Skepsis' 100

Proximity scores films on Criticker.

Han Yolo

03-30-13

Inglourious Basterds is so good that most people don't even know how good it is yet. Tarantino's most well-made film, imo, and the last to feature his longtime editor, Academy Award nominee Sally Menke.

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~ I am tired of ze same old faces! Ze same old things!

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fuze931

Give me all of your candy!

03-30-13

Originally Posted by Proximity

I think the performance of Christopher Waltz was on par with, if not MORE stellar, than Ledger that year. Both men escaped so deep into character it was nauseating. One of my favorite movies to date, and definitely his best in my opinion, also.

mark f

Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.

03-30-13

Ledger won his Oscar for 2008, and Waltz won for 2009.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

fuze931

Give me all of your candy!

03-30-13

For some reason I thought that was same year. My mistake!

cricket

Registered User

03-31-13

I love Vertigo, The Graduate, Requiem for a Dream, Carrie and Forrest Gump.

I really enjoyed Black Swan and The Social Network.

Battle Royale and There Will be Blood are on my to see list and I need to rewatch Magnolia and Inglourios Basterds.

Wall-E just isn't my kind of movie and I'm not really sure why I'm not crazy about Kill Bill.

Skepsis93

Play It

04-01-13

20. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Peter Jackson, 2002
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen & Viggo Mortensen

"The battle of Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle Earth is about to begin."

Saying this is the "worst" of the LOTR trilogy is like saying your middle child is your "worst" kid. As shallow a reason as this may be, I rank TTT the lowest simply because it�s the second of three. Fellowship is the oh-so promising beginning of the epic journey, and Return is the brilliant, beautiful, sob-inducing conclusion. But The Two Towers is equally as vast, riveting, and transporting and has those wonderfully intimate battle sequences as well.

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19. The Apartment
Billy Wilder, 1960
Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine & Fred MacMurray

"Premium-wise and billing-wise, we are eighteen percent ahead of last year, October-wise."

Something about this keeps me absolutely gripped throughout. The script is cutting, fast-paced, and above all, remarkably witty and the performances are spot on. I think this is my favourite showing from the indelible Jack Lemmon, despite stiff competition from the likes of Some Like it Hot and Glengarry Glen Ross. It really is incredible to watch him do his work; a by turns comedic and dramatic performance that is completely absorbing.

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18. Happiness
Todd Solondz, 1998
Jane Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman & Dylan Baker

"I want kids that love me as much as I hated my mother."

The most darkly comic movie I've ever seen; seemingly nothing is off-limits in a film that is also unexpectedly poignant. Happiness cuts deep on controversial topics, in ways that are morally ambiguous and immensely thought-provoking whilst remaining extremely entertaining. All the actors � Hoffman, Baker and Jon Lovitz in a small role in the first scene in particular � give excellent, malicious, underrated performances. It's twisted, confrontational and honest � unapologetically so � and I love it.

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17. The Truman Show
Peter Weir, 1998
Jim Carrey, Ed Harris & Laura Linney

"Somebody help me, I'm being spontaneous!"

The way The Truman Show�s camerawork and art design creates the film�s uniquely voyeuristic atmosphere is one of the things that first got me thinking about film as something that can go beyond basic entertainment. I still think it�s magnificent how those factors, coupled with Carrey�s measured, perfectly-pitched performance, gives the film such a strong sense of its central theme.

This marks the first in a run of three leading performances in which the usually wacky Carrey let loose a side of his acting many of us had never seen before. In this (and 1999�s Man on the Moon and 2004�s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), he proves he can act with the best of them in a mostly dramatic role. As Truman Burbank he is a victim of a cruel reality known to everyone but him, and he plays the slow realisation with remarkable subtlety, simultaneously provoking empathy and laughter. He makes Truman sympathetic and easy to identify with, the only remotely human character in an inhuman world.

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16. It's a Wonderful Life
Frank Capra, 1946
James Stewart, Donna Reed & Lionel Barrymore

"You see George, you've really had a wonderful life.
Don't you see what a mistake it would be to just throw it away?"

I'm firmly in the realms of clich� here but this really is one of the most heart-warming, life-affirming films I've ever had the pure pleasure of seeing. Led by a typically excellent James Stewart, it's also ahead of its time in its strong wit and, while sentimental, never fails to take me on that emotional journey it so lovingly, effectively evokes. It�s cheesy as f**k but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Last edited by Skepsis93; 04-01-13 at 01:35 PM.

donniedarko

Survivor 3 Champ

04-01-13

I pretty much thought all of the LOTR movies were not bad, but nothing I personally enjoyed, I'll give Happiness another watch but I didn't enjoy what I saw the first time. Have you seen Life During Wartime? It's kind of a sequel, I think I might even prefer it.

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Originally Posted by mark f

Yeah, there's no body mutilation in it

Daniel M

...

04-01-13

LOTR: The Two Towers and The Apartment are both great films. The other three are all films that I want to see, especially It's a Wonderful Life which my mum always tells me is a great classic film

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Cobpyth

As Time Goes By

04-01-13

I've seen all the movies from your last set and I liked them all! It's a Wonderful Life and The Apartment are personal favorites!

Skepsis93

Play It

04-01-13

Originally Posted by donniedarko

Have you seen Life During Wartime? It's kind of a sequel, I think I might even prefer it.

No, but I want to see a lot more Solondz and that's on the list.

Gabrielle947

Registered User

04-01-13

Love LOTR and enjoyed It's A Wonderful Life.I have Happiness on my watchlist,I hope I'll be able to see it soon.

Miss Vicky

MoFo's Resident Bitch

04-01-13

I've been meaning to watch Happiness.

It's been quite a long time since I last saw The Truman Show, but I do remember liking it well enough, but not being enamored with it. I don't care for It's a Wonderful Life, but didn't dislike it. Can't stand LOTR.

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Guaporense

Animation nerd

04-01-13

There are some movies that I love from this list, but there are also some that I consider just above average movies.

Skepsis93

Play It

04-01-13

Yep, that's how these things work.

Guaporense

Animation nerd

04-01-13

At least there isn't anything that I hated.

Skepsis93

Play It

04-01-13

Yeah, thank God for that.

Guaporense

Animation nerd

04-01-13

My comments on the first 85 movies on your top 100:

100. MY DINNER WITH ANDRE - N.W.
99. FINDING NEMO -

Very good, but not as good as their later output.
98. HAPPY GILMORE -

An above average comedy but nothing more.
97. KICK-ASS -

One of my favorite guilty pleasures. The ending is weaker than the first two thirds of the movie, though.
96. THAT THING YOU DO! - N.W.
95. THE STRAIGHT STORY - N.W.
94. FARGO -

One of the best dark comedies.
93. THE BREAKFAST CLUB - N.W.
92. KINSEY -

Surprisingly excellent movie featuring one of the best actors ever, IMO.
91. UP -

One of the top 2-3 movies made by Pixar.
90. THE ARTIST -

Very good but nothing truly special, in my book.
89. PLEASANTVILLE - N.W.
88. COOL RUNNINGS -

Just an average hollywood comedy.
87. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE - N.W.
86. CHINATOWN -

I failed to grasp it.
85. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 -

The whole movie series is perhaps the second best family movie featuring witchcraft.
84. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? - N.W.
83. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE - N.W.
82. MONSTERS, INC. -

Not as good as later Pixar's movies. Though I need to re-watch it.
81. DEAD POETS SOCIETY -

Just an excellent movie. Not my favorite Wier movie, though.
80. BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III -

Weaker than the earlier two films, still very good.
79. CHILDREN OF MEN -

All around sublime.
78. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD - N.W.
77. ANNIE HALL -

My only Woody Allen movie, which I found very good but nothing out of this universe good.
76. NORTH BY NORTHWEST -

I didn't like it as much as other people did.
75. MYSTIC RIVER -

74. THE GREEN MILE -

73. RUN LOLA RUN -

72. MULHOLLAND DRIVE -

Surreal and magnificent.
71. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN -

Maybe the best vampire movie ever made?
70. LADY VENGEANCE - N.W.
69. AN AMERICAN CRIME - N.W.
68. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH -

All around excellent. One of the best fantasy movies.
67. TOY STORY -

In my opinion slightly overrated if compared to Pixar's later films, such as The Incredibles, Ratatoille, Wall-E and UP.
66. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS - N.W.
65. GROUNDHOG DAY -

Great movie all around.
64. HARD CANDY - N.W.
63. BLACK DYNAMITE - N.W.
62. PSYCHO -

Psycho is Psycho, one of the best horror movies of all time.
61. PAN'S LABYRINTH -

Slightly overrated in my book.
60. NETWORK - N.W.
59. BELLFLOWER - N.W.
58. PULP FICTION - N.W.
57. ALMOST FAMOUS - N.W.
56. TOOTSIE - N.W.
55. TAXI DRIVER -

One of my favorites from this list.
54. 12 ANGRY MEN -

A very powerful and memorable movie. One of the most modern 1950's movies.
53. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON -

My favorite Dreamworks movie, one of their few movies that have that magic quality that is usually lacking.
52. LA JET�E -

One of my favorite French movies, if not my favorite.
51. THE MASTER - N.W. (must watch!)
50. SE7EN -

Another excellent thriller.
49. CAPOTE - N.W.
48. SCHOOL OF ROCK -

A surprisingly excellent Jack Black movie.
47. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER - N.W.
46. AM�LIE -

One of the best French movies I ever watched, though I haven't watched many.
45. VERTIGO -

One of Hitchcock's best movies, even though I am not the biggest fan of his style.
44. THE LION KING -

While I may understand why people love it, I couldn't.
43. BRUCE ALMIGHTY -

Good hollywood comedy. But nothing much above average.
42. THE STATION AGENT - N.W.
41. THE GRADUATE -

Another very memorable movie. Indeed among the classics, but not a masterpiece for me.
40. BLACK SWAN -

A very memorable movie, also quite disturbing and features some of the best lesbian sex scenes.
39. BATTLE ROYALE -

A very powerful movie, very memorable. Not among the top 100 best Japanese movies ever, but still excellent.
38. THERE WILL BE BLOOD -

Best movie on this list!

37. WALL-E -

Still my favorite north american animated full length feature, it almost transcends the traditional limitations of disney/pixar style of animation.
36. KILL BILL: VOL. 1 -

One of the best movies on this list.
35. JUNO -

Very good movie but nothing extraordinary.
34. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM -

A very powerful experience, though I liked more when they were making money on the drugs, later it left me a bit disappointed.
33. LARS AND THE REAL GIRL - N.W.
32. CARRIE - N.W.
31. MAGNOLIA -

+ One of the best movies on this list, IMO.
30. FORREST GUMP -

Great movie, even though it is a bit conventional, if you let yourself to be carried by its conventional methods it is still very effective.
29. INTO THE WILD - N.W.
28. THE SOCIAL NETWORK -

Another very memorable movie about entrepreneurship.
27. ONCE - N.W.
26. PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK - N.W.
25. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE -

All around excellent.
24. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS -

My third favorite Tarantino movie, after Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.
23. TARZAN -

Formulaic.
22. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS N.W.
21. THE KING OF KONG N.W.
20. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS -

Among the best nerd movies ever made.
19. THE APARTMENT - N.W.
18. HAPPINESS - N.W.
17. THE TRUMAN SHOW -

When I watched it, over a decade ago, it was one of the best movies ever for me (when I was 10), indeed, I still consider it the best movie featuring Jim Carrey (even better than Eternal Sunshine)
16. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE -

Very good, cheesy but very effective. I think that main problem is the pacing. But, overall, still a nearly great movie.

So I have watched 53 out of these 85 favorites. Average rating is

, which means that they are all around excellent movies but still don't quite touch my soul on a deep level, with a set of exceptions: Mullholand Dr., There Will Be Blood, La Jetee, Taxi Driver and The Lord of the Rings. I didn't include La Jetee on my top 100 because I only watched it this year.

Skepsis93

Play It

04-02-13

15. Harold and Maude
Hal Ashby, 1971
Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort & Vivian Pickles

"I haven't lived. I've died a few times."

Unlikely, touching relationship story based on a script of remarkable wit and pitch-black humour. It matches a young cynic, whose fake "suicides" mark scenes of dark brilliance, with a life-loving elderly woman. It's refreshing to see such an unconventional relationship portrayed so honestly in a film that is so offbeat, almost surreal. It's a strange combination but one that works perfectly, drawing the film to a bittersweet but life-affirming conclusion that sneaks up and takes you completely by surprise, emotionally speaking.

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14. Gone with the Wind
Victor Fleming, 1939
Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland

"I can't let Tara go. I won't let it go while there's a breath left in my body."

"Epic" in the truest sense of the word. In terms of time, in two senses � the length of the movie itself (but one that is shockingly easy to sit through), and the amount of time we see go by in the film. Physically, its grand, beautiful sets, costumes and locations lend themselves to a sense of epic-ness, an effect amplified by the gorgeous cinematography. But most importantly, it�s emotionally epic. It's by turns funny, bittersweet, sad, heart-pounding, terrifying and heart-breaking, made possible by brilliant writing and thunderous, glowing performances from Leigh, Gable and every single one of the many supporting actors.

I would be remiss not to at least acknowledge that Gone with the Wind is a product of a generation with traditional, antiquated views, but as a piece of cinema and a piece of entertainment in a modern context, it is able to overcome those negative features (which are relatively slight anyway) to stand up as a shining example of golden age Hollywood moviemaking.

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13. Cidade de Deus / City of God
Fernando Meirelles & K�tia Lund, 2002
Alexandre Rodrigues, Matheus Nachtergaele & Leandro Firmino

"Where do you want to take the shot? In the hand or in the foot?"

A near-perfect crime thriller, steeped in bleak reality but full of immensely compelling character studies. The visual style that Meirelles and his crew employ is breathtaking, lending itself to a manically paced but nevertheless thorough narrative that takes us on an absolutely thrilling ride through a world that is so well realised, so in tune with its visuals, creating a story and evoking a time and place you feel inextricably involved in, for better or worse. A brutal but stunning film in every sense of the word.

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12. Donnie Darko
Richard Kelly, 2001
Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone & Mary McDonnell

"28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. That is when the world will end."

A dark, surreal, terrifying nightmare that miraculously weaves humour and genuine pathos into its narrative. The performances are good, but what makes the film is the brooding, creepy, intensely mysterious atmosphere, made only weirder and certainly more memorable by an inspired 80s soundtrack. It's a difficult film to get your head around, even spawning numerous fan theories about what really goes on, but its genius, like Mulholland Drive, is in the fact that it lets you enjoy not knowing, and the process of discovery and realisation.

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11. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Peter Jackson, 2001
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen & Viggo Mortensen

"Nine companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the ring."

The most intimate of the trilogy; but no less magical, no less absorbing than its sequels. I'm saving most of my comments for the final entry.

Last edited by Skepsis93; 04-02-13 at 11:16 AM.

luda87dew5

BANNED

04-02-13

Man are you guys just screwing with me?! I take all the time to work on the top 100 lists of the board to the point where it is completely up to date, and within minutes Sexy Celebrity has a new list. And now you!!!

donniedarko