagine it will move up these rankings. The main change I've noticed in my tastes as I get older and watch more movies is that stories like this, about real people dealing with real issues, have become amongst my favourites. This is about a couple who go to Tokyo to visit their children - all of whom seem too busy to really spend time with them. It is only their widowed daughter in law who shows much interest in them. Like most Ozu movies of the time it stars Chishu Ryu & Setsuko Hara. And also like most Ozu movies of the time, Hara steals the show. There has never been a more engaging smile in the history of movies and to me she is one of the all-time great movie actresses.
47. Seven (1995) - David Fincher (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/Seven_%28movie%29_poster.jpg
I re-watched this a couple of months or so back thinking it would probably have aged badly - largely due to the shocks not being shocking anymore. It turned out that it is a brilliantly made thriller with great performances - particularly Freeman and Spacey.
46. Rebecca (1940) - Alfred Hitchcock (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Rebecca_1940_film_poster.jpg
My favourite Hitchcock film so far - although I still have another 30 or so to see. Great performances from Olivier and Fontaine and for me it is a much better told story with more chemistry between the characters than some of Hitchcock's other more critically acclaimed movies.
45. Memento (2001) - Christopher Nolan (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/Memento_poster.jpg
Easily the best film Nolan has done IMO - and yes I have seen the Dark Knight trilogy & Inception. With Memento he had an intelligent, fascinating story and stuck to it throughout the movie. I feel in his others he starts with a fantastic premise, builds on it, and then throws it out the window for an hour of action. Nothing wrong with that, especially for superhero movies, just not my preference. Memento was one of the most immersive experiences I have ever had in a movie. The technique of telling the story in reverse was fantastic because not only could Guy Pearce's character not remember what had happened before but neither could we (because we hadn't seen it yet). Worked brilliantly. And hasn't Guy Pearce come a long way since acting opposit Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan in Neighbours ;)
44. Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorsese (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/Goodfellas.jpg
More Scorsese, more De Niro, more Pesci. Won't be the last we see of them on this list either ... well, not sure about Pesci but definitely not the last of the other two.
43. Cloverfield (2008) - Matt Reeves (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Cloverfield_theatrical_poster.jpg
I'm not sure how highly people regard this film but, to be honest, I don't really care - this is simply an hour and twenty minutes of excitement and fun. But unlike some other similar movies it has a little bit more to it and that is thanks to the writer, Drew Goddard. He is one of the better writers in this genre thanks in large part (I would imagine) to working with Joss Whedon (on Buffy & Angel) and JJ Abrams (on Alias and Lost). He knows how to write science fiction but he also knows how to write characters and use little tricks to make us learn more about them without it getting in the way of the fun. He can also write with intelligence and Joss Whedon has rubbed off on him because he knows how to keep us on our toes by killing off people at just the right time. He wrote one of my favourite epsodes of television, Buffy's Conversations With Dead People, one of my favourite horror movies, Cabin in the Woods (with Joss Whedon), and one of my favourite science fiction movies, Cloverfield. The director of this, Matt Reeves, has also worked with Abrams which helps as well :)
42. Breathless (1960) - Jean-Luc Goddard (France)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/%C3%80_bout_de_souffle_%28movie_poster%29.jpg
This is the only Goddard movie I have seen - keep trying to remember to watch more but as yet I haven't. I find it difficult to explain why I though this movie was so good - it just was. Everything worked almost perfectly. What I did find interesting is that whilst it is regarded as a "cool" movie, I found the male lead to be one of the more "uncool" characters in movies. I've never seen anyone try so hard to get laid :) Everything he did was calculated to try to make himself appear "cool". I have no idea if that was Goddard's intent but that's how I viewed the character and it made him more interesting.
41. Babel (2006) - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/Babel_poster32.jpg
This is another movie where I'm not sure how highly others think of it but it just worked for me. To begin with, the style of having seemingly unconnected stories that join up along the way is one that appeals to me - I've always enjoyed movies like that. Babel is made up of three stories in different countries (US, Morocco & Japan) supposedly with a connection. I loved the Japanese story of a deaf/mute girl struggling following the loss of her mother. It was brilliantly acted by Rinko Kikuchi with a perfect mix of anger and vulnerability. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were good as always in their segment. The other story was perhaps the weakest but it's connection to the Pitt/Blanchett story worked better - the Japanese story really had a very tenuous link. Anyway, it had flaws but overall I loved it.
rauldc14
09-28-13, 10:16 PM
Love Apocalypse Now, Se7en, and Goodfellas. Clover field and Memento are decent but nothing extraordinary.
donniedarko
09-29-13, 12:58 AM
Apocalypse Now is amongst my absolute favorites, masterpiece film, not just a regular war movie. Se7en is a stunning, intense psychological thriller. Memento, interesting film, one that I loved, but one that I've had no desire to revisit, perhaps since the twist is still clear in my mind. Goodfellas is great Scorsese. Cloverfield ya decent, as Raul said. I digged the first fifteen minutes. Breathless is my favorite Godard, post that, bleh
40. Satantango (1994) - Bela Tarr (Hungary)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/S%C3%A1t%C3%A1ntang%C3%B3_dvd_cover.jpg
Just wanted to make sure Mr Minio is still paying attention ;) This movie was quite an experience. I was a little scared going into it - I struggle with movies longer than 90 minutes so 7.5 hours was a bit daunting. I tried once but couldn't handle it - kept thing "only 7 hours to go" ... "only 6.5 hours to go". So I broke it up into 5 parts and watched them individually. Once I did that I become absorbed and was looking forward to the next part as soon as the last finished. I was watching some parts on the train and twice I almost missed my stop - this movie is somewhat hypnotic with it's use of music and sound. Overall it's great - the only negative is I felt it was slightly self-conscious. It was as though it's length was an element of the art - like it was aiming to be really long rather than just being as long as it needed to be. That's not much of a criticism though and possibly that was just me thinking it rather than it being an actual issue with the movie.
39. Memories of Matsuko (2006) - Tetsuya Nakashima (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Memories_of_Matsuko_poster.jpg
I mentioned earlier that for me the 2000s is the best decade thus far for movies thanks to the quality coming out of Asia - rivalling Europe & the US. Well, one of the directors responsible for that is Tetsuya Nakashima. He has only made 6 or 7 films - all have been good and two have been excellent. The great thing about him is that, firstly, he makes visually stunning movies in a range of styles - no two Nakashima movies look the same. Secondly he makes movies with great, but flawed, characters. This is the story of a guy cleaning out his estranged Aunt's house after her death - from this we gradually learn about her life. This movie is beautiful and heartbreaking.
38. Life is Beautiful (1997) - Roberto Benigni (Italy)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Vitaebella.jpg
Kind of a controversial movie this one. I understand certainly why some people hate it but for me it comes down to what you interpret the movie to be. I interpreted this as a really emotional story of a man doing what he believes he needs to do to protect the innocence of his child. I didn't love the comedy in the first half but once it developed the man's love for his family in such horribly difficult circumstances, it really affected me.
37. Last Train Home (2009) - Lixin Fan (Canada)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/71/Last-train-home-lixin-fan.jpg
I think this is the only documentary on my list. I watch quite a few but when I rate them I tend to do it by comparing them to fictional movies. They don't really have to deal with scripts and acting so it seems unfair on fictional movies to just rate them according to how interesting they are. Not sure if that makes sense but basically I will only give a documentary a very high rating if it is directly comparable to a fictional movie. In this case, Last Train Home is the story of the huge migration of Chinese people going home around New Years. However, it focuses directly on one family and for that reason I felt like it was just like watching a fictional movie. There was very little talking directly to the camera and we learnt about the members of the family and how they struggle with various issues in modern China. Parts of this were very emotional and one scene in particular was very hard to watch. Overall it was fascinating.
36. Hunger (2008) - Steve McQueen (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/Hunger2008Poster.jpg
Basically the last six weeks in the life of an Irish hunger striker. This is McQueen's first movie and the only one I've seen so far. This is, quite simply, a brutal movie. Almost nothing in it is "entertaining" - there is some amazing acting, particularly by Fassbender, but it is not a movie you can enjoy as such. It is, however, completely engrossing.
Mr Minio
09-30-13, 03:01 PM
1. Glad you loved Satantango.
2. Watch Shame, heretic.
We are really getting to the movies I love now ...
35. Downfall (2004) - Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ad/Der_Untergang_-_Poster.jpg
The last few days of Nazi Germany's leadership. The main feature of this is really the brilliant performance by Bruno Ganz as Hitler but what really got to me was the way the characters were depicted. For perhaps the first time ever Hitler was depicted as a real person - an insane, psychotic real person but still, a real person. As I said before I want movies to make me feel and think - this certainly made me think. It was showing the characters as they probably really were - people with families and hopes for the future ... who were responsible for the deaths of millions of people.
34. American Psycho (2000) - Mary Harron (Canada)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/Americanpsychoposter.jpg
One of my favourite movies ever from a dialogue perspective. Maybe because at some stage in the 80s I probably had a conversation about the artistic merits of Sussudio ...
33. 2046 (2004) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/2046_movie.jpg
2046 is basically a sequel to Wong's In the Mood for Love which itself was basically a sequel to Days of Being Wild. However sequel is kind of a loose term - some of the character's are the same and they do follow on from each other but they are equally watchable as individual movies. When I first watched this I was really disappointed. It has a sci-fi element which completely threw me and I just didn't understand it. However, upon re-watching it all made sense and I appreciated what a beautiful and interesting movie this is. The sci-fi part of the movie is actually a story written by Tony Leung's character, Chow, and fits well with what Chow has become. He obviously lost Maggie Cheung's character from In the Mood for Love and is now pretty much just a womaniser - with various women who move in next to him. This is really what makes the movie so good - Leung's interaction with my favourite actresses from China & Hong Kong. No-one can match Maggie Cheung but Faye Wong, Gong Li and, in particular, Zhang Ziyi come very close.
32. Intouchables (2011) - Olivier Nakache/Eric Toledano (France)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/The_Intouchables.jpg
Story of a rich quadriplegic being looked after by a young African guy. Essentially true although some details have obviously been changed. You basically know what you are going to get with a movie like this - or at least you are hoping that it will turn out the way you want. Sad, funny, uplifting ... all that. Well, in terms of those things, this was damn near perfect thanks largely to the performances and chemistry of the two leads.
31. The Godfather (1972) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/Godfather_ver1.jpg
Not much I can say about this. It would probably be up higher except for a couple of issues I had but overall a great movie. With this, Part II and Apocalypse Now, I don't think I can find a director with a better Top 3.
donniedarko
10-01-13, 12:48 AM
Life is Beautiful works tremendously for a holocaust comedy, a highly balanced and precise movie, with some nice re-creation. Hunger I absolutely hate, and its garbage in my eyes. I didn't get why everyone was so mad. I prefer more laid back prison dramas, like Orange is the New Black or Prison Break (TV shows), Hunger and animal factory are two prison movies I hate. Jailbait is a funny prison mini series, just throwing that out there for anyone who wants to take a look. Downfall brilliant film, which humanize Hitler and the inner circle, to a still hatable extent. Godfather is just that.
Looks like I should check out Animal Factory ;)
honeykid
10-01-13, 12:05 PM
Downfall and The Godfather. :up:
30. Hana-Bi (1997) - Takeshi Kitano (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/HanaBi_poster.jpg
He's an odd one, Takeshi Kitano. I find all of his movies a little bit weird in some way - I tend to find them a little hard to connect with and then they either suddenly grab we and I really like them or I stay kind of detached. I think it's a lot to do with his acting style - which is pretty much emotionless except for the odd funny moment. Anyway, for me this is his masterpiece. It's about a cop whose life spirals out of control due to events on the job and in his personal life - his wife is dying. Great movie with a brilliant understated ending.
29. Detachment (2011) - Tony Kaye (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/20/Detachment_poster.jpg
Of all the movies I have watched lately, this was probably the biggest surprise. I was not expecting to be affected by it as much as I was. It's about a high school in which both teachers and students have lots of issues. The main focus is Adrien Brody and this is the highlight of the movie. The film itself is heavily flawed but his performance is simply fantastic. It can seem to get a bit melodramatic at times but he copes with it perfectly and is constantly believable.
28. City of God (2003) - Katia Lund/Fernando Meirelles (Brazil)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/10/CidadedeDeus.jpg
Interesting that I can only recall seeing two Brazilian movies and both had quite similar themes. The first, Pixote, I saw about 20 years ago and the second was the brilliant City of God. Managed to have a perfect mix of grit and style - looked fantastic but was appropriately unpleasant when it needed to be.
27. Blade Runner (1982) - Ridley Scott (UK)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Blade_Runner_poster.jpg
I probably watched this for about the 10th time this year and the thing that really sticks out to me is how memorable it all is. There are some movies I watched two days ago that I can't remember a thing from but even though I hadn't seen Blade Runner for about 10 years so much of it had stayed with me. The rain, the buildings, Daryl Hannah's makeup, Harrison Ford questioning Sean Young, and more.
26. The Sweet Hereafter (1997) - Atom Egoyan (Canada)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/The_Sweet_Hereafter.jpg
I watched this after seeing it appear in the 90s countdown. After seeing it I've been through some of Egoyan's earlier movies and it's almost like you could feel this movie coming. He has a style and a way he wants to tell a story and whilst his other films were good, I felt with The Sweet Hereafter it all clicked and he created something great. Egoyan is, to me, a story teller and The Sweet Hereafter is, simply, a brilliantly told story. He likes to have multiple threads that all come together as time goes on and every part of this one worked.
the samoan lawyer
10-02-13, 05:04 AM
Great last set especially Hana-Bi and Detachment although im yet to see The Sweet Hereafter.
Hard to beat Kitano when he's on form, id have Zatoichi as his best.
honeykid
10-02-13, 12:35 PM
Hanna-Bi and City Of God. :up: Not seen Detachment or The Sweet Hereafter and I've no time for Blade Runner.
25. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - James Foley (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Glengarrymovie.jpg
There haven't been too many movies with a better cast than this - at least not in the last 30 years anyway. Pacino, Lemmon, Harris, Spacey, Baldwin, Arkin ... Thankfully they were given a great script to work with.
24. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Sidney Lumet (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Dog_Day_Afternoon_film_poster.jpg
Another of the many great movies to come out during the 70s. Basically an interesting story very well told. A feature is obviously the performance by Pacino but for me, as he did in all his films, Cazale raises the level of the whole film with his sometimes reserved but great performance. Is there an actor with a better resume in their short career than Cazale?
23. Django Unchained (2012) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Django_Unchained_Poster.jpg
It's Tarantino so great script, great cast, etc. The first time I watched it I turned it off less than halfway through but gave it another go and glad I did as I now think it is Tarantino's second best film.
22. Chungking Express (1994) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Chungking_Express.jpg
It's not often that anyone can steal the limelight from Tony Leung but Faye Wong did it in this. Amazingly it was one of her first acting roles (she is a well known Hong Kong singer) and she has seldom acted since (although she was in another WKW movie on this list - 2046). This is essentially two separate love stories with Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro playing Hong Kong cops. This was initially devised as a movie with three stories but the third ended up forming part of WKW's Fallen Angels (which just missed this list). The first story, Kaneshiro's, is interesting enough but it is the second half with Leung and Wong that make this movie great.
21. Pather Panchali (1955) - Satyajit Ray (India)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Patherpanchali_1.png
I have very little experience with Indian movies but I've been wanting to watch more of them for a while now. I've seen the standard "Bollywood" movies that have been popular internationally, like Monsoon Wedding, and whilst hey were nice enough they haven't really struck me as being anything special. So, finally thought I should watch some of Ray's movies and obviously this was the best starting point. I've mentioned it before but I love this style of movie - like Bicycle Thieves, lots of Ozu movies, Iranian cinema and so on. All the way through it was fascinating both as a movie in it's own right but also from a cultural perspective. I've not watched his next two Apu movies but am looking forward to seeing them.
Mmmm Donuts
10-06-13, 08:13 PM
What made you turn Django off in the first 30 minutes???
Impossibru!
What made you turn Django off in the first 30 minutes???
Impossibru!
I was probably in the wrong frame of mind for it. I just seemed to be struggling with it and then got to the dog scene (maybe more than halfway through actually, don't remember) and thought "dude, too far!". Spoke to my brother about it and he said it was his favourite Tarantino (although his wife hated it) so watched it again.
Sometimes I make the mistake of watching a movie with a bit of depth when I'm tired - should just stick to my favourite form of mindless entertainment, Zombie movies :)
Django is a great film, although the last 20 minutes or so could have been cut down a bit. Tarantino got a bit self indulgent there.
Django is a great film, although the last 20 minutes or so could have been cut down a bit. Tarantino got a bit self indulgent there.
I'd agree with that. I think it's time he stopped inserting himself into his films - cameos are fine but he's just not a good enough actor to play an actual part and in this one in particular it was really out of place.
Mmmm Donuts
10-07-13, 02:57 AM
Well, his cameo in this was not nearly as entertaining as it was in Pulp Fiction.
Probably the reason it felt a bit too long for most people is because the final shootout scene really should have been the ending of the movie. Having him get captured and then going back to the plant roughed up what was a pretty free flowing plot. Other than Django blowing up the whole house, that whole section was probably overkill.
But as far as problems go, I don't think it will turn anyone away from watching this again, because it is an awesome and fun film.
Gabrielle947
10-07-13, 03:30 AM
Some random thoughts while going through you list:
Really glad to see Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill but I think they are much much superior to Django Unchained.
I also had Seven Samurai on my list,quite high actually but it's been a while since I've seen it and it is fading a bit,I feel that I might not like it as much as I used to.
Saving Private Ryan has great visuals and it is entertaining but as a war movie,I think it's completely unrealistic story-wise. :))
I watched Life Of Pi,it was enjoyable but I forgot it in few days. :D
Last King Of Scotland is very good,loved Whitaker in this. :up:
I'm one of the few people who disliked Juno,it's too weird.I also didn't like Memento but,excluding The Dark Knight,I don't like Nolan overall.
Clockwork Orange,Psycho,Bicycle Thieves,12 Angry Men are classics which you don't even have to like in order to appreciate its beauty. :up:
Star Wars is the best movie of the whole franchise,in my opinion.Glad to see it higher than Empire. :up:
I'm not a big Coens fan but Fargo is so stylish,I think it's one of the most unique films style-wise.
The Deer Hunter is an excellent movie.Love how long the party scene is,it lets you get to know the characters. :)
Aliens,Apocalypse Now,Goodfellas,Downfall,Blade Runner,Schindler's List,Dog Day Afternoon and Seven are plain great.
American Psycho and Babel are very mediocre for me.
And finally,Godfather is the best film ever made. :P
I want to see Detachment,La Haine and Breathless. :) Lady Vengeance always looks so cool from the posters but everyone says that it's too surreal for me to like. :D So I don't watch it.
Well, his cameo in this was not nearly as entertaining as it was in Pulp Fiction.
Probably the reason it felt a bit too long for most people is because the final shootout scene really should have been the ending of the movie. Having him get captured and then going back to the plant roughed up what was a pretty free flowing plot. Other than Django blowing up the whole house, that whole section was probably overkill.
But as far as problems go, I don't think it will turn anyone away from watching this again, because it is an awesome and fun film.
I'm a bit biased because if there is one thing Australians dislike it's bad attempts at our accent :) He's quite funny when he plays himself and the role fits with the movie but as his movie making matures the roles he can play no longer fit IMO.
You are right though, won't put me off loving his films.
I want to see Detachment,La Haine and Breathless. :) Lady Vengeance always looks so cool from the posters but everyone says that it's too surreal for me to like. :D So I don't watch it.
Thanks for the comments :) Just on the last one, have you watched Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Oldboy? The trilogy actually works quite well if you watch them in order even though the stories are unrelated. For me, Mr Vengeance is the weakest and perhaps simplest of the three. Oldboy then has very dark themes but in parts is quite funny and has more action & horror elements. Lady Vengeance is probably the most surreal but after watching the other two I had a feel for Park's movies so it was quite easy to watch.
20. Dogville (2003) - Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/10/Dogville_poster.jpg
I mentioned earlier that there are a few director's who seem to have their own genre - Von Trier is one. Dogville is one of the reasons why - his movies tend not to conform to what anyone else thinks movies should be. This is essentially a play - it is all done in one large set with different areas just drawn on the ground. What amazed me was how he managed to get such great performances out of the cast - who without exception were able to act as though they were in a natural situation. In particular this showed that Nicole Kidman is a great actress - something I wasn't sure about prior to this.
19. Avatar (2009) - James Cameron (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Avatar-Teaser-Poster.jpg
One of the weird things about this movie is that one of the reasons I love it is why so many others seem to hate it. The hype when it first came out was amazing - everyone was going to see it, everyone was talking about it - and almost everyone loved it. It was an event - and it made people happy :) Now, lots of people seem to hate it but for me it was visually stunning and fun - and still is. As I said earlier, Cameron is great at doing this stuff ...
18. Hero (2002) - Zhang Yimou (China)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Hero_poster.jpg
Speaking of visually stunning ... I'd never seen a movie quite like this before. Stars Jet Li but if you've read much of this list you won't be surprised to hear that, for me, this is all about Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Zhang Ziyi.
17. The Godfather Part II (1974) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Godfather_part_ii.jpg
My favourite of the trilogy ... although I haven't actually seen Part III so maybe I shouldn't say that ;) For me it is marginally superior to the first for a few reasons. Firstly, One of my favourite actors had what I felt was a more defined role - John Cazale. Secondly, one of my favourite actors was not in the first but was in this - Robert De Niro. Thirdly, the scenes that included De Niro, the "prequel" part of the movie, are some of the most brilliantly filmed scenes I've seen.
16. Whisper of the Heart (1995) - Yoshifumi Kondo (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/Whisper_of_the_Heart_%28Movie_Poster%29.jpg
There haven't been many movies that filled me with quite as much joy as this one. I was completely blown away by the beauty of this film. IMO it is visually the best animated film I've seen - every shot is a work of art. In addition to that it also has a great deal of depth both in terms of story elements and characters. To be honest I would understand if some people found a lot of this movie to be completely lame, but for me it just worked. This is also the first film on this list that I rated the equivalent of 10/10 and I'm pretty sure this will be the highest ranking by someone who only ever directed one movie - and may actually be the only movie in my top 100 where that is the case.
The Gunslinger45
10-08-13, 11:04 PM
Getting closer and closer to the end!
Gabrielle947
10-09-13, 02:31 AM
I enjoyed Avatar,too despite its poor story. :)) Strange to see it here,doesn't seem your type.
bluedeed
10-09-13, 10:39 AM
I have so much conflicts with your taste. You like a lot of great movies, but then a lot of terrible ones as well! Never thought I'd see shiny garbage like Avatar on the list (and higher up for that matter!) of someone who'd also loved Satantango! This isn't to say that someone who likes movies like Satantango can't like mainstream American film (just covering myself up from attacks), just that those films seem quite the opposite for me on most every level, and seem to cater to different interests.
I enjoyed Avatar,too despite its poor story. :)) Strange to see it here,doesn't seem your type.
I guess it might seem like that but I don't really have a type. I just love movies - and as I said earlier what I really want from a movie is to think or to feel. Whilst Avatar did neither of those things within the actual movie, what it did was create this big beautiful world that made people, including me, excited. If a movie makes people happy then it has done something great.
I don't get people who hate movies because they are popular. When this came out I remember people sitting around where I worked talking about how amazing it was - people were filled with wonder and excitement. The only other movie I can remember having that impact on the wider population was Jurassic Park. For me, this is a good thing and it's why I consider Avatar a great movie. But I know others will disagree ;)
I have so much conflicts with your taste. You like a lot of great movies, but then a lot of terrible ones as well! Never thought I'd see shiny garbage like Avatar on the list (and higher up for that matter!) of someone who'd also loved Satantango! This isn't to say that someone who likes movies like Satantango can't like mainstream American film (just covering myself up from attacks), just that those films seem quite the opposite for me on most every level, and seem to cater to different interests.
THERE ARE NO TERRIBLE ONES ON MY LIST!!! ;)
As I said in the last post, I just love movies - and movies can be all different things. I watch a wide range of movies because I always feel like I need variety - I feel the same with music. I have a CD in my car with Chimaira & Sepultura songs along with Limahl's Never Ending Story and All Saints' Pure Shores (from The Beach) - without variety I get bored.
Yesterday I watched Sigaw (Filipino horror movie), Philadelphia, Metropolis, Dolls (1987 horror movie) & Eternity and a Day. Liked or loved them all.
I have a bit of a short attention span so I think the variety helps with that also.
The Gunslinger45
10-11-13, 05:27 PM
Variety is the spice of life. And an appreciation for a wide variety of movies is always a good thing.
Variety is the spice of life. And an appreciation for a wide variety of movies is always a good thing.
So true and hopefully this set is the same ...
15. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring (2003) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/SpringSummerFall.jpg
The most beautiful film ever made IMO. I think it's pretty safe to say that KKD is a genius - when you consider the darkness and violence in some of his films like Bad Guy & The Isle it is amazing that the same director can be responsible for something so beautiful, meditative and, in many ways, positive as this.
14. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Jonathan Demme (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_poster.jpg
This is another of the films that I watched recently having not seen it for years. I fully expected it to have aged poorly and whilst I guess you could say it had to an extent, it contains something that is timeless - brilliant performances. When I first joined this site I firmly believed that what makes movies great is stories and acting - in fact I think I made a post somewhere along those lines. Well, over the last six months or so I've changed a lot - I now believe there are a whole range of factors that can make a movie great - atmosphere, visuals, sound and so on. Having three Kim Ki Duk films on this list (so far ;)) shows to me how much I have changed - they really have little in the way of an actual story. Having said that, I still have a massive appreciation for great stories and great acting - and this movie, quite simply, has a great story with great acting. When Hannibal and Clarice first meet - that is a great scene. One of the greatest in movies IMO.
13. Close-Up (1990) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Close_Up_DVD_cover.jpg
As the poster says, A Masterpiece! When I first saw this I didn't really know what it was about - or the fact that it is kind of a documentary ... kind of. After seeing some of the court room scenes I was thinking "gee that guy is a great actor - so natural". Well, it turned out that was because those scenes were mostly real. The rest of the movie is acted - by the actual people who were involved in the situation depicted. This is, again, Iranian cinema pushing the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction - between a movie and a documentary. But apart from that, what makes this movie great, is the simple story with a hero that you can't help but feel for and understand. I mentioned great scenes above - well, when our hero actually meets his hero (director Mohsen Makhmalbaf) and they ride through the streets of Tehran holding the flower you see in the poster (important to note that one of the reasons our hero loves Makhmalbaf is because he directed The Cyclist) - movies don't get much better than that :)
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Milos Forman (Czech Republic)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_poster.jpg
I think this is probably the best acted film I've ever seen - thanks largely to the support cast. Obviously the leads were great but I think there have been a few better individual performances - but in terms of the whole cast, for me this was brilliant. I think it's also apt that this appears in the same set as Silence of the Lambs because these movies contain two of the greatest male/female pairings - in terms of those playing opposite each other rather than as part of a love story. Nicholson's manic criminal vs. Fletcher's cold, calculated nurse. Brilliant.
11. Dancer in the Dark (2000) - Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/Dancer_in_the_Dark_movie_poster.jpg
So Von Trier is the first director with two movies in my Top 20. There will be one other director with that "honour" I think. I wouldn't quite call Von Trier one of my absolute favourite directors just yet, mainly because I haven't seen enough of his films, but it feels right that he has two films that I've ranked this highly because there haven't been many other directors who have made me "feel" quite as much as I do when I watch his films. The first I saw of his was Antichrist which made me feel shock, horror, fear, disgust and so on - bit at least I felt something :) Dancer in the Dark made me feel joy, sadness and, ultimately, completely hollow. Some of the comments by the actors sum this movie up perfectly. Deneuve said that Bjork wasn't "acting", she was "feeling" and Bjork herself said she would never act again because the movie made her so emotionally drained. That's how I felt after watching it.
Pussy Galore
10-11-13, 07:50 PM
Silence of the Lamb is pretty good, Cuckoo's Nest was my #25 I think so I couldn't agree more.
The Gunslinger45
10-11-13, 08:23 PM
Now for the top 10!
Silence of The Lambs is a top-tier movie. One of the best suspense thrillers ever, with quite possibly the greatest movie villain of all-time.
Going to try and finish this today or tomorrow.
10. Confessions (2010) - Tetsuya Nakashima (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Confessions_%282010%29_film_poster.jpg
This is the movie that really made me realise that great films can be about more than just stories and acting. This is a very dark story of a teacher taking revenge on the students she thinks are responsible for the death of her daughter. It is visually amazing and is very atmospheric - thanks to the visuals and, in part, the emotionless acting of Takako Matsu.
9. Wuthering Heights (1939) - William Wyler (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/Wutheringheights1939.jpg
I first read this book when I was at school and the story has always stayed with me. I have no idea whether this is a great movie or not but it is, to me, a perfect on screen representation of the novel and I love it. Great chemistry between Oberon and Olivier also.
8. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - John Cassavetes (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ec/Awomanunderinfluence.jpg
Gena Rowlands plays a wife/mother displaying increasingly unusual behaviour. This leads to her husband (Peter Falk) having more and more trouble dealing with her and he eventually has her committed for psychiatric treatment. Peter Falk is great, as are all the cast, but what makes this movie truly great is the performance of Rowlands. I don't think there has ever been a better performance from an actress.
7. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - Isao Takahata (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Grave_of_the_Fireflies_Japanese_poster.jpg
The best animated film I have ever seen. The main feature of this movie is how it depicts the plight of real people during a time of war. It's about two children who lose both parents during WWII and their struggles to look after each other. Incredibly emotional and I have never thought so much about a movie in the week following my first viewing. For me one of the things that makes it great is that it doesn't just build up a couple of characters in order to get an emotional response with a sad moment at the end - you actually know what is going to happen from the opening scene. So you find yourself becoming more attached to them even though you know how it will end - this created an odd hollow feeling. I didn't cry at the end - I just sat there completely drained. Some people call it manipulative - of course it is! Don't comedies try to make you laugh, don't horror movies try to make you scared? This is an anti-war film and tries to make you sad ... and make you think.
6. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Pulp_Fiction_cover.jpg
Not much I can add to all that has been said about Pulp Fiction - except to say I find myself sitting through it with a big smile on my face. Incredibly entertaining on every level.
Guaporense
10-13-13, 06:06 PM
Grave of the Fireflies fell from 2nd place to 7th place? Whoa.
Guaporense
10-13-13, 06:09 PM
I have so much conflicts with your taste. You like a lot of great movies, but then a lot of terrible ones as well! Never thought I'd see shiny garbage like Avatar on the list (and higher up for that matter!) of someone who'd also loved Satantango!
Everybody here that has art movies in their top 100 also has mainstream stuff mixed in their top 100. Only having pretentious stuff among your favorites actually means they are not really your favorites and that you are excluding stuff you like that is mainstream from your list to appear more "cult".
This isn't to say that someone who likes movies like Satantango can't like mainstream American film (just covering myself up from attacks), just that those films seem quite the opposite for me on most every level, and seem to cater to different interests.
Satantango doesn't cater to any interest. Avatar was made for hard core science fiction fans (according to Cameron himself, though he made it very mainstream to have the widest possible public).
I also have Cameron's films in my top 50, Aliens and The Terminator. Two great movies, shame his later films were much weaker.
Grave of the Fireflies fell from 2nd place to 7th place? Whoa.
My favourite movies list was pretty fluid between 2 and 8. In terms of my actual ratings there is only a gap of 2/100 between number 9 and number 3. So, it was probably a bit unlucky and I don't really love it any less than the films above it (apart from the top 2).
Guaporense
10-13-13, 06:14 PM
I see. I didn't rank it higher on my own top 10 because of it's lack of complexity compared to other 9 movies there.
5. Taxi Driver (1976) - Martin Scorsese (USA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/Taxi_Driver_poster.JPG
For most of the last 30 years this has been my favourite movie. It's slipped slightly in the last few years but that doesn't reflect on it's quality. It is, quite simply, one of the best movies ever made and offers almost everything I want to see in a movie. Apart from the brilliant acting from De Niro and the dark, compelling story, a major feature of this movie is how brilliant it is visually.
4. Oldboy (2003) - Park Chan Wook (Korea)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/Oldboykoreanposter.jpg
Park did something amazing with this film - he made an extremely dark and violent film, with themes like revenge, incest and suicide, and made it endlessly entertaining. People often mention the hallway fight scene when they talk about this movie but it is so much more than that - it's a fascinating story full of twists with fantastic acting (particularly from Choi Min-sik) and brilliant direction. The ability of many Korean directors to make movies so dark and violent but still so visually amazing has seldom been seen before - although it is perhaps apt this movie appears alongside Taxi Driver which was similar in this respect.
3. 3-Iron (2004) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/3iron2.jpg
Not sure there has ever been a poster that tells you less about a movie than this one. Well, it is a romance - but not like any romance I've ever seen. This is probably the least well known movie in my top 5 and to be honest I never really intended to watch it - the poster and the plot outline just didn't sound like something I'd be interested in and I didn't really know who Kim Ki Duk was. But, I kept seeing good reviews and decided to give it a go. Wow, what a movie. In my opinion this is the most beautiful romance that has ever appeared on screen but it doesn't follow any of the rules for romances. It's about a guy who breaks into people's houses while they are on holiday and just lives there, doing their cleaning, fixing their stuff and so on. At one place he moves in without realising there is someone else there - a woman who has been abused by her husband. From there begins a love story ... in which the two characters don't say a word to each other for the next 80 minutes ... and the male lead never speaks from memory. Because it is KKD it gets a bit weird near the end and has a slightly ambiguous ending which, for me, was fantastic because it allowed me to decide what it meant. Just a great movie. Like with Spring, Summer ... this shows what a genius KKD is. Very few directors have brought as much violence to the screen - or as much beauty.
evillemachine
10-14-13, 05:25 PM
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7WQXbg77u96lQpMBBXLdzLSbsE1OEVj7OboQaZP1i1CRO7IgWsA
evillemachine
10-14-13, 05:35 PM
Its impossible to call, really. Different movies affect us at different times of our lives.
My earliest are: Apocalypse, Star Wars, Willy Wonka, The Exorcist, The Flip side Of Dominick Hide.
great set. Oldboy is great and taxi driver is as well.
Mr Minio
10-14-13, 05:46 PM
Actually the poster says a lot about 3-Iron, but only if you've already seen the movie. If you expect your average romance flick you will be disappointed. For Kim Ki-duk's romance I still prefer The Isle, though.
When I started this list I knew exactly what was going to be number one - it has been my favourite movie for the last 3-4 years and was the only movie that I considered to be perfect.
Then, something odd happened. A day after starting this list I watched a movie that I expected to be good - but probably not good enough to make this list. But I was wrong - it was amazing. But still, right throughout it I didn't think it would challenge number one - maybe a top five movie. Then, after the very last scene of the movie, I sat there thinking "I think that's the best movie I've ever seen". I don't know how others feel but for me, that's a great moment - when you see something completely brilliant. I've re-watched it just to make sure - and finally decided it had to be number one.
Which means the movie that I thought was going to be first shows up now ...
2. In the Mood for Love (2000) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/In_the_Mood_for_Love_movie.jpg
Sometimes there are debates about whether there can be a difference between what people think is the "best" movie ever made and their "favourite" movie ever. Personally I think there can be a difference - "best" needs to take into account technical aspects of a movie as well as how much you like it whilst "favourite" can be a movie that may not be as technically perfect but just connects with you on an emotional level like no other. So, In the Mood for Love is the best movie ever made. It is, quite simply, perfect.
Leung & Cheung are amazing - particularly Cheung. She is a work of art in every shot of this film. Their chemistry is amazing - as it is in all the films they have appeared in together. In this movie they are movie stars to rival Bogart, Bacall, Grant, Hepburn (both of them) and so on.
The cinematography is stunning. It uses pretty much every camera trick in the book and they all work. There is one scene where they are sitting in a café talking to each other and in the space of a few minutes Wong and his regular partner, Christopher Doyle, have the camera going back and forward between them, sometimes focussing on the person talking, sometimes not ... just brilliant.
The music - almost every time we see Cheung walking it is in slow motion with music accompanying her - and it is accompanying her, not just playing in the background.
The costumes - Cheung is wearing a different dress every time we see her. The makeup - as I said, every shot is a work of art.
Added to all that is a perfect love story - or at least it feels like it is. But it never quite gets there. We are left hoping, wondering what happens to them. We do find out in the follow up, 2046, but in the world of In the Mood for Love we are left to decide for ourselves.
Perfect :)
The Gunslinger45
10-14-13, 05:49 PM
Your number 5, is my number 1! So plus rep there automatically! I have not seen Oldboy yet, but I really need to.
Mr Minio
10-14-13, 05:54 PM
You said you really loved it and rewatched it to make sure, so it must be Satantango! 14 hours isn't that much time! lolz
Actually the poster says a lot about 3-Iron, but only if you've already seen the movie. If you expect your average romance flick you will be disappointed. For Kim Ki-duk's romance I still prefer The Isle, though.
Yeah, that's very true.
Your number 5, is my number 1! So plus rep there automatically! I have not seen Oldboy yet, but I really need to.
I think I mentioned somewhere before that I was a little scared when I watched Taxi Driver recently - I was worried that my tastes had changed and I wouldn't like it is much. That would have been sad for a movie I've loved for so long. But, what was interesting is that my change in tastes actually meant I appreciated it more in some ways. I had never realised before that visually it is a great piece of art.
Great movie.
The Gunslinger45
10-14-13, 06:03 PM
I think I mentioned somewhere before that I was a little scared when I watched Taxi Driver recently - I was worried that my tastes had changed and I wouldn't like it is much. That would have been sad for a movie I've loved for so long. But, what was interesting is that my change in tastes actually meant I appreciated it more in some ways. I had never realised before that visually it is a great piece of art.
Great movie.
I agree 100%. I don't know if another film will come along to top it. Closest any movie has come so far was Blue Velvet, but still not quite enough to dethrone Scorsese.
There have been a number of great trilogies over the years - and in the last 20 years or so there seem to be more and more. When people talk of the best trilogies they always seem to focus on action movies, sci-fi movies - and recently, superhero movies.
Well, the best trilogy is about 60 years old and, to me, nothing comes close. This one contains no action, no guns, no superheroes :) One of the movies has already appeared on this list and another would have but I didn't watch it in time. The first in the trilogy is just brilliant and is my favourite movie of all time:
1. Late Spring (1949) - Yasujiro Ozu (Japan)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Late_Spring_%28Banshun%29_1949.jpg
OK, this probably isn't really part of a "trilogy" in terms of the current definition but still ;)
What Ozu did in each movie of his "Noriko" trilogy is build a picture of post war Japan with incredibly deep and well developed characters. I feel like I know these people - even though it's 60 years later and I have never been to Japan. They live on screen, they have hopes, fears, opinions, insecurities ... They are real people ...
Just like Wong Kar Wai had Cheung & Leung, Ozu had Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara. They are perfect for their roles. They are similar here to in Tokyo Story although they are different characters. Ryu is usually reserved and restrained but he can deliver moments of emotion like few other actors with a look, a smile or, as he does in Late Spring, with a slight bow of the head.
Setsuko Hara is incomparable. Her smile - there has never been a smile on screen like hers. Then with a slight change in her expression she can show displeasure. This role is slightly different to her other Noriko's because she has some strong opinions that we probably don't agree with. She thinks people getting remarried is distasteful ... filthy.
The story, whilst clearly relevant to the time the movie is made, is still just as relevant today. Ozu makes films about families - about the decisions we all have to make. In Late Spring it's a father and daughter - the father wants his daughter to be happy and get married - the daughter wants to stay and look after her father who is widowed. It's real people faced with real issues and no-one can develop stories like this and characters like these better than Ozu.
The Gunslinger45
10-14-13, 06:41 PM
Excellent selection! I like Ozu's movies as well, and Tokyo Story is one of my top 50 favorite movies. I love the way he can make a movie so powerful and interesting and he can do it with the simplest of subject matter. That is the sign of a master film maker.
bluedeed
10-14-13, 08:03 PM
Everybody here that has art movies in their top 100 also has mainstream stuff mixed in their top 100. Only having pretentious stuff among your favorites actually means they are not really your favorites and that you are excluding stuff you like that is mainstream from your list to appear more "cult".
I'm not sure what you mean by saying only pretentious films. Does that imply that art films are pretentious and mainstream is not? I've seen an equal amount of pretentious mainstream and art films.
The Gunslinger45
10-14-13, 08:09 PM
I'm not sure what you mean by saying only pretentious films. Does that imply that art films are pretentious and mainstream is not? I've seen an equal amount of pretentious mainstream and art films.
I think he means that if you have JUST art films in your top 10, 100 or so list, some people might see that as being pretentious.
Guaporense
10-14-13, 08:16 PM
I liked Tokyo Story slightly more than Late Spring, but both are certainly among my top 25 movies ever.
I don't get Wong Kai Wai, however, I found all his movies to be boring. My favorite Chinese movie is still Hero.
Guaporense
10-14-13, 08:17 PM
I think he means that if you have JUST art films in your top 10, 100 or so list, some people might see that as being pretentious.
Exactly.
The full list:
100. What Time is it There (2001) - Tsai Ming Liang (Taiwan)
99. Through the Olive Trees (1994) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
98. Three Colors: Blue (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland)
97. Papillon (1973) - Franklin J Schaffner (USA)
96. Moneyball (2011) - Bennett Miller (USA)
95. Lust, Caution (2007) - Ang Lee (Taiwan)
94. Lady Vengeance (2005) - Park Chan Wook (Korea)
93. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
92. The Isle (2000) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
91. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
90. Shutter (2004) - Banjong Pisanthanakun/Parkpoom Wongpoom (Thailand)
89. Seven Samurai (1954) - Akira Kurosawa (Japan)
88. Schindler's List (1993) - Steven Spielberg (USA)
87. Monsters (2010) - Gareth Edwards (UK)
86. The Matrix (1999) - Andy & Lana Wachowski (USA)
85. The Kid (1921) - Charlie Chaplin (USA)
84. Happy Times (2000) - Zhang Yimou (China)
83. La Haine (1995) - Mathieu Kassovitz (France)
82. Four Lions (2010) - Christopher Morris (UK)
81. Three Colors: Red (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland)
80. Taste of Cherry (1997) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
79. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Irvin Kershner (USA)
78. Summer Interlude (1951) - Ingmar Bergman (Sweden)
77. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Frank Darabont (USA)
76. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Steven Spielberg (USA)
75. Life of Pi (2012) - Ang Lee (Taiwan)
74. The Last King of Scotland (2006) - Kevin Macdonald (UK)
73. Juno (2007) - Jason Reitman (Canada)
72. A Hijacking (2012) - Tobias Lindholm (Denmark)
71. The Hangover (2009) - Todd Phillips (USA)
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Stanley Kubrick (USA)
69. Psycho (1960) - Alfred Hitchcock (UK)
68. Ponyo (2008) - Hayao Miyazaki (Japan)
67. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) - Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones (UK)
66. The Grandmaster (2013) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
65. The Face of Another (1966) - Hiroshi Teshigahara (Japan)
64. Cries and Whispers (1972) - Ingmar Bergman (Sweden)
63. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Vittorio De Sica (Italy)
62. The Apartment (1960) - Billy Wilder (USA)
61. American History X (1998) - Tony Kaye (USA)
60. Act of Dishonour (2010) - Niloufar Pazira (Canada)
59. 12 Angry Men (1957) - Sidney Lumet (USA)
58. There Will be Blood (2007) - Paul Thomas Anderson (USA)
57. Star Wars (1977) - George Lucas (USA)
56. The Road Home (1999) - Zhang Yimou (China)
55. Raging Bull (1980) - Martin Scorsese (USA)
54. The Bow (2005) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
53. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Terry George (UK)
52. Fargo (1996) - Coen Brothers (USA)
51. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Michael Cimino (USA)
50. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA)
49. Aliens (1986) - James Cameron (USA)
48. Tokyo Story (1953) - Yasujiro Ozu (Japan)
47. Seven (1995) - David Fincher (USA)
46. Rebecca (1940) - Alfred Hitchcock (UK)
45. Memento (2001) - Christopher Nolan (UK)
44. Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorsese (USA)
43. Cloverfield (2008) - Matt Reeves (USA)
42. Breathless (1960) - Jean-Luc Goddard (France)
41. Babel (2006) - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico)
40. Satantango (1994) - Bela Tarr (Hungary)
39. Memories of Matsuko (2006) - Tetsuya Nakashima (Japan)
38. Life is Beautiful (1997) - Roberto Benigni (Italy)
37. Last Train Home (2009) - Lixin Fan (Canada)
36. Hunger (2008) - Steve McQueen (UK)
35. Downfall (2004) - Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany)
34. American Psycho (2000) - Mary Harron (Canada)
33. 2046 (2004) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
32. Intouchables (2011) - Olivier Nakache/Eric Toledano (France)
31. The Godfather (1972) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA)
30. Hana-Bi (1997) - Takeshi Kitano (Japan)
29. Detachment (2011) - Tony Kaye (USA)
28. City of God (2003) - Katia Lund/Fernando Meirelles (Brazil)
27. Blade Runner (1982) - Ridley Scott (UK)
26. The Sweet Hereafter (1997) - Atom Egoyan (Canada)
25. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - James Foley (USA)
24. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Sidney Lumet (USA)
23. Django Unchained (2012) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
22. Chungking Express (1994) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
21. Pather Panchali (1955) - Satyajit Ray (India)
20. Dogville (2003) - Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
19. Avatar (2009) - James Cameron (USA)
18. Hero (2002) - Zhang Yimou (China)
17. The Godfather Part II (1974) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA)
16. Whisper of the Heart (1995) - Yoshifumi Kondo (Japan)
15. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring (2003) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
14. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Jonathan Demme (USA)
13. Close-Up (1990) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Milos Forman (Czech Republic)
11. Dancer in the Dark (2000) - Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
10. Confessions (2010) - Tetsuya Nakashima (Japan)
9. Wuthering Heights (1939) - William Wyler (USA)
8. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - John Cassavetes (USA)
7. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - Isao Takahata (Japan)
6. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)
5. Taxi Driver (1976) - Martin Scorsese (USA)
4. Oldboy (2003) - Park Chan Wook (Korea)
3. 3-Iron (2004) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
2. In the Mood for Love (2000) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
1. Late Spring (1949) - Yasujiro Ozu (Japan)
Mmmm Donuts
10-14-13, 09:06 PM
Congrats on finishing your list, man. It's pretty damn good. :up::up::up::up::up:
Thanks guys. That was good fun - already looking forward to the next one :)
The Gunslinger45
10-15-13, 12:02 AM
We'll be here!
Mr Minio
10-15-13, 12:41 PM
Thanks. -_- You reminded me how ignorant am I of Ozu works and that I have to see more of his works besides those two I have seen and loved.
donniedarko
10-15-13, 01:56 PM
Great list, here's my ratings for what I've seen
98. Three Colors: Blue (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland) 4+
96. Moneyball (2011) - Bennett Miller (USA)4-
94. Lady Vengeance (2005) - Park Chan Wook (Korea)3.5
93. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)4
91. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)3.5
88. Schindler's List (1993) - Steven Spielberg (USA)4.5
86. The Matrix (1999) - Andy & Lana Wachowski (USA)3
85. The Kid (1921) - Charlie Chaplin (USA)4
83. La Haine (1995) - Mathieu Kassovitz (France)5
82. Four Lions (2010) - Christopher Morris (UK)3
81. Three Colors: Red (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland)3.5
80. Taste of Cherry (1997) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)3.5
79. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Irvin Kershner (USA)3
77. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Frank Darabont (USA)1.5
76. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Steven Spielberg (USA)4.5-
71. The Hangover (2009) - Todd Phillips (USA)3.5+
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Stanley Kubrick (USA)4
69. Psycho (1960) - Alfred Hitchcock (UK)4
65. The Face of Another (1966) - Hiroshi Teshigahara (Japan)3.5
64. Cries and Whispers (1972) - Ingmar Bergman (Sweden)4.5
63. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Vittorio De Sica (Italy)3.5++
62. The Apartment (1960) - Billy Wilder (USA)3.5
61. American History X (1998) - Tony Kaye (USA)4-
59. 12 Angry Men (1957) - Sidney Lumet (USA)4.5+
58. There Will be Blood (2007) - Paul Thomas Anderson (USA)3.5-
57. Star Wars (1977) - George Lucas (USA)3.5
55. Raging Bull (1980) - Martin Scorsese (USA)3.5
53. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Terry George (UK)3
52. Fargo (1996) - Coen Brothers (USA)3.5
50. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA)5
47. Seven (1995) - David Fincher (USA)4
45. Memento (2001) - Christopher Nolan (UK)4
44. Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorsese (USA)4-
43. Cloverfield (2008) - Matt Reeves (USA)3
42. Breathless (1960) - Jean-Luc Goddard (France)3.5
38. Life is Beautiful (1997) - Roberto Benigni (Italy)3.5
36. Hunger (2008) - Steve McQueen (UK)1
35. Downfall (2004) - Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany)3.5+
29. Detachment (2011) - Tony Kaye (USA)4
28. City of God (2003) - Katia Lund/Fernando Meirelles (Brazil)3.5+
23. Django Unchained (2012) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)4
19. Avatar (2009) - James Cameron (USA)3.5
14. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Jonathan Demme (USA)4.5
13. Close-Up (1990) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)4.5-
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Milos Forman (Czech Republic)3.5-
11. Dancer in the Dark (2000) - Lars Von Trier (Denmark)4
8. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - John Cassavetes (USA)2
6. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Quentin Tarantino (USA)4
5. Taxi Driver (1976) - Martin Scorsese (USA)2.5--
4. Oldboy (2003) - Park Chan Wook (Korea)4.5
2. In the Mood for Love (2000) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)1.5
Guaporense
10-16-13, 01:03 AM
I am now using your ratings system instead of my previous one of giving very low ratings on average.
100. What Time is it There (2001) - Tsai Ming Liang (Taiwan)
99. Through the Olive Trees (1994) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
98. Three Colors: Blue (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland) 69/100
97. Papillon (1973) - Franklin J Schaffner (USA)
96. Moneyball (2011) - Bennett Miller (USA) 70/100
95. Lust, Caution (2007) - Ang Lee (Taiwan)
94. Lady Vengeance (2005) - Park Chan Wook (Korea)
93. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - Quentin Tarantino (USA) 89/100
92. The Isle (2000) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
91. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Quentin Tarantino (USA) 86/100
90. Shutter (2004) - Banjong Pisanthanakun/Parkpoom Wongpoom (Thailand)
89. Seven Samurai (1954) - Akira Kurosawa (Japan) 96/100
88. Schindler's List (1993) - Steven Spielberg (USA) 94/100
87. Monsters (2010) - Gareth Edwards (UK)
86. The Matrix (1999) - Andy & Lana Wachowski (USA) 92/100
85. The Kid (1921) - Charlie Chaplin (USA)
84. Happy Times (2000) - Zhang Yimou (China)
83. La Haine (1995) - Mathieu Kassovitz (France)
82. Four Lions (2010) - Christopher Morris (UK)
81. Three Colors: Red (1994) - Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland) 84/100
80. Taste of Cherry (1997) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
79. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Irvin Kershner (USA) 95/100
78. Summer Interlude (1951) - Ingmar Bergman (Sweden)
77. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Frank Darabont (USA) 90/100
76. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Steven Spielberg (USA) 82/100
75. Life of Pi (2012) - Ang Lee (Taiwan)
74. The Last King of Scotland (2006) - Kevin Macdonald (UK)
73. Juno (2007) - Jason Reitman (Canada) 78/100
72. A Hijacking (2012) - Tobias Lindholm (Denmark)
71. The Hangover (2009) - Todd Phillips (USA) 72/100
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Stanley Kubrick (USA) 92/100
69. Psycho (1960) - Alfred Hitchcock (UK) 90/100
68. Ponyo (2008) - Hayao Miyazaki (Japan) 90/100
67. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) - Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones (UK) 87/100
66. The Grandmaster (2013) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
65. The Face of Another (1966) - Hiroshi Teshigahara (Japan)
64. Cries and Whispers (1972) - Ingmar Bergman (Sweden) 90/100
63. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Vittorio De Sica (Italy) 98/100
62. The Apartment (1960) - Billy Wilder (USA) 83/100
61. American History X (1998) - Tony Kaye (USA) 79/100
60. Act of Dishonour (2010) - Niloufar Pazira (Canada)
59. 12 Angry Men (1957) - Sidney Lumet (USA) 87/100
58. There Will be Blood (2007) - Paul Thomas Anderson (USA) 93/100
57. Star Wars (1977) - George Lucas (USA) 95/100
56. The Road Home (1999) - Zhang Yimou (China)
55. Raging Bull (1980) - Martin Scorsese (USA) 64/100
54. The Bow (2005) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
53. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Terry George (UK)
52. Fargo (1996) - Coen Brothers (USA) 73/100
51. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Michael Cimino (USA)
50. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA) 98/100
49. Aliens (1986) - James Cameron (USA) 94/100
48. Tokyo Story (1953) - Yasujiro Ozu (Japan) 99/100
47. Seven (1995) - David Fincher (USA) 81/100
46. Rebecca (1940) - Alfred Hitchcock (UK)
45. Memento (2001) - Christopher Nolan (UK) 82/100
44. Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorsese (USA) 89/100
43. Cloverfield (2008) - Matt Reeves (USA) 81/100
42. Breathless (1960) - Jean-Luc Goddard (France) 3/100
41. Babel (2006) - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico)
40. Satantango (1994) - Bela Tarr (Hungary) 89/100
39. Memories of Matsuko (2006) - Tetsuya Nakashima (Japan)
38. Life is Beautiful (1997) - Roberto Benigni (Italy)
37. Last Train Home (2009) - Lixin Fan (Canada)
36. Hunger (2008) - Steve McQueen (UK)
35. Downfall (2004) - Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany) 90/100
34. American Psycho (2000) - Mary Harron (Canada)
33. 2046 (2004) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
32. Intouchables (2011) - Olivier Nakache/Eric Toledano (France) 79/100
31. The Godfather (1972) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA) 92/100
30. Hana-Bi (1997) - Takeshi Kitano (Japan) 87/100
29. Detachment (2011) - Tony Kaye (USA) 85/100
28. City of God (2003) - Katia Lund/Fernando Meirelles (Brazil) 91/100
27. Blade Runner (1982) - Ridley Scott (UK) 94/100
26. The Sweet Hereafter (1997) - Atom Egoyan (Canada)
25. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - James Foley (USA)
24. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Sidney Lumet (USA) 81/100
23. Django Unchained (2012) - Quentin Tarantino (USA) 80/100
22. Chungking Express (1994) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong) 49/100
21. Pather Panchali (1955) - Satyajit Ray (India) 91/100
20. Dogville (2003) - Lars Von Trier (Denmark) 81/100
19. Avatar (2009) - James Cameron (USA) 75/100
18. Hero (2002) - Zhang Yimou (China) 81/100
17. The Godfather Part II (1974) - Francis Ford Coppola (USA) 92/100
16. Whisper of the Heart (1995) - Yoshifumi Kondo (Japan) 96/100
15. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring (2003) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
14. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Jonathan Demme (USA) 86/100
13. Close-Up (1990) - Abbas Kiarostami (Iran) 62/100
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Milos Forman (Czech Republic) 78/100
11. Dancer in the Dark (2000) - Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
10. Confessions (2010) - Tetsuya Nakashima (Japan)
9. Wuthering Heights (1939) - William Wyler (USA)
8. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - John Cassavetes (USA)
7. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - Isao Takahata (Japan) 97/100
6. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Quentin Tarantino (USA) 91/100
5. Taxi Driver (1976) - Martin Scorsese (USA) 93/100
4. Oldboy (2003) - Park Chan Wook (Korea) 85/100
3. 3-Iron (2004) - Kim Ki Duk (Korea)
2. In the Mood for Love (2000) - Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong) 71/100
1. Late Spring (1949) - Yasujiro Ozu (Japan)[/QUOTE] 98/100
Guaporense
10-16-13, 01:05 AM
Many of my personal favorites in this list. Weird that your favorite Miyazaki is Ponyo, a great movie like all his others but it lacks the dramatic power of his more serious works or the supreme purity and elegance of Totoro.
Many of my personal favorites in this list. Weird that your favorite Miyazaki is Ponyo, a great movie like all his others but it lacks the dramatic power of his more serious works or the supreme purity and elegance of Totoro.
I do like Totoro more but I didn't watch it in time. When I started this list my intention was to try to avoid watching movies that I thought would be good enough to make the list because then I would have to decide whether to put them in and take another movie out or not. That pretty much went out the window because as soon as I started the countdown I watched Late Spring ...
So, then my plan was if I saw something great I would put it in and just remove the "worst" of the movies that I hadn't posted yet. But once I got to about 70 I didn't want to remove anything because everything that was left deserved to be there.
So, then I thought I'll just do a post at the end saying "BTW, recently watched these and they would have made the list". Then yesterday I went to do it and then thought "that looks silly" - posting my Top 5 and an hour later posting "Oh, and here's a movie that should have been in my top 5 but wasn't".
Get the feeling I think to much about this crap? :p
So, Totoro would have been about number 30 had I watched it in time (and Bergman's Persona was the really difficult one - it would have been at about 5). Also, the other "Noriko" movie, Early Summer, would have been at about 23.
BTW, in regards to Ponyo - I felt like it had more in common with Totoro than many of his other movies - as opposed to Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. I felt like Ponyo and Totoro had more "heart" than the others which appealed to me - maybe just due to have characters that were very young. Anyway, that's just how I saw it - you may disagree.
A lot of those ratings are similar to mine ... except this one: 42. Breathless (1960) - Jean-Luc Goddard (France) 3/100
I can actually understand people hating that - I thought I was going to in the first 10 minutes - but 3 would make it one of the worst movies ever. I even gave Jaws The Revenge a 5! ;)
Mr Minio
10-16-13, 04:42 PM
Haha, Guap, how would you rate Come and See and The Tree of Life? 1/100?
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