When
Return of the King made the Countdown a few days ago, I didn't state exactly where it was on my list, because with
The Two Towers taking up my #2 slot, revealing that
RotK was my #3 would've been a dead giveaway that
Fellowship was at the very top of my list.
Yes, I gave the
Lord of the Rings trilogy 72 points, and I think it deserves every single one of them.
The Fellowship of the Ring was the first film I ever watched twice during its initial theatrical run. I had never read a single thing that Tolkien had written, but to see this world and its characters so beautifully realized left a huge impression on me. I loved absolutely everything about the film at the time, and over the years, the more I learned about how it was made, the more impressed I became.
20 years later I still haven't read the books, but I do have a tattoo of the Tree of Gondor on my forearm.
Seen: 65/100
My List:
01. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - #2
02. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - #15
03. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - #8
04. Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - DNP
05. The Lives of Others (2006) - #41
06. Millennium Actress (2001) - DNP
07. Goodbye Lenin! (2003) - DNP
08. Mother (2009) - #96
09. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - #20
10. Iron Man (2008) - #83
11. Paprika (2006) - #64
12. Memories of Murder (2003) - #27
13. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) - DNP
14. Saw (2004) - DNP
15. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) - DNP
16. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - #76
17. Hot Fuzz (2007) - #30
18. District B13 (2004) - DNP
19. Tropic Thunder (2008) - DNP
20. Moon (2009) - #48
21. Merantau (2009) - DNP
22. Infernal Affairs (2002) - DNP
23. Equilibrium (2002) - DNP
24. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) - DNP
25. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - 1-pointer
Still Salty About Forgetting: The Descent (2005)
Of the films on my list that didn't make the cut (that I haven't touched on already), there are a couple of horror films clumped right together in the middle of my ballot, with one comedy following not far behind, and the film
The Departed was based on towards the end.
13. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
Do I keep getting
Ju-on and
Ju-on 2 mixed up? Yes. Am I entirely sure which film the gif I've chosen came from? No. Did that stop me from voting for the film that introduced me to j-horror anyway? Clearly not.
14. Saw (2004)
While I don't like any of
Saw's sequels, the original was an experience that was quite unforgettable. I haven't revisited the film in a long time, but I'll never forget the sounds of shock and awe at the twist ending from the packed small town theatre I saw it in.
15. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Of the film I voted for that didn't make the Countdown, this is actually the one I'm most surprised about. For years before I saw this film, I had heard nothing but praise for it. However more recently it doesn't seem to get talked about as much. Psychological horror has always been a favourite of mine, so I had to include this.
19. Tropic Thunder (2008)
This is a film that got funnier each time I watched it. Friends and I still quote lines from it all the time. It's a fun parody and a solid action film on its own. The fake trailers at the start set the perfect mood for the events that follow. Just thinking about it makes me want to watch it again.
22. Infernal Affairs (2002)
I recently rewatched a few of Tony Leung's films, with
Infernal Affairs being one of them. It took a long time to track down because I was somehow convinced the title was
Internal Affairs. I nearly gave up, but luckily a last minute google search saved the day. I haven't seen any of the sequels though. I may or may not have already said something about this when
The Departed made the Countdown earlier, so I'll stop here.
If anyone has made it this far into my post, thanks for sticking around even though I didn't have much to say. But more importantly: thank you Thief for running this Countdown! You did a fantastic job, and all the little bits of trivia you posted between reveals was great.