My Current Top 100

NUMBER ONE



I've had about two major film watching Renaissances. The First took place in the late 80's through the late 90's. The Second occurred during the mid 2000's through the mid 2010's. Both periods introduced me to motion pictures that would greatly influence my tastes for years to come. It was during the Second Renaissance that I discovered my current favorite film, McCabe & Mrs. Miller. I blind bought DVD at the deeply missed Borders Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I had read a few glowing reviews, most notably from Pauline Kale and Roger Ebert, and I enjoyed Westerns, so I decided to give it a shot. But this was no ordinary Western. McCabe & Mrs. Miller had atmosphere and pathos beyond what I had come to expect, I was used to shootouts and that sort of thing. Not this beautifully sad motion picture about a somewhat dense Old West pimp and the worldly-wise prostitute who enters his life. I don't really know if there any true heroes in this film, but I cared about the characters and felt more emotion than with any Western before or since.

I really need to see that movie again someday. I didn't find it as glowing as others, but for a couple of Altman's, it took two watches, so I believe this is necessary for me.

__________________

NUMBER TWO



This was the film that began the First Renaissance of my film watching (see McCabe & Mrs. Miller entry). Raising Arizona had the distinction of being the most insane film I'd witnessed up to that point. Being a thirteen-year-old movie aficionado, I wasn't quite ready for the madness. Raising Arizona changed me.The eleven minute pre-title sequence alone left me enchanted. The rest simply blew my mind. I quote the movie whenever I need to brighten my mood. No movie is funnier, and none more magical. Nicolas Cage has been a favorite ever since, though the whole cast is wonderful. Pure joy.

I took to McCabe & Mrs Miller right away. The soundtrack, the wintery atmosphere, the cinematography... all of it. I'm not a huge Altman fan, but McCabe & Mrs Miller is just a one of a kind experience for me.

I sensed that as well, but I guess I felt its story was a little slow for me at the time. Then again, I love Satantango and might need to look at it from a different perspective.


Haven't seen Raising Arizona yet.

NUMBER THREE



Only Raising Arizona brings forth the mirth in greater quantity than Love and Death. A hilarious satire of Russian literature, love, and death, this is a non-stop comedic assault driven by the music of Sergei Prokofiev. Annie Hall never did much for me. I prefer Woody Allen's early goofy comedies, and none are funnier than this 1975 work.

NUMBER FOUR



I credit Raiders with being my first favorite film. Before that I hadn't really thought about cinema as being a significant part of my existence. I was only seven when I saw it for the first time, but I knew something special had occurred. I'm such a Raiders purist that I don't even acknowledge the other films in the series. Indiana Jones wasn't the hero of the film. Nobody was. Sure, he beat up Nazis. Jones and Belloq, however, were both seeking the Ark for less than noble reasons. And, in the end, Jones learns a big lesson. Raiders said everything that needed to be said. The other films have nothing to add and miss the point of the original.

one of my favorite indiana jones movies

NUMBER FIVE



There are three Horror films that I credit with solidifying my love of the genre:An American Werewolf In London, Evil Dead II, and Suspiria. Of those, the last showed me just how aurally and visually stunning such a film could be. True, Suspiria isn't perfect, with the rest of the film not quite living up to the bravura opening. But, overall, Suspiria has more style and flair than most any other Horror film, or any film. It's my favorite nightmare.

NUMBER SIX



I watched a lot of movies on cable I probably shouldn't have been watching in my early teens. Before Blue Velvet I saw Lynch's The Elephant Man, which didn't much prepare me for Frank Booth. Blue Velvet was an obscene, wild film for a kid to be sitting through. I probably didn't fully grasp what I was seeing at the time, but Blue Velvet had a large influence on forming my cinematic tastes. Like many people, the "In Dreams" scene fascinated me most. I play the song at least weekly. It's easily my favorite movie scene of all time.

I haven't seen Love and Death yet, even though I adore Woody Allen. Raiders has been in my top 10 for years, and Blue Velvet spent a long time in my top 100. It's my favorite Lynch. Suspiria felt more visual than deep to me, but boy is the filmmaking inspiring, or should I say, suspiring?

Suspiria is frustrating at times. I'll admit that it's not a deep film, but the score and the visuals carry it well enough. I've shown it to numerous people and they found it boring. But it had such an impact on me 25 years ago when I first saw it that it's still a major favorite.

As for Love and Death, it's funnier than his other pre-Annie Hall films. And funnier than Annie Hall as well. It's just really funny.

NUMBER SEVEN



I didn't care for Taxi Driver the first time I saw it on cable back in the 80's. I might've been fourteen at the time. Maybe I found it too bleak. It took until my adulthood for me to truly appreciate it. I also started to relate to Travis Bickle in some uncomfortable ways. While Bickle is generally held up as someone not to emulate, there was something about him that drew me in. There's a scene where Bickle says "I got some bad ideas in my head" and that resonated with me. Who doesn't? Of course, I never murdered a couple pimps in order to save an underage prostitute, but there's still time...

Mc. Cabe & Mrs. Miller is a masterpiece for sure, and definitely one of my favourite Westerns too.
I haven’t seen Raising Arizona, but sounds like I’m going to have to!
Love and Death is one of Woody Allen’s best for sure, a fine choice.
Can’t say I’m the biggest Indianna Jones fan. Spielberg’s directing doesn’t do anything for me. But there is still the nostalgia, and no denying it was an iconic character for Ford. The trillogy impacted me a lot when I was younger.
Suspiria I respect more than I actually like, because I appreciate the fact that horror movies didn’t really have death scenes like that before. It shocked the world when it released. Seeing it at that time must have really been something. But personally for Argento the only one of his films that I engaged with was Deep Red.
Blue Velvet is a great Lynch film. I do like Eraserhead more though.

Taxi Driver was a movie I first encountered here actually, back when I first joined. People talked about it in such high regards, and I wasn’t prepared for it. Hands down the best performance I’ve seen from De Niro and Scorsese both individually. It was so raw, gritty, and potent with its acting, dialogue, subject matter, and plot, delivering an extremely realistic and insightful film. This movie broke serious ground for me, because growing up I wasn’t exposed to this sort of thing.

You’ve got an interesting list going so far.

Raising Arizona probably isn't for everyone. It's manic and nutty from start to finish. I know people who worship the film and others who can't stand it. One's sense of humor has a lot to do with your reaction to it, I figure.

I should stress that I'm NOT an Indiana Jones fan. I'm a Raiders of the Lost Ark fan. I rarely watch the other films because I consider them unnecessary and irrelevant to the original.

I didn't care for Deep Red. A lot of people prefer it to Suspiria, but I don't see the appeal. There are a few other Argento films I enjoy, like Phenomena and Dracula, but Suspiria is by far my favorite.

I adore Raising Arizona. But in a way where I fully acknowledge it'll be divisive and half the people who see it won't really click with it at all. But I click with it, and if you click with it, it's an absolute joy.

NUMBER EIGHT



I was fifteen when I came across this epic on a Sunday afternoon while flipping through the stations. I knew nothing about it, but for the next three hours I was enthralled. Up to that point, the only Westerns I'd seen were Young Guns, Rustlers' Rhapsody and a few episodes of the Lone Ranger. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was grittier and more violent than any of those. And it was funny. The film single-handedly ignited my love for the genre, and introduced me to whole new breed of filmmaking. I was never the same.

The acting is one of the main factors if not the main factor. Suspiria and Inferno have very wooden acting. It's been a long time since I saw Deep Red, so I'm going off my old impression. No idea how I'd feel about it after a rewatch. But I think in terms of the story, plot, and dialogue it was the only one that didn't feel like it had any filler content. I was actually very surprised to find out it was made by Argento. I felt gripped the entire time, but with Suspiria and Inferno I felt bored. When a horror film prioritises death scenes over its story it becomes gratuitous. Deep Red is the only one of his films that gave me the impression that the story, plot, and mystery of the murder actually mattered. And, Deep Red wasn't cheesy at all, whereas most of the Italian horror Argento inspired is very cheesy.

HA! The reasons you don't like Suspiria are pretty much the reasons I do. Lots of murders and cheesiness. But I do agree that some of Suspiria feels like filler, since there are parts that do drag a bit. The razor wire scene is an example. I know people who prefer the Suspiria remake because there's more to it. But I love the original for the score and visuals above all else. So we're coming from two different directions.

That was once my top western, but now it's Once Upon a Time in the West. Either way, Leone reigns supreme.