The Movie Forums Top 100 of All-Time Refresh: Countdown

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Decade Breakdown so far - update

From 2020 List
20s - 1
30s - 2
40s - 2
50s - 8 - tied up with the number on 2010 list with 8 movies
60s - 10 - almost tied with the number on 2010 list with 12 movies
70s - 14 - There's now more 70s movies (by 2 movies) on this list compared to the 2010's list
80s -13 - almost tied with the number on 2010 list with 14 movies
90s - 15
2000s - 9
2010s - 2

My Summary:
Seen: 27/76

My List  


39 New Movies from 2020 List
37 Movies from 2010 List
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Stalker was #20 on the MoFo '70s List as well as #22 on the MoFo Sci-Fi List while Seven Samurai was #6 on the MoFo '50s List.
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I also believe Stalker and/or The Mirror will make it. I don't think Andrei Rublev is the most popular Tarkovsky flick here at MoFo and it already placed at #67, so unless those two better-loved titles completely split his vote among his supporters I suspect we will see more of him here on this countdown.
I knew Andrei Rublev couldn't be THE most popular Tarkovsky flick on these forums.



I knew Andrei Rublev couldn't be THE most popular Tarkovsky flick on these forums.
I agreed but didn't think it would be The Mirror. I thought Stalker and I was keeping my fingers crossed for another, which I highly doubt at this point.
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Hey! The best set so far, in my opinion. I've seen Stalker the most when it comes to Tarkovsky. For me, it's a movie that can challenge you and be as thought-provoking as it naturally is, or, with the long takes and lingering atmosphere, can be a movie you just sit with and appreciate.

I've only seen Seven Samurai once, on the other hand, but that's an astounding one too. Considering my sensibilities I tend to think of Ikiru as my favorite Kurosawa, but I think as a spectacle of filmmaking 2373n 2@mur@1 is probably his most impressive, at least from what I've seen.



Love Seven Samurai. And it set a template we see in so many stories.

Stalker I’ve definitely seen.



rbrayer's Avatar
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Two fantastic picks!! Neither made my list, but I must say my faith in humanity is restored an additional 1% by these.

The Seven Samurai is obviously an all-time classic, a movie that has been imitated and remade so many times few remember it. Kurosawa basically invented the action movie here. It's a dazzling technical and narrative achievement, and in my top 5 Kurosawa films for sure.

Stalker is chilling, terrific, and my second favorite Tarkovsky film after Solaris, which I am curious whether will make the list.



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Hey! The best set so far, in my opinion. I've seen Stalker the most when it comes to Tarkovsky. For me, it's a movie that can challenge you and be as thought-provoking as it naturally is, or, with the long takes and lingering atmosphere, can be a movie you just sit with and appreciate.

I've only seen Seven Samurai once, on the other hand, but that's an astounding one too. Considering my sensibilities I tend to think of Ikiru as my favorite Kurosawa, but I think as a spectacle of filmmaking 2373n 2@mur@1 is probably his most impressive, at least from what I've seen.
That's where I come in on Kurosawa. I think I need two see Seven Samurai again to really appreciate it, but my god, who has the time?



That's where I come in on Kurosawa. I think I need two see Seven Samurai again to really appreciate it, but my god, who has the time?
Big mood on this.

Maybe just watch the first three Samurai and the other four the next day.



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I can't believe we're at the top 25 already! I'm a little surprised at how high these last two made it, I didn't realise Stalker was quite that popular.



Boith directors join the multiples, although it's surprising that either director only just joined the list.

3
  • Alfred Hitchcock: North By Northwest (57), Rear Window (40), Psycho (27)
  • James Cameron: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (71), The Terminator (56), Aliens (37)
  • Steven Spielberg: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (89), Saving Private Ryan (83), Schindler's List (41)
2
  • Akira Kurosawa: Ikiru (95), Seven Samurai (26)
  • Andrej Tarkovsky: Andrej Rublev (67), Stalker (25)
  • Billy Wilder: The Apartment (84), Sunset Boulevard (53)
  • David Fincher: Fight Club (52), Se7en (49)
  • Milos Forman: Amadeus (50), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (33)
  • Paul Thomas Anderson: Magnolia (74), There Will Be Blood (60)
  • Peter Jackson: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (42), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (28)
  • Robert Zemeckis: Forrest Gump (65), Back to the Future (34)
  • Victor Fleming: Gone with the Wind (55), The Wizard of Oz (36)
Seven Samurai does everything it can to fill up the three hours worth of character development for the titular characters. This is at the expense of development for the villains which are often developed in various remakes, so there's a strength that the remakes have against the film, but the film overall is still the best.

Stalkerwas my first Tarkovsky film. It's great, but it's overrated. I can think of three Tarkovsky films that I like more, and I haven't even seen Andrej Rublev yet. The slow cinema touch is a bit too strong, but other than that it's well-filmed and has excellent dialogue which even influenced me as a writer.



I haven't seen Seven Samurai yet, but I watched several of Kurosawa's films last year and I plan to get to that one soon.

As for Stalker, that was actually #1 on my list, making it the second Tarkovsky film on my ballot (Andrei Rublev, which has already made this list, was the other). When I first watched Stalker, this was before I was fully accustomed to slow pacing, so I struggled somewhat with it, but I still appreciated it quite a lot. I couldn't explain why, but something about the film felt so alluring and kept inviting me back for more, whether it was the ethereal beauty found in the deserted environments or various sequences which seemed to have otherworldly qualities to them. Everything about the pacing should've made me grow bored as hell back then, but while this somewhat happened, I also felt strangely drawn to it for a reason I couldn't put my finger on. The only thing I knew was that Tarkovsky was a director who I should keep an eye out for in the future. Though I struggled with a few of his other films after that (The Mirror and Solaris, both of which I need to revisit soon), I eventually got around to rewatching this film, which was when I fell in love with Tarkovsky. In many ways, it's more of a feel than a film. While the transition from sepia to color when they enter the Zone makes it seem like a haven as opposed to the drab outside world they're normally stuck with, the more we learn about the Zone and the various people who had ventured there prior to the film, the more dangers the area is revealed to have, and the more omens they witness as they make their way through it (a group of abandoned army tanks, a black dog which recurs throughout their time in the Zone, or a human skeleton they pass by), the more apparent it is that the room isn't as fulfilling as it appears. Every time I watch this film, I'm always left with some unanswered questions, but I never feel unsatisfied by what I don't know about the Zone. Contrariwise, part of me feels changed every time I finish it as the mysterious beauty the film gives off throughout their time in the Zone and, specifically, the tragically beautiful final shot, is more than enough to move and devastate me. Topped with an undercurrent of nuclear disasters and fallouts bubbling underneath the surface of various scenes (one which is heightened by how the toxic chemicals in the area this film was shot in arguably lead to the deaths of Tarkovsky and two of the three main actors in the film), this film easily tops my list.

My updated ballot:

1. Stalker (#25)
2.
3.
4. The Tree of Life (#62)
5.
6. Persona (#45)
7.
8.
9.
10. Come and See (#54)
11.
12. Andrei Rublev (#67)
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18. A Clockwork Orange (#32)
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
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Excellent pair. I chose neither, but alternates for each. Andrei Rublev was my Tarkovsky pick, but the plateau of genius between that film and Solaris, The Mirror and Stalker is just phenomenal, all of them worthy of inclusion.


For Kurosawa, there's another half-dozen that I could nominate. I picked another one for my list (that may still show up *x*), but Seven Samurai is probably the most popularly accessible for those who aren't straight up racist. I had the opportunity to see this one on a, hm, big-like screen (16mm) and brought a couple of friends who usually didn't care much for subtitles, but found themelves utterly captivated throughout. It's a wonderful picture.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Seven Samurai is a beautiful epic containing character development, strategy, comedy, thrilling, muscular action and poetic visuals. Every time I put Seven Samurai on (or come across it on cable), I get hooked. It's a very hypnotic movie with a strong sense of storytelling.

I will continue to watch Stalker because I do get more out of each time. You get to derive what you want from Stalker because it and Tarkovsky don't make it clear what it's about. That turns a lot of people on, but not me. The more personal Tarkovsky got (and that increased with each film), the more he lost me. I didn't find it depressing but it sure is cold. I've seen it a few times now and it holds very little meaning for me, but you can just say that I don't get it. I'm a prejudiced, unwashed heathen, but I still think viewers should watch it for themselves since there's a lot of beautiful imagery and deep philosophy to be found, Even though his films present the human condition, the talkiness and extreme length tend to make me feel icy toward him. I keep watching him to try to see and feel what others do, but it comes off as an intellectual exercise. I know Tarkovsky is trying to communicate differently and touch my soul, but it rarely happens. However, I do agree with him when he says, "So much, after all, remains in our thoughts and hearts as unrealized suggestion."
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As for Stalker, that was actually #1 on my list, making it the second Tarkovsky film on my ballot (Andrei Rublev, which has already made this list, was the other). When I first watched Stalker, this was before I was fully accustomed to slow pacing, so I struggled somewhat with it, but I still appreciated it quite a lot. I couldn't explain why, but something about the film felt so alluring and kept inviting me back for more, whether it was the ethereal beauty found in the deserted environments or various sequences which seemed to have otherworldly qualities to them. Everything about the pacing should've made me grow bored as hell back then, but while this somewhat happened, I also felt strangely drawn to it for a reason I couldn't put my finger on. The only thing I knew was that Tarkovsky was a director who I should keep an eye out for in the future. Though I struggled with a few of his other films after that (The Mirror and Solaris, both of which I need to revisit soon), I eventually got around to rewatching this film, which was when I fell in love with Tarkovsky. In many ways, it's more of a feel than a film. While the transition to sepia to color when they enter the zone makes it seem like the Zone is a haven as opposed to the drab outside world they're stuck with, the more we learn about the Zone and various people who had ventured there earlier, the more dangers the area is revealed to have, and the more omens they witness as they make their way through it (a group of abandoned army tanks, the black dog which recurs throughout their time in the Zone, or a human skeleton they pass by), the more apparent it is that the room isn't as fulfilling as it appears. Every time I watch this film, I'm always left with some unanswered questions, but I never feel unsatisfied by what I don't know about the Zone. Contrariwise, part of me feels changed every time I finish it as the mysterious beauty the film gives off throughout their time in the Zone and, specifically, the tragically beautiful final shot, is more than enough to move and devastate me. Coupled with an undercurrent on nuclear disasters and fallouts bubbling underneath the surface of various scenes (one which is heightened by how the toxic chemicals in the area this film was shot in arguably lead to the deaths of Tarkovsky and two of the three main actors in the film), this film easily tops my list.
Beautifully put. Even though I liked it, the way you felt after your first watch is more or less how I felt as well, so I'm sure that rewatching it will let it sink in far more.

As for the bolded part, this is the line from the film that most resonated with me...

"There's no going back. Nobody goes back the same way they came."
So there you go. Thanks for sharing.
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26. Seven Samurai


25. Stalker


that being said,
2 Stalker 1979
17 Ikiru 1952

lol
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rbrayer's Avatar
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Big mood on this.

Maybe just watch the first three Samurai and the other four the next day.
I wonder if I'm alone in this but I rarely watch movies in one go. I frequently break it into sessions or I'd never get through movies. I actually had to do something like this when I did watch!