General Movie Topic

My top ten list of all time:

1. Back to the future (I, II, III) [this is above the number one, if possible]
2. The Goonies
3. Top Gun

(these are the first three movies that I ever saw at cinema when I was young)

4. The Terminator (1 & 2)
5. First Blood (I & II)
6. Rocky (I, II, III, IV)
7. Star Wars (as a whole thing)
8. Titanic
9. The Godfather (I & II)
10. Matrix

1. Jaws
2. Ghostbusters (1984)
3. Batman (1989)

These are in stone. My next seven tend to float around

4. This is Spinal Tap
5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
6. Summer Rental
7. Step Brothers
8. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
9. Beerfest
10. Major League

No I never saw them.. but you gave me a good idea!

My favorite movies are:

1) Vertigo. If you'll recall, I wrote a massive essay explaining why. I'll eventually post it to my blog, and I could repost it on this forum if there's interest. Basically, I appreciate how it takes a hard-hitting look at the idea of love being a bad thing for a change. As someone who's suffered from limerence in the past, I both sympathize with Scottie's obsession just as I'm repulsed by it. This is the kind of movie I want to see more of today, where it has something important and deeply personal to say; it's not afraid of alienating a few people in order to speak its peace. I love art which inspires contradictory emotional reactions, where I'm then forced to consider how I feel, and what my emotional responses say about me. My favorite art in every medium (SMiLE for music, Gatsby for literature, etc) have the same effect.

2) Godfather Part II. I might write an essay detailing what this film means to me as well, someday. But basically I see it as a parallel to the rise and fall of all empires. A lot of people cite the first as being more tragic since it explores a man's fall to the "dark side" but I think the brother vs brother aspect of Part II is downright Shakespearean. The first is guilty of glorifying the mafia a bit too much, while the second really delves into that trope of a tragic hero with a fatal character flaw.

3) Lawrence of Arabia. Again, I wrote an essay on it for my blog which I'll post sometime. But I love the idea of an intimate character study superimposed over the 70mm, 3.5 hour epic in the vast desert. This film has a special significance to me, because I've been assaulted too and it changed my personality as well, and it's the film which made me love classic cinema.

4) The Empire Strikes Back. It's the only Star Wars movie that, in my opinion, rises to the level of art while the rest are enjoyable popcorn movies but not much else. (I know that sounds pretentious but it's my honest opinion.) This movie really changed for me in my freshman year of college when I watched it stoned. Suddenly all the twists and turns weren't routine memories from my childhood. Instead, I could really appreciate just how tragic Han's character arc and betrayal actually were. Not only that, but I stopped and fully appreciated how much it must have hurt Vader that his son would rather kill himself than be associated with the man he's become. It's an incredibly powerful and well-made film, the tragedy is it didn't get the conclusion it deserves.

5) Pulp Fiction. Again, broken record, but I wrote a small essay on QT and his films which I'll upload sometime. Basically, this movie is to the art of filmmaking the way SMiLE is to music--it completely changed my perception of what the medium was capable of. I first saw it at 13 and was totally blown away. I loved the realistic, quotable dialogue. I loved the way the script subtly foreshadows what's to come but in such a way that's only obvious with hindsight. I love how the characters aren't the one-dimensional "badass quote machines" they'd become in later QT movies. For example, it always struck me how Butch is so coldly indifferent to killing Floyd in the ring, yet he's so affectionate to his naive baby-doll girlfriend and spares Marcellus in the end. I love how the whole movie has this indescribable, feel-good 90s quirkiness to it despite the intense subject matter. It just makes me feel good when I watch it, it's both a timecapsule and a timeless piece of art at the same time.

Beyond that core top 5, things get less certain. But It's a Wonderful Life, Chinatown, A Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casablanca and the 1951 animated version of Alice in Wonderland come to mind as films I frequently rewatch.

1. The Last Temptation of Christ (the 1988 Scorsese film...not to be confused with mel gibson's passion of the christ)
2. Inglorious Basterds
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Apocalypse Now
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey
6. The Godfather
7. Raging Bull
8. Monty Python and The Holy Grail
9. Boogie Nights
10. Black Swan

I struggle to come up with ten and to piss off people I usually say, "Duck Soup" (which I do like - a lot)

For now, I'll give you ten Hitchcock...

Strangers on a Train
North by Northwest
The 39 Steps
The Wrong Man
Blackmail
Rear Window
Psycho
Suspicion
Shadow of a Doubt
Vertigo

Probably in that order, but I feel bad for leaving out Notorious and The Lady Vanishes

I haven’t heard of either of those movies... I’ll add them to the ever-growing list!

The 9th pick is very popular in various movie message boards. Can you tell what you liked about "Boogie Nights"? It would be interesting to hear your opinion.

For the first time in a long time I listened to a few Springsteen albums and I was reminded that "Highway Patrolman" inspired the 1991 film The Indian Runner. It's one of those films that sticks with you for a while... thinking about life and family. It was a good film. If anyone has seen it and has any thoughts on the ending, I'd like to hear them. In particular, about what happened between Frank and Caesar (the bartender) which precipitated the end of the film. I watched it last night and I'm still thinking about it. I may not have checked it out, but I respect Penn, Mortensen, and Morse. I soon found out Hopper and Bronson also had roles. Any thoughts on The Indian Runner?

IMDB - The Indian Runner

Top ten? I can but try. I’m no movie goer…

Life of Brian
2001
Blade Runner
Unman, Whittering & Zigo
Skyfall
Debbie Does Dallas
Babette’s Feast
Village of the Damned
Silent Running
The Rutles

well, I was going to put Grease on the list but I’m a tad ashamed to admit I like it.

I really like Annie Hall. It's not one of my top favorites, but I enjoy it. It's one of the most realistic and depressing looks at how a happy relationship breaks down and people grow apart. 

However, every other Woody Allen movie I've seen I thought was forgettable. Basically if you've seen one, you've seen them all. Just a neurotic bald guy with glasses gets dumped while having neurotic thoughts about the world. 

Im a firm believer in separating the art from the artist; IE just because the director's a bad guy doesn't mean you're not "allowed" to watch a movie. However, it's worth pointing out regardless that Woody has been accused of some messed up stuff.