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

Got a job, so I won't be as on top of this as before, but I can still provide the list for now. No trouble.


Sergio Leone joins the multpiles after appearing only several days ago, but the Wachowskis likely have their only entry.


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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)
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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)
Sergio Leone: Once Upon a Time in the West (31), The Good, the Band & the Ugly (23)
Victor Fleming: Gone with the Wind (55), The Wizard of Oz (36)
That's Leone's best film and my second favorite western. The only scene I didn't like waa the predictable cannon scene.


The Matrix has been a grower. I didn't used to love it but I've grown much more fond of it over the years. But was so hokey.

Still nada from my list and only one I have not seen: Stalker


Clockwork Orange a lil viddy of the ultra-violence with some Beethoven thrown in for good measure. Used to love this as a kid, not so much now a days. Do appreciate and respect it though.



Once Upon a Time in the West It took me forever to finally see this epic Leone film and I truly need to see it again.



Star Wars; The Empire Strikes Back Like any strong trilogy, the second aka Episode #5 not only goes further into the world created in the first installment, but it goes darker and grittier.
Still love the first a little more but this is a d@mn good follow up.



Se7en This film set the bar for how serial killer/detective films should be done.



Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King It all comes to a climax. The journey. The Battle for Middle Earth. And a movie that refuses to end with so many multiple endings. Still love it though.



Psycho The movie that made taking a shower a terrifying experience for all of us. Even though it has been a good solid decade or two since I last saw it there still remains a number of scenes that are irreversibly seared into my memory. Such as the one above or the discovery of "mother".



Seven Samurai Surprisingly, I have only seen this incredible film twice, back in the nineties and truly need to experience it again.



The Matrix There is a basic movie equation that states that a protagonist is as strong as their antagonist. A good hero needs a really good villain, and with Hugo Weaving playing the unrelenting Agent Mr. Smith

who's mannerisms and speech patterns is dead on for the character he portrays is an ideal immovable object for Keanu Reeves' genesis (Neo) and eventual growth into a unstoppable force.

The first in the trilogy of the Matrix films, this is a serious addition to the sci-fi/action genre within a dystopian landscape. It's "bullet time" action sequence being snatched up, copied and even parodied within a few years of its debut in some twenty odd films. Even the name, referencing the façade that blinds us from what is truly occurring has been ingrained into our everyday slang.

The Wachowskis world building, as well as their introduction into that world is quite the adrenaline filled ride with some wonderful sci-fi philosophy giving this stylized film a solid ground to stand upon and reach skyward.
Following Mr. Anderson's discovery, or more accurately, being discovered by the dystopian world and those doing battle within to "wake up" those imprisoned and used as "copper tops" for the IAs who control the Matrix.

From the very first time I stepped out of the movie theater, heart pumping with excitement from the incredible ride I had just thoroughly enjoyed, I've been a fan of this film and the trilogy itself. The action and solid dystopian story line blends extremely well and while some of the wire fighting is a little off (which isn't a serious critique since wire use is a fallible technique in itself) it still remains a powerhouse with excellent primary and secondary characters. Some of my extreme favorites being The Oracle played by Gloria Foster and Tank (Marcus Chong).



The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly When this film initially came out, the Hays Code was on it's last legs and dying quickly. The United States film-goer was hungry for films with far more edge, far more risque situations and a more grisly outlook to many genres, including Westerns. And the Spaghetti Westerns fit the bill and gorged that hunger. With a Good Guy who wasn't really, A Bad Guy that we didn't just love to hate but really enjoyed and The Ugly character with a bombastic persona that was the dynamite to their cold, calculating fuses.
Each of them I have enjoyed more than the others throughout my life and with my last viewing, I did find Wallach's Tuco the star of this film this time around. His on again, off again, working relationship with Eastwood's Blonde making for so many great scenes and tossing Van Cleef's cold ruthlessness to the mix just took it all to another enjoyably outrageous level.




Movies Watched 62 out of 78 (79.48%)
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2. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969) #81
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7. Amadeus (1984) #50
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13. The Wizard of Oz (1939) #36
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16. The Third Man (1949) #48
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23. Metropolis (1927) #73
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25. Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) One Pointer


Rectification List
Day of the Jackal (1973) One Pointer
To Kill A Mockingbird (#85) *rewatch*

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Update time again. This time I've seen all six.

The Return of the King isn't the LotR film on my ballot either. I've already said it's my least favorite in the trilogy. It takes too many liberties with the story, has pacing issues, and doesn't manage to finish (nearly) in time. Still, a somewhat good film.

I rewatched Psycho not too long ago, and liked it more than I expected. A solid thriller, and worth its reputation. Still, not a personal favorite, so no votes.

It's been quite a long time since I saw Seven Samurai, but I think it was OK. Kurosawa has never been a favorite of mine, but he rarely makes bad films. No votes for this, or any other Kurosawa from me.

Stalker is another quite recent rewatch. It looks good (most of the time), but I just can't find the touted depth in its pointlessly meandering dialogue. I'm not a fan.

The Matrix made my list. I haven't watched it in several years, but I have multiple viewings spanning a period of 10-15 years. There's maybe a hefty dose of nostalgia pushing it all the way to #10 for me, but it's one of the greatest theater experiences for me. Such a stunning film back then. Such times, when Wachowski's were still brothers and made good movies.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly also made my list at #14. It's Leone's 2nd best western. It's got better with every rewatch, but I doubt it'll never catch up with OUaTitW. Quite ridiculous that a film I somehow consider merely a step towards perfecting a style makes my list.

Seen 60/78
My list this far:
01: The Exorcist (1973) [#47]
02: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) [#31]
05: Aliens (1986) [#37]
10: The Matrix (1999) [#24]
13: The Seventh Seal (1957) [honorable mention]
14: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) [#23]
15: The Terminator (1984) [#56]
25: Poison for the Fairies (1984) [1-pointer]

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Count me in the party that thinks The Matrix is actually important to cinema and holds up as a really great action film.

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Suspect's Reviews

I didn't have room for The Matrix on my ballot, but very glad to see it make it.

INCEPTIONNNNNNN!!!!!

No, wait...

Yeah, that's the vibe for me too.
I love letting you smart people do all the heavy lifting.

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Let's do this too (i.e. my ballot with predictions):

01: The Exorcist (1973)
02: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
03: I was really hoping this would make it, but I don't see it making this high
04: I was really hoping this would make it, but I don't see it making this high
05: Aliens (1986)

06: This will make it
07: It was quite unlikely from the start, and definitely not this high
08: No way
09: I was really hoping this would make it, but I don't see it making this high
10: The Matrix (1999)

11: I was naively hoping this would have a small chance, but definitely not this high
12: This should make it
13: The Seventh Seal (1957)
14: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
15: The Terminator (1984)

16: Was never going to make it
17: Even more never than above
18: Maybe? Seems too high for it, but I wouldn't bet all my money against it yet
19: Was never going to make it (even I'd probably drop it from my list today)
20: I was kinda hoping this could make it, but I don't see it making this high

21: Was never going to make it
22: Was never going to make it
23: Was never going to make it
24: Was never going to make it
25: Poison for the Fairies (1984)

The Shining, though I'd hope that'd be higher than 22-21.
12 Angry Men

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I hadn't seen The Matrix since I saw it in the theater many years ago, but I rewatched it for this countdown. The only thing that I really remembered about the movie was that it had incredible visuals for the action/fighting scenes, but I thought the story was lacking. After watching it again, my opinion hasn't changed. I still don't think it's a great movie, but the fight scenes are pretty cool to watch.


I was never a fan of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but I watched it recently for the Westerns Countdown, and my opinion didn't change much. It was a little bit better than I remembered it, but not by much.

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I'm one of those people who actually liked all three films in The Matrix trilogy (except for maybe The Architect's "explanation" of things in the 2nd film), especially the first though.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a favorite from way back to my childhood. Every time it aired on TV, I was right there, front and center, watching the tube and enjoying every moment. Clint has been and will always be The Man (in films) for me (well, James Stewart, too). That said, I already have two of his on my list and I hold no hope for their appearance. As it is, neither of the above films made my countdown list.

19. The Searchers #97
1. To Kill a Mockingbird #85
25. Die Hard #63
14. Rear Window #40
8. It's a Wonderful Life #38
2. Aliens #37
13. The Wizard of Oz #36
9. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back #30

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I have seen The Good, The Bad and The Ugly two or three times and I think it's really good. My latest rewatch wasn't as successful though and I think it might be because I saw the extended version. I think I saw the theatrical first... I think there were portions that felt a little too drawn out but overall it's an impressive piece of work. Somehow it's not as easy to dust up the theatrical cut as it is the extended... I saw a 4K release is coming and it's only of the extended. That's so weird.

Anyways, as for The Matrix, I'm one of those that is more in the love than hate department, however, I was also never one who hailed it as a holy grail and participated in the extreme cult following it received. I don't hold it as high to completely agree with such a high placement, but I definitely don't mind it being on the list. I moderately enjoy the first sequel too, but thought the closing chapter was pretty darn awful.

Here's my write-up for it in one of the recent HoFs...

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I suspect the use of "overlook" is too obvious an inclusion and does not refer to the setting of The Shining but instead a nod to Ridley Scott using outtakes from the footage shot for the beginning of Kubrick's film for the ending of the original theatrical cut of Blade Runner.

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The Shining
Goodfellas

Mostly due to what people have already said in the thread...

The Shining & BladeRunner

Holden is probably right that the obvious clues pointing to The Shining are a trick, though.

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I just watched 12 Angry Men this year and thought it was amazing. So well done and I was engaged from start to finish.

The Shining was the movie I was alluding to earlier when I said that a different Kubrick film had overtaken A Clockwork Orange as my top Kubrick. Different vibes than the book, but stellar nonetheless.

I think Doctor Sleep is a really well done sequel too.

With 183 points each, this is the last tie on the countdown. Almost half the countdown (44 films) shared a point total with at least one another, but from here on out each film claims its spot without the help of any tiebreaker.

Also, 12 Angry Men was on exactly 12 ballots.

2 from my list



And...