The MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s: Countdown

→ in
Tools    





Anyway, Taxi Driver was my #1 (obviously)

I've said this in many different threads, but I feel as though I am obliged to share my thoughts once again. To me, Taxi Driver is a perfect film, and very few are those films that come close to it in terms of profundity and cinematic artistry.

Thematically this is one of the richest films I've ever seen. On the surface it sounds and looks like a really simple film: a mentally unstable person is sick of the world surrounding him and in the end acts as a vigilante. But really, it's more than just that; it's more than just about a taxi driver who takes the law into his own hands. The film is full of subtext and symbolism throughout, there are so many things you could miss even if you blinked for a second

I've also never seen a character treated like in this film, Travis is one of the most human characters in all of cinema. De Niro (who later in his career made us scratch our heads with some of his choices) shows here why he is widely regarded as not only one of the greatest American actors, but of all time. Some point at Raging Bull, but it is in this film where for me he gives a masterclass of acting. He doesn't just act in this film - he literally loses himself in the role.

Many also find Goodfellas to be Scorsese's masterwork, personally I find this to be his most expertly made film, and a testament to his filmmaking talent and wizardry. His work behind the camera is simply awe-inspiring. Visually, the film is one of the most striking films ever made, it's just so beautifully shot and I could write a long essay (hell, maybe even a book) on the camera angles and movements alone


More than just a film. A true work of art, and a flawless masterpiece.




Yes, no TAXI Driver in the top two!

Both of the next movies made my list, I'm definitely rooting for Jaws to win this all though.
__________________
Yeah, there's no body mutilation in it



feel like i went overboard yesterday gushing about Star Wars so even tho i probably should dial back the enthusiasm a bit for Taxi Driver... not sure i will be able to. even tho Taxi Driver beat my favorite by 24 points, Travis Bickle that bastard

this is one of those movies that had that *favorite movie* kind of vibe even the first time i watched it. BlueLion mentioned recently that he read a review that essentially stated this movie could have been crafted in a workshop by movie deities setting out to create a flawless cinematic experience. Really dig the pacing in this movie, especially. The whole thing is fused together in a way that maximizes all elements of good moviemaking, at least for me. It is #4 in my all-time favorites, and the only reason it's behind my top 3 is that I find myself wanting to rewatch it less than the three above it. anyways, may have used up all my movie reviewing magic yesterday, might need to recharge the batteries. Taxi Driver is just, like, a great movie, man
I'm standing here. You make a move.




I'm sorry Mark and HK, but I am hoping that Jaws isn't number one. I am surprised it is even this high, as I mentioned before, it doesn't generate a load of discussion there, even though it is an important film. That's not to say I don't like it, I just didn't realise it was this liked
I thought Jaws would be in a fight for #1 with Chinatown and Taxi Driver. Then, one by one, all the other great films (and not so great ones that other people love. ) start to come to mind and I convinced myself that top 5 would be OK. Now it's going to be first or second. That's fantastic. Even if it's not #1, I'm so pleased it did this well. However, thanks to the above, I'm now going to hold you personally responsible if it doesn't make it.

Tax Driver? It's in my top 5. In fact, when Holden sent me a PM to press me to send in a list, he said something along the lines of "Come on, you've got four 70's films in your top 10. It won't be that hard for you to come up with 21 others." Not that I ever wasn't going to send in a list, but he was right. The only problem I had, as many/most of you did, was which great films to leave off your list.

Taxi Driver is another of those films I love for the atmosphere it creates and the feeling I get when watching it. It's a great 70's film and a great New York film. The New York I grew up seeing on tv and wanting to go to, Times Square, 42nd Street, Harlem, SoHo and Kojak's Manhattan South.

The film looks great and it sounds fantastic but, despite all these things about this film, it's all put in the shade by De Niro's performance. I know, Raging Bull, trained to be a fighter, put on loads of weight, blah, blah, blah. For me, this is his great hour , OK, his greatest hour and forty three minutes. The film is legendary, as are it's stories and mythology
__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.



Anyway, Taxi Driver was my #1 (obviously)

I've said this in many different threads, but I feel as though I am obliged to share my thoughts once again. To me, Taxi Driver is a perfect film, and very few are those films that come close to it in terms of profundity and cinematic artistry.

Thematically this is one of the richest films I've ever seen. On the surface it sounds and looks like a really simple film: a mentally unstable person is sick of the world surrounding him and in the end acts as a vigilante. But really, it's more than just that; it's more than just about a taxi driver who takes the law into his own hands. The film is full of subtext and symbolism throughout, there are so many things you could miss even if you blinked for a second

I've also never seen a character treated like in this film, Travis is one of the most human characters in all of cinema. De Niro (who later in his career made us scratch our heads with some of his choices) shows here why he is widely regarded as not only one of the greatest American actors, but of all time. Some point at Raging Bull, but it is in this film where for me he gives a masterclass of acting. He doesn't just act in this film - he literally loses himself in the role.

Many also find Goodfellas to be Scorsese's masterwork, personally I find this to be his most expertly made film, and a testament to his filmmaking talent and wizardry. His work behind the camera is simply awe-inspiring. Visually, the film is one of the most striking films ever made, it's just so beautifully shot and I could write a long essay (hell, maybe even a book) on the camera angles and movements alone


More than just a film. A true work of art, and a flawless masterpiece.

__________________
Through the darkness of future past
The magician longs to see
One chants out between two worlds:
Fire walk with me.



I put Taxi Driver at #18. Not much I can add to what others have already said. Great, great film and as far as cinematic studies of urban alienation and loneliness go, it's definitive.

I didn't include either of the last two, so that completes my list!

1. Annie Hall
2. Picnic at Hanging Rock
3. Network
4. Hausu
5. Play It Again, Sam
6. Harold and Maude
7. Barry Lyndon
8. Love and Death
9. Carrie
10. Sleeper
11. Alien
12. Alice in the Cities
13. Being There
14. Blazing Saddles
15. Nashville
16. American Graffiti
17. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
18. Taxi Driver
19. Walkabout
20. Chinatown
21. The Conversation
22. A Woman Under the Influence
23. Wake in Fright
24. Apocalypse Now
25. Aguirre, Wrath of God



I have one more movie that was on my list. Was it Jaws or The Godfather?

Guess it right and I'll give you a complimentary pencil!



Trivia: that hallway where Travis calls Betsy from a payphone, that is the lobby of the Ed Sullivan Theater building on Broadway in Manhattan. This was five years after "The Ed Sullivan Show" had gone off the air, and seventeen years before David Letterman would revitalize the theater when he moved his talk show there from nearby NBC and 30 Rockefeller Plaza. But that hallway still looks much the same, and those elevators now go up to the Letterman staff offices (or at least until the show goes off the air sometime in 2015). Once when Martin Scorsese was on the show as a guest, Dave had a camera out there to recreate the tracking shot, decades later.

Attachments
Click image for larger version

Name:	late show.jpg
Views:	830
Size:	32.4 KB
ID:	17057  
__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
I'm once again one of the outsiders at the celebration although Taxi Driver has gone up in my estimation about as much as any film I've seen from the time I first watched it and downright hated it until now. I suppose I could stand at the doorway to the party though and ask Holden or cricket for a piece of cake or a beer.
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
-

I've seen Taxi Driver about ten times now, and I still find it to be extremely-flawed, but its pure cinematics have finally won me over enough to raise my rating up to what it is here. For every scene which I find extended or overkill, I'm rewarded with some spectacular visual/aural pyrotechnics, often something as simple as a taxi driving down a neon-lit night-time street set to the jazzy Bernard Herrmann musical score. Robert De Niro's performance is quite incredible even though he remains an enigma. I believe the most-controversial scenes in the film are the entire rescue bloodbath at the end and the way it's perceived by the press and allegedly the filmmakers. Taxi Driver is definitely a film to be seen, and I'm only now after 30 years, begrudgingly allowing myself to come to almost admit that I can "like" or "enjoy" it. One thing's for sure. Compared to all the other vigilante-type flicks which have come along since, Taxi Driver is much more complex and compelling.
I had a real problem with Taxi Driver when I first saw it in 1976. I didn't like or understand Travis Bickle, and what's more, I didn't like any of the other characters. I was also turned off by the violent ending and the message it seemed to be sending. I've seen it many times since, and I appreciate it a lot more now. The cinematography and music were always great, but only go so far for what I thought was convoluted - look no further than last year's The Master. But now it seems more complex, less shocking and more "normal". Ultimately, movies have caught up with Taxi Driver in content and subject matter, but most make it feel much better, both in reality and in the fact that it was almost prescient in the direction a large portion of modern cinema would take. I think it's a very good movie.
__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page



Of course I fully expected The Godfather to be one half of the final two, but I certainly didn't foresee Jaws being the other half. Honestly, now that it's made it this far I'm temped to stick my neck out and say it will take a surprise #1, just like The Shining did. So I am.

#1


#2



Not really too surprised about the top ten, other than how well Alien did. With Taxi Driver out of the running for #1, I'm rooting for The Godfather, but Jaws is fantastic too.
__________________
"Puns are the highest form of literature." -Alfred Hitchcock



Star Wars was a bit low I think, But the increasing elitism of the forum meant it wasn't going to be number 1.

Taxi Driver is great as well, in my list as well. Alien was in my list as well, classic sci fi of course made my list (I loved every single film regarded as sci fi classic).



Jaws and The Godfather in the final two?

My very first prediction was that Jaws would win this.

But, going by my calculations, The Godfather will win this.

I think it will be The Godfather. It BETTER be The Godfather because I can't have BlueLion guessing more movies than me.

Anyway....

Taxi Driver was #18 on my list.

And while I'm at it, I'm just gonna reveal the last movie on my list -- The Godfather was #21 on my list.

I hope it's #1 tomorrow because it will be the first time I had a #1 movie on my list.

Sexy Celebrity's '70s List:

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
3. Rocky
4. Rocky II
5. Pink Flamingos - didn't make it
6. A Clockwork Orange
7. Halloween
8. Mad Max
9. Foxy Brown - didn't make it
10. Coffy - #102, didn't make it
11. Harold & Maude
12. Carrie
13. Alien
14. Tommy - didn't make it
15. Little Big Man
16. The Deer Hunter
17. The Muppet Movie
18. Taxi Driver
19. The Jerk
20. Last Tango in Paris - didn't make it
21. The Godfather
22. Patton - #103, didn't make it
23. Apocalypse Now
24. Caligula - didn't make it
25. Pumping Iron - didn't make it



Reminder: special surprise tomorrow morning to go with the reveal of the last two films. Definitely make sure to check in.
Hmm. It sounds like it's gonna be something that you'll only have the chance of witnessing if you're here tomorrow morning. Live, at least. I'm gonna guess that you built Skype into the forums and Holden Pike will be announcing the final two live via video stream, as if this were the Oscars or something. There will be a post and it will be streaming Holden speaking to us, live. Am I right?

Those who missed it will be able to see a Youtube video of it later.