itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest ever
 

They don't have to be conventional choices, but there has to be - in your mind - a sound argument to be made.

Citizen Kane
The Godfather
The Godfather Part 2
Tree of Life
There Will Be Blood
2001
The Trial
Bicycle Thieves
Apocalypse Now

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

Taxi Driver
Tokyo Story
Vertigo
It's A Wonderful Life

The Godfather
Ran
Gone With the Wind
Shawshank Redemption
Casablanca
Le Voyage Dans La Lune

I think Citiizen Kane is a bit overrated...

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

I forgot Seven Samurai and Dr Strangelove

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

Taxi Driver
The Godfather
Jaws
Alien
Psycho
Paris, Texas

Only one I haven't seen is Bicycle Thieves so I shall not pass judgement but Tree of Life was just so bland and preachy and stupid imo, it shouldn't ever be considered anywhere near the best film ever.

Other than that, your list is solid, may I add:

T2: Judgement Day
The Departed
Once Upon A Time In America
Heat
On The Waterfront
Gladiator
Braveheart
LOTR: The Two Towers

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

Synecdoche, New York
M
Rashomon
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Once Upon a Time in America
Blade Runner (Final Cut)
Chinatown
Persona
...and all of my top 10 ;)

Goodfellas
Taxi Driver
The Godfather
Lawrence of Arabia
The Seven Samurai
War and Peace
Raging Bull
Chinatown
Unforgiven
Apocalypse Now

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

Werner Herzog's Aguirre or Nosferatu. That is all. Beyond cinema, into an other-worldly realm of pure and perfect art.

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

Will never understand all the love and respect for It's a Wonderful Life...that movie bores the hell out of me.

You know, I watched Vertigo when I was 12 or so and loved it. It was immediately in my top three favorite movies of all time. But, idk, I watched it again for the second time last week... didn't strike me as hard. I think a lot of that initial enjoyment was contingent on my playing along/not remembering that there was a twist. + what was the point of having the other woman who was his friend and then just kind of disappears... like what role did she really play?

What's it preaching? The only scene that really feels hamfisted is the dinosaur stuff, but the rest was absolutely beautiful. The whole movie is about the virtues/plights of existence; it's one of the most ambitious projects of all time. And he nailed it.

I admit I have only seen Vertigo once, but I was FLOORED when I saw it! I need to rewatch it. I will let ya know when I rewatch it.

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

Great film - IMO though it borrowed too heavily from the plot of The Count of Monte Cristo novel to the point of almost being a modern remake, so I had to take points off for originality on this one:

*Guy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit
*Corrupt official learns he is innocent but keeps him locked up anyway to save his own ass
*Tries to escape by tunneling out
*Escapes, acquires a fortune, assumes a new name, and uses his newfound wealth to seek revenge

The empire strikes back
It a wonderful life
citizen Kane
The wizard of Oz
All quiet on the western front
Pulp fiction
Shindlers List
The Godfather part 2

Funny you say that, I think Shawshank Redemption is so overrated that I want to puke. I'm not saying it's a bad film that would be a false statement, it is however grossly overrated and I would never in my life consider it one of the greatest films of all time.

One film I would consider the greatest would be 2001: A Space Odyssey. One of the few films that is not just a film, but almost something entirely else, like a journey through space, time and life itself.

I always figured she maybe represented Hitchcock's wife. The woman that was always there for him, almost like a mother or loyal friend, but in the end overshadowed by Kim Novak's character, representing Hitchcock's eternal obsession with all his beautiful blonde actresses. I mean it was obvious in the film that the other woman was completely in love with James Stewart's character. and he didn't return that love.

Re: itt: list movies that could reasonably be considered the greatest
 

The Passion of Joan of Arc and Eight and Half

This I agree with - I mentioned before that it copied way too much of the plot of the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo"