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

Here is a brief little bit I wrote about ESOTSM in a thread about The Most Romantic Movies of All Time and a big reason why it is a personal favorite. It was on my short list this time around but was one of the last three or four I bumped.

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"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

No, you're right. By then we had agreed to separate them. LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring finished first, Eternal Sunshine was second, LOTR: The Return of the King was #14, and LOTR: The Two Towers was #23.

I am thinking Chinatown appears much higher on this list. I can think of several MoFos that will Top 5 it...

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Two good picks. Neither are ones I'd ever pick but solid 8/10s from what I recall. Although I will say I don't think Kaufman's writing has aged particularly well and I haven't seen Eternal Sunshine in quite awhile.

Couldn't stand either movie.

Braveheart is the first movie to make the list that I really like. I remember when it in theaters and all the praise it was getting yet I had no interest in seeing it until a guy I worked with saw it and described it as 3 hours of kickin' ass. It turned out to be more than that but that description got my butt to the theater to see it. It used to be a top ten movie for me but has dropped out over the years and didn't make my list. As for historical accuracy: don't care. It's a movie not a history lesson and like some others have mentioned I also bought a couple of books about the real William Wallace (I think one was called The War of the Bruces) based off of my enjoyment of the movie. Mel may be a turd but he makes very good movies.

Speaking of turds, Polanski has never been a director I've liked. I find his movies boring however, he has two movies that I think are great: Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. I was a long time holdout of Rosemary's Baby. Saw it this year and it will make my top ten first viewings of 2020 but it's not a top 25 all time for me. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen at consistently building tension from one scene to the next. It just keeps getting better and better as it goes, never letting up. Probably would have been top ten, maybe even top five, for the horror countdown had I seen it.

I thought Her was very good but Eternal Sunshine is not my kind of movie. I didn't like it at all and have done a pretty good job of scrubbing it from my memory.

None of my list have made it yet but I'm not surprised. I did have a one pointer that was a reach but I do expect the 24 remaining films from my list to make it and will probably to start showing up around 25.

Nothing has really surprised me yet with the first 10. All are worthy and even if I didn't like them, I get it. Maybe the only surprise is the lack of 80's Barbarian Queen movies. Thought there'd be at least one by now.

One of my favorite things about modern cinema is Kauffman's writing. If I had watched Eternal Sunshine anytime in the last couple years it very well could have cracked my 25. As it is , the competition for my last few spots was just too tight. Needless to say I am very pleased to see it on the list.

Expected Rosemary's Baby but this sort of nebulous horror just does not appeal to me. I don't find it creepy. Of course multiple viewings has made me come around on The Shining, more on that later I'm sure. so there is hope.

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I've seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a couple of times, and remember liking it a lot. However, I haven't rewatched it in probably more than 10-15 years, so it didn't make my list. I do like seeing it there, though. I should probably schedule a rewatch.

Rosemary's Baby didn't make my list either, but I like it a lot. Like Braveheart, it was on my shortlist for my Top 100, but it missed out. I recently rewatched it, probably 3 or 4 months ago, and was surprised by how well it holds. Another one I'm glad to see on the list.

Summary:
So far, nothing from my list has come up, and I've seen 5 out of 10 from the list (6, if we include the HM).

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Check out Knife in the Water for another good Polanski flick.

Another good day on the countdown today with two favorites of mine that I didn't vote for.
Rosemary's Baby + was #7 on my Horror ballot last year, and
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind + is on my current all time 250 at #178.
(Don't think it will make my new 'refreshed' 250 though.)

seen: 7/100

watchlist:
Suspiria, The Seventh Seal, The Castle of Cagliostro, A Man For All Seasons, Irreversible, Army of Darkness, The 10th Victim, Malena, Sunday in New York, Ikiru

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Not to try and convert you into a fan, but if you're curious there is a thread devoted to Polanski's films HERE.



For you haters I would think Chinatown, which is an absolute lock, is the only other flick from his filmography with a shot of making this list.

Eternal Sunshine didn't make my list, but it was probably one of the last few I eliminated; great film and it would certainly be in my own top 100. Its mention reminds me that I'd like to see Synecdoche, New York again, which baffled me in the theater but in a good way. Rosemary's Baby is also excellent, and would likely make my list of Top 25 movies made by people who did awful things (though there's an unsettling amount of competition for that). Like others here, I'm lukewarm toward Braveheart and Her, slightly more bullish on Her.

That looks interesting. I'll give it a shot.

Synecdoche blew my mind when I first saw it last year. I've been surprised since that it doesn't get mentioned more often. It sat at #76 on the shoddy Top 100 I assembled, but it could've been higher. Such an emotionally heavy yet beautiful and thought-provoking film.

2 Great films. Happy to see both in the top 100. Neither in my 25 though.

Cul-de-sac is another Polanski I don't hear much about but I liked when I watched it. It has Loomis and some great cinematography from memory.

Re the 2010s, I suspect I am virtually alone in that the most recent movie on my list came out in 2001,

Like Her and Braveheart Eternal Sunshine is another just kind of ok for me. But Rosemary’s Mary is a damn fine choice.

I've never seen Braveheart. it's one of those last few very famous and broadly loved films I haven't seen yet. I've never really felt that attracted to it, but I'm sure I'll watch it at a certain point. If only to complete this list.

I liked Her well enough. But I'm especially hoping for another Phoenix film to make it, which was very high on my list. We'll see what happens.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind is great, but I've only seen it once and it was quite some time ago. I should revisit it sometime.

Rosemary's Baby is brilliant, but I included another Polanski film in my list.

Seen: 9/10
From my list: 1/25

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019