Here's a "Top Twenty" list (films)

[chancethegardener]

OK, well here's a "Top Twenty" from me...

1. Being There (1979)
2. High Fidelity (2002)
3. A Man For All Seasons (1966)
4. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
5. A Night To Remember (1958)
6. The Magic Christian (1969)
7. A Clockwork Orange (1972)
8. The Party (1968)
9. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1963)
10. The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
11. Amadeus (1981)
12. The Exorcist (1973)
13. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (1965)
14. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1971)
15. Dr Strangelove (1964)
16. On Golden Pond (1981)
17. The Silence of the Lambs (1990)
18. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
19. Allegro non Troppo (1977)
20. Brief Encounter (1946)

Share your Top Twenty!!! (or whatever number you want). I always feel that twenty lets me get things off my chest, whereas five is impossible to decide on (see John Cusack in High Fidelity!)

[Bryan]

Interesting. None of the Godfather movies are up there, nor Lord of the Rings, Lawrence of Arabia, Shawshank Redemption, Schindler's List, Citizen Kane, or Casablanca.

[dean_martin]

My "favorites" list changes depending on the mood I'm in and the genre I'm interested in at the time, but here goes:

1. 8 1/2
2. Blue Velvet
3. The Bicycle Thief
4. Once upon a Time in the West
5. For a Few Dollars More
6. Fistful of Dynamite (a/k/a Duck, You Sucker)
7. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
8. tie - Waiting for Guffman/Best in Show
10. This is Spinal Tap
11. A Clockwork Orange
12. Touch of Evil
13. Planet of the Apes (original)
14. Sunset Blvd.
15. East of Eden
16. Baby Doll
17. Pulp Fiction
18. The Matrix
19. Fifth Element
20. The Player

On another day I can see dropping 18, 19 & 20 and adding Full Metal Jacket, High Fidelity, Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me, Camille 2000 and/or Lost in Translation.

[chancethegardener]

Hey Dean Martin!

I dig your list!

Haven't seen some of them, but stuff like Spinal Tap, Guffman and Best in show are also top films for me. I, like you, change my mind depending in mood.

Once Upon a Time in the West is on my "must see" list, but haven't got around to it yet. I have some music from that film (I think it's Ennio Morricone). Matrix and Shawshank I also have yet to see.

[chancethegardener]

Interesting. None of the Godfather movies are up there, nor Lord of the Rings, Lawrence of Arabia, Shawshank Redemption, Schindler's List, Citizen Kane, or Casablanca.

Yeah, Casablanca and Kane should really be there I suppose, but for me they are too "like them because the critics say I should". I've seen them, but nothing in them calls me back for more. My list is very "personal". You can tell I'm a big Sellers fan. Shawshank I have yet to see. Rings the same.

[dean_martin]

You caught me at a time when I'm really into Sergio Leone's westerns and Christopher Guest's comedies (I like "A Mighty Wind" too). I have a Rhino anthology of Ennio Morricone's soundtrack music called A Fistful of Film Music that is pretty good. It's a 2 disc set.

As far as Casablanca and Kane go, I prefer The Big Sleep over Casablanca and Touch of Evil over Citizen Kane.

As with any list I attempt, here's some I left off - Welcome to the Doll House, Fight Club, Crumb, Roger and Me, Faster Pussycat...Kill Kill, Suspiria and the list goes on. I really enjoy Euro and B horror movies but it's hard to pick one that would go in a top 20 list. And, I left off some of my favorite fantasy flicks like Jason and the Argonauts, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Time Bandits.

You have High Fidelity way up there. The first time I watched it I didn't give it much of a chance because I generally don't care for John Cusack. After watching it again, I modeled my office system around his character's system (remember that Sansui integrated?) Obviously, I enjoyed it the 2nd time!

I'm not familiar with Brief Encounter and Allegro non Troppo from your list. I haven't seen The Party and Being There although I like Sellers. Too many movies, not enough time.

Any homegrown Australian films you can recommend?

[chancethegardener]

Ooooh! That's embarrising isn't it! Me an Aussie and no Australian films in my list! Well there are some that I think are quite good, but not many.

In the 1970's the South Australian Film Corporation decided to make and effort to burst onto the international scene with some excellent films - perhaps the best known being Picnic at Hanging Rock. A spooky film based on real events. I visited Hanging Rock two years ago and just stood there and tried to absorb some of the mystique. I won't give the game away by telling you what happens - you might want to see it. It's not bad at all.

Another Aussie film that I like, but which is quite weird is called Bliss (1985). Black comedy that won many awards over here, but not well known internationally.

John Cusack's stereo system in High Fidelity is a classic old one isn't it! Looks like an AU 5500 amp or something similar. Glad you gave it a second chance.

Brief Encounter is a British film (Rank Organisation), directed by Noel Coward. It is a love story.

Allegro non Troppo is an Italian send-up of Disney's original Fantasia - ie: cartoons set to music. Very clever, and the cartoon realisations of the classical pieces chosen are in some ways even more inspiring that Disney's. Unfortunately, the sound track is not well recorded for the time (1970's). The Disney engineers achieved a better sound quality in the 1940's (have you heard it in "Fantasound"!!!!!!!). That's really true - that's what they called the sound track. It was a multi-channel recording and must have been quite a stunning experience for the original movie goers in the 1940's in cinemas that were equiped to replay the sound as intended.

I don't know any of the films that you mentioned in your extras list - sorry! But that gives me lots of fodder for exploring new films - so thanks!

Check out The Party and Being There. If you like Sellers, you will love these. Be patient with Being There. Need to concentrate.

Cheers
Tony

[dean_martin]

Tony,

Thanks for the Aussie film recommendations. I'll definitely track down Picnic at Hanging Rock and Bliss. They sound suited for my taste. BTW, is Road Warrior/Mad Max (the original) a genuine Australian film?

Here are some brief synopses for my extras, hopefully without giving too much away:

Welcome to the Doll House - US independent film about a pre-adolescent middle girl competing with nerdy older brother and cutesy younger sister for attention. Dark comedy.

Fight Club - with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in excellent form. Not sure how to describe this one, but it's quite a roller-coaster ride.

Crumb - documentary about an underground comic book writer/illustrator and his weird family. Reality is truly stranger than fiction.

Roger and Me - Michael Moore's documentary (some might call it semi-documentary) about the economic decline of his home town, Flint, Michigan. IMHO, and others may disagree depending on their political leanings, this film will give you a glimpse of who really runs the US. Michael Moore also did Bowling for Columbine which I found interesting but I still have some unresolved issues with it. Run a search for that movie in this forum and you'll see how polarizing it is.

Faster, Pussycat...Kill! Kill! - striking black and white images, three leading ladies with amazing screen presence (and anatomy), over-the-top dialog, calls itself an expose on violent women. Russ Myer picture. I think it's a true original.

Suspiria - Dario Argento (Italian) horror film that gives great attention to visuals. Excellent use of color. Beautiful in an eerie/haunting way. Soundtrack drives the film. Unfortunately, I've only seen 2 Argento films. The first time I watched Suspiria, I put it in after midnight with all the lights out and it gave me a good scare. It had been a long time since a horror movie actually scared me.

The fantasy flicks I mentioned are simple pleasures, particularly Jason and the Argonauts and the Sinbad movies. Before computer generated FX, Ray Harryhausen (w/his "claymation") was the man. Some say his work was unrealistic, but I find the movement of his figures mesmerizing.

Cheers,
Tim

[vivisimonvi]

Being from the newer generation I've naturally preferred movies that came out during my time. Somehow I've never really gotten into the 'older' movies (prior to 1980) compared to the newer ones out. Perhaps I sense movies these days seem to have more depth and really grab your attention (to me at least), putting aside the evolution of special effects, visual and audio of course. Here's my current list (that changes periodically from time to time). Like dean previously stated, depends on my mood.


1. Schindler's List (I doubt any movie in the next few years will surpass this on my
list)
2. Donnie Darko
3. Silence of the Lambs (and it's successor Hannibal)
4. K-PAX
5 The Last Samurai
6 The Matrix series (Animatrix included)
7. Lord of the Rings trilogy
8 Lost in Translation
9 Good Will Hunting
10. Willow (one of my still few favorites since I was little)
11 Amadeus
12. Shawshank Redemption
13. Fight Club
14. Donnie Brasco
15. Terminator 2 (one of the FEW movies that far surpasses it's predecessor, my favorite
as a kid)
16. The Negotiator
17. Heat (Pacino vs. Deniro... I mean, you know)
18. Conan the Barbarian
19. Jacob's Ladder
20. Requiem for a Dream


There are probably tons of movies that came out the last few years that I want to watch that I hear are really good (the Secretary, Big Fish, Road to Perdition, etc.). There are many I would have liked to include in this list, perhaps some I can't remember off the top of my head at the moment (I would like add some other excellent titles, The Cube, Leaving Las Vegas, AI, Office Space, Amistad).

I'd like to see a thread dedicated to favorite comedians...

[chancethegardener]

I'd like to see a thread dedicated to favorite comedians...

Hi there!

Well, if you want to see a new thread dedicated to comedians, all you have to do is start one! Just click on "new thread" in the category you want (Favourite Films in this case) and go for it! I'll join in for sure! I'm sure lots of other people will too. I can start one off if you like, but I would rather you did, because you thought of it. It's a great idea.

Schindler's List seems to pop up on everyone's list (except mine). I must see it again and give it a fair go. I think I saw it when I was tired and not able to absorb the issues properly, which is an insult to the film and the issues which it explores.

Oh, I have just realised that maybe you mean a new category (rather than thread). I think the moderator of the site might have to do that one, but for now we can put
"favourite comedians" into the "Favourite Films" forum. Just do it. If someone complains then they can jam a 35mm reel of film up you-know-where.

I like your list - lot's of those films are favourites of mine too. I'm a bit "stuck in the past" and need to get some new movies into me. Thanks for some of your suggestions.

Cheers
Tony

[Lexmark3200]

.....three of the most HORRIBLE films ever to find its way to the silver screen.....and I do mean these were horrid...

John Boorman's "Exorcist II: The Heretic" (Warner Bros)....I mean, this had to be one of the worst motion pictures ever made....and yes, it WAS worse than Busta Rhymes and his godawful appearance in "Halloween: Ressurection". The only explanation for this film has to be that the public was willing to accept ANYTHING as a sequel based on the success and social influence of the original; HORRIBLE overdramatic acting by Richard Burton and Linda Blair (although what a piece of ass she turned out to be in her teenage years) and an even worse bizarre soundtrack combined with an out of control, incomprehensible plot dealing with the demon from the first film (Pazuzu) and a witch doctor played by James Earl Jones....dont ask.

Perhaps even worse than Exorcist II however was "The Beach", debuting in 2000 and starring Leo (pre-teen chicks cant keep their lips off my dick) DeCaprio.....OH MY GOD was this piece of crap awful and just downright confusing.....dont try to get the plot.....because you wont. One of those films that had you mumbling to yourself "oh.....what could have been...." as you notice how much the filmmakers were trying to make this like "Lord of the Flies."

And.....****....while we are at it, here's my vote for the third worst-made film of all time IMO....the original "Italian Job" (Paramount) with Michael Caine. I know, I know....all over the 'Net are reviews by folks GLOWING about how good this film is.....I still ask.....where did they get the crack they are smoking and where can I get it as cheap as they did? My god.....this borefest had me sleeping on my couch within a half hour and had my girlfriend reaching inside my zipper and asking "Mr Happy" to come out and play because she was so ****ing fed up with trying to watch this and figure out just what made this an "instant classic" to those tadpoles across the Pond.

Guess it wasnt such a bad night after all once I muted my receiver, dimmed the lights, ignored the British ramblings of Michael Caine coming from my center channel (well, that is, before muting the receiver) as "Mr. Happy" and my girl got better aquainted once again, if you lads know what I mean! *wink wink*

Peace Y'all!

[Ex Lion Tamer]

OK, well here's a "Top Twenty" from me...

1. Being There (1979)
2. High Fidelity (2002)
3. A Man For All Seasons (1966)
4. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
5. A Night To Remember (1958)
6. The Magic Christian (1969)
7. A Clockwork Orange (1972)
8. The Party (1968)
9. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1963)
10. The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
11. Amadeus (1981)
12. The Exorcist (1973)
13. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (1965)
14. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1971)
15. Dr Strangelove (1964)
16. On Golden Pond (1981)
17. The Silence of the Lambs (1990)
18. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
19. Allegro non Troppo (1977)
20. Brief Encounter (1946)

Share your Top Twenty!!! (or whatever number you want). I always feel that twenty lets me get things off my chest, whereas five is impossible to decide on (see John Cusack in High Fidelity!)

The Godfather, Part 2
Raging Bull
The Stuntman
Treasure of The Sierra Madre
A Clockwork Orange
In the Heat of the Night
The Great Santini
12 Angry Men
Bananas
The Party
A Day at the Races
Raising Arizona
The Long Good Friday
Dr. Strangelove
The Manchurian Candidate
Do The Right Thing
Schindlers List
One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest
Goodfellas
Fargo

[Smokey]

Did anybody mentioned The Odd Couple...



....or Winchester 73

[Worf101]

As for my list. Not ranked in order of greatness or significance just as they came to my cranium.

1. Godfather Pts. I and II (1972 & 1974): They changed the American and film lexicon forever. All film dramas must be judged against them for all time.

2. Star Wars (1977): Science Fiction and Fantasy made real! The first true inkling that Film could now take us to worlds never seen before and we would actually believe it.

3. Red River (1948): Howard Hawks masterpiece and the greatest western ever made in my opinion. The best bit of acting John Wayne's ever done cept for maybe "The Cowboys".

4. Ben Hur (1959): "We keep you alive to serve this ship, so row well and live." The only sand and sandles epic that ever spoke to me. A wronged man's thirst for vengeance only to find that vengeance, even when attained, does not always bring peace.

5. King Kong (1933): "He was a king in his world, but we'll teach him fear. A great film featuring special effects so real as to have people fainting in thetatres. It wasn't until many years of veiwing (and growing) that I saw the film true underlying story and warning.

6. Jaws (1975): Never has a popular film kept so many people out of the water for so long.

7. Metropolis (1927): Groundbreaking in every way imaginable. You cannot believe this film was made in the late 20's.

8. Glory (1989): Before this excellent movie was made most of the world thought Blacks had never fought to free themselves from Slavery's yoke. One of those rare instances when film both educates and entertains. The scene of the campfire meeting on the eve of battle is heartrending for those of us who know what a "frontal assault" means.

9. Alexander Nefsky (1938): Whoa, forget DeMille if you truly want to see a "cast of thousands" you have to see this film. Propaganda yes, a bold warning to the Germans to stay out of Russia, yes... a great film... YES!!!!

10. Air Force (1943): Racist.... yes, "jap bashing"... yes , fictionalization of an entire battle... yes, great film... yes. I've seen this film about a thousand times and despite it's short comings I still love it so.

11. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946): The first real long look at what happens to the warriors when the war is done. Oh yeah and few punches pulled along the way either.

12: The Thing from Another World (1951): Nyby's name is on the credits for directing this gem but it has Howard Hawks written all over it. My fave pre-Star Wars Science fiction film of all time. Best dialogue ever.

13. They Were Expendable (1945): If you truly want to know how close the US was to defeat in WWII, watch this film. Exceptional performances and proof Positive that John Ford knew his onions when directing movies he cared about.

14. The Quiet Man (1952): Ford and Wayne, at it again, this time in Ireland. Stereotypic, sure... pro IRA yeah (like I even knew who they were back when I was watching this as a kid), but pure movie magic if you ask me. Ireland as we wish it were but perhaps never truly was.

15. The Seven Samurai (1954): Kurosawa epic beginning marking the beginning of his dymythification of the Samurai. First three hour movie I'd ever seen and never bored one single minute, amazing film making. Amazing film.

17. The Outlaw, Josey Wales (1976): I consider this film to be the last, truly great western to date. No, not "The Unforgiven" but this film is the one that stirs my blood. I love it I truly do. Whoops, scratch the above, forgot about "Tombstone".

18. Caligula (1979): Unh, no matter how you look at it, film making was never the same after that one. I still don't believe what I know I just saw... Nope, don't believe it.

19. In the Realm of the Senses (1976): Amazing film that is as beautiful as it is repulsive (see Caligula above) but in a way that's inoffensive. Rent it and judge for yourselves.

20. The Exorcist (1973): And film, particularly horror, was never the same again. I know I was never the same....

Well that's 20 off the top of me head...

Da Worfster

[Troy]

Right now, not in order:

Harold and Maude
Pulp Fiction
Forbidden Planet
Raising Arizona
To Have and Have Not
Godfather 1 and 2
Bringing Up Baby
Blade Runner
You can't take it With You
Fight Club
Outlaw Josey Wales
Touch of Evil
The Player
Monty Python Meaning or Lifew and Holy Grail
The Road Warrior
The Thin Man
Larry the Arab
The Party
5th Element
Casino

There's just SO MUCH stuff I left off. I tried to keep it fairly well rounded (altho I notice a marked lack of foreign titles in my list).

Great stuff on others lists like:

Crumb
Odd Couple
Dr Strangelove
Fargo (watched it last night as a matter of fact)
Roger and Me
Sunset Blvd

I left off Schindlers, LOTR, Casablanca intentionally. Overrated to a one.

[Kam]

no particular order...

1. Hard Target
2. Rocky 5
3. Jaws 4
4. Gigli
5.... j/k

ok, real list, no particular order, just looking over my dvd collection and thinkin, i guess am more of a classicist, but love all movies too...

1. great escape - used and re-used in so many other movies, great classic
2. manchurian candidate - curious how the demme remake is going to be.
3. lawrence of arabia - lean's da man!
4. bridge on the river kwai - lean's still da man!
5. bad lieutenant - keitel at his best
6. platoon - stone at his best
7. mean streets - scorcese at his raw-est
8. the killer - woo! woo!
9a. once upon a time in the west - best western part the first
9b. unforgiven - best western part the second
10. Ran - lear has never been adapted better
11. seven samurai
12. roshoman
13. close encounters - a lil stevie
14. jaws - storytelling as it should be, scare ya without showin ya anything.
15. empire strikes back - the best of lucas, another artists execution of his vision.
16. 2001 - never has so much great narration been done without a single word.
17. braveheart - donnie osmond at his best
18. sixth sense - this bastich is way too talented, can't wait for the village.
19. aliens - one of cameron's best i'd say (close tie with the abyss)
20. north by northwest - the funnest thriller

as somone else said, always changing the order and keep mixing movies in and out, but that's a good 20 for my mood right now with a few interchanges with:
pulp fiction, gladiator, memento, the usual suspects, the shining, young frankenstein, blazing saddles... just so many darn good movies out there!

peace
k2

[Dusty Chalk]

Blade Runner
Fifth Element
Face/Off
From Dusk Til Dawn
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Spirited Away
Ghost in the Shell
Princess Mononoke
2001: A Space Odyssey
Pink Floyd's The Wall
Koyaanisqatsi
Equilibrium
The Matrix
Airplane
Airplane 2
Spinal Tap
Princess Bride
Jungle Book
Emperor's New Groove

As much as I liked High Fidelity (it was, after all, about three different aspects of me), it just doesn't make my list. Not sure how to explain it -- it's not that it was a bad film, it's just that I don't feel comfortable watching myself.

Left off: Toy Stories, Bug's Life, Alien, Aliens, Legend, True Lies, Terminator, T2, etc. Could switch some of these in at any time.

[dld]

Ok, let me wander on over here and drop in my $.02:

Godfather I
Gone With the Wind
Goodfellas
Graduate
Good The Bad and the Ugly
(done with the "G" films)
Alien
Terminator 2
Raising Arizona
Saving Private Ryan
The Manchurian Candidate
Empire Strikes Back
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Body Heat
Player
Citizen Kane
American Grafitti
2001
We Were Soldiers Once
Catch 22
Its A Wonderful Life

Subject to change at a freekin moments notice

[Troy]

Ok, let me wander on over here and drop in my $.02:

Saving Private Ryan
The Manchurian Candidate

Subject to change at a freekin moments notice

SPR- make sure you rent Band of Brothers. Same production crew and overall look. Far superior to the overyl schmaltzy SPR.

Saw a preview of a remake of Manchurian the other day. Looks really strong. Streep in the Landsbury role- she EATS the screen!

[dld]

SPR- make sure you rent Band of Brothers. Same production crew and overall look. Far superior to the overyl schmaltzy SPR.

Saw a preview of a remake of Manchurian the other day. Looks really strong. Streep in the Landsbury role- she EATS the screen!

Saw band Of Brothers when it was released on HBO. Taped ever episode. For a two hour flick, I prefer SPR. But as an overall experience, yea, I'd bring the BOB dvds to that desert island instead of SPR. Over ar RR, add BOB to my recomnended mini series I just posted, along with Shotgun, Lonesome Dove, and I Claudius .

Couldn't agree less about BOB being LESS schmaltzy than SPR. Both had their amazingly sad and moving moments. Hell, Speilberg even brought in the survivors of Easy Company to talk before and after each episode. Don't get me wrong. I don't think either flicks are schmaltzy, but if you invoke it on SPR, for the reasons I guess you are using, then I'd double invoke it on BOB. I don't because I don't believe either flicks use the inherent sadness that results from their character's situations in a "pandering to the audience's emotions" mode. But YMMV.

I also eagerly await The Manchurian Candidate. if they Phuuckk with the mood of the orginnal I will be supremely pissed.

[RGA]

I don't have Exel loaded and can't get to my movie database - yes it's big.

So off the top of my head best 20 - well to me:

1)Schindler's List The most moving experience film has brought to me - saw it seven times upon theatrical release and gets better each time. Moved me to major in Nazi German history and it manages to remain extraordinarily well balanced - especially where and when Spielberg adds his own views of the title character.

2)A Clockwork Orange(ultra-violence baby - who is scarier the droogs or changing society - a masterful work from maybe the greatest of directors).

3)Pulp Fiction (the ultimate story of redemption put to film).

4)2001: A Space Oddysey(took me 3 times to really like it but boy did I)

5) Blue, Blanc, Rouge(Three colours trilogy) Really it is only Red that deserves this spot but the entire trilogy brings it up a notch each representing a colour of the french flag.

6) Goodfellas (Above the Godfarther's Yes. Goodfellas is the taught lean harder core view of the mob from the grunt perspective - The Godfather is more ambitious but less successful and bordering on a mob soap opera).

7) Raiders of the Lost Ark (For what it is nothing is better. Raiders is maybe the most fun I've had watching films from a larger than life central character but not without weakness. Historically inventive with the Beloque character and hey killing Nazi's is always a good time at the movies).

8) Grand Illusion - what can be said - inspired so many terrific works and is still a highly emotionally charged experience taking the audience to a different kind of war.

9) Leaving Las Vegas - the ultimate romance film.

10) The Shawshank Redemption - a film that became great the more I watched it. It kind of sneaked up on me. Too bad it was released in the best film year of the 1990's

11) E.T. the Extra Terrestrial - Spielberg is often said to be child-like - and maybe that's what is needed to make the ultimate children's movie. This a re-telling of the Christ story and has heavy homages to Casablanca though actually feels more authentic than Casablanca which is why E.T. is here and Casablanca is not.

12) JFK - Say what you will about the arguing of factual events - the film itself is a masterful technical acievement and rivets for 3 plus hours.

13) The Seven Samurai - What the Lord of the Rings only dreamt of being - poignant, intelligent and relevant.

14) Jaws - best damn fish movie ever made - changed the world of summer blockbuster - Jaws still reamins the best - oddly because it had more to it than what is typical of Hollywood.

15) American Beauty - no really - like the tag line said - look closer.

16) Young Frankenstein - a close call with the Producers but Mel Brooks' work here may be the best tribute film and strangely close to the Shelley Novel in heart.

17) Dr. Strangelove - what can you say but "there's no fighting in here. This is the war room!"

18) Dawn of the Dead (1978) - George Romero the most intelligent horror director crafted this low budget shlock gore fest with performances relegated to porno quality. Despite that the film is the ultimate discussion on apocolyptic consumerism and cntemporary values made. (The new one was fun but the original was never really a horror film - at least not the way 12 year old boys think it is).

19) Cabaret - (just see it and yes it's better than the Godfather and should have won the academy award)

20) Exorcist - How can an agnostic support this film? Simple nothing is more scary than alittle kid who spits pea soup and can twirl her head - seriously this is maybe the scariest film ever made and had, and still does, such a gutteral impact on the genre that it almost forces itself onto my list.


There - I know this isn't exact but not bad for a top of the head:

Others in my top 100(no order):
Monster's Ball
In the Bedroom
The English Patient
Saving Private Ryan (see it a few times - not as smaltzy as it appears)
Crumb
The Third Man
Quiz Show
Aliens
Grand Canyon
Shakespeare in Love
Death of a Salesman(Hoffman/Malkovich version)
The Apartment
Taxi Driver
The Producers
The War Zone
Felicia's Journey
Margaret's Museum
The Empire Striles Back
Amadeus
Manhatten
The Conversation(Coppola's best film by a mile)
Lawrence of Arabia
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Network
Secrets and Lies
Forrest Gump
Breaking the Waves
Strange Days
Platoon
Sling Blade
Kill Bill:Vol1&2 - as a complete film
The Terminator (One of the best Romance films ever made) Yes really I'm serious.
Trainspotting
Requiem for a Dream

[woodman]

In no particular order -

Being There
Rain Man
The Party
On Golden Pond
The Jerk
Blazing Saddles
Second Hand Lions
The Producers
A Shot in the Dark
Anger Management
The Pink Panther
Midnight Cowboy
Revenge of the Pink Panther
Donnie Brasco
Scent of a Woman
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
The Fugitive
Forrest Gump
The Insider
Return of the Pink Panther
Hero

OK - so there's 22 instead of 20. Luckily I was able to stop at 22 ... I could go on with probably 20 more, and there still wouldn't be room for some of the films that most others have listed - like Goodfellas, The Godfather trilogy, Saving Private Ryan, Casino, Citizen Kane, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, etc. Different strokes and all that jazz ya know. You can probably tell from my list that I'm a huge fan of Peter Sellers since I've listed 7 of his films in my top 20 (22).

[dph1965]

Royal Tennenbaums
Rushmore
Best in Show
Full Metal Jacket
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Unforgiven
Planet of the Apes (original)
The Big Lebowski
LOTR (trilogy)
Apocalypse Now
Deer Hunter
To Live & Die in LA
King of New York
Casino
Animal House
Pulp Fiction
Taxi Driver
Shrek - YES SHREK
The Jerk

I'm sure I could add a few more w/ multiple viewings, but these stood out as most enjoyable I guess. And what good comedy could not be watched over and over - if it makes you truly laugh....

[woodman]

... I know, I know, the "rules" of this thread was Top Twenty - and I already ran over with my list (22) - but I must add these to my list:

StarMan (Jeff Bridges greatest role, IMO)
I Am Sam (Sean Penn's greatest role, IMO)
Medicine Man
African Queen
Roxanne
Tootsie
Start The Revolution Without Me

[Woochifer]

No particular order, some of my personal faves ...

Pulp Fiction - One of the most brilliantly weaved films I've ever seen, with memorable scenes and characters galore, with imminently quotable lines all over.

Run Lola Run - Breathtaking kinetic filmmaking that plays with the chronology in yet another new way.

Lord of the Rings - Already a classic that will serve as a seminal generational benchmark the same way that the Star Wars trilogy did earlier. Epic scale, yet keeps the characters in perspective. Even through repeated viewings, I'm still awestruck by how great a movie this is. Better adaptation of Tolkein's books than I could have ever expected.

Das Boot - Probably my favorite war movie. Chilling depiction of life on a submarine.

Gremlins 2 - Very underrated movie. Lots of satirical and subversive undercurrents, with some overt slapstick and shock elements.

2001: A Space Odyssey - Once of those movies that I can never get tired of. Dense, yet abstract, this is very smart science fiction.

Airplane - Probably remains the funniest movie I've ever seen. Has to be appreciated in the context of the time in which it came out - 1980, when Hollywood kept cranking out one disaster movie after another. The sign of a perfect satire is if a comedy can kill an entire movie genre. Airplane did exactly that.

Die Hard - Remains one of my favorite action pics. Great tension, great villian, lots of interplay between the antagonist and protagonist, sense of peril, great set pieces, dark humor, and an awareness of the era that serves as its backdrop. If a movie can turn Bruce Willis into an action hero, they it's accomplished a lot.

The Right Stuff - Easily one of the best movies of the 80s. (getting beaten by Terms of Endearment for Best Picture was an insult to human decency beyond belief) Told the story of the Mercury astronauts and the breaking of the sound barrier. Conveyed a sense of wonder and awe without turning the main characters into caricatures. If anything, it revealed childhood heroes and mythic figures as human with flaws, but no less than courageous.

Swingers - Brilliant movie because it so thoroughly captured the essense of singles life, male bonding, and the retro lounge scene in L.A. during the mid-90s. One of the most true to life movies I've ever seen. (And yes, hotties on the caliber of Heather Graham did hang out at the north bar at the Derby during Wednesday swing nights)

Singin' In The Rain - All too easy to overlook as happy fluff, but it's also a satirical look at a time of technological transition, and how art had to adapt to it. But, there's nothing wrong with just enjoying the positive energy of the movie either.

Apocalypse Now - Not so much a Vietnam war movie, as a journey into madness. Considering what Coppola went through to get this film finished in the first place (his wife's documentary about the making of this movie is also a great film), it stood to reason that the whole film would resemble a descent into hell.

The Conversation - Probably my personal favorite Coppola film. The tale of how we all live in a technological fishbowl with narrowing privacy is still relevant.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The best of the Star Trek movies. Ricardo Montablan as Khan is about grandiose a villian as there is. We KNEW that Spock wasn't really dead, but it was still a compelling tale of friendship and sacrifice. Great stuff.

Hard Boiled - John Woo's tour de force. Not quite as emotionally taxing as The Killer or A Better Tomorrow, but this is Woo in total command of his craft. (The gunfight in the hospital features an extended seven minute gun battle filmed with no edits or retakes.) Except for Face/Off, none of his Hollywood productions has been able to come close to matching what he pulled off while still filming in Hong Kong.

Swordsman II - One of the most audacious actions pics ever, at many different levels. Great sword choreography, some of Jet Li's best moments, and a crazy gender bending love triangle subplot (I'll put it to you this way, the villian in Swordsman I was played by a dude, and a chick plays Asia The Invincible in the sequel). Not easy to find, but worth seeking out if you're looking for an intro to Hong Kong cinema.

Iron Monkey - Probably Yuen Woo Ping's most entertaining martial arts pic. Plot is a basic Robin Hood-like fable, except this movie's got some of the most jawdropping fight choreography you'll ever see.

God of Gamblers - This movie and its sequel epitomize why Chow Yun Fat is the coolest actor around. Typifies the frantic and schizophrenic approach to filmmaking in Hong Kong, alternating at times between dramatic, comedic, and tragic all in the same scene, but it's done with such verve and audacity that it works.

Project A II - IMO, this is Jackie Chan's best movie, because it shows him at the top of his game, as a leading man, stuntman, fight choreographer, director, writer, AND singer (okay, he was never great with the vocal chops, but he's certainly done worse than he shows here!). If at all possible, try and find the original Cantonese language version. The U.S. dubbed version butchered a lot of the comedy in this movie.

Fist of Fury (the original HK version, retitled "The Chinese Connection" in the U.S.) - Encapsulates why Bruce Lee is such a legendary figure in martial arts circles. Typical revenge plot, but the intensity of Lee's portrayal is undeniable. Again, try and find a Cantonese language version of this film (the movie titled "Fist of Fury" in the U.S. is actually called "The Big Boss" everywhere else). The English dubbing is atrocious and doesn't really convey the actual mood of the movie in the original language.

Koyaanisqatsi - The ultimate abstract movie that communicates its entire theme with no dialog. It's also probably the ultimate collaboration between a filmmaker and a composer. I've seen this movie live with the Philip Glass Ensemble numerous times and it's an awesome experience in that setting, but still pretty good in 5.1 surround.

Some other faves that come to mind. There are others, but I'm blanking out in the meantime.

A Better Tomorrow
Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai
Adventures of Robin Hood
Alien
Aliens
Animal House
Armour of God II: Operation Condor
Blade Runner (the director's cut, NOT the original theatrical cut)
Blues Brothers
Brazil (the theatrical cut, NOT the "love conquers all" TV version; well, worth renting the Criterion Collection DVD set to see the story behind the movie, and compare the two versions of the film)
Chinese Ghost Story
Chungking Express
Citizen Kane
City of Lost Children
Delicatessen
Dog Day Afternoon
Drunken Master II
Face/Off
Fargo
Field of Dreams
The French Connection
The Fugitive
God of Gamblers' Return
Goodfellas
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
Harold and Maude
Insomnia
JFK
Kill Bill
Lawrence of Arabia
Manhunter
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
The Matrix
Memento (if you have or rent the limited edition DVD, look up the easter egg that allows you to playback this movie IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER; amazing to compare how the reverse chronology adds to the tension and mystery of the film)
Naked Killer
Once A Thief
Once Upon A Time In China
Once Upon A Time In China, Part 2
Once Upon A Time In China, Part 3
On The Town
The Player
Police Story
Police Story III: Supercop
Psycho
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rear Window
Reservoir Dogs
The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2)
Robocop
Rocky
The Running Man
Saving Private Ryan
Scarface
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Wars
Superman
Taxi Driver
Terminator 2
The Great Escape
The Godfather
The Godfather, Part II
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
The Manchurian Candidate
This Is Spinal Tap
Tightrope
To Live and Die In L.A.
Traffic
Tron
Unforgiven
The Untouchables
The Usual Suspects
Vertigo
Way of the Dragon (titled "Return of the Dragon" in the U.S.)
When Harry Met Sally