HK's 100 Favourites... Kinda

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In order to get this done (or as done as it's going to get) I limited myself to films that I've seen at least 5 times. Firstly, apart from the top 10-20, I don't think I could have had any confidence in a list without any restrictions. It'd be too difficult for me to list and order my 100 favourite films, in fact it's probably impossible for me. As it is there's a pool of about 20-30 films that you could sneak somewhere into the last 20-30 and I probably wouldn't notice. Well, not unless you just staight swapped the whole lot.

Just to say that I've only written my thoughts/reasons for the first 40 so far. I'll try and get more done as and when, but this won't be a list that's completed in a few days. Hopefully, I'll get it done quicker than The Prestige finished his, though.

Anyway, I dedicate this list to all the people who've asked me about my favourite films and/or wanted me to post one of these. Whether they thought it'd happen or not.

On with the show.


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100. The Manchurian Candidate



Possibly the only Frank Sinatra film that I like. I don't think I saw this film until I was in my mid 20's. It was one of those 60's films that my Grandparents would ask if I'd seen (The Ipcress File being another) and I always had to say "no". So, one day it's on tv and I decide to sit and watch it. Firstly, I love the set up, it's a great premise for a film. The tension, suspense and intrigue are all built in from the start. All you have to do is follow the plot and it's hard to cock it up. For the record, not that you need telling, but Frankenheimer doesn't cock it up. He excells and elicits wonderful performances from everyone.

99. Roadhouse



OK, this is just fun. I was in my late teens when I first saw this, which is probably the perfect age to be for a film like this. Got a copy a year or two later and then it was one of those Friday night films I'd watch with friends. Even to this day, I don't think I have a friend who's not seen this. It's not allowed. You have to watch it at the earliest opportunity.

98. Dangerous Liaisons



I really liked Cruel Intentions, but I think it was because I'd already seen and loved Dangerous Liaisons, that I liked it so much. This is, if you will, the 'proper' version of the story. I think I first saw this because my mum wanted to watch it, so I sat and watched it with her. TBH, I was mainly there for Uma Thurman (I'd already seen Baron Munchausen, which I didn't like, but remembered her. Obviously ) but it sounded like a good film, had been well reviewed and won Oscars, so I was more than happy to watch it. I've probably only seen it 7 or 8 times since, but each time I end up thinking, "I really should watch this film more often." I've not seen it for a good few years now, so I should take my own advice. I urge you to do the same.

97. Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back

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Now, you won't find many comedies in this list and that's because I don't find many comedy films funny. This, however, still has the power to put me on the floor laughing. It's my favourite Kevin Smith film (so that should tell you a few films that won't be appearing on this list.) Will Ferrell's in this film and I still think it's funny. That's how funny I think this film is. I had a work print of this long before it was released over here and I still went and saw it at the cinema. I just love this film. BTW, the soundtrack on that work print was better than the released version. I don't know if there was a problem with the rights or just a change of mind, but it wasn't as good.

96. Before Sunrise

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The most romantic film ever made... Ever! Already a fan of Slacker and Dazed & Confused, I was really looking forward to this and, for once, I was not disappointed. Happening over less then 24 hours, there isn't time for anything to go wrong. They're never going to see each other again, that's what's going to go wrong, so it's just the getting-to-know-you good stuff. Linklater's rambling, stream of conscious dialogue works really well in this setting. Like the best Tarantino writing, it feels completely natural, despite being extraordinarily stylized.

95. The Thing



What can I say? This film really does, pretty much, have everything you could want in a whoisit/horror/thriller. I particularly like and enjoy the atmosphere Carpenter creates. Cold (in terms temperature, not unfeeling) and claustrophobic, you sit in a state of anticipation, be it for the next scare or the next clue as to WTF is going on. I've not seen the prequel, but I'm guessing that the SFX in this look a lot better than the CGI.



94. Se7en


I get the feeling that this is as influenctial to the serial killer thriller as Blade Runner has been in to the sci-fi genre. Even down to the rain and dark, washed out look. The film's a four-hander between Freeman/Pitt/Spacey/Fincher. Having said that, without Andrew Walker's script, I doubt this film would be anywhere near my top 100. Though I'm sure mark or Holden could direct me towards a good number of them or inform me it's an urban legend, this is also the first film I saw which purposely had poor sound quality, even if it was only for the first ten minutes or so. Sadly, the best thing about this film isn't a scene in it, but my memory of seeing for the first time. At the end of the film comes, what I'm told is supposed to be a big shock, though as my sister knew what was coming, I can't see how that can be the case. Anyway, if you've seen this you know what I'm talking about, and I won't forget till my dying day, my sister laughing her head off when he opens the package. I've never been sure whether the gasps in the cinema were for that moment on the screen or my sister cracking up.

93. Halloween



Why wouldn't you love Halloween? I don't think I saw this until my mid-late teens, so unlike most of the horror genre's vanguard I was very aware of how good this was supposed to be, but when I did it was love at first sight. A great attention grabbing start, which has enough power to hold you throughout the rather mundane, ordinary stuff that happens before night falls. However, it doesn't become boring because you always have the feeling that 'something' was about to happen or appear. Just out of shot. For me, this is the real genius of the film. Once night falls and the adults go out, the film winds up to the real meat of a slasher film. The stalking and killings. Halloween gives you both with both barrels.

92. Les Diaboliques



Obviously, this is not the 1996 version. Even I'm not that 'out there'. No, this the the original. The one that's discussed in reverential whispers. This film has inspired so many others that you'll sit there reminded of dozens of other films like this that you've seen. Almost the very definition of the phrase "oft imitated, never bettered", this is one of a few films I'd show someone who didn't like subtitled films to try and break down that barrier. Actually most of the films I'd put on that list appear at some point on this one, including the next film on my list.

91. Jean De Florette



I know that Manon des Source is a continuation of this film (is that a duology?) this is a list of my 100 favourite films, not 100 favourite stories or series of films. That being the case, I greatly prefer this to the second part. It's a sweet, beautiful film both visually and emotionally. The only dark cloud comes in the shape of uncle César and his nephew, Ugolin and, indeed, they are dark. Every part of this film works. Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil are uniformally brilliant as the main protagonists and they're wonderfully supported by some beautiful cinematography and one of the best scores ever composed for a film. The earnest goodness of Jean De Florette and his unstoppable optimism will put a smile on your face, but I have to warn you, this film broke my heart.



HOLY CRAP IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! As promised, you're being repped for every post, even if I don't like/haven't seen the movies. Love Halloween and Les Diaboliques, though
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"Puns are the highest form of literature." -Alfred Hitchcock



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Good job and a big surprise! Now, do I come into honey's thread and trash his fave films a la the honeymeister? No, at least not yet. Maybe I'll pile on later if it becomes fashionable.
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i'm SUPER GOOD at Jewel karaoke
i'm so so so so happy you're doing this. I jotted down a couple of the films already. the earnest way you talk about your favorites is lovely.
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Good job and a big surprise! Now, do I come into honey's thread and trash his fave films a la the honeymeister? No, at least not yet. Maybe I'll pile on later if it becomes fashionable.
Hey, if you want to slag them off, you go right ahead mate. I'm sure there'll be plenty of bait for you.



90. The Haunting

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The best haunted house film of all time? Probably and, again, I'm not talking about the 90's remake. Obviously influened by Psycho and based on one of the best horror novels of all time, The Haunting is one of the best examples of how a horror film can create an atmosphere with just camera angles, lenses and, essential for a horror film, sound. For lovers of subtext, this film should have more than enough for you to come up with all sorts an analysis and theroies about the human condition.

89. Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind



Here's the first Drew film on the list. Like every film of hers from 2000, I wanted to see this from the moment it was announced she was in it. However, this film would be on the list even if she wasn't. Based on the, supposedly true, auto-biography of Chuck Barris, the American gameshow host and producer with a script from Charlie Kaufman. In it, he claims to've been a CIA agent/assassin. I love the cast in this film. Sam Rockwell is fantastic as Barris, as is Drew as his girlfriend, Penny (I especially love her in the hippie phase of the character.) Whether it's true or not doesn't matter at all, at least not to me, the film's both well made and great fun.

88. Blood Feast



Considered the first "splatter movie" and my favourite Herschell Gordon Lewis film. Not that I've seen too many. Right off the bat I want to be clear, this film is terrible. Poorly made and the acting is attrocious. But that's the fun. Thats why it's on my list. D'you remember that episode of The Simpson's where they go to Itchy And Scratchy Land and the kids are laughing while being splattered with blood as the animatronic I&S massacre each other? That's me and this film. I laugh from start to finish, even though the film is drenched in blood and women are butchered and dismembered in preparation for the Feast Of Ishtar!

87. Manhunter



The best Lecktor film (there's the original spelling of Lecktor for you) barely has the infamous character in it at all. This is a highly stylized film, even by the standards of Michael Mann, and everything plays second fiddle to the use of colour. Frankly, the climax of the film and use of Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" would be enough to make this film stand out from the crowd, but throw in the characters Will Graham (William Petersen, playing Grissom about 15 years before he did on CSI) and Tooth Fairy and the performances of William Pertersen and Tom Noonan that give them life and you have a film that, while not for everyone, will leave an impression on its audience, whether they like it or not.

86. Dolores Clairborne

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Despite tour de force performances by Kathy Baker and Jennifer Jason Leigh (it feels as if one of them is onscreen in almost every shot, let alone scene) for me this film is dominated by an oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere, brilliantly created by director Taylor Hackford, cinematographer Gabriel Beristain and the Nova Scotian landscape. A superb supporting cast and strong but simple plot envelope this to create, IMO, the best adaptation of a Stephen King novel. An often overlooked and forgotten 90's gem.



It's about freaking time!
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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
As one of the people who has been asking and encouraging you it's great to see you finally go ahead with this. Although so far I've hardly seen a single film on your list! So it's hard for me to comment too much.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of your list though.



i'm SUPER GOOD at Jewel karaoke
i just counted because i'm a sucker for useless information, and I've only seen 8 of the 15 films you've listed so far, HOWEVER I wrote three of them down.



Just to pull a honeykid, I can't believe you like The Haunted
Oh yeah, contrary to popular opinion, I like lots of good films.

Just a quick thank you for all the kind comments and rep.



Roadhouse! Manhunter! The Thing!

I guess I can rep you for those mediocre films.
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Good whiskey make jackrabbit slap de bear.
Wow, it's happening. I like a lot of films on your list so far, especially The Thing and Se7en. Big thumbs up for all your posts.
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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."



85. Ginger Snaps



This was one of two films I championed in 2000. I kept hearing about it as it did the horror festival circuit and slowly gained a reputation as being more than 'just another wereworlf film". This was a horror that needed to be seen and so I tracked down a copy long before I should've been able to and delighted in the film for the first time. Unlike a good few horror films since (Wolf Creek and Haute Tension immediately spring to mind) I loved Ginger Snaps and I loved it long before it finished for the first time.

84. Logan's Run



Unlike a good number of these films, I can't remember watching Logan's Run for the first time. I think I was probably around 15 or 16. However, whenever it was, it'd become a firm favourite by my early 20's. This is one of those films I can't understand anyone not liking. After all, what's not to like? It's so 70's it's cliched. The costumes, the sets, the dystopian future setting, flashing lights, 'space age' sounds and Farah Fawcett. Then, if that wasn't enough, you get Jenny Agutter as well! I'll admit that the film drops off once Peter Ustinov turns up, but that's because the fun's over and not him. For those who've not watched it, get it seen before the 2014 remake with Ryan Gosling is released. No rush, you've got a few years yet.

83. Coffy



The first time I saw this it was part of a Blaxploitation night on TCM. It'd been preceded by The Super Cops and was followed by Shaft. Now, Shaft and Super Cops I'd already seen, but Coffy was new to me. I'd already seen Foxy Brown, so was well aware of Pam's 'charms' but this film showed that she was actually a good actress. A revenge/vigilante film relies on you cheering on the perpetrator. You either show, in gratuitous and/or explicit detail (ala I Spit On Your Grave) the reason for their upcoming crimes or you rely on the ability and likeablity of your protagonist. Coffy does the latter and is the better for it. Coffy uses what she has, both to lure her victims in and, later in the film, save her life. The difference is that when she's luring them in, you're cheering her on, whereas, when she's trying to save her life, you're worried for her. This might sound obvious, but I find that in lesser films of this type, I'm ambivalent in either situation. So, for me this really is a selling point.

82. Assault On Precinct 13



You remember the scene with the kid and the ice cream van? That's when this film had me. It'd warmed me up with the theme tune, but that scene was the clincher. The film's pretty much full blast from then on. This is a remake of Rio Bravo and the perfect example of why I think Westerns suck and the 70's rock.

81. Good Will Hunting



I already had tears in my eyes at the end of this film, but that last long God shot with "Miss Misery" playing over the top took me out. I completely identified with this film and bought into it wholeheartedly. In fact, I was so into this film that not only didn't Minnie Driver annoy me, I actually found her attractive. One of the few films that makes me cry, pretty much, every single time.