woops, forgot the genres/years
Brazil - dystopian SF with a comic edge, 1984Flesh + Blood - Verhoeven's rapey fantasy/action flick, 1987In a Lonely Place - brutally cynical noir, 1950All the Real Girls - Sadsack indie drama, 2003Citizen Ruth - Abortion satire, 1996Stroszek - Herzog's take on the American Road Movie, 1977The Fog of War - Errol Morris at his best, 2004F for Fake - Orson Welles eats the world, 1973Seven Beauties - pitch-black comedy/war movie/sex farce, 1975Hard Core Logo - very Canadian mock rock doc, 1996
― Simon H., Friday, 5 November 2010 23:33 (thirteen years ago) link
favorite movies is hard. there are so, so many. some i like and would watch anytime:
the philadelphia story (1940) - wonderful romantic comedy w/ cary grant, katherine hepburn, jimmy stewart: the perfect movie, reallybande à part (1964) - goddard flick about men, women and crime, another romantic comedy, though not what that phrase suggestsonce upon a time in the west (1968) - sergio leoni "spaghetti western", maybe the most epic epic i've ever seenin the mood for love (2000) - wong kar wai film about love at a distance, breathtakingvalerie and her week of wonders (1970) - surreal czech film about a young girl's coming of age, and witches, and mysterious weirdness of every sortsunset boulevard (1950) - billy wilder detective drama/poison pen letter to hollywood, lynch claims it as an influence and you can see whythe third man (1950) - carol reed or orson welles? doesn't matter, amazing film either way.the royal tenenbaums (2001) - anderson stan, what can i say?phenomena (1985) - seriously unhinged horror fairy tale from dario argento, bizarre is a vast understatementmy winnipeg (2007) - guy maddin's mock autobiographical tour of a highly fictionalized winnipeg, funny, personal and very oddrepo man (1984) - alex cox's cult punk comedy, fell in love with it as a kid and it still makes me laugh every time i see itlast year at marienbad (1961) - glorious alain resnais film about memory and loss, mysteries in an old hotel, time that can't be regainedthree crowns of the sailor (1981) - raoul ruiz, best movie i've ever seen, no lieexcalibur (1981) - overheated treatment of la morte d'artur from john (zardoz) boorman, another product of my misspent youthfat city (1972) - crushing john huston flick about failing slowly in a nowhere town, amazing performance from a young stacey keachdaughters of darkness (1971) - dreamlike vampire movie set (like last year at marienbad) in a grand old hotel, gorgeousplaytime (1967) - jaques tati lost in a mies van der rohe labyrinth, one of the most amazing pieces of set design i've ever seen, plus funnythe book of kells (2009) - just saw this, so i've got no perspective on it, but instantly one of my favorite animated/children's filmsthe red shoes (1948) - just watch it
― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Friday, 5 November 2010 23:34 (thirteen years ago) link
Excessively handsome man sadly busts dad out of jail, encounters weather apocalypse, dodges house facades.
Abbbottt this is genius. I would also recommend Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr.
Lots of my favorites have been mentioned but these are also great:
The Lady Eve (1941) - Preston Sturges. Romantic comedy, but if your impression of that genre has been formed by contemporary movies please reevaluate. (see also Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, and Trouble in Paradise)
The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Genre? Realism I guess? It's definitely not a war film.
Rules of the Game (1939) - Jean Renoir. Utterly sublime. Like Citizen Kane it has kind of an intimidating reputation but it's loads of fun.
― elephant (rob), Friday, 5 November 2010 23:53 (thirteen years ago) link
Some more :
Quatermass And The Pit (1967) - ghostly happenings in London's east end are revealed to be of extraterrestrial origin. Science fiction that's almost overburdened with weird, original ideas, i.e. unlike contemporary SF films.The Swimmer (1968) - allegorical strangeness in upper-middle class suburbia, as swimwear-clad Burt Lancaster appears out of nowhere and resolves to "swim home" via his neighbours pools. The final scenes are astonishingly powerful.Woman Of The Dunes (1964) - more allegorical goings-on, this time in Japan. A man becomes trapped in a hole wherein resides a woman who spends her days shovelling sand to avoid being buried. Amazing avant-garde score by Toru Takemitsu.The Wages Of Fear (1953) - desperate French dudes drive a cargo of explosives over the mountains in South America somewhere. Existential!Ikiru (1952) - Kurosawa's best non-samurai film, in my opinion. An unfulfilled man searches for meaning in his life before he dies. Moving and emotional without lapsing into sentimentality.
― god is bad for you (Matt #2), Friday, 5 November 2010 23:59 (thirteen years ago) link
a taste of honeygold diggers of 1933an angel at my tablemy man godfreydaisiesfanny and alexandera serious mandiabolique
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Saturday, 6 November 2010 00:20 (thirteen years ago) link
Some of my faves have been mentioned too, so I'll try to weed out repeats
Down By Law: Tom Waits! My favorite Jim Jarmusch movie, the soundtrack is gorgeous, it's funny, strange, weird & kinda beautiful. Also stars Roberto Benigni before I got annoyed with him.
Withnail & I: it's just so fucking funny and sad. I could watch it a hundred more times and it would be like the first time.
Chopper: I think this is more homesickness than anything. I dont have a lot of time for the irl Chopper (loudmouth Australian ex-con), but there's just something about the movie i keep going back to. Eric Bana is so spot on, I love watching him. Plus the humour is something I really miss being away from home, maybe that's what I'm attached to. It's a creepy sorta movie to love, but, shrug.
Zodiac - (the David Fincher movie) this is the perfect storm of a movie for: true crime nerd; Fincher fan in general; major crush on Robert Downey JR. To me the movie just feels perfect, it does everything right.
Death Proof: chicks, cars, Kurt Russell and real driving stunts & real smashed up cars. I fucking LOVE this.
The Sound of Music: Julie Andrews voice is the sound of me being a little kid. This just makes me happy. See also: West Side Story for the same effect.
Miracle: because Kurt Russell. Hockey. Makes me cry and shut up it's really cool & you cant mess with good sports movies.
― That is the stench of tyranny (VegemiteGrrrl), Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:11 (thirteen years ago) link
this is the closest ilx did on the thread's subject i think:
Pretend you have a ballot for the 2012 edition of Sight & Sound's top 10 movies of all time list
― Zeno, Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:17 (thirteen years ago) link
CaptainLorax: what are your favourite movies?
― Zeno, Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:23 (thirteen years ago) link
Some personal faves from the AFI 100Lawrence of Arabia, widescreen desert epic, 19622001: A Space Odyssey, SF, 1968Dr. Strangelove, blackest of black comedy, 1964Rear Window, one-set murder thriller, 1954The Philadelphia Story and The Third Man already mentioned; seconded on both
Also: Ninotchka, romantic comedy, 1939The Magnificent Ambersons, drama, 1942
― Unfrozen Caveman Board-Lawyer (WmC), Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:34 (thirteen years ago) link
repo man.
― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:35 (thirteen years ago) link
reposent!
― Life! The Story of Life (CaptainLorax), Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:38 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah cosine on Repo Man, and Third Man too
― That is the stench of tyranny (VegemiteGrrrl), Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:39 (thirteen years ago) link
I guess I need to re-watch "F is for Fake". Saw it about 12 years ago and didn't get it.
― Darin, Saturday, 6 November 2010 01:52 (thirteen years ago) link
Heaven Help Us (1985) - Comedy-drama about Catholic prep school teens in Brooklyn circa 1965The Legend of 1900 (1998) - Takes place shortly after WWII. Tim Roth plays a piano savant afraid to leave a cruise shipSuspiria (1977) - Italian artsy horror film by Dario Argento. Takes place at a ballet school.Battle Royale (2000) - Japanese film. In the future remedial students are put on an island to kill each other because of overpopulation and suchAmélie (2001) - French film. Feel good drama about an quiet quirky young ladyNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)- Miyazaki anime about epic stuff that might be a bit snoozey for some peoplePolyester (1981) - An delightfully absurd John Waters film (that isn't gross fun like Pink Flamingos) about a quirky family in suburban America
+more Miyazaki, Argento & Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy & kid movies like Brave Little Toaster and An American Tale. Oddly I haven't gotten around to seeing Buster Keaton movies yet - I should do that.
+The Scent of a Woman, Leon The Professional uncut, Apocalypse Now Redux, How To Train Your Dragon, The Great Escape and some stuff yall mentioned. If I can think of a big fav that I'm missing I'll add it later
― Life! The Story of Life (CaptainLorax), Saturday, 6 November 2010 02:15 (thirteen years ago) link
The Monkees's Head :)
― Life! The Story of Life (CaptainLorax), Saturday, 6 November 2010 02:19 (thirteen years ago) link
I love American Tail! Though it makes me blub terribly when they sing "Somewhere out there"...
― That is the stench of tyranny (VegemiteGrrrl), Saturday, 6 November 2010 02:25 (thirteen years ago) link
If you liked Suspiria you should see "Shock Treatment." It is a musical starring Jessica Harper, who I believe is very talented at being good-looking. (This is me assuming people watch Suspiria for Jessica Harper, and not because they like Goblin or red paint factories.)
― 17th Century Catholic Spain (Abbbottt), Saturday, 6 November 2010 02:26 (thirteen years ago) link
I like spaghetti style horror
― Life! The Story of Life (CaptainLorax), Saturday, 6 November 2010 02:27 (thirteen years ago) link
I like musicals with hot B actresses.
― 17th Century Catholic Spain (Abbbottt), Saturday, 6 November 2010 02:28 (thirteen years ago) link
It would be totally wrong to post about Newsies in this thread because it is genuinely not a good movie. But: I do really love it, you know? I saw it at the right age and gender. If my sister likes a movie a lot it's usually because "it had all the hotties," and that was the case for me watching Newsies at age 10. Plus I love that musicals tried to reanimate themselves in the form of a kid's "unions for orphans" propaganda. If anyone is going to be talking about a film treatment of William Randolph Hearst, it should be this one (just kidding (or am I?)).
― 17th Century Catholic Spain (Abbbottt), Saturday, 6 November 2010 02:33 (thirteen years ago) link
by genre is the easiest way for me to pick a few i think
Noir/Crime
The Third Man- Welles is astonishingly charming and evil in this, everything else is very good too.The Maltese Falcon - as I posted above, crackling dialogue & performancesBlade Runner- great in every wayBrick- obviously not canon, but personally loved every second of thisThe Taking of Pelham 123- brilliant turns from Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau make this oneAsphalt Jungle- great early Huston heist flick
Comedy
Young Frankenstein- Brooks' most consistent work, I think. Wilder and Marty Feldman go nuts.Bringing up Baby- I was forced to watch this a few months ago, amazing dialogue/performances.Super Troopers- I think you got to be pretty smart to make dumb comedy this good.Life of Brian- if you prefer Holy Grail you're challoping, or overthinking it.Kung-Fu Hustle- a perfect movie, could fit into several genres and excels at all of emFantastic Mr Fox- if you like wes anderson, and you may not, this is great
Western
Unforgiven- a great cast with great roles Rio Bravo- pretty much the anti-unforgiven, but it's a big world and there's room for them bothSergio Leone's spaghetti westerns
Drama (? I guess)
City of God- not canon, again, but I love this Glengarry Glen Ross- can't beat the script for frustrated-testosterone fuelled venomCat on a Hot Tin Roof- sexiest movie ever, maybeGodfathers- yeah prob should go in under crime I guessRear Window- as good as film-making gets imoJaws- shark rubbish, everything else fantasticNo Country for Old Men- mentalist unstoppable force of nature cod-philosophises his way around coen countryTwelve Monkeys/Se7en- good double-bill of mid-90's gritty/quirky detective weirdness imo
Action/adventure
Die Hard- don't really need to ever see another action movie after this I guessKill Bill 2- could go under a couple of genres too I suppose. revenge martial arts writ large
too long already, and none of them exactly niche picks so i'll leave it at that
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 01:49 (thirteen years ago) link
Rio Bravo <3 <3 <3
― That is the stench of tyranny (VegemiteGrrrl), Sunday, 7 November 2010 01:53 (thirteen years ago) link
me posting on this thread would be kinda redundant amirite
― glengarry glenn danzig (latebloomer), Sunday, 7 November 2010 01:54 (thirteen years ago) link
had an 'argument' about blade runner tonight
apparently it's aspie shit
like, yeah, but not rly
n e wayz dmac u gotta see more films so u can get CITY OF GOD off yr list
― Adrian Roosevelt "Adie" Mike (nakhchivan), Sunday, 7 November 2010 01:54 (thirteen years ago) link
i resolved not to strike any genuine pick ff my list just because of shame, it seemed against spirit of thread.i have to see more movies, def. d/ling aguirre right now thanks to thread tbh
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 01:58 (thirteen years ago) link
i did consider throwing joe dirt up there, fwiw- any who thinks tommy boy is superior is str8 off their chops imo
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 01:59 (thirteen years ago) link
oh, musicals
singin in the rainseven brides for seven brotherssouth park the musical
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 02:00 (thirteen years ago) link
city of god is p good iirc, but not 'all that'
― Adrian Roosevelt "Adie" Mike (nakhchivan), Sunday, 7 November 2010 02:01 (thirteen years ago) link
it's no joe dirt
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 02:04 (thirteen years ago) link
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - the greatest horror movie (of all time)The Thin Blue Line - a documentary so convincing (SPOILER), it got a dude pardoned from death row irl. Knife in the Water - early Polanski, if you like this artwork for the Criterion ed., you will like the film. Daisies - Czech New Wave precision feminism / A+ surrealistic madnessMartyrs - search ILX horror threads
once upon a time in the west (1968) - sergio leoni "spaghetti western", maybe the most epic epic i've ever seen - seconding this, mainly b/c I love the opening sequence so much.
Also seconding: Die Hard, Glengarry Glen Ross, Rear Window, M, Battle Royale, Blue Velvet, Grizzly Man, Crumb, Dawn of the Dead, The Good/Bad/Ugly, Alien & others..
― so imagen what we can do with the rest of our brain...right buddy's?? (Pillbox), Sunday, 7 November 2010 03:01 (thirteen years ago) link
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me-- The first 30 minutes are endlessly fascinating to me. Incredibly powerful, one of a kind. Put it on bluray, and fix the audio in the pink room sequence please!Lost HighwayRocky IV--I like Stallone's style of directing-- it's ballsy and operatic. Rocky III is also really good (and more traditionally a "good film") but in all honestly I love the fuck out of this ridiculous movie.The Thin Red Line (Malick)Die HardThe Texas Chainsaw MassacreCrash (Cronenberg)Grave of the Fireflies-- this is the most affecting film I've ever seen, but I have a difficult time bringing myself to ever watch it again. Deeply depressing.
― Matt Armstrong, Sunday, 7 November 2010 09:45 (thirteen years ago) link
Put it on bluray, and fix the audio in the pink room sequence please!
i don't really follow this stuff but this is happening afaik - bluray coming out in italy or something.
― inimitable bowel syndrome (schlump), Sunday, 7 November 2010 09:51 (thirteen years ago) link
Bluray or no, at some point we will hopefully be able to see the HOURS of scrapped fwwm scenes.
― so imagen what we can do with the rest of our brain...right buddy's?? (Pillbox), Sunday, 7 November 2010 11:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Whenever I'm asked what my favourite films are, I always reply with three:
Dr StrangeloveDazed and ConfusedDo the Right Thing
and I was thinking about what connects them. They're all comedies (or nearly so - DTRT is lol funny but I'm not sure if it counts as a comedy) and they all take place in a compressed (for a film) timeframe; Dr strangelove over the course of a night, D&C over 12ish hours, and DTRT over 24 hours. And I guess it's those two things that intersect that makes me love these films.
Obviously the performances and directing and script and so on are top draw in all these films, but that's a reason to admire or like them, not love them. I love them because they present a reality that's almost too real and speaks truth almost too loudly. Truth is a complicated business, so to present all its many facets takes some doing. A comedy, by twisting the expected inside-out, can highlight absudity or underlying truths way more effectively than drama imo, and the compressed timeframe in these films makes the experience more vivid than it would otherwise be.
Saying that, whenever I list my favourite films and don't name Goodfellas, I do feel like I'm challopsing a little.
― I'm being a smartass here, but in a fun way (NotEnough), Sunday, 7 November 2010 11:24 (thirteen years ago) link
Some:
"The Thin Red Line:" Elliptical, inscrutable, but always beautiful and ultimately spiritual.
"A Canterbury Tale:" Oddball Powell/Pressburger, but I prefer it to some of the usual P/P suspects (I greatly prefer it to "Red Shoes")
"Starship Troopers:" Broad satire still too subtle for mainstream comprehension. Good double bill with "Robocop," and effects that have aged very well.
"Sunrise:" A beautiful, technical marvel.
"The Conversation:" What a "minor" movie looks like from a major dude on a roll.
"Out of Sight:" Easily one of the most enjoyable movies ever made.
Plus lots of the above, of course. Some movies are just so perfect - "Lawrence of Arabia," "Jaws," "Chinatown" - that it's almost impossible to watch them and not be awed into a stupor at their virtuosity.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 7 November 2010 12:11 (thirteen years ago) link
Plague Dogs – Martin Rosen adapted the animated film of Watership Down – this is another Richard Adams adaptation. It's the story of two dogs who escape from a vivisection lab, and things basically get worse and worse for them after that. In some fit of sadism, Rosen got rid of the book's deus ex machina/happy ending. I named my last dog after one from this movie, which was kind of stupid: it means this already incredibly sad movie is even more emotional for me.
― 17th Century Catholic Spain (Abbbottt), Sunday, 7 November 2010 16:53 (thirteen years ago) link
was watching starship troopers the last week, and you're right josh, the effects are amazingly for the time
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 16:56 (thirteen years ago) link
aw, abbs- a sad movie about runaway dogs? i dont think i could watch that
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 16:57 (thirteen years ago) link
it's almost impossible to watch them and not be awed into a stupor at their virtuosity.
Experienced this two nights ago, seeing Nashville (for the 37th time...) on a big screen. The guy that introduced it beforehand surveyed the audience on who was seeing it for the first time; a number of hands went up. I was jealous.
― clemenza, Sunday, 7 November 2010 17:02 (thirteen years ago) link
I remember seeing the box cover for Plague Dogs at blockbuster when I was a kid and thinking it looked scary.
― Princess TamTam, Sunday, 7 November 2010 17:39 (thirteen years ago) link
"it's almost impossible to watch them and not be awed into a stupor at their virtuosity."
Experienced this two nights ago, seeing Nashville (for the 37th time...) on a big screen.
― clemenza, Sunday, November 7, 2010 9:02 AM (45 minutes ago) Bookmark
experienced this two nights ago, watching eyes wide shut on DVD. such a dumbass for not watching this years ago. buncha critics dumbasses for steering me wrong. final "daylight" resolution a bit too pat, but that's maybe 5 problem minutes out of 160. jaw-dropping movie.
― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Sunday, 7 November 2010 17:58 (thirteen years ago) link
Such a weird movie, "Eyes Wide Shut." Perfect example to me of how virtuosity does not always equal perfection, but its flaws are intriguing, to be sure. The vibe is almost like a domestic-minded "Parallax View" or something, surreal, uber-paranoid and more than a little ridiculous, but effective all the same.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 7 November 2010 18:50 (thirteen years ago) link
truly dire thread, this one
― Taylor McSwift (Tape Store), Sunday, 7 November 2010 18:52 (thirteen years ago) link
i dunno, i've enjoyed all the sbanning
― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Sunday, 7 November 2010 18:54 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah, can see as how it's ridiculousness (and it is just that) might be problematic for some, but i love dreamlike, overheated absurdity, especially when delivered with a nightmarish twist: lynch, depalma, argento, etc. EWS definitely delivers on that score. suggests the imaginary intersection of after hours and the holy mountain, nighttime faux-manhattan as an occult chessboard upon which monstrous forces secretly play. polanski being another obvious reference point, at least in terms of exaggerated urban paranoia. genuinely loved it, including cruise, who's never been a favorite of mine.
― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Sunday, 7 November 2010 19:06 (thirteen years ago) link
its it's its...
― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Sunday, 7 November 2010 19:07 (thirteen years ago) link
I like Eyes Wide Shut. It goes a bit Count Floyd during the pagan ceremony, but I find all that stuff creepy anyway. I don't know that it has anything profound to say about sex or marriage or anything else, but it holds my attention the whole way, and it's often great to look at.
― clemenza, Sunday, 7 November 2010 20:39 (thirteen years ago) link
put up or shut up
― cozen, Sunday, 7 November 2010 20:40 (thirteen years ago) link
srsly
― Unfrozen Caveman Board-Lawyer (WmC), Sunday, 7 November 2010 20:41 (thirteen years ago) link
i think the easiest way to do this is to separate it by genre and then pull of the IMDb top 200 movies of all time list
ActionThe Lord of the Rings Part One - Epic Action FilmThe Lord of the Rings Part Two - Epic Action Film, Really SweetThe Lord of the Rings Part Three - Epic Action Film, WON AN OSCARInception - Epic Action Movie, MINDBLOWER
ComedyWedding Crashers - Comedy, funny stuffAirplane - Comedy, so good, have y'all seen this?
etc.
― Taylor McSwift (Tape Store), Sunday, 7 November 2010 21:21 (thirteen years ago) link