What are you favorite Top 5 Movies of all time?

Started by Thecowgoooesmooo, January 23, 2003, 05:03:10 PM

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aclockworkjj

mine,,,
5. Searching For Bobby Fischer
4. The Maltease Falcon
3. ET
2.The Brothers McMullen
1. Magnolia

Umm,,,yeah, I think...

children with angels

Ladida. Best movies thread. Been reading it forever. Have always resisted. For some reason I'm going to attempt now. Not sure why. Here we go...

1. Magnolia (Yawn, I know, I know. But it is the epitome of what I think a movie should be.)
2. Buffalo 66 (Funny. Beautiful. The most wonderful movie turn-around ever in my opinion. Just beautiful.)
3. The Ice Storm (Probably comes from watching it so much. Kind of a 'discovering it at THAT point in your life' thing too.)
4. Vertigo (Had to have a Hitchcock. This film can be watched forever.)
5. Stardust Memories (Had to have a Woody. It's one of the most beautifully honest, self-confessing, films ever.)

It's kind of a weird list. But I think it encompasses a lot of what I think movies can and should be. Essentially I think the best films for one person are always just going to be the ones you relate to the most. Would have liked to have some golden age movies in there: Casablanca or Philidelphia Story, something like that. Would've also liked to have something foreign: some Bergman or Fellini. Kubrick is also sorely missed (2001). As is Before Sunrise, for some reason. But I'm just cheating now. I think this is a pretty honest list.
"Should I bring my own chains?"
"We always do..."

http://www.alternatetakes.co.uk/
http://thelesserfeat.blogspot.com/

pookiethecat

good idea children with angels;i'm a gonna clarify why i chose my favorites.  

heavenly creatures- an excellent depiction of mental illness (specifically depression) as well as tormented adolescence...  great performances by melanie lynskey and kate winslet.  

magnolia- ...

donnie darko- i like that it's a comedy, drama, horror, thriller, sci-fi, and 80's period piece.  each time i watch it with a different perspective on what kind of movie it is.  definitely holds up with repeated viewings/

fucking amal- a touching movie that features wonderfully natural dialogue.  another good adolescent piece.

marathon man- what all thrillers should be.  laurence olivier scares the bejesus out of me as the aging nazi

last of the mohicans (michael mann) - what all action movies should be.  plus it has a really good romance at its core...and the ending always makes me cry when alice jumps off the cliff...

mulholland drive- my favorite blatantly avant garde, artsy fartsy movie.  naomi watts rocks.  and i love lynch's attention to details

exotica- Egoyan!  it's a shame that the cover of the bxo had to be so misleading since this is such an intelligent entertaining psychological drama/thriller; pta-ish in its empathy towards wounded and dysfunctional people

adaptation- a newbie but i've watched it many times after downloading it on my computer and nicolas cage shoulda won an oscar.  probably my favorite comedy of all time

manhunter- this movie is my favorite movie in terms of design.  it has so much style to it.  the music, the decor, the lighting, everything is so eye-catching.  my favorite of the harris adaptations.

and that's that.  i sincerely hope i haven't destroyed this thread and you all have enjoyed reading why each movie is one of my favorites.  :lol:
i wanna lick 'em.

godardian

Quote from: pookiethecat

have you seen ararat? (egoyan's film about the armenian genocide)  looks interesting, but it got surprisingly bad reviews... :shock:

Yeah, I did run right out to see it, and it was disappointing, I thought. Still, if you're an Egoyan fan, you should at least give it a chance. It'll be on DVD soon, I'm guessing.
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

MacGuffin

Quote from: godardianIt'll be on DVD soon, I'm guessing.

July 22nd.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Alexandro

here they are

1) good fellas
2) pulp fiction
3) apocalypse now
4) 8 1/2
5) psycho (hitchcock's)

Void

It changes all the time, but currently they are:

1.True Romance
2.The Godfather
3.Star Wars
4.Apocalypse Now
5.Natural Born Killers
So far I have been unable to think of a signature

The Silver Bullet

RABBIT n. pl. rabĀ·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]

Mesh

Quote from: OnomatopoeiaSure, you can.  It just might be in poor taste.

Why is this in poor taste?  Are we allowed to discuss and argue these lists or are we just supposed to type 'em up, read 'em, and forget about them?

Let's say my list went like this:

1. Citizen Kane
2. 8 1/2
3. The Hot Chick
4. Rashomon
5. Taxi Driver

Wouldn't you find at least one of those somewhat odd?  That's more or less how I feel about Almost Famous.  I can't imagine it even coming close to being in my Top 100 American Films of the Last 10 Years.  And not because I find it Bad, exactly.  I don't think it's bad; I also don't find it outstanding in terms of direction, acting, writing, storytelling...It's barely important even from a "music journalism" standpoint, and is based almost entirely on cultural cliches, save for the character of real life Rock Writer Lester Bangs.

Sounds crass, but when someone places Almost Famous that high on their list, I have to ask them and/or myself "How many movies can this person possibly have seen?"  That's all I'm saying.

So I'm elitist about films, shoot me.

pookiethecat

Quote from: Mesh
Quote from: OnomatopoeiaSure, you can.  It just might be in poor taste.

Why is this in poor taste?  Are we allowed to discuss and argue these lists or are we just supposed to type 'em up, read 'em, and forget about them?

Let's say my list went like this:

1. Citizen Kane
2. 8 1/2
3. The Hot Chick
4. Rashomon
5. Taxi Driver

Wouldn't you find at least one of those somewhat odd?  That's more or less how I feel about Almost Famous.  I can't imagine it even coming close to being in my Top 100 American Films of the Last 10 Years.  And not because I find it Bad, exactly.  I don't think it's bad; I also don't find it outstanding in terms of direction, acting, writing, storytelling...It's barely important even from a "music journalism" standpoint, and is based almost entirely on cultural cliches, save for the character of real life Rock Writer Lester Bangs.

Sounds crass, but when someone places Almost Famous that high on their list, I have to ask them and/or myself "How many movies can this person possibly have seen?"  That's all I'm saying..

don't see what the hoopla about the movie is either.  it's not even a personal "hey that was cool but it didn't appeal to my specific tastes" thing.  i've tried to be as objective as humanly possible, and i still don't get the hype
i wanna lick 'em.

godardian

Quote from: pookiethecat
Quote from: Mesh
Quote from: OnomatopoeiaSure, you can.  It just might be in poor taste.

Why is this in poor taste?  Are we allowed to discuss and argue these lists or are we just supposed to type 'em up, read 'em, and forget about them?

Let's say my list went like this:

1. Citizen Kane
2. 8 1/2
3. The Hot Chick
4. Rashomon
5. Taxi Driver

Wouldn't you find at least one of those somewhat odd?  That's more or less how I feel about Almost Famous.  I can't imagine it even coming close to being in my Top 100 American Films of the Last 10 Years.  And not because I find it Bad, exactly.  I don't think it's bad; I also don't find it outstanding in terms of direction, acting, writing, storytelling...It's barely important even from a "music journalism" standpoint, and is based almost entirely on cultural cliches, save for the character of real life Rock Writer Lester Bangs.

Sounds crass, but when someone places Almost Famous that high on their list, I have to ask them and/or myself "How many movies can this person possibly have seen?"  That's all I'm saying..

don't see what the hoopla about the movie is either.  it's not even a personal "hey that was cool but it didn't appeal to my specific tastes" thing.  i've tried to be as objective as humanly possible, and i still don't get the hype

I'd imagine anyone that put Almost Famous that high up on their list is finding more of a sentimental value in it than objectively contrasting it to all the films they've seen. Unless Mesh is right, and they really haven't seen that many films. Seems like most people here would've seen more than a few, though; why else would they be here?
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

SoNowThen

Yeah, really, who cares if a film seems out of place. In the presence of any other cinephiles other than on this board, Magnolia would seem out of place on my list.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

godardian

Quote from: SoNowThenYeah, really, who cares if a film seems out of place. In the presence of any other cinephiles other than on this board, Magnolia would seem out of place on my list.

I think Mesh had it right when he split his top fives into best in overall cinema and then personal favorites. I think it's pretty mature to love something with all your heart but acknowledge that without that love, it doesn't stand with the best; it's only in your eyes. It's good to have favorites like that, don't get me wrong, but it's also important to really try to understand why you appreciate certain things and whether that appreciation comes from a more objective or a more subjective place.
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

SoNowThen

Yeah, but some people still think we can't include Magnolia because it's too new, etc. But after all the films I've watched I can truly say I think it's the pinnacle of cinema. That's why I was so blown away by it. It's just soooooooo subjective, even when you want it to be objective. By, I kinda know what you're saying, because I firmly maintain that anybody with a discerning eye and a bit of film knowledge can tell quality from crap. Though I've gotten in many unwinnable arguments from that...
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

children with angels

This was a 'favourite top five movies' list not a 'best top five'. I find the two things very rarely coincide. I'm certainly not saying that my top five represents the greatest achievements in cinema ever - I couldn't possibly argue that.

I can completely see how someone could put Almost Famous in their top five: Cameron Crowe is a very honest, heartfelt director (whether you agree with this or not is really only based on whether you relate) - if Crowe is one of your favourite directors (not best), you feel a connection to his work and his philosophy, then I can totally see that Almost Famous would be his opus.

'Favourite' will always interest me more than 'Best' because, of course, there's no way to ever say about any movies 'these are the best films ever made' (i.e: the films that best achieve cinematic excellence) because each movie has a different intention. Even movies with the same intention will speak to some more than others: therefore - who's to say which is more effective. Then I suppose we ask ourselves: 'what should cinema be trying to achieve?'. We would all have a slightly different take, but what would remain the same, I think, is the fact that we must love them. In that way, I guess, a 'favourites' list kind of is a 'best' one too.

Sorry for going off on one a little there - but this idea of the different between 'best' and 'best-loved' really interests me...
"Should I bring my own chains?"
"We always do..."

http://www.alternatetakes.co.uk/
http://thelesserfeat.blogspot.com/