Arcanis' Top 100 Films

The Simpsons Movie is one of the few films I can watch over and over again.

97 - The Hunger Games (2012)

Director: Gary Ross
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Length: 142 min
Edition: Theatrical

Originally, I was very anti-Hunger Games. I only agreed to read it because my girlfriend agreed to read Crime and Punishment in exchange (I still think that she got the better end of that deal). I openly made fun of it during the initial stretch in District 12, then a little bit less when they reached the Capitol and then not at all once the games began. Like Gladiator, The Hunger Games was something that we had seen done before, only never this well. While Battle Royale was focussed on the surreality of classmates (and their teachers) killing one another, The Hunger Games focussed on the visceral intensity of survival.

The film not only recreates that experience with surprising fidelity, but actually improves on it. The Hunger Games, for all of its strengths, suffered from the simple fact that Katniss is the sole lense through which we see a story of far-reaching social implications. We only ever see her little piece of the puzzle, only as she interprets it, only figuring out their greater importance to the larger narrative after-the-fact, creating a jarring disconnect between the first and second novel. While we don't find out about the aftermath of Rue's death until Catching Fire, the film immediately cuts from her being carted off by the game masters to the riots thather death (and Katniss' unprecedented acts of kindness) unintentionally triggered.

Jennifer Lawrence is without a doubt the perfect choice to play Katniss: bringing a level of nuance to the character that could have easily been glossed over by a less capable actress (a feature that becomes even more evident in the later films). And, for a story the revolves so completely around adolescents, I am absolutely shocked that none of the actors playing them were unbearable to watch (in fact, most were actually really good).

What really puts this film above so many other, equally well-made action films is Rue's death, memorium and resulting riot. I am not an especially emotional man, but I will full-on cry whenever I see that scene (something really only equalled by the ending of Schindler's List). It's not Rue's death, but Katniss' reaction to it and Gary Ross' patience in allowing the scene to play out the way that it does, that causes me to react this way. It is something that not enough movies, even great movies, do enough of, nor nearly as well.

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Arcanis' 100 Favorite Films: 2015 Edition

96 - The Conspirator (2010)

Director: Robert Redford
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genres: Drama
Length: 122 min
Edition: Theatrical

I never understood the underwhelming critical reception that this film recevied, garnering a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 55 on Metacritic. It's directed by previously well-received director, features an astoundingly good cast (James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline and Tom Wilkinson to name a few) and a confidently penned script that is comfortable enough with the dramatic potential of history to let the events it depicts speak for themselves.

Whereas most films take sweeping licenses with historical events in order to make them more dramatic or entertaining, The Conspirator's accomplishes this through its strict adherence to historical fact. Although exceptional in its own right, this makes for an incredible companion piece to the much more broadly hailed Lincoln.

I would prefer Battle Royale by miles but the first one isn't that bad at all.

Haven't seen The Conspirator yet.

To be honest I prefer The Hunger Games to Battle Royale. I prefer Jennifer Lawrence to Japanese teenagers.

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Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

The Conspirator passed me by completely, but sounds like something I'd like so thanks for posting about it
I've never been attracted to watching The Hunger Games but you've piqued my interest a little, but I'd rather read Crime and Punishment

Parts of The Hunger Games were filmed in my hometown, which was a huge deal, since not much ever happens there. I kept hoping I'd randomly run into Jennifer Lawrence. I could've been the one taking some of those nude photos of her that leaked last year. Sadly, that dream never came to fruition. During all the hype, I read the first book in the series, and I thought it was okay, but I didn't like it enough to bother with the rest of the trilogy. The movie is just okay for me, too. I thought it took way too long to get to the actual Hunger Games, but once there, it was pretty decent. I liked it a lot more than Catching Fire.

Not seen The Conspirator, although it's on my DVD queue. I like Redford, but the subject matter doesn't interest me very much.

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I had no interest in The Hunger Games when it first came out, but that was before I became a Jennifer Lawrence fan. Now I have interest.

I want to say that The Conspirator is overshadowed by Lincoln (like Antz vs A Bug's Life), but that would be disingenuous, since few people seemed to take note of it on its release two hears before Lincoln's release. I found the history fascinating and its intense devotion to historical accuracy refreshing (while I love A Beautiful Mind, its tenuous grasp at being based on a true story falls just short of outright deceit). I can see part of its charm falling flat on those who don't especially care about history (particularly the history surrounding the Civil War), but it hit all the right notes for me (history included).

While I absolutely loved Jennifer Lawrence in pretty much everything that I've seen her in (which adds up to 8 movies now), my hands-down favorite performance of her's is in Winter's Bone.

As far as Winter's Bone being Lawrence's best performance, I wouldn't disagree with that. I did want a little more from that movie as a whole, although I thought it was pretty good.

Lawrence is one of my favorite up and coming actors. I fell in love with her in Winter's Bone, which remains my favorite of her performances. I appreciate the depth she brings to her role as Katniss, too. Her acting in Mockingjay honestly blew me away (despite some issues I was having with Katniss's reactions to certain events).

95 - The Incredibles (2004)

Director: Brad Bird
MPAA Rating: PG
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Length: 115 min
Edition: Theatrical

It should come as no surprise to anybody who has paid attention to my activity here that I am a huge fan of superhero movies (and am thoroughly stoked that the genre has finally gotten consistantly good). As I have already mentioned in the Best of 2014 thread (as well as in one of my articles on Unrealitymag.com) Captain America: The Winter Soldier is my favorite film of the year. It's only natural that one of my favorite types of film, developed by my favorite animation studio, would make it on my list (beating out other high-end Superhero films, including Iron Man, Watchmen and Captain America: The First Avenger).

The Incredibles is an intelligent, playful take on its sub-genre, poking fun at the iconic semantics of superpowered vigilantes while giving us the best cinematic take on the Fantastic Four to date (sad, considering that it's from a, at the time, non-Marvel associated film studio, featuring a cast of original characters). It addresses the broader social implications of superpowered civilian crime-fighters taking on crime without any governmental control nor oversight (which is especially interesting, given that Civil War is looming largely on the horizon). The film pays homage to the literary (graphic?) traditions from which it was was conceived while simultaneously helping to propel that same tradition into the 21st Century.

The animation is exceptionally well-rendered: proving that Pixar's first human-centric film can be as visually stunning as their other ventures (something which they would further develop in Up and Brave). The energetic, jazzy soundtrack was also a perfect fit for the film: not only playing into their "old vs new" theme, but capturing the visceral excitement of its action-packed narrative. I was surprised at the time exactly how dark Pixar was willing to go with its subject matter (specifically the scene in which Mr. Incredible stops just short of straight-up murdering a woman), although I shouldn't have been, since the first two Toy Stories existed. It's definitely a refreshing break from the happy-go-lucky fare that usually dominates the animated medium.

94 - Monsoon Wedding (2001)

Director: Mira Nair
MPAA Rating: R
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
Length: 114 min
Edition: Theatrical

This is a film that took me entirely by surprise when I first saw it: uniquely exotic, but undeniably familiar - often as dark as The Celebration, and yet ultimately as vibrantly happy as any scene in Enchanted or Hairspray. I have revisitted this film often for this exact contradictory set of reasons, even reviewing it as the first of my randomly selected Netflix films with my girlfriend (she loved it so much that I eventually got her the Criterion Edition of the film).

Part of its appeal to me is that it's not about any one character (or even group of characters), but rather an event: the wedding. It covers the lead-up to this one day in exquisite detail, broadly exploring a large cast of characters, their intricate relationships and how the wedding affects their personal lives. Every character and plotline is seen through to its ultimate conclusion, conflicting tones and conflicts deftly balanced against one another: a task that many other more-than-capable directors would have struggled with pulling off.

When all is said and done, Monsoon Wedding strikes me as exactly the movie that My Big Fat Greek Wedding was trying (and ultimately failed) to be: an equally comedic and dramatic big-picture view of a large, bombastic wedding and all of the chaotic turmoil surronding it. Like In the Mood For Love, my appreciation of this film only improves with continued retrospection, and I only expect this to climb future lists of mine from its (relatively) low position.

I think The Incredibles is one of the best and smartest takes on the superhero genre, but I haven't watched it since it first came out, so that kept it from making my animated films list for the MoFo countdown. Great movie, though.

Never heard of Monsoon Wedding. It doesn't really sound like something I'd like.

As long as you can get past the wedding motiff (which is certainly not a topic of interest for many people, myself included), it is a remarkably strong dramatic film that's not afraid to go to the extremes that the intersecting stories and characters demand. The stories range from the family's financial hardships that are only hade worse from their insistance on an elaborate wedding to the bride's reluctance to consent to an arranged marriage when she already has a beau on the side to past (and potentially current) sexual assaults (among a few others).

93 - Crash (2005)

Director: Paul Haggis
MPAA Rating: R
Genre(s): Drama
Length: 112 min
Edition: Theatrical

This film's trajectory within my esteem is actually the opposite of Monsoon Wedding. It was orginally a much bigger favorite of mine, starting off in a near-tie for my favorite of the year. I've seen it a number of times since its release, and have liked it a little less each time that I saw it (although I clearly am far from disliking it). It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it ends up slipping just off of the next list entirely.

That being said, this is a fantastic film, which largely acts as the occassion for its truely stellar cast to play off of one another. This is absolutely the best work that Brendan Frasier has ever done (and he was surprisingly good in his pre-Mummy days) and was the first film that really made me look seriously at Sandra Bullock. Between this and Hustle & Flow, Terrence Howard seemed to be the next big name in acting, whose initial success he has sadly yet to live up to. There really are too many great performances in this film to reasonably mention here, from established names to relative newcomers.

Even if the various storylines come together a little bit too conveniently, tthey are each strong independent of one another, warranting existence beyond the context of the film (a fact that makes this a much stronger film than Cloud Atlas). Both the script and the director found a strong balance between the demands of its various storylines. This ugly yet beautiful film succeeded in providing humanity to racists and complicating those who would stand up to them without ever coming off as preachy.

92 - The Godfather (1972)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
MPAA Rating: R
Genre(s): Drama
Length: 175 min
Edition: Theatrical

We finally reach the first 20th Century entry to the list: one that I did not especially care for until very, very recently. I attribute this to the same reason for my initially luke-warm opinions for A Tale of Two Cities and Taxi Driver: I watched it too early, at a time in my life when I wasn't prepared to enjoy it . Like Citizen Kane, it also suffered from its high placement on the AFI top 100 list, setting up unfair expectations of it.

I began suspecting recently that I would enjoy it more now - out of both high school and college, with a fuller understanding of why it was so well regarded in the first place - and even got my girlfriend (who shared my initial opinion of the film with me) to watch it with me (although it meant that I had to rewatch Schindler's List, a favorite of her's).

Subtly is not only exceptionally difficult to pull off well within a film, it is often hard for audiences to appreciate (especially younger ones, although this is hardly a criticism of youth). It's easy to remember the loud, bombastic scenes brimming with explosive outbursts and emotional outpouring, but much harder to remember scenes of quietly spellbinding drama.

But when I revisited The Godfather, that's exactly what I started to notice: subtly and subtext - a sophisticated treatment of a complex, clandestine world. Long stretches of the film that before seemed to drag out now became highlights because of how it let the narrative breathe and develop at its own quietly intense pace.

The acting that failed to impress me initially I now hold in the highest regard. This is unquestionably the best performance Al Pacino ever gave (who too often these days looks tired and confused). Robert Duvall (whose latter day film appearances often leave something to be desired) gives a remarkable turn in this film. James Caan, Marlon Brando... everybody delivers amazing performances informed by a deep understanding of the characters that they're portraying.

Even after rewatching it, I struggled for a surprisingly long time before settling on exactly what I thought of it. Subtly - especially when it's so ingrained in every fiber of the film's being - is still hard to gauge. For this reason, it may be that The Godfather will leapfrog up future lists of mine (or, just as likely, stay relatively at the same position). Either way, it will be interesting to see where it ultimately ends up settling at.

So many on this site seem to hate Crash but I think it is very good.

Love The Godfather and The Incredibles.

Haven't seen Gorilla Monsoon.

The Incredibles, The Godfather are fantastic. Crash is crap.

Crash is one of my favorite films of all time. It is great and the style of the film worked very well for me.