Cobpyth's Top 101 Favorite Feature Films

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48. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)



I feel like this is probably Kubrick's most underrated film, even though it still has its fair amount of supporters. I never fully grasped why that's the case, but it's probably because the film is ambiguous in tone, while also offering a quite textual, narrative closure at the same time. People mostly want the one or the other, but I personally don't mind it at all.

The main reason why I love this film so much is the extraordinary and masterful visual execution of it. Kubrick was such a perfectionist. Every single frame evokes a sense of sheer beauty and aside from that, the visuals also have a purpose. The erotic colors, the soft camera movements and the intriguing music are truly able to hypnotize the viewer. Kubrick makes sure that we are actually part of the dark psycho-sexual adventure that is being shown, by tickling our senses in very effective and piercing ways.



This is the kind of film that tells an intriguing and mysterious story that keeps the viewer's attention, while at the same time making sure that people who are looking for meaning and deeper content will also be satisfied. Kubrick's films almost always have multiple layers that can be explored and this is definitely that kind of film. This substantive richness makes this film an ideal candidate for multiple rewatches. Eyes Wide Shut just gets better and better over time, because you'll always be able to find new truths and perspectives of various moments.

After a solid 2 to 3 years of serious film watching, I can conclude that so far, Kubrick has not been parallelled by any director yet, in terms of satisfying me both visually and content-wise. I just love watching and admiring his films. Kubrick knew how to make ambitious and refreshing films and his movies never lose my interest for one second. They're pieces of art that very much reward periodic revisits. His last movie is not an exception and the fact that, over time, the praise for this film only increases, is not a coincidence! It's just a very memorable film experience that doesn't easily escape the minds of the people who have witnessed it...

This film is just classic Kubrickian movie magic!


I posted this scene, because I'd like to demonstrate that Kubrick also knew that (both subtle and more excessive) sparkles of oddity and humor can help to retain a viewer's attention and to actually even strengthen the profoundness of the film experience. It's something that certain "serious" directors completely lack and that's why they're often perceived as much more boring by the mainstream public.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019



I do not know about this being Kubrick's most underrated movie, but it certainly is the most polarizing. Some people hail it as a masterpiece, some say it is their favorite Kubrick movie, and more then a few people say it was bad.

I myself like the movie, but it is very far away from being my favorite Kubrick film. I never connected with the context or story, but I like the visual imagery, atmosphere, and the camera movements. And Tom Cruise does a damn good job in the movie so props there.

While I may not like it as much as Dr Strangelove, 2001, or The Shining; it is still worthwhile to see.



Some Like it Hot is a decent comedy, I really think Duck Soup should by #1 on the AFI laughs list, but SLiH isn't bad. Eyes Wide Shut is great, a stunning end note to Kubrick's career. Entertaining and intense throughout the whole run time, great inclusion.
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Yeah, there's no body mutilation in it



I've not seen this one. I've recorded it a couple of times, but I deleted it both times because I needed to space. I'll give it a crack at some point, though.
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5-time MoFo Award winner.



47. The Swimmer (1968)

"When you talk about 'The Swimmer', will you talk about yourself?"



Every MoFo who knows me, knew that this film was going to appear somewhere on my list. When I first discovered this film, I was enchanted by its premise. I was actually almost certain that it would not be able to live up to my expectations. Surprisingly, it even exceeded them. I nominated it for the 3rd MoFo Hall of Fame for that reason and I'm glad that the response to it was mainly positive.

The Swimmer lets us experience a metaphorical journey through the life of a middle aged 'upper class' guy (played by Burt Lancaster). It's summer and we see him jogging through a forest and reach the house of some people that he seems to know. He notices that pools are spanning the valley and he decides to jog from pool to pool and to take a swim in all of them. He starts on top of the hill and slowly descends into the valley, which is filled with nice villas, big pools and also - we are told - the ultimate destination, his own home. His interactions with the environment and the people he meets, slowly reveal the man's life story... Because of the original and interesting premise, I immediately found myself being captivated with this film. I, myself, grew up and still live in the kind of social environment that this film is tackling and therefore the tale was very relatable for me.



As the film develops, it becomes sort of an allegorical reliving of the main character's past experiences. Slowly, he's becoming aware of the personal mistakes and misjudgements he has made, because he had let himself become absorbed by the conceited, egotistical and materialistic shallowness that so many people become a prey of when they start realizing that they are (finally) part of the social elite. When people think they ARE living the (American) dream, that dream can very quickly turn into a disastrous nightmare, especially when you blindly give in to its immoral and self-destructive temptations. Our main character starts realizing that, but is it too late?

I will not say too much about the film's conclusion, but let's just say that it worked extremely well for me. My heart was bouncing. I was totally into it. The film is probably not telling something particularly new (although it did reach some new refreshing depths and meanings for me personally), but the original storytelling and the way it slowly builds up to an inevitable climax is simply magnificent. The film very much succeeded in delivering an emotionally and intellectually profound meditation about the human condition and a firm moral message that is particularly (but not exclusively) directed to those people who are facing the three top parts of Maslow's pyramid: "social needs", "esteem needs" and "self-actualization". When you're not (morally) cautious enough, you might fall down the pyramid much faster than you deem possible...


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46. Millennium Actress (2001)





There's one more animated film coming up after this one and most people will probably know which one it is. I'll tell you about that movie when the time is there, but let me just get this on the record first: IF there's ever an animated film that can become my favorite animated film of all time instead of that one, it's definitely Millennium Actress! My first viewing of it (a year ago, I think) was simply one of the richest (animated) motion picture experiences I've ever had. The story is emotionally extremely resonant, the storytelling is refreshingly original and the visuals are simply FANTASTIC! The film touches on many truths about life and love, but it's how it presents those truths that makes it truly a spectacular and extremely effective piece of cinema!

The story seems quite simple at first. A TV interviewer and his cameraman visit a former famous actress who has kind of lived as a recluse for 30 years.The TV interviewer is a really big fan of hers and is really excited, while the cameraman is much more relaxed about it. Nothing prepares us yet for the sheer blast of originality that will come our way. The interview starts and suddenly Satoshi Kon makes one of the boldest and most refreshing moves I've ever seen. Instead of simply telling the actress' life story through flash backs, he uses the style and environment of the movies she has played in during her career to give us an insightful and wonderfully poetic look inside the soul of the actress. We're not merely getting an enumeration of facts, but in a surreal way, we're experiencing what she's going through psychologically.
We witness her quest for a man that gave her a strange key when she was young. She believes that he will give it all meaning and that he'll be able to bring it all together. She believes that finding him will finally bring her happiness and peace of mind...

Even if you're not into anime, you just have to check this film out. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before or since. The movie breathes love for the film medium, it breathes love for cinematic history and it's all the more fascinating, because this genuine love and passion is partnered with incredible animation, very skillful directing and a truly profound and existentially satisfying script. The creative genius behind this film, Satoshi Kon, has sadly died in 2010 at the young age of 46. He made a few other praised animated films, but for me, this one is his masterpiece.



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A really great list so far. I've seen most, and love most. And the ones I haven't seen, like the last two, are now on my watchlist. The only film so far that I really dislike is American Beauty. I think there's too much Tarantino, but oh well, right? At least you had Inglourious Basterds ahead of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill. Will Jackie Brown be even higher? That's my favorite of his, and one of my very favorite films ever.
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I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.



Eyes Wide Shut pretty good, but I don't like it as much as you, The Swimmer as a great start, but went a little downhill for me.

Millenium Actress seems GREAT I have it on my watchlist and I intend to watch it soon!
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I do not speak english perfectly so expect some mistakes here and there in my messages



Chappie doesn't like the real world
I was really glad you nominated The Swimmer it was pretty high on my own list. I was most impressed with the way it told it's story. Reminded me a bit of Faulkner.



I've been looking forward to seeing The Swimmer since you first reported about it. I'll see it in the next month for sure.

Haven't heard of Millenium Actress



45. Singin' in the Rain (1952)



Is there anyone who doesn't (at least) like Singin' in the Rain? I know musicals are fairly unpopular around here, but even people who are not particularly into musicals seem to have a unanimous appreciation for this film. Why is that, you ask? Well, it's pretty simple. Singin' in the Rain is simply the best musical that has EVER been made! It looks absolutely stunning, it tells an interesting story, it stars probably the most ingenious musical movie star of all time (Gene Kelly), it features a couple of great songs, the dancing choreographies are incredibly spectacular and, probably most importantly, the film manages to truly touch the viewer's heart.

The film's plot is a classic tale about the decay of the silent motion pictures (and its stars) and the entrance of sound in movies. The film cleverly commentates on one of the most notorious eras in movie history, but ultimately knows how to turn it all into a very positive and classic feel-good ending. Meanwhile, we also get a satisfying bit of wonderful humor, a heartfelt love story and some classic drama. The film's story has been reproduced many times since (most notably in The Artist, be it with a few changements of course), but it's never quite done with so much flair as in Singin' in the Rain.


My second favorite scene of the film.

I myself am quite fond of a good, escapist movie musical now and then. Singin' in the Rain is probably the first film that truly introduced me to the more old-fashioned kind of musicals, which still focus a lot on dance choreographies. I absolutely adored it. To date, it's still my favorite movie musical of all time. It's a magnificent journey of pure top-notch entertainment! It's one of those rare films that, in terms of quality, has never been surpassed in its genre ever, before or since it was made.

Don't think that Singin' in the Rain is the only old-fashioned musical that's worthy of being seen, though! There are plenty of other fantastic musicals and some people would even disagree with me about Singin' in the Rain's authoritative status as the best film in its genre ever made.
If I, myself, would have to choose one old-fashioned musical film that does "approach" Singin' in the Rain's quality and mastery, I would go with Vincente Minnelli's amazing 1953 movie, Band Wagon. Be sure to check that one out if you're ever in the mood for a classic bit of musical entertainment and if you've already seen Singin' in the Rain, of course...

Anyway, I don't think this is a very controversial choice, so I don't feel any further need to defend it either. It's a film that is loved by many and until today it gets praised by practically everyone who sees it or has seen it. I'm merely one of those humble admirers of this fantastic piece of cinema.


My favorite scene of the film, of course!

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I love Singing in the Rain! One of my favorite musicals. I love the song of the same name. Problem is ever since A Clockwork Orange, if I start singing that song most people think of Malcolm McDowell more then Gene Kelly!