Fiscal's New and Improved Top 50

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I posted my first Top movies list shortly after joining the forum. So much has changed in such little time and it seems that things will keep changing the longer I am a member here. The first list was done in a matter of days, and when finished I was not satisfied with the results, it was a much tougher feat than I imagined.

I still haven't seen all of the classic must see film's and if I were to fill out the lists available in the profile section they would seem unimpressive. One the otherhand, I believe I have defined for myself some qualities in film that I most enjoy and I am able to compile a much more accurate favorites list because of that.
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50. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Wes Anderson


Steve Zissou (Murray), the creator of an increasingly uninteresting series of underwater documentaries, is searching for the dreaded jaguar shark. This particular shark killed his partner, and Zissou is going to kill it and document it. Revenge style. Steve gathers his team of quirky performers (including Dafoe, Houston, O. Wilson) and begin the adventure.

What happens when they find the shark? What if it is, in a way, beautiful?

This kind of sums of the film for me in a way. Beautiful. The film is visually outstanding as most Anderson films are. I want to use Anderson to describe the acting as well, it's very Anderson-y. Can I just use his name as an adjective? Does everyone know what I mean?



Your 50th favourite film of all-time only gets 3.5 stars? I don't know, my 50th would get 5 stars without hesitation.
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I've seen over a hundred flicks that deserve 5/5. I'm not one of those people with their "I don't give five stars to movies because no movie is perfect..." Blah! What nonsense. Five stars to me doesn't mean perfect, it means top tier; the A-List.



The Life Aquatic isn't perfect by any means, but it's still on my favorites list. I would give, say, 12 Angry Men a perfect score for being technically flawless, but it isn't going to be on this list. Good point though, I should probably omit rankings for a favorites list since I am not necessarily ranking them on how perfect of a film they might be.



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Don't be afraid to like this film. It's a one of kind work of art that really takes you to another world. Obviously there are flaws... well... big flaws, but there are also a handful of "wow just wow" moments that really make up for those flaws. Plus, like all Wes Andersons, it's still got to be one of the most beautifully composed films I've seen.
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To be honest, I find them just a tad vulgar, but that's me.



49. Henry Poole Is Here Mark Pellington





Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) is terminally ill. Henry moves into his childhood suburb, the only place he has ever really felt safe, and he has moved here to die. He only wants to be left alone while living on his diet of solitude, vodka, and junk food. His desire to be left alone is shaken when the face of Jesus shows up on the stucco of his house. Meet the devout believer (Adriana Barraza), the level headed priest (George Lopez), the pretty neighbor (Radha Mitchell), her troubled daughter (Morgan Lilly), and the rest of the community coming to see the miracle on the side on Henry's house.

This film received some negativity because it was viewed as another hollywood embracing christianity film. Thats not what this film was about to me. It was about a more general belief. Just a belief in something. Henry Poole finds something to live for in the midst of his death, he builds a relationship with his neighbor Dawn and her daughter Millie. For once he is scared about what is inevitable, and he needs to believe he can live.

I really cared about the story, the relationships, the whole film was quite moving to me.



Interesting to see this here. I've always wanted to catch this. Partly because it sounded interesting and partly because... Well.... Radha Mitchell's in it.



48. The Squid and the Whale Noah Baumbach



My parents never had a nasty divorce, in fact they are still happily married. They aren't writers or "intellectuals". My pops retired as a pilot after 24 years in the USAF and now flys for a major airline. My mother has always stayed at home with some various home business ventures. I don't relate to The Squid and the Whale at all, but I connected with both the kids and the parents as the story took me into a foreign family relationship that I have never personally experienced.