The MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s: Countdown

I was hoping that Close Encounters of the Third Kind would be this countdown's shocking omission, but oh well.

I'm glad that Rocky and The Exorcist showed up when they did, since I was worried that one or both would crack the top ten. I think both are very good movies that have become victims of their own success.

I watched The Exorcist for the first time about two or three months ago and wrote a review for it. Even though it was my first true viewing, I felt like I had already seen the movie before, since all the best, most iconic scenes have been re-played and parodied so many times over the years. I still enjoyed it, though--- especially the exorcism sequence, which is one of the finest, most harrowing sequences the genre has ever produced.

As for Rocky, I think it has lost some of its punch due to the eighteen sequels (although I'm really looking forward to 2017's Rocky vs. Rambo, as well as its sequel, Rocky vs. Rambo vs. The Expendables). People say that the underdog story wasn't cliché in 1976, and maybe they're right, but that still doesn't excuse the Academy for awarding Rocky best picture over Taxi Driver, Network, or All the President's Men.

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I had The Exorcist on my list. I think it's one of the most frightening movies ever made. I saw it pretty young and I wasn't afraid of being possessed by the devil, but rather it made me really afraid to be a bad person. Even at that age, I didn't take it too literally, but what it made me think scared me a lot more than if I had.

It's been so long since I've seen Rocky, I don't really have much of an opinion one way or another.

I like Repossessed (1990), a parody of The Exorcist starring Linda Blair, Leslie Nielsen and Ned Beatty. I saw it as a kid, way before I ever saw The Exorcist. Gave it a watch recently, too.



Here's a short scene:

I was the one who had The Exorcist at 2, it's one of my favourite films of all time. Reading some of the comments here it seems to be a very polarizing film, i've no idea if you have to watch it at a certain age but i know that's a factor in my love for it. I first watched The Exorcist when i was about 7; and it terrified me so much i didn't dare watch it again for 5 or 6 years. Of course it doesn't scare me now but it gives me an unexplainable feeling of dread even though i pretty much know it word for word. It's now became a tradition for me to watch it every Halloween for the last 7 or 8 years. I don't want to write too much about it as it's coming up on my top 50 thread, if i ever get around to it .

Rocky is alot of fun and i think the first one is the best of the series, but it was never going to make my list.

Seen - 56/90
My List - 13/25

2.The Exorcist
4.Eraserhead
10.The Jerk
12.Paper Moon
13.Dog Day Afternoon
14.Aguirre, the Wrath of God
15.Five Easy Pieces
16.Enter The Dragon
18.Manhattan
19.The Outlaw Josey Wales
20.Little Big Man
21.Mean Streets
24.Close Encounters of the Third Kind

I had Close Encounters and Holy Grail flipped, and The Exorcist and Rocky flipped. My top 10 prediction:

1.Taxi Driver
2.The Godfather
3.Jaws
4.Star Wars
5.Chinatown
6.Apocalypse Now
7.A Clockwork Orange
8.One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest
9.The Godfather Part 2
10.Alien

All these prediction posts are making me very sad for my #2 movie, since almost none of you think it'll rank in top half of the top ten. I really hope you're all wrong, because most of what I've seen of what's left to come I didn't like.

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If your number 2 is what i think it is then it was the fifth highest on my list out of those.

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
16. The Exorcist (1973) #12
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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A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman's bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That's why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown...

I very recently rewatched The Exorcist for the millionth time. An absolute masterpiece of horror. If I was making my list now, it would have easily made it and would have been pretty high too. I don't know why I didn't include it and feel stupid for not.

Rocky is good.

ALSO YAY FOR ALIEN MAKING THE TOP TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My list:

2. Fantastic Planet
3. Halloween
4. 3 Women
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
18. That Obscure Object of Desire
20. Nosferatu the Vampyre
21. F for Fake
22. The Mirror
24. Suspiria
25. The Wicker Man

The Exorcist would have probably have made a top 40 of mine and, like Holds, the only part I actually find unsettling with desensitised 2014 eyes is the hospital examination. I think it's still a great film and am glad it's here but there's a lot I like better from the decade.

Another 'banned in Ireland' movie too. Other naughty films banned in Ireland: Brief Encounter, The Big Sleep and The Outlaw.

Filth.

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

So looks like about ten of my choices didn't make it onto this list.

I had The Exorcist at number 19. Still the scariest movie I have ever seen. Did not vote for Rocky. Four of my movies will not show up, two I tried to get on the list by putting them in the top 10. If I had just switched the placements, Coffy would have made the list.

Seen 73/90

My list: 14


1. ?
2. ?
3. Stalker (20)
4. Blazing Saddles (33)
5. Eraserhead (26)
6. Pink Flamingos (1972)
7. Dirty Harry (34)
8. Dawn of the Dead (35)
9. Coffy (1973)
10. ?
11. Mean Streets (77)
12. Superman (23)
13. Rocky Horror Picture Show (46)
14. ?
15. Mad Max (70)
16. Foxy Brown (1974)
17. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (13)
18. Death Wish (1974)
19. The Exorcist (12)
20. ?
21. Young Frankenstein (15)
22. ?
23. ?
24. All the President’s Men (75)
25. Network (32)

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

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

Hey, my #1 and #2 made it!

Nah, just kidding. Neither were on my list, or even considered. The Exorcist is a good movie, with a lot of really good parts, but I think it's just a matter of it not being in the right place at the right time as far as when I discovered it, so I have no personal connection to it. I can appreciate it, but that's all. I don't care for Rocky at all. I'm not a fan of Stallone, not even when I was a youngster back in the early 80s and he was a big action star, so it's impossible for me to care about any movie he's in. Still, the movie is all right for what it is and the for time period it was released, and it is one of three movies with Stallone that I would rate as good. (The others being the okay First Blood and the very good Cop Land.) But this guy has starred in so much sh*t over the years, including the awful, money-grabbing, desperately-grasping-to-hang-onto-a-career Expendables movies, that there is no way for me to view Rocky with anything remotely resembling a warm, fuzzy feeling, especially knowing the films it beat out for Best Picture. And, yes, Rocky was cliched when it came out, I'm not sure how anyone can challenge that. But to give it its due credit, it embraced its cliches with gusto, and judged solely on its own, it's a decent movie.

I have seven more of my movies coming up in the top ten. But will my #1 movie being the #1 movie of the countdown? That is the question.

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I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.

Glad that the top ten I predicted ages ago is correct, even though the order is to be confirmed.

Rocky is decent, I give it , but it's definitely not anything great. I can see why it's so high though.

The Exorcist should have been on my list, it's the best film that I left off, and I have no idea why. From my top 100:

My brother had it pretty high anyway, so it's not that bad.

By the way here was my top ten prediction back February:

I'm not confident on the order anymore. Taxi Driver will probably be higher, and Alien might be too.

I'm also now on 61/90 seen, so 71% once this is finished. Considering I haven't watched any seventies films since the countdown started, not bad.

I saw the first 4 of the Rocky series at the movies, and several times since, and I think they're all pretty awesome. I did not vote for Rocky.

The Exorcist is the 10th movie from my list; I had it at #7. I also saw this at the movies; I don't know what happened to the babysitter that night, but I had nightmares for years. It's the scariest movie I have ever seen by a pretty wide margin, and it always will be.

My list-
#3 Saturday Night Fever (87)
#4 Animal House (66)
#5 The Warriors (37)
#7 The Exorcist (12)
#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)

Won't make it-

#8 Coming Home


#16 Smokey and the Bandit


#17 Mikey and Nicky


#18 The Beguiled


#20 The Gauntlet


#21 The Marriage of Maria Braun


#22 The Last House on the Left


#24 3 Women

So the exorcist was #16 on my list. Rocky wouldn't be in my top 1000 for the 70's. I hate those movies.

My list so far:

1.
2.
3.
4. Holy Grail
5.
6.
7. Days of Heaven
8.
9. Mean Streets
10. Deliverance
11. Solaris
12. Dirty Harry
13. Mathematically eliminated thanks to the inclusion of Rocky
14.
15.
16. The Exorcist
17.
18. Eraserhead
19. House
20.
21. Animal House
22. Halloween
23. Mad Max
24. The French Connection
25. Stalker

Rocky was my #2. Not much to say. It is great and like Mark says, should not be judged by the sequels. I was hoping for a top ten for either this or Annie Hall because the others that are coming from my list were all but stone cold locks to begin with.

I will only have one movie that will not make the countdown. My #25 was Slap Shot. I really was surprised it was not in the last quarter of the list.

Show of hands for who else had Slap Shot, there has to be at least one of you. I would also be curious to know who had Rocky at #1.

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Letterboxd

My list

1
2
3
4
5
6
7 The Exorcist (12)
8 Rocky (11)
9 Enter The Dragon (24)
10
11 Grease (59)
12
13 Superman (23)
14 Deliverance (51)
15 The Warriors (37)
16 Halloween (17)
17 Dog Day Afternoon (28)
18 Texas Chainsaw Massacre (25)
19 Rocky II (63)
20
21 Badlands (58)
22 Serpico (55)
23 Solaris (39)
24
25 The Lords of Flatbush (My One-Pointer)

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You are no Vader. You are just a child in a mask.

It wasn't on my list, but it's fitting that The Exorcist is on the list today because today, August 29th, is director William Friedkin's birthday.

Happy Birthday, William Friedkin