The MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s: Countdown

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Really surprised to see Close Encounters this high. I thought the climax was pretty weak, and it probably has all the things I dislike when it comes to a Spielberg film.

But anyway, both
films for me.



Two great movies. Close Encounters is top of the line science fiction. Holy Grail is endlessly quotable and a ton of fun. But, neither were on my list.

My list:

2. Fantastic Planet
3. Halloween
5. Harold and Maude
6. Stalker
7. The Holy Mountain
8. Aguirre, the Wrath of God
10. Cries & Whispers
11. The Conversation
12. Autumn Sonata
14. Eraserhead
15. The Tenant
16. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
17. The Long Goodbye
21. F for Fake
22. The Mirror
24. Suspiria
25. The Wicker Man



I meant to watch Close Encounters but like so many others I never got to it.

Growing up, both my father and my brother were big fans of Monty Python so I couldn't even tell you the number of times I've seen The Holy Grail. I found it amusing enough when I was a child but it does nothing for me now.

My List
1. Didn't Make The Cut
3. The Long Goodbye (#19)
4. Harold and Maude (#27)
5. Kramer vs. Kramer (#44)
6. Paper Moon (#74)
7. Deliverance (#51)
8. Cries and Whispers (#50)
9. Serpico (#55)
10. Dog Day Afternoon (#28)
11. Dirty Harry (#34)
12. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (#68)
20. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (#46)
21. Network (#32)
22. Hausu (#76)
23. Mad Max (#70)
25. Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1 point, not on the countdown)



Monty Python and the Holy Grail was my #1 movie.

It wasn't an easy choice--there were a few other films I might have put there, and one in particular came quite close. But I thought about how much enjoyment I got out of first seeing each film, and realized it had to be this one. I couldn't believe how funny this freaking movie was when I first saw it. I thought it was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen after the coconut scene, and somehow it just kept going. It did/does lose a little steam after that early peak, but its C-level material is A-level material almost anywhere else.

It's also been, for a long time, the first film that pops into my head when someone asks me what film I wish I could see again for the first time. I figured that, too, was deserving of some recognition. So here it is. Plus, back in the day I loved using images of the Black Knight to illustrate how people act in online arguments.



I'm a little bummed it's as low as #13, but weird comedies invariably split audiences, and it's probably at a disadvantage against all the heavy dramas and adventures that likely populate the top ten, so it's not a huge shock.



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Close Encounters needs a rewatch, though I'm like Sean where I enjoyed the first 2/3rds and then it fell off a bit. I still like it well enough, it just could have been really great for me.

Its been a long time since I've seen Month Python. It seriously has some good moments, but overall didn't make my list.



Very pleased to see that you enjoyed Young Frankenstein...I think it is Mel Brooks' masterpiece and it is my #2 favorite film of all time. I think with a couple of re-watches, you will learn to love it as much as I do.



I saw Close Encounters at the movies and was too young to have any other reaction besides being bored. I saw it once more in my early teens and felt the same way. I'm still not big on Sci-Fi, but I'm sure I'd enjoy it if I watched it again. I have no doubt that it's a very solid movie.

I used to love Monty Python's Flying Circus, and I think their movies are funny, but they're not close to being personal favorites.

My list-
#3 Saturday Night Fever (87)
#4 Animal House (66)
#5 The Warriors (37)
#10 The Deer Hunter (38)
#12 Little Big Man (61)
#14 Mean Streets (77)
#15 Deliverance (51)
#19 Marathon Man (73)
#23 Straw Dogs (83)

8 more coming



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I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I actually think Holy Grail has done surprisingly well in this list for a comedy.

Speaking of comedies, I watched The Jerk. I was half convinced it was going to be awful, but it was actually pretty funny.



I think it's amazing that Holy Grail is this high. I know it's redundant, but it does show just how much its fans love it. I knew it'd be high, but I was thinking top 25. Not nearly top 10.
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail was my #16. The first time I watched it I was in tears laughing. And that was just the opening credits.
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail was my #1 movie.

I'm a little bummed it's as low as #13, but weird comedies invariably split audiences, and it's probably at a disadvantage against all the heavy dramas and adventures that likely populate the top ten, so it's not a huge shock.
I never knew you were such a fan. I see a lot of negativity around Monty Python on here, they seem pretty divisive, so I'm really happy to see both their films in the top 50, and this one just outside the top 10



I know somebody who's going to be happy that Close Encounters made the list.

I didn't vote for it myself, but I do like it. It's one of Spielberg's better movies.

Loved Holy Grail, but figured my vote for Life of Brian covered the genera.



that's it another classic by The Master Spielberg. love this movie #11 on my list
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Close Encounters is great, I think it made my list. My second favorite Spielberg, behind the obligatory Jaws Monty Python and the Holy Grail is awesome too, but I like Meaning of Life better.
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Yay for both!

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS was my #15 pick. A lot of my mid-list choices could have been shuffled around, but I was getting PMs from Holden titled "Tick-tock!" when we got close to the deadline for handing in our lists and I didn't nitpick the middle part of my list too much.

I think what I like about CLOSE ENCOUNTERS is that, like other Spielberg movies such as E.T., the characters are so genuine and well played that you almost forget you're not watching an actual family in everyday life. Dreyfuss shines in his role, and I think it's our connection with him early on that carries this movie through the strange last third where that character intimacy is largely lost.

The two things that perplex me about this movie to this day are the slightly less than satisfying ending and, well, the title. I can remember when this first came out, thinking that the title meant it was going to be a lot less character driven than it is. It sounds almost scientific and certainly nerdy with that title. I still don't quite think the title fits with the movie.

And yet, my #15... It just wouldn't have been the '70s without this movie.

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MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL was my #3 pick. (The only two I placed higher were Gene Wilder movies.) Last month I went to see MONTY PYTHON LIVE (MOSTLY) broadcast live (mostly) to local theaters around the country. It was hilarious and it included not only famous Monty Python sketches from their '70s TV show but also bits and pieces from some of the movies, including HOLY GRAIL, which seemed to get the best reactions from the audience (both here in Pennsylvania and in London).

Anyway, the movie ... Yes, I have yet another stupid I-saw-it-in-the-theater story about this one...

I saw this in the theater when it first came out, with a friend who has gone on to be a real big shot in the music industry. (She spent our junior high years trying to school me in proper musical tastes by giving me Roger Daltrey and Peter Gabriel albums for my birthday.) Like most others in the theater, we snorted with laughter starting with the opening credits.

And everyone knows NOT to leave a Monty Python movie (or stop watching the show if it's on TV) until all the credits are over at the end too. So, Karen and I assumed we would do that here, of course.

In case you've forgotten how this movie ends, the police inspector comes up to the camera, puts his hand over it, and the screen goes black. Then that annoying "theater music" (which sounds more like merry-go-round music) kicks in, with the screen still black. Karen and I (and EVERYONE ELSE IN THE THEATER) sat there patiently, waiting for those hilarious closing credits to come onto the screen. The merry-go-round music continued, but everyone sat still, quietly waiting...

...waiting...

...waiting...

...for nearly TEN FULL MINUTES we all sat there waiting for those closing credits. Then, the theater staff must have taken pity on us because they brought up the house lights and turned off the lights on the screen.

We'd all been duped.
And we'd all fallen for it.

Everyone single freakin' person in the theater had fallen for it.

So we did the only logical thing: We all got up, quietly, hanging our heads and not making eye contact with each other, and filed silently out of the theater.

O, the shame of it!

Karen and I can still get a chuckle out of that to this day. Because now, of course, we're older and wiser and wouldn't dare fall for something like that again. Unless, of course, Monty Python makes another movie.

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My List So Far:
2. The Conformist (1970) #71.
8. Walkabout (1971) #67
10. Solaris (1972) #39.
11. The Deer Hunter (1978) #38
13. Eraserhead (1977) #26
15. Deliverance (1972) #51
17.Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) #14
18. Halloween (1978) #17
21. The Conversation (1974) #18
25. La grande bouffe (1973) (1 point, not on the countdown)
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