The MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s: Countdown

Nice pair. I saw these two films pretty earlier on in my movie watching days, and thought they were both great at the time. I've watched many more films since then, but I still think they're both very good, possibly great films and I am very happy to see them on my list.

Badlands was my first Malick film, its a simple tale that's elevated by Malick's direction and the cinematography, something we now associate with all his work. I really need to learn some more adjectives, but the film really is hypnotising, it's like we're watching a kid's fairytale, with the cherry on top being Sissy Spacek's naive narration which lets us see inside the mind of these tragic characters. My favourite Malick films are probably the ambitious The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life, but this film is very strong in its own right and a must watch for those interesting in exploring cinema.

The Sting is just great fun. I am a massive Robert Redford fan, as well as Paul Newman, so I was always going to like the film (although saying that, this was probably one of the first I watched of either). It's a charming film with a happy buddy and underdog (if you like) story combined. It's done to great effect, the plot, although a bit convoluted and perhaps silly, is executed with confidence.

Here's an interesting fact that I actually came across the other day: Robert Redford claims to have never actually watched The Sting until 2002 when his grandson recommending it to him.

Right now I'd give them both +

Only seen bits of Badlands but I have heard all of Badlands (Why does this guy sound like he's from Memphis when he's from Jersey?). Seen The Sting and think it's pure, great entertainment. Like Tacitus I thought it'd come in much higher.

Nice Oscar clip by Holden Pike.

Seen both of those. Thought Badlands was very good but didn't really like The Sting.

And for those in the UK, I thought this was a really good watch - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...robert-redford - not so much about The Sting but some interesting stuff about All The President's Men and some funny stuff about Paul Newman.

I think BADLANDS is a horrible movie. Sure, it's beautiful to look at -- especially thanks to Martin Sheen -- but as a story, it is just stupid and shallow and lacking depth and reason. I blind bought it not long ago and was disappointed, though I don't mind owning it. I'm okay with it being on the list, but I don't think it's a great movie and I think something else better is going to be left off because of it.

Also, Sissy Spacek played one of the most irritating characters I know of.

I love Badlands, another fantastic film that there just wasn't enough room for on my list. However, looking at it now - it should have been on it.

Haven't seen The Sting.

Oh, this is the most pretentious BS I think I have ever read. You could say this about any movie involving murder. Badlands didn't cause me to philosophize anymore than the average murder film.

I find myself appreciating The Sting a little more than I enjoy it, though probably just because so many imitators have come after and established lots of heist tropes that steal some of its magic for someone who sees it decades after its release. If I try to step outside that, though, I can see how influential it must have been, and how delightful at the time.

Anyway, I had it on my list, too, and I'm really surprised it isn't higher.

Did you see Badlands 2: Port of Call, Jersey Shore (1983), directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Emilio Estevez, Valerie Bertinelli, Lou Ferrigno, and Tony Danza? More your speed, I think.

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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

The Sting was #17 on my list and the fourth to show up for me. My mom showed me The Sting when I was around 13 and I remember being floored by the ending. I have seen it a couple times simve and it holds up even when you already know the con because the characters are fun and smart. I can't think of another con movie that I love like The Sting. Yet because of The Sting I go see and say I love con movies.

Like Days Of Heaven, Badlands is a movie that I think is fine but don't get the big love for it.

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Letterboxd

Badlands was on my list. It's kind of straightforward, but still great. The Sting wasn't my kind of movie.

Most of my list has been showing up, as I expected:
12. The Tenant
15. Autumn Sonata
17. The Last Picture Show
19. Badlands
20. The Wicker Man
21. Suspiria
24. Mean Streets
25. Straw Dogs

Badlands was 9th on my list and is the third film on my list to show up on here (after Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia and The Conformist). An amazing piece of film making and undoubtedly one of the seminal American films of the 1970s. The Sting is just one of those films that has been a consistent member of my "to watch" list, but something I've never actually gotten around to watching.

Ah, two good ones! Both films in this last set are fantastic! Alas - neither made my list.

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Well, someone's bitchy because they know I'm right.

I think it says a lot that you'd think Badlands could get a sequel like that.

The Sting really did get a sequel in the early '80s, and it's about that bad, despite having the presence of Jackie Gleason, Oliver Reed, Karl Malden, and Teri Garr. Oh, well. At least it got a nice poster by Drew Struzan.

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I think the "me" part is crucial here.

Badlands is much more obvious in its philosophical approach than films with similar themes. The voice-overs combined with the quirky hypnotizing music and the beautiful images of nature are specifically constructed to take the viewer to a more philosophical dimension. It's very clear that the intention of the film is to make the viewer reflect on what's happening and what it all means in the grander scheme of things.

The voice-overs are naive and even childish, so they're not direct "philosophical teachings" so to speak, but they provoke a sense of wonder. It subtly puts the viewer in the mood to think about what he's observing.

EXAMPLE:

Holly Sargis: "One day, while taking a look at some vistas in Dad's stereopticon, it hit me that I was just this little girl, born in Texas, whose father was a sign painter, who only had just so many years to live. It sent a chill down my spine and I thought where would I be this very moment, if Kit had never met me? Or killed anybody... this very moment... if my mom had never met my dad... if she had never died. And what's the man I'll marry gonna look like? What's he doing right this minute? Is he thinking about me now, by some coincidence, even though he doesn't know me? Does it show on his face? For days afterwards I lived in dread. Sometimes I wished I could fall asleep and be taken off to some magical land, and this never happened."

It's simple, innocent and infantile, which fits the character perfectly, but it does create a certain philosophical platform that allows the viewer to observe the events of the movie more intensely.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

I watched Badlands a couple years back, and it was just ok for me. I've had the urge ever since to watch it again, but I'm just not sure how much of a fan I am of Malick. It seems that whenever people talk of his movies, it starts right with how beautiful they look, and there's not a whole lot more said. That's usually a signal to me that there's not much else going for it. I appreciate a beautiful looking movie like anyone, but to me, that's something that's an extra bonus, and not the main selling point of a movie.

I watched The Sting about 6 months ago, felt that I liked it, and gave it a very good rating. Since about a couple days after, I've had this feeling that I did not like the movie. It's not something I have any explanation for. I thought it would be higher on this list.

Ahhh! THE STING!

It was #12 on my list. I saw this in the 1970s -- but, unlike most movies from my list, it wasn't in a movie theater. The overwhelming attitude about movie-going back then was that you had to plan to see a movie in the theater, usually when it was still first run (unless you didn't mind driving 50+ miles to some po-dunk town's second-run theater), because otherwise, you'd never know when you'd get to see it. On TV? That took YEARS. No VCRs. No other way to see a movie: just the theater when it came out or on TV with commercials a bazillion years later.

Once HBO hit the airwaves, everything changed. (I'm guessing that was early-ish '70s but so few people had it back then.) I can remember the first movie we watched on HBO -- commercial-free and uncut! ... THE STING. That must've been about mid-'70s since THE STING came out in '73. We were completely captivated that we were seeing a WHOLE MOVIE as it was in the theater, unedited, and without commercials. It felt almost wrong. But, ohh, so right.

But of course, just like a movie theater, there was no stopping or pausing. We all hit the bathroom BEFORE a movie started on HBO. That took some getting used to.

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On top of all that, THE STING singlehandedly made ragtime music THE piano music to learn to play. And everybody bought the soundtrack on vinyl (including my parents). I was taking piano lessons at the time, and I still have, right on top of our piano downstairs, my Easy Playing book of songs from THE STING. I too could whip through "The Entertainer" quite well back in the day and am hoping to get some of that talent back with a little practice.

Great, fun movie. Great twist at the end. Great cast. Awesome soundtrack. So glad it's on the list, even if I wish it was higher.

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Yoda, yes -- because you didn't see this con movie first, I'm positive your opinion is different from those of us who saw this back in the day when it was new. Other movies have tried to imitate it, but most fall woefully short.

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