My Top 100 Favourite Movies Of All-Time
Submitted by Wezzo on Fri, 12/31/2004 - 08:43
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- THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION [1994 / Frank Darabont]
- The ending still packs such a powerful emotional punch, it's all too easy to forget the meticulously-plotted two hours that lead up to it. Everything quite simply works.
- CLERKS II [2006 / Kevin Smith]
- The funniest film of all-time. And yet, the endlessly-quotable humour isn't even the best thing about the movie: it's overshadowed by some of the most genuinely emotional scenes in cinema history. Absolute perfection.
- AMERICAN BEAUTY [1999 / Sam Mendes]
- Meticulously, intricately scripted; Spacey, in particular, delivers the performance of a lifetime.
- GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES [1988 / Isao Takahata]
- Soul-destroying. There are no other words.
- MATCHSTICK MEN [2003 / Ridley Scott]
- Standout performances - particularly Nicolas Cage's career high-point and Alison Lohman's statement of intent - ground the movie that I ultimately find more fun to watch than any other.
- TOY STORY 3 [2010 / Lee Unrich]
- Like everyone else in the world, I was reduced to a blubbering mess by this action-comedy about toys.
- IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE [1946 / Frank Capra]
- A marvellously compelling journey through joy and despair, capped with that deservedly iconic finale.
- 12 ANGRY MEN [1957 / Sidney Lumet]
- The precursor to all the single-set movies and TV episodes that followed, it's a testament to some of cinema's all-time finest writing and acting that we grow to know these people without even knowing their names.
- MILLION DOLLAR BABY [2004 / Clint Eastwood]
- His late period masterpiece, Eastwood astounds both on- and off- screen. Devastatingly powerful, Hilary Swank is unbelievably marvellous.
- MISERY [1990 / Rob Reiner]
- By far the finest Stephen King big-screen adaptation, Misery retains its impact on repeat viewings. James Caan and Kathy Bates are all-too believable in their roles. And the "hobbling" scene..
- HOOP DREAMS [1994 / Steve James]
- The greatest documentary ever made, Hoop Dreams never talks down to its audience, it never manipulates. It simply tells the story it set out to tell objectively. Ironically, it's more compelling than almost any scripted film you could care to name.
- THE SOCIAL NETWORK [2010 / David Fincher]
- Inexplicably compelling: Sorkin's script is a winner from start to finish; Eisenberg's Zuckerberg a revelation.
- THE TRUMAN SHOW [1998 / Peter Weir]
- A hilariously - perhaps even scarily - spot-on satire of the reality TV phenomenon. Impeccably scripted, Jim Carrey's finest hour.
- UP [2009 / Pete Docter/Bob Peterson]
- Home to several of Pixar's finest sequences to date; they allow an already-stellar narrative to fly above and beyond.
- THE BIG KAHUNA [1999 / John Swanbeck]
- Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Peter Facinelli. Talking. And boy does it fucking work. A masterclass in dialogue, in pacing, and in character-drawing.
- BAD SANTA [2003 / Terry Zwigoff]
- Brilliantly crude. Wall-to-wall bad taste - but it's just impossible not to adore. Billy Bob Thornton is perfectly cast, but the supports don't slouch either - Lauren Graham, Tony Cox and Brett Kelly are all superb.
- GRAN TORINO [2008 / Clint Eastwood]
- Walt Kowalski is one of the greatest screen characters of all-time.
- TAXI DRIVER [1976 / Martin Scorsese]
- Robert De Niro's performance is utterly convincing and genuinely terrifying; the slow-building atmosphere culminates in one of cinema's iconic denouements.
- SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK [2008 / Charlie Kaufman]
- Devilishly complex; profound in scope and devastating in execution.
- CHRISTMAS VACATION [1989 / Jeremiah S. Chechik]
- The best of the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise, it's pretty much laughter from start to finish. Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid are clearly in their element.
- HIGH FIDELITY [2000 / Stephen Frears]
- Speaks to both my music geekery and my compulsive list-making.
- ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST [1975 / Milos Forman]
- A key piece of cinematic history, Nicholson delivers the performance of a lifetime to the backdrop of a darkly comic, genuinely harrowing tale.
- FORREST GUMP [1994 / Robert Zemeckis]
- Charming, witty, engaging and endearing.
- CLERKS. [1994 / Kevin Smith]
- Not quite the ground-shaking masterpiece that its successor became, the original Clerks. is still a stunning film. Pitch-perfect dialogue, stunningly-drawn characters. The kind of film that makes you want to be a filmmaker.
- DONNIE DARKO [2001 / Richard Kelly]
- Immensely compelling; intelligent, clever and thought-provoking.
- ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND [2004 / Michel Gondry]
- Proof Jim Carrey can do more than pull funny faces, were it needed: the clever, non-linear plotline engages without confusing; the able cast make these characters feel real with astonishing ease.
- THE WEATHER MAN [2005 / Gore Verbinski]
- Touching, insightful, and remarkably grounded.
- GROUNDHOG DAY [1993 / Harold Ramis]
- Bill Murray is on spectacular form here. Hilarious characters work marvellously in tandem with the clever plotting.
- BIG FISH [2003 / Tim Burton]
- Burton's masterpiece - a gorgeously-shot, sprawling adult fairytale, that balances comic fantasy and genuine drama meticulously.
- FUNNY PEOPLE [2009 / Judd Apatow]
- Apatow's finest hour - a sharp, smart, self-aware look at every aspect the comedy industry.
- PULP FICTION [1994 / Quentin Tarantino]
- Masterfully written, performed to perfection. A more superb match of script and on-screen talent is rarely seen.
- JERSEY GIRL [2004 / Kevin Smith]
- Hits all the requisite emotional beats and more, while delivering classic Kevin Smith humour in spades.
- DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG [2008 / Joss Whedon]
- Comedy-tragedy-drama-musical-superhero-zombie-fantasy. OK, not zombies, but everything else. Joss Whedon turns in yet another masterpiece: 45 minutes of the most rewatchable film in existence, laden with wit, surprising emotional impact, and catchy tunes to boot.
- PHONE BOOTH [2002 / Joel Schumacher]
- The one-set format for the 21st century: engaging, tense and fun; Colin Farrell practically carries the whole film on his shoulders, and pulls it off well.
- THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS [1991 / Jonathan Demme]
- Anthony Hopkins' performance here is one of the greatest in movie history. But the compelling plot, script and supporting cast are no slouches either.
- SE7EN [1995 / David Fincher]
- Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt shine, but the real draw here is the intense, dramatic storyline - and, of course, that perfectly-executed final twist.
- NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN [2007 / Ethan & Joel Cohen]
- Three standout lead performances. One of the finest conclusions in movie history: it didn't wrap things up in a neat little package, but it didn't come across as merely "trying to be different" either. Stunning cinematography too.
- THE WRESTLER [2008 / Darren Aronofsky]
- The definitive character study. An absolutely spellbinding performance from Rourke. And let's face it, the beautiful Springsteen song doesn't hurt.
- DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER [2008 / Kurt Kuenne]
- Oh God, how I cried. Don't Google it, just watch.
- 127 HOURS [2010 / Danny Boyle]
- Intense, effective and cathartic.
- HAPPY-GO-LUCKY [2008 / Mike Leigh]
- Mike Leigh's sharpest character study. Often hilarious, occasionally gut-wrenching.
- EDWARD SCISSORHANDS [1990 / Tim Burton]
- Depp's finest hour; one of cinema's finest fairytales.
- COLLATERAL [2004 / Michael Mann]
- The finest crime movie ever made? Entirely possible. Amazingly three-dimensional characters that go against the tropes of most every other crime movie you've ever watched. A compelling plot that commands you never look away. And Cruise and Foxx put in the performances of their career.
- DRIVE [2011 / Nicolas Winding Refn]
- The neon-via-neo-noir style - funky lighting, pseudo-80s synth music. The brilliant toying with focus and pitch-perfect shot composition. The minimalist dialogue, the intense story, the devastatingly brutal violence, the beautiful romance, the stellar cast of supporting players. And oh good Lord, Ryan Gosling.
- SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT [1999 / Trey Parker]
- Turns out South Park on the big screen is just as fun as South Park on the small screen!
- BRASSED OFF [1996 / Mark Herman]
- An underrated British movie that no-one's ever heard of, it perfectly encapsulates the mood among the working classes in Thatcherite Britain. Powerful, genuinely funny, and liable to prompt a tear or two from me every time.
- JUNO [2007 / Jason Reitman]
- Ellen Page and Michael Cera put heart and soul into one of the most believable teenage couples in scree history. Cody's script works well for me - it's not for everyone, but I buy into it - and the indie soundtrack really adds to proceedings.
- HAPPINESS [1998 / Todd Solondz]
- A difficult watch, to say the least, but as impeccable a character study as cinema has seen.
- LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE [2006 / Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Faris]
- The ultimate indie comedy. Steve Carell and Alan Arkin shine, but the whole ensemble work wonderfully; the story, meanwhile, is delightfully twee, and the writing strikes just the right balance of cynicism and optimism.
- CEMETERY JUNCTION [2010 / Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant]
- Thunder Road in '70s Britain. Meticulously-drawn characters backed with compelling dialogue.
- INSIDE [2007 / Julien Maury/Alexandre Bustillo]
- The scariest film I've seen. By a wide margin.
- THE TREE OF LIFE [2011 / Terrence Malick]
- As profound as filmmaking gets - Malick attempts to visually summarise the entirety of man's existence in two hours, and nearly succeeds.
- THE ARTIST [2011 / Michel Hazanavicius]
- Phenomenal; the talents of the cast are nigh-on inconceivable. Extremely funny and surprisingly moving.
- FINDING NEMO [2003 / Andrew Stanton/Lee Unkrich]
- Another instant Pixar classic - beautiful, emotional and frequently funny.
- CATFISH [2010 / Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman]
- As tense as any thriller you could care to name; an exciting narrative segues into a revealing character study.
- UP IN THE AIR [2009 / Jason Reitman]
- One of Clooney's finest turns.
- EDEN LAKE [2008 / James Watkins]
- Distressingly realistic; a uniquely British horror that's suspenseful 'til the bitter end.
- DO THE RIGHT THING [1989 / Spike Lee]
- The oppressive heat is the perfect metaphor for this meditation on high-running spirits and long-held racial tensions.
- IN AMERICA [2003 / Jim Sheridan]
- A marvellous portrait of a family in turmoil, struggling to get by in the bright lights of the big city.
- THE HUDSUCKER PROXY [1994 / Ethan & Joel Coen]
- The definitive screwball comedy. The Coens' most underrated - it's wall-to-wall hilarious.
- THE BREAKFAST CLUB [1985 / John Hughes]
- The definitive John Hughes comedy; sharp, witty and compelling. It's all about the characters and the dialogue.
- THE VIRGIN SUICIDES [1999 / Sofia Coppola]
- Atmosphere is everything in this devastatingly emotional, evocative journey.
- REQUIEM FOR A DREAM [2000 / Darren Aronofsky]
- A relentless haze of profound desperation.
- FIGHT CLUB [1999 / David Fincher]
- Brad Pitt and Edward Norton both deliver the performances of their careers.
- AMERICAN PSYCHO [2000 / Mary Harron]
- Shot through with jet black comedy; a surprisingly prfound, often disturbing, look at the dark side of humanity.
- BARTON FINK [1991 / Ethan & Joel Coen]
- On the surface, a dark comedy about a New York writer in Hollywood; deeper down, it has much to say about religion, politics and war.
- O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? [2000 / Ethan & Joel Coen]
- Perhaps the most genre-defying of the Coens' genre-defying body of work, a masterpiece combination of slapstick comedy, period drama and good-times musical.
- FISH TANK [2009 / Andrea Arnold]
- A fascinating look at Britain's underclass post-2000. Utterly convincing.
- STAND BY ME [1986 / Rob Reiner]
- The finest coming-of-age story of our time.
- LAKEVIEW TERRACE [2008 / Neil LaBute]
- Surprisingly intense thriller, with a stellar turn from Samuel L. Jackson.
- HARD CANDY [2005 / David Slade]
- Ellen Page shines as the shockingly malicious protagonist.
- ENDURING LOVE [2004 / Roger Michell]
- A powerful novel becomes an ever more powerful film, thanks to brilliant turns by Craig and, especially, the devastatingly creepy Ifans.
- (500) DAYS OF SUMMER [2009 / Marc Webb]
- Indie romcom at its finest; Levitt and Deschanel are both immensely likeable.
- ANOTHER YEAR [2010 / Mike Leigh]
- Kitchen-sink drama at its finest; Leigh drops into the day-of-day lives of middle-class sixtysomethings in suburban England.
- BACK TO THE FUTURE [1985 / Robert Zemeckis]
- All-around good fun; clever, exciting, amusing, and structurally sound.
- FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF [1986 / John Hughes]
- Holds up superbly today. Well-made and still able to provoke genuine laughter - perhaps the least aged of the 80s comedies.
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO [2011 / David Fincher]
- Brutal and uncompromising, its labyrinthine plot is suited directly to Fincher's dark, tense direction.
- ELECTION [1999 / Alexander Payne]
- Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon deliver brilliantly memorable performances.
- FARGO [1996 / Ethan & Joel Coen]
- Gratuitous murder. Marge Gunderson and her Minnesota Nice. Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy and Peter Stormare. You betcha!
- FOUR LIONS [2010 / Chris Morris]
- Jet black satire.
- MONSTERS, INC. [2001 / Pete Docter]
- Among Pixar's most underrated (though of course, with Pixar that's a rather relative statement).
- SECRET WINDOW [2004 / David Koepp]
- One of Depp's more underrated roles - a gripping story about an intriguing character.
- LARS AND THE REAL GIRL [2007 / Craig Gillespie]
- Ryan Gosling is absolutely superb in this surprisingly powerful movie; he delivers one of the finest performances of the decade.
- TOY STORY 2 [1999 / John Lasseter/Lee Unkrich/Ash Brannon]
- Improves on the first by delivering even more powerful heart-rending character moments alongside the gripping action and sharp comedy.
- THE USUAL SUSPECTS [1995 / Bryan Singer]
- That twist is iconic for a reason.
- THE LION KING [1994 / Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff]
- The animation is a spectacle; the characters a marvel. And boy, does the final act bring a tear to my eye.
- WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE [1995 / Todd Solondz]
- A sometimes light-hearted, sometimes downright distressing portrait of 7th grade life.
- PROZAC NATION [2001 / Erik Skjoldbjærg]
- Christina Ricci delivers a standout performance in this emotionally intelligent drama. (Her characters digs Springsteen, too - I can relate..)
- THE BOAT THAT ROCKED [2009 / Richard Curtis]
- A delightful combination of wit and slapstick segue into a surprisingly moving denouement. Perfectly soundtracked, too.
- SHREK [2001 / Andrew Adamson/Vicky Jenson]
- Pixar have the better strike rate, no doubt, but Dreamworks' can still deliver when they need to, as evidenced here and in How To Train Your Dragon
- HACHI: A DOG'S TALE [2009 / Lasse Hallström]
- Don't let the poor marketing fool you: this is a genuinely moving story, and home to one of Gere's finest performances.
- A SERIOUS MAN [2009 / Ethan & Joel Coen]
- Perhaps the most obtuse of the Coens' fare, a thought-provoking study of a modern-day Jewish man.
- MYSTIC RIVER [2003 / Clint Eastwood]
- A brilliantly-assembled cast; a wonderfully thoughtful narrative that runs the emotional gamut.
- LOST IN TRANSLATION [2003 / Sofia Coppola]
- Evokes a sense of time, place and state-of-mind more prfoundly than most films even dare to dream of.
- GREASE [1978 / Randal Kleiser]
- A guilty pleasure, no doubt; but that music is just so damn irresistible.
- WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY [1971 / Mel Stuart]
- Delightfully dark, home to songs that remain stuck in your head for decades.
- WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN [2011 / Lynne Ramsay]
- Tilda Swinton delivers an unparalleled performance in this disturbing domestic horror.
- WHITE OLEANDER [2002 / Peter Kosminsky]
- Lohman shines in this emotional broken-home drama.
- GREMLINS [1984 / Joe Dante]
- Treads the line between all-out horror and hilarious comedy impeccably.
- THE BROWNING VERSION [1951 / Anthony Asquith]
- Simple yet profound character study.
Author Comments:
Close runners: To Kill A Mockingbird, Trading Places, Being John Malkovich, Almost Famous, Young @ Heart, Another Earth, American Dreamz, Abigail's Party, Dark Water, The Big Lebowski, Pretty Persuasion, The Family Man, Liar Liar, Breakdown, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, Blue Valentine, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns, Adventureland, Horrible Bosses, Ransom, Good Burger (yes!)
Updates:
23-JAN-2012: Added MILLION DOLLAR BABY, GRAN TORINO, SYNECDOCHE NEW YORK, THE ARTIST, DO THE RIGHT THING, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011), THE LION KING, STAND BY ME, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM.
06-OCT-2011: Added DRIVE and TAXI DRIVER.
24-AUG-2011: Added PULP FICTION and LOST IN TRANSLATION.
Comments and recommendations always welcomed. Due reappraisal/appraisal: Rushmore, The Godfather (+2 +3), Schindler's List, Goodfellas, Seven Samurai, The Matrix, Leon, Memento, The Royal Tenenbaums, Spirited Away, Amelie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Pianist, Blue Velvet, Howl's Moving Castle, LA Confidential, Jackie Brown, Reservoir Dogs, Inglourious Basterds, Badlands, Black Swan, Broadcast News, Network, This Is Spinal Tap, The Life Aquatic, Rain Man, Trainspotting, There Will Be Blood, Children of Men, My Neighbour Totoro, The Sting, Full Metal Jacket
Unusual and therefore interesting list!
My thoughts on these films (ratings out of 10):
- The Shawshank Redemption: 8 (great performances by Robbins and Freeman)
- Forrest Gump: 8
- Misery: 8
- Christmas Vacation: 7
- Ghost: 8
- The Truman Show: 8
- Breakdown: 9
- Liar, Liar: 4
- The Green Mile: 6
- Gone with the Wind: 9
- The Godfather: 8
- Pulp Fiction: 4
- The Royal Tenenbaums: 5
- Shrek: 8
- Vacation: 7
I recommend:
- any film by Alfred Hitchcock (exception: Family Plot/ especially: Rear Window/ Psycho/ Vertigo);
- any film by Sergio Leone (exception: Il colosso di Rodi/ especially: Once Upon a Time in America/ Once Upon a Time in the West/ The Good, the Bad and the Ugly);
- any film by Stanley Kubrick (especially: The Shining);
- any film by David Lean (especially: Lawrence of Arabia)
Thanks for that nice contribution, 1922! Glad you liked most of them (and pleasantly surprised about your liking Breakdown!).
Thanks for the recommendations, too, I will check them all out. I've already seen The Shining, but didn't consider it top 20 IMO, though that might be just the bad side of me reading the novel first. Regardless, thanks once more!
1922, does that mean you haven't seen "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" since you didn't rate it? imho, it's the best film on the list there. :)
Nice list, by the way. Some very good films there. Not a lot that would crack my top 25 (Eternal Sunshine the exception. ;)) But for the most part they are good films. :)
Thankily-dank, SA!
It may be that I added Eternal Sunshine after 1922 rated those, as he posted that on the day I first posted this list and it has been modified quite a bit since then.
yes! ive been waiting too see this list and its here.
you have great taste, some really good movies here. Liar Liar / Pulp Fiction / And of course..Royal tenenbaums among my faves. great choices mate. Also wezzo did you get a chance too catch the 138 min version of the shinning on Sky cinema or was it the 115 min version (video / dvd)?
How was your christmas? and how are you spending new years eve?
Thanks for the comments, Rushmore :-)
Only caught the 115-min DVD (friend lent it to me a while back), unfortunately.
Christmas was great, I had stacks of DVD's! New Year's Eve I'm just staying in with family, going to watch C4's Sitcom (Frasier, Friends, S&TC) night probably. You?
cool. my christmas was good. my cousins (who are about the same age as me) came round for Xmas eve so that was cool. i just came back from my mates house / we also saw The Incredibles. it was great! its about 10pm now so only 2hrs too go!
It's now 10am, happy new year :)
lol thx, happy new year mate.
Royal Tenenbaums gone?? nnnoooo!!
Espected that :D Had to squeeze it out, but when/if I change this to a top 25 it'll be there.
Change it :)
Just in case you didn't spot it, it's back in the list! :)
The sound that carrey's head makes when it hits the floor in the bathroom scene still makes me cringe.
I know, hehe.. that entire scene has seriously affected me. ;)
it's wierd... I like all these movies... nothing I hate... but aside from 3 or 4 none of them have any place on a top 200 list, well mine anyway... possibly the most I've ever agreed with a top movies list in which none of them even came close to mine
Heh, strange! Still, it's great you like so many of them. I know you share my love of The Cable Guy, specifically, which is always good.
liar, liar as well... although it hasn't shown up on any of my lists I did love it as a kid(yeah i'm that young, when it came out I was 12), and I recently saw some of it on tv and was laughing my ass off once again... I love the part where Carrey says something like "aaw look i've brought them closer together"
Yeah, Liar Liar is hilarious, fantastic Carrey once again. I like the part you mentioned too, great stuff.
The only one I don't like is Fight Club...and I hate that with a fiery, burning passion.
Great to see the overlooked The Truman Show on there!
Yep, Truman Show is surely one of the most underrated achievements of modern cinema!
Cap'n tightpants: Fight club is my 2nd favorite movie, while Firefly is by far my favorite tv show. "That's weird." -- Jubal Early
Wezzo: Did you know that Shawshank is a King adaptation?
Bad Santa's the only one on your list I've seen and didn't like at all.
A modern, varied list. Solid picks Wezzo!
Here's my personal, approximate ratings of what you have here:
Shawshank Redemption: 7.5/10
Forrest Gump: 7/10
Christmas Vacation: 7/10
Ghost: 6.5/10
The Truman Show: 8/10
Ransom: 6/10
Liar Liar: 5.5/10
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: 8.5/10
The Godfather: 9.5/10
Pulp Fiction: 9/10
Grease: 6.5/10
Shrek: 6.5/10
Fight Club: 8/10
My personal favorites off the top of my head and in no particular order would probably include:
Citizen Kane-Welles
The Godfather-Coppola
The Rules of The Game-Renoir
2001: A Space Oddyssey-Kubrick
Chinatown-Polanski
Vertigo-Hitchcock
The Passion of Joan Arc-Dreyer
The Third Man-Reed
8 1/2-Fellini
I wanted to put 10 but it is impossible for me to decide what else to add. Guess I'll just have to settle for these 9...
Later!
Thanks very much for another interesting comment! (I presume you haven't seen the ones you didn't rate?)
Glad to see you'd give most of rgese a 7/10 or above. As has already been said, I doubt many film connoiseurs would include many of these on their own lists, but must are enjoyed to some extent by most people (and of course, I greatly enjoy all of them).
Of your nine, I obviously love The Godfather, and The Third Man comes pretty close to this list as well - another favourite. Of the remainder, I found Citizen Kane somewhat overrated when I saw it, I thought Vertigo was great and 8 1/2 was pretty good; I haven't seen the others.
Thanks again!
You're right, the ones I didn't rate, I hadn't seen. Keep in mind that, to me a 7 or above is a very good film. It takes a masterwork on all levels to get a 9.5 or a 10 (by the way, I don't think there is a single film I would rate a 10, not even Citizen Kane).
Citizen Kane is one of those films that, unless you're a serious film scholar, takes repeat viewings to assimilate all the minute details and innovations that make it so great. At first glance, it can easily appear to be just another 40's film with some theatrical flair and a solid, interesting story, but virtually every single scene in it is a showcase of masterful craftsmanship.
Of these, I'd highly suggest you see Chinatown. It has a somewhat complicated plot so you may need to see it twice before offically reviewing, but it might be the finest film of the 70s, and as far as I know, has the greatest, most masterful finale in all of film. No other film will leave you the way this one does. On every level this is one of the greatest films ever made.
Interesting picks in your reply. I have to admit I have only seen Citizen Kane once and haven't figured out why it's such a big deal. I love Chinatown. I'm surprised you listed Passion of Joan of Arc; I thought it was very well done but I can't say I love it. Rules of the Game though is amazing. Vertigo is very good, although I think I prefer Strangers on a Train or Rear Window (sacrilege, I know). But I flat-out love 8 1/2, which I just watched again last night.
Regarding the original post, I liked Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, The Godfather, disliked Eternal Sunshine and Fight Club. The rest (of what I've seen, which was 18 of the 25) I was largely indifferent to, although if you like Nicholas Cage, I'd recommend Adaptation. (which is similar to but better than ES if you ask me), Wild at Heart, and Leaving Las Vegas (in that order). If you liked Misery you might like Audition, although it's much darker.
Some of my favorites, with favorite directors at the top:
Lynch: Blue Velvet (and Eraserhead)
Scorsese: Raging Bull (and Taxi Driver of course)
Wilder: Sunset Boulevard (The Lost Weekend, Stalag 17)
Bergman: Through a Glass Darkly (Wild Strawberries, The Virgin Spring also up there)
Hawks: The Big Sleep (To Have and Have Not is pretty good, Bringing up Baby is hilarious)
Kubrick: Barry Lyndon (Lolita also good)
Random favorites: Solondz' Happiness, Ozu's Tokyo Story, Clouzot's Diabolique (which I prefer to all Hitchcock I've seen, although I've only seen 11 of his more popular films).
Many more, but I have an early flight...
I'm aware a lot of your reply was aimed at AfterHours, but thank you very much for all of the recommendations to myself.
Films that I've seen on this list: The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Ghost, The Truman Show, Shrek, Liar Liar (love the pedantic, pontificating, pretentious bastard, worthless stinking pile of cow dung bit), The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, Grease, The Cable Guy (though I wouldn't have put it in a top 100 list myself), Super Size Me, Fight Club. All are good!
Glad you like them all! Sad to hear you don't rate The Cable Guy too highly though; a shame, as I think it's Carrey's most underrated film. Still, if everyone liked it, I suppose it wouldn't be underrated. (Did you happen to catch it on Sky One the other night, by the way, or had you seen it before?)
is it just me or was man on the moon once on this list ?
It may well have been actually.. this list needs quite an update, too..
hey mate
as you don't do a movies seen in 2008 list, i was wondering what if any films have you seen lately ? did u catch iron man ?
I don't watch too many movies at the cinema, so nope, haven't seen Iron Man. Any good? Recently I've been watching a lot of recent comedies - Judd Apatow stuff and that sort of thing - and I also recently saw Se7en, which I loved.
oh yes as superhero movies go, Ironman is top notch, in fact, its one of the finest summer blockbusters i have ever seen
Se7en is a materpiece, amazes me every time.
what appatow stuff you seen ? i've seen pretty much all of his i'd rank them
1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
2. Knocked Up
3. Walk Hard
4. Superbad
5. 40 yr old virgin
6. Drillbit Taylor
which ones have you viewed?
1. Superbad
2. 40 Year Old Virgin
3. Knocked Up
4. Drillbit Taylor (definitely the worst)
Also loved his TV show Freaks & Geeks (highly recommended - just one season but it's fantastic)
Haven't seen FSM but I really, really want to. Hadn't even heard of Walk Hard, must be one I've overlooked!
You ever seen Bad Santa btw?
ah, yes Walk Hard was fairly overlooked by many. Very underrated. actually its been bouncing up and down in my grades. Seen it 3 times, first gave it an A- then watched it on DVD loved it A+ then watched it last month and felt it dragged and gave it B+ but its still VERY funny, and very underrated. Its unlike appatow's other films, it's more like Spoof films like Naked gun or Airplane, a lot of visual gags.
yes, i really like Bad Santa! saw it when it was released in 2003, haven't seen it since but i really liked it
I really like your list. It's different than most that you will see out there and each one had a good analysis.
The only one on there that i would disagree with is The Vanishing. I thought the original French version was miles ahead of the American remake. The ending of the American version just feels tacked on so that the audience feels good about the bad guy losing in the end.
Besides that, great list.
Thanks very much. I haven't updated it in a while, so it's a little out of date, but it's pretty accurate.
Phone Booth? Schumacher? whooosh! My high opinion of you is falling so fast that I'm getting dizzy. How could you have kept this from me?
Must. Breathe. In.
and.
Out.
I have to close my eyes, think of all the good times and imagine The Shawshank Redemption.
I liked Phone Booth too...
Room. growing.
dimmm...
Breathe, 0dysseus, breathe.. think of calm, flowing rivers.. sunny days at the beach..
...mmmmm. Bright sun. Blue sea. Gentle wavesss...
mmmm... Eurylochus running down the beach. He's yelling!
My men have been transformed into hogs!
runrunrunrunning Holy moly! It's Hermes! Thanks for the 'shrooms, little wing-footed dude.
more runrunrunrunning note to self: Must kill Wezzo (painful?) runrunrunrunning
Castle. Dining Halllll...
fair-haired enchantresssss
bath. wine. supper. purple coverleted bed...
note to self: do not kill Wezzo
Whew!
(note to self: let's hope he doesn't find the other "note to self" that directs him to do the opposite of whatever Wezzo tells him)
They did make movies before 1990, you know. This list is narrow, and its author has a limited range of taste.