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Top 5 Movies and why

kyll

Alright, I know this may have been brought up before, but since the holidays are arriving which is a good rental period from downtime at the office, and the Borat thread seems to be growing thin, Name your top five movies - and why

Me first:

1-se7en (dont ask) - amazing shots, great pace, storytelling- always raining, which is hard to do

2-city of god - amazing story, realism. raw guttsiness

3-eternal sunshine - score, concept, cinematography

4-fight club - cinematography, score

5- tie between saving private ryan and seven samurai - no need to tell you why- list too long

 
Nov 15, 06 4:44 pm
oe

I couldnt get it down to five. Certainly not the 'best' movies ever, but my faves anyway...

In chrono:

1 Yojimbo: my favorite kurusowa flick, seven samurai is probably technically better but I just love the darkness and ambiguity of this one.

2 2001: Its fucking agonizing, I'll grant. But so much about its construction is so genius, the shots and transitions are perfect. How do you make inanitmate objects so scary? Still the best sci-fi after almost 40 years.

3 Apocalypse Now: I dont know why I love this so much. Heart of Darkness is one of my favorite books. Its so marvelously subversive, slowly unwinding all of our false comforts, beautiful

4 pulp fiction:

Jules: Oh, man. I will never forgive your ass for this shit. This is some fucked-up repugnant shit.
Vincent: Jules, did you ever hear the philosophy that once a man admits that he is wrong, he is immediately forgiven for all wrong-doings? Have you ever heard that?
Jules: Get the fuck out my face with that shit. The motherfucker said that shit never had to pick up itty-bitty pieces of skull on account of your dumb ass.
Vincent: I've got a threshold Jules. I've got a threshold for the abuse that I will take. Now right now I'm a fuckin' race car, alright? And you got me in the red. And I'm just saying, I'm just saying that it's fuckin' dangerous to have a race car in the fuckin' red, that's all. I could blow.
Jules: Oh, oh, you ready to blow?
Vincent: Yeah, I'm ready to blow.
Jules: Well, I'm a mushroom cloud-layin' motherfucker, motherfucker. Every time my fingers touch brain, I'm SUPERFLY TNT. I'm THE GUNS OF THE NAVARONE. In fact, what the fuck am I doing in the back? You're the motherfucker should be on brain detail. We're fucking switching.

What else needs to be said?

5 12 monkeys: I love Terry Gillium! Every time I see him in that ww1 photo I get chills, and Brad pitt is fucking hilliarious. As warped as it is its still one of the most psychologically consistent time-travel flicks.

6 memento: Right after watching this I ran out and bought myself a daily-planner...

7 21 Grams: Alejandro Inarritu, I couldnt decide which one to pick, I cant wait to see babel. How he gets such an etherial reading out of such gritty material, somehow they have this symbolic substrate, so beautiful.

8 Lost in Translation: I have a soft spot. Althought last time I saw it I realized its actually kindof offensive? I guess thats what that feeling is like.

9 the life aquatic: Funniest fucking movie ever.

10 the Science of Sleep: yes. its better than eternal sunshine, watch it again!

Nov 15, 06 8:25 pm  · 
 · 
stephanie

in no particular order...

1) Fellini's 8 1/2 - it was the first real "film" i ever saw or appreciated, i guess so maybe i just like it for that-summer-after-highschool-before-you-go-to-college nostalgic reasons.

2) Hiroshima Mon Amour - I watched this after mention from a man that I was in love with after recently being geographically seperated. But first I had listened to a podcast from UC Berkeley concerning Existentialism in Film. Then I watched it over and over and over. Again, could have something to do with current state of mind.

3) The Powers of 10 - it is just so perfect and wonderful!

4) The Weather Underground - I don't know really, I think these people just amaze me, and it is a movie that makes me feel like I should be DOING something.

5) Solaris (Tarkovsy's) - It makes me have freaky dreams, and it is goregous!

Nov 15, 06 8:50 pm  · 
 · 

1] koyaanasqatsi- Soundtrack, cinematography, only film manifesto i have ever seen

2] mulholland drive - because i am still trying ot figure what the hell was it i saw

3] dogville - because a movie all shot in one abstract set that can make you feel all possible feelings can only be called great

4] 2001 space odissey - i just liked looking at it

5] soy cuba - cuban-soviet masterpiece, if you havent, WATCH IT

others:
love, ludlow
waking life
adaptation
eternal sunshine for the...
requiem for a dream
the triplets of belleville
amelie
the cradle will rock
spawn cartoon movie
spirited away
akira
pulp fiction
lost in translation
science of sleep
l'ultimo bacio
dummy
and many others already mentioned and that I cannot think of right now.

Nov 15, 06 9:10 pm  · 
 · 
AP

when it comes to film, I find myself drawn to a body of work, rather than individual movies.

that said, here are a few of my favorites:

Reservoir Dogs
-Quentin Tarantino

like Sade says [sings], it's never as good as the first time. I probably enjoy watching Pulp Fiction more, but it's a far more indulgant film than Reservoir Dogs, which I would describe as restrained and efficient.


Ladri di biciclette aka The Bicycle Thief
-Vittorio De Sica

I love Italian Neorealism for many of the same reasons that I appreciate the cinematic means/methods demonstrated in Reservoir Dogs. Neorealist films are [were] shot on location (no studios), using minimal post-production (takes are unusually long) and they depict realistic subject matter in a non-glamorized way, every-day sorta way.


The Royal Tenenbaums
-Wes Anderson

hilarious, as was The Life Aquatic.

Nov 15, 06 9:42 pm  · 
 · 
silverlake

to lazy to explain why... but they're great to me in some way...

big lebowski
aguirre: the wrath of god
sunset blvd
pulp fiction
days of heaven

Nov 15, 06 9:52 pm  · 
 · 
AP

nice lists, everyone. +q, I can't believe I didn't mention the -qatsi series...it crossed my mind but I must've spaced before typing it....


Koyanisqatsi - Life out of Balance, 1983
Powaqqatsi - Life in Transformation, 1988
Naqoyqatsi - Life as War 2002

a trilogy 19 years in the making.
all directed by Godfrey Reggio
scores by Philip Glass
there's even a Yo Yo Ma cello solo in Naqoyqatsi.

Nov 15, 06 9:55 pm  · 
 · 
vado retro
FIVE
FOUR
THREE
TWO
ONE
BONUS!!
Nov 15, 06 9:57 pm  · 
 · 
Katze

What, no french movies vr...?

Nov 15, 06 10:08 pm  · 
 · 
strlt_typ

spiderman 2...and i'm serious...

Nov 15, 06 10:55 pm  · 
 · 
brian buchalski

this is a stopid thread, but i'll bite...

black hawk down very intense, i was so geeked after watching this that i woke up on three different occasions that night. literally the scariest movie i've ever seen. relentless waves of poor people with guns, my nightmare and probably an anxiety of every american, quietly residing in the shallower waters of our collective subconscious

breakfast at tiffany's a chance viewing of this on tv literally set me on a course to becoming an architect. it was modern & very much about life in the city...in other words very alien to a youngster in the midwest

the verdict aside from it being about a lawyer, i feel an incredible kinship for the lead character (played by paul newman) and—having lived in boston myself—i feel that th film does an excellent job of capturing the mood or atmosphere of the place. the lighting and the manner with which director sidney lumet framed many of his shots was inspired by the paintings of carravagio

yojimbo as if the giant with the oversized hammer club wasn't enough, i simply love the soundtrack. in fact, i've claimed a part of the opening overture as my personal theme song and often insist on having played as i enter a room for one of my presentations.

dancer in the dark the tension filled collaboration of björk and lars von trier that's an absolute struggle to watch, a grueling, haunting, heartbreaking superhuman struggle to endure

the towering inferno the architect & a fireman are heroes (paul newman & steve mcqueen, respectively). the developer & a smarmy cost cutting engineer are the bad guys. some of the most ridiculous dialogue ever committed to film (at least from an architect's perspective) and toss in a beautiful faye dunaway and an early performance from oj simpson...and suddenly you have a nearly forgotten 1970's superclassic worth revisiting. although i should probably warn you that the pacing feels slow by todays standards.

zoolander funny...just really funny entertainment...and that crack about the model of the reading center being too small for the kids damn near killed me. it needs to be at least three times this size.

human nature, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and science of sleep in other words, all things by french director michel gondry...such a delightful combination of whimsy & craft, humor & stunning simple yet borderline profound insight...i can't get enough it

game of death bruce lee's last movie and what might have been his first (?) masterpiece that was tragically derailed by his own death. posthomously completed some 6 years after his passing, watching the filmmakers pull out all of the stops and convoluting the plot in an effort to cover the star's death is a melange of comedy and inventiveness nuanced with sadness. bonus points for embracing 1970's style...damn that bruce lee was a sharp-looking cat

Nov 15, 06 11:17 pm  · 
 · 
cayne1

All great movies. Mostly serious films though. Great is a relative term, though, how about great comedies...

Big Night - Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub, a hilarious movie about a restaurant. A must see, sleeper hit.

Best In Show (any Christopher Guest mockumentary, Spinal Tap, Guffman, etc.)

Raising Arizona - What was he wearing? I dunno, jammies and s#%t!

Stripes - Bill Murray (genious), Harold Ramis, John Candy

The Jerk - Steve Martin, c'mon. He's shooting the cans..more cans..he hates cans, get away from the cans!

Airplane / Naked Gun - great stupid physical and pun laden comedy. Very clever.

Nov 15, 06 11:35 pm  · 
 · 
strlt_typ

top secret
sound of music
real genius
moulin rouge

Nov 15, 06 11:43 pm  · 
 · 
chupacabra

Paris, Texas

City of Lost Children

Delicatessen

Akira

Chost In The SHell

Nov 15, 06 11:52 pm  · 
 · 
cayne1

Holy crap,
Little Miss Sunshine - the first movie in a very, very long time I think I would actually buy a copy of. Dark comedy at it's best.

Neighbors - also dark comedy Belushi and Akroyd. Oh yeah, Blues Brothers was pretty good too.

Nov 16, 06 12:32 am  · 
 · 
kudzuhut

As a kid.. Flight of the Navigator.

As a teenager..2001, The Godfather part two, and Dark City.

Early Twenties to present.. Eternal Sunshine.


Nov 16, 06 12:53 am  · 
 · 
oe

*high-fives flight-of-the-navigator*

Nov 16, 06 1:28 am  · 
 · 
jjh

i will just start with bill murray

where the buffalo roam
mad dog and glory
caddyshack
kingpin
the royal tenenbaums

Nov 16, 06 3:05 am  · 
 · 
Hasselhoff

How can anyone leave out American Psycho!? And while we're talking about Chirstian Bale, what about Batman Begins!? The tumbler is sweet and that scene when he poisons Scarecrow was cool. I agree with Black Hawk Down. That is one of the best movies I will never see again. It's horrible. So real. I think it's good for people to see that "Soldier dies in Iraq" is not a nice clean bullet wound. Very real depiction of modern war. Horrible. Remember the Boy Who Could Fly? I liked Fred Savage's little GI Joe set ups. A Tale of Two Sisters is a cool Korean horror movie that I have. Good stuff. As stupid as the following two movies are, I always enjoy watching them, The Mummy (the 1999? one) and the first Jurassic Park. They are just fun, stupid entertainment. Don't forget Office Space. Alien. I think for me, my favorite movies may not be "good" movies, but rather movies that I can watch 98234 times and always enjoy them. There is something about them, whether they are cheesy, just fun, whatever, that makes them enjoyable. For instance. I thought Munich was great, but I won't watch it again probably (at least anytime soon). I thought it was really well done and interesting. Amazing to see Speilberg direct in that style. But yeah, good lists.

Nov 16, 06 10:12 am  · 
 · 
207moak

Duel
Caddyshack
Thin Red Line
Roshamon
Kingpin

Nov 16, 06 10:54 am  · 
 · 
Dapper Napper

Caddyshack - apparently I watched it everyday for three months when I was 8 y.o., all for the dancing gopher. Grew up and really appreciated the actual comedy.

Batman begins

The Princess Bride

Memento

Crash

Once upon a crime

Lord of the Rings





Nov 16, 06 11:32 am  · 
 · 
Dapper Napper

Hit submit too soon

Life is Beautiful.
A Good Woman.
Houseboat
The Ten Commandments
Titus (Julie Taymor version with Anthony Hopkins)

Nov 16, 06 11:37 am  · 
 · 
freeezerburn

1 blade runner (science fiction, i am convinced, has eclipsed traditional philosophy in modernity in terms of really getting at why we are and what makes us human)
2 breathless
3 battle of algiers
4 wet hot american summer
5 repo man

Nov 16, 06 1:46 pm  · 
 · 
freeezerburn

1 blade runner (science fiction, i am convinced, has eclipsed traditional philosophy in modernity in terms of really getting at why we are and what makes us human)
2 breathless
3 battle of algiers
4 wet hot american summer
5 repo man

Nov 16, 06 1:47 pm  · 
 · 
a-f

difficult...

Caché (Michel Haneke) - because of the perfect combination of a provoking political message, classic film noir and conceptual cinema, with the most anti-hollywood-ending ever.

Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami) - stunningly beautiful, subtly humorous and humanistic, in Kiarostami's typically confusing documentary style.

Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick, perhaps not his best, but one of the most perfected recreations of 18th century Europe, technically equally impressive.

Scenes from a marriage - Ingmar Bergman, simply because of the acting and the constrained, minimal style.

The Return - Andrei Zvyagintsev, for its dreamlike quality, highly aesthetic with fantastic acting and a compelling story.

A lot of adjectives in there, but it was supposed to be "Top 5", right?

Nov 16, 06 3:30 pm  · 
 · 
paperboy

Here are my top five. Why, I just like them.

1. Hudsucker proxy

2. Amadeus

3. Shawshank redemption

4. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

5. Crouching tiger hidden dragon

Nov 16, 06 3:58 pm  · 
 · 
kyll

why puddles i dont know whether to be offended or to commend. your insight for "biting" was actually top 5 most informative re:s to the thread.... i mean - for being a senseless one.

oe: yojimbo? over seven samurai..? you're right - dark, but not as involving as 7sam was. imo. and seriously - pulp fiction (note that it shows up in this thread the most, making it top honors besides eternal sunshine and memnto) you could get easily 15 different classic quotes from that movie

plus q: no one knows what happened in mulholland drive. thats part of the "maybe you missed it" allure

i gotta say - i'm glad no one mentioned the godfather, and equally as impressed with the broad array of movie selections by a panel of archies.

has anyone seen bjorks new (more recently made) movie? drawing restraint9 about the whale lard and self mutilation on the ship?




Nov 16, 06 4:03 pm  · 
 · 
a-f

Yes, I've seen Drawing Restraint No. 9, but I don't find it holds up to the quality of Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle (especially my favourite - number 2) which I all saw this spring. Somehow the self-mutilation/love scene is just a bit too much of effect-seeking, and the elaborate costumes is an overdone joke, not having the same mysterious quality as, for example, the black dress of the Queen of Chain (Cremaster 5).

Nov 16, 06 4:13 pm  · 
 · 
oe

ya Im torn on kurusowa. maybe Im just being contrary. I think its because of its relationship to everything that came after, that bruce-lee grit.



Also I forgot Jesus Son. Same reasons as 21 grams. except more sureal. I love movies where the actors and images are saying one thing but when you put it all together it says something completely different.

Nov 16, 06 4:16 pm  · 
 · 
larslarson

kyll..godfather two was mentioned...don't know if that counts

top five

miller's crossing or pretty much anything by the coens

cinema paradiso

pretty much anything written by charlie kaufman
but i liked confessions of a dangerous mind.

goodfellas

also liked se7en as someone mentioned above..although
i don't think i've gotten around to buying it yet.

and i'm a big fan of dazed and confused recently.

Nov 16, 06 4:20 pm  · 
 · 
vado retro

i mentioned the godfather its my number 1. and i dont need a reason why...

Nov 16, 06 5:16 pm  · 
 · 
el jeffe

2001.

i was five when it came out and my dad took me to see it one night.

blew my mind wide open.

my best movie experience ever.

Nov 16, 06 5:19 pm  · 
 · 
spaghetti

hehe its awesome i can tell whos an architect by the reasonings behind their favorites.

royal tennenbaums (also life aquatic): for the soul of these movies
magnolia (just the craft of acting and directing and how it all comes together)
finding nemo and the incredibles (animation/humor/american child-like)
hard boiled (yey hong kong action)

any miyazake animation, particularly CASTLE IN THE SKY (and My neighbor totoro)..so many good things about these movies

and the saddest movie ever made:
Grave of the Fireflys.

Nov 16, 06 6:44 pm  · 
 · 
spaghetti

hehe its awesome i can tell whos an architect by the reasonings behind their favorites.

royal tennenbaums (also life aquatic): for the soul of these movies
magnolia (just the craft of acting and directing and how it all comes together)
finding nemo and the incredibles (so awesome for: animation/humor/american style-)

any miyazake animation, particularly CASTLE IN THE SKY (and My neighbor totoro)..so many good things about these movies

and the saddest movie ever made:
Grave of the Fireflys. i dare anyone to watch this and not be able to cry.

Nov 16, 06 6:46 pm  · 
 · 
THEaquino

Not in any order but...

Top Gun (seriously)

Snatch

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder not Johnny Depp)

Almost Famous

Road to Perdition



Honorable Mention:

Silence of the Lambs
Wall Street
It Happened One Night
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
Zoolander

Nov 16, 06 10:03 pm  · 
 · 
Smokety Mc Smoke Smoke

caddyshack
caddyshack
caddyshack
caddyshack
caddyshack

Nov 16, 06 10:09 pm  · 
 · 
spaghetti

oh , fear and loathing in las vegas...

Nov 16, 06 10:17 pm  · 
 · 

many movies. here are some

dear diary
the state of things
fitzgeraldo
aguirre wrath of god
ali, fear eats the soul
yol
salaam bombay
styricon
and the ship sails on
the good the bad and the ugly
rome
500 blows
a clocwork orange
apocalypse now
cleopatra
casanova
la strada
la dolce vita
short cuts
prete-a-porte
night in the world
stranger than paradise
clerks
vagabond
latcho drum
knives edge
good women of bankog
the wave
tommy
eyes wide shot
last year at marienbad
down by law
bad cop
tarzan
king kong
planet of the apes
2001 a space odessey
deer hunter
i shot andy warhol.

i am sure there are many more but i don't watch movies anymore.

Nov 16, 06 10:58 pm  · 
 · 

napoleon dynamite
taxi driver
shaft
from russia with love (007)
the godfather
wise guys
scarface
the swimmer
run lola run


more to come as i remember the movies i liked watching.

Nov 16, 06 11:15 pm  · 
 · 
strlt_typ

i haven't seen any of the godfather movies...most are surprised when they hear that fact...i'll test it out one of these days...on weed!

Nov 16, 06 11:26 pm  · 
 · 

potemkin
sexy beast
death and the maiden
the ghostbusters
blues brothers
grouundhog day
what's Up, tiger lily?
they shoot the horses, don't they?
pulp fiction
stranger

Nov 16, 06 11:35 pm  · 
 · 
strlt_typ

groundhog day is good...

Nov 16, 06 11:38 pm  · 
 · 
brian buchalski

i'll spit out one more that i wish i had inluded in my top five list...

in the company of men mean-spirited and unabashedly so...but a surprisingly truthful portrayal of life in a banal but competitive world

Nov 16, 06 11:42 pm  · 
 · 
c.k.

orhan, how can you not watch movies anymore?
I've seen most from your list and I wouldn't be able to choose just 5 either

Nov 16, 06 11:44 pm  · 
 · 
Apurimac

Alright, I'm gonna jump in on this:

Akira- Simply superb athmosphere, from the overbearing architecture of Neo Tokyo to the clinical schools in the flashbacks. Plus everytime i see that opening scene with bikes i just want to go steal a Hayabusa and blast through NYC as fast as i possibly can. Not to mention the storyline is so deep and involved its taken me countless screenings just to begin to understand its implications.

Ghost in the Shell- Again for the athmosphere, the disconnection of human conciousness and its integration with the synthetic, the rise of artificial intelligence over intelligence. Besides Neuromancer is one of my fav books, and GIS is basically that in movie form.

V for Vendetta- For being able to simultaneously piss off the hard-core fans of the comic yet everyone ive showed it to, no matter how mundane they are, immediately wants to go out an put a boot in the ass of The Man. I showed this to my aged parents and after seeing it they seriously entertained the idea of joining me in glorious revolution.

Top Gun- Saw it when i was about 4 or 5, made a lasting impression in my subconcious that to this day makes me want go as fast as I can.

Blazing Saddles- For making some of the most negative forces operating in our world extremely funny.

Nov 16, 06 11:47 pm  · 
 · 

zulu
my beautiful launderette
mexican bus ride
sangam
big picture
johnny toothpick
high noon
prizzi's honor
high plains drifter

Nov 16, 06 11:58 pm  · 
 · 

birds
rear window
ben hur
eraserhead
elephant man
barfly
grafters

okay i am done for tonight.

Nov 17, 06 12:02 am  · 
 · 
mfrech

goodfellas
rushmore
waiting for guffman
amore e anarchico
the big lebowski

Nov 17, 06 12:20 am  · 
 · 

i still watch but once every six mounths or so and only on dvd. in la it takes hours to go to a movie. drive, park, wait on the line, etc etc. and people talk in the room, theathers are small, screens are tiny, and i really dislike the sound and smell of the popcorn plus the people making sounds of their huge soda drinks and not taking their hats off.

more films i like;
by lina wertmuller,
ciao professore
seven beauties

bread and chocolate, great dark comedy about foreign workers in swirzerland.

Nov 17, 06 12:21 am  · 
 · 
liberty bell

I've been avoiding this because I'm sure everyone will laugh.

Gone With The Wind is my absolute #1. I own it, and can't turn it on often because once it starts I can't turn it off and it's almost four hours long. I saw it on the big screen twice - once as a child, once at age 35, and it thrills me. Melanie is graciousness personified and I strive to have even a little graciousness in my daily dealings with people, so I idolize her. Scarlett is gorgeous, it's all so romantic and epic and amazing.

Also, I'm embarrassed to even say it, but I love Field of Dreams. There is a Harlan Ellison review of it that makes me weep every time I read it, and it includes the lines (approximately) No matter what an artist tells you his art is about, if the artist is a male, his art is about searching for his father, and something about wanting to go up to people who don't like Field of Dreams and just hug them tight and say "it's ok, it's alright". It's such a human movie.

And since my credibility is now shot, I'll also admit that I love Braveheart. Yep, it's epic and manly and overwrought and I love it. Plus Sophie Marceau is gorgeous and powerful.

If it will redeem me, oe, I'm also with you on 12 Monkeys. The city of Philadelphia was then (1993-ish) so wretched and beat that Gilliam didn't have to do anything to make it look so wretched and beat except turn on his camera. Brad Pitt is brilliant in it - and this was before I started seriously crushing on him. It's the first movie to help me understand time travel in any way.

Bottle Rocket is another favorite, in part because it's so raw and young, and hilariously funny. I also loved Rushmore, but am confused why so many list Royal Tennenbaums as I thought it was mainly self-indulgent and the characters thin.

Go ahead and laugh. I'm not cool, I just want to be gracious.


Nov 17, 06 12:24 am  · 
 · 
Nevermore

Of the old movies :-

*D-Day

*Tora Tora Tora

*Casablanca

*E.T

*Beautiful people

*Godfather series

*Wings of Desire ( original vers.of City of Angels)

New Movies:--

*Saving Private Ryan

*Matrix-1

*Troy

*Alexander (for the cinematography and costumes )


Nov 17, 06 12:32 am  · 
 · 

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