oops, forgot to add One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, so those are my eleven…
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your suggestions so far. They have been very helpful.
The Goodfellas is the best movie ever. So as long as you get that, you’re good.
For the most part, the movies listed here are excellent, though I haven’t seen them all.
Wendell Wagner,
Your consensus list is pretty good but I would add the following films:
1)One film by Ozu( probably Tokyo Story) and Satyajit Ray(probably Pather Panchali). Though not popularly known the two are considered giants by most serious critics and it would add some geographical diversity.
2)One Ealing comedy: Maybe Kind Hearts and Coronets or Lavender HIll Mob. The former is on Ebert’s Great films list.
3)A couple more animated films:
The recent revolution in CGI needs to be represented: maybe one of the Toy Story films.
One Japanese animated film especially from Studio Ghibli. Though I personally don’t think it’s the best, Spirited Away won an Oscar, is ranked 44 on IMDB(and 1 in animation) and was almost universally praised by the critics.
Taking out the usuals, Kane, Godfather, Casablanca etc…
The Big Combo
Night Of The Hunter
Hail The Conquering Hero
Hana-bi (Fireworks)
Suspiria
Deep Red
Force Of Evil
Les Miserables (The Claude LeLouche version)
My Neighbour Totoro
Lenny
Without having read anybody else’s list, and not precisely in order:
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Big Lebowski
Spirited Away
Pulp Fiction
Citizen Kane
Star Wars
Ed Wood
The Fellowship of the Ring (especially the extended edition)
Slacker
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Mine!
Dr Strangelove
2001: A Space Oddysey
Citizen Kane
Casablanca
Apocalypse Now
Dr Zhivago
To Kill a Mockingbird
Groundhog Day
Airplane!
The Usual Suspects
That list will probably change…
NOSFERATU
METROPOLIS
the essentials in the Universal Monster series
DRACULA with Lugosi (also the Spanish edition)
DRACULA’S DAUGHTER
FRANKENSTEIN (first of the Karloff Frank Trilogy)
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN !!!
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN
GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN
THE WOLF MAN
FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN
THE MUMMY!!!
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
FREAKS
the essential Hammers
CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN!!!
FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN
HORROR OF DRACULA!!!
BRIDES OF DRACULA!!!
AIP Poe Series
FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH!!!
TALES OF TERROR (trilogy- Amontillado/Black Cat; Morella; M Valdemar)
THE RAVEN
THE DUNWICH HORROR
CARNIVAL OF SOULS!!!
BLACK SUNDAY aka MASK OF SATAN
THE WICKER MAN!!!
The British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound magazine has conducted a Top Ten films of all time poll every ten years since 1952. In 2002, they polled 145 film critics, writers and academics, and 108 film directors. The latest poll results are here.
The full list of all films nominated is here.
I don’t know about “top,” but 10 of my favorites are:
The Philadelphia Story
Annie Hall
The Sweet Hereafter
Metropolitan
Round Midnight
Smoke Signals
Rear Window
Vertigo
Chinatown
Badlands
It strikes me that all of the above are American except The Sweet Hereafter, which is Canadian. To right the balance while continuing to indulge myself, here are some non-English-language favorites:
Tampopo
Autumn Moon
Jules and Jim
The Nasty Girl
Finally, though he’s not to all tastes, I will unhesitatingly watch anything by Abbas Kiarostami, especially his trilogy:
- Where is the friend’s house?
- And life goes on
- Through the olive trees
check it on out:
Aliens
Empire strikes back
Fight club
trainspotting
life of brian
lord of the rings (fellowship)
ju dou
ninja scroll
star wars
LA confidential
apart from aliens being my favourite of all time, this list tends to change and is written off top of my head
If I had to pick a Desert Island Top 10, I guess it might look like this:
Buster Keaton’s The General
Preston Sturges’ The Lady Eve
Powell & Pressburger’s Black Narcissus
Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai
Carl Dreyer’s Ordet
Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo
Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita
Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey
Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch
Eric Rohmer’s Chloe in the Afternoon
Unfortunately, the Fellini isn’t on Region 1 DVD yet, and the Dreyer is only available in a Criterion boxed set. Still, they’re all well-worth checking out…
My favourites (today): I’m not sure if these are all on DVD, but most are.
Bringing Up Baby
Monty Python’s Life of Brian
Santa Sangre
Pierrot Le Fou
Come and See (1985)
Ghost World
Badlands
All About Eve
Breaking the Waves
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
*A Fish Called Wanda
The Big Sleep
Blazing Saddles
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
Dr. Strangelove
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Seven Samurai
Time Bandits
- The Godfather Collection
The Wicker Man
This Is Spinal Tap
Touch Of Evil
Lord Of The Rings SE
Trouble In Paradise
The Killers
My Man Godfrey
Solaris* (the Russian one)*
Beauty and the Beast* (the French one)
In no order
A Night at the Opera
Godfather I
Godfather II
Brazil
Maltese Falcon
Doctor Zhivago
Philadelphia Story
North by Northwest
Breaker Morant
Casablanca
In no particular order:
The Lion King
MASH
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The Mask
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Apocalypse Now
Platoon
The Deer Hunter
Pulp Fiction
Fight Club*
Not sure if all are available on DVD, though.
Sunset Boulevard
Rear Window
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)
Godfather I and II
Midnight Cowboy
Lawrence of Arabia
Double Indemnity
The Ladykillers
Raising Arizona
All About Eve
Well, except for “Groundhog Day,” we’re in pretty much full agreement, unless you change your list.
Mmm, I’m prolly going to get whacked for this but:
Breakfast Club
Pretty In Pink
St Elmo’s Fire
Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Mummy
The Mummy Returns
All of the Indiana Jones Series
Star Wars Episodes 4-6
Road to El Dorado
and
Shrek
would be my current faves.
Also, anything Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (love them) and Doris Day movies are my FAVE rainy day activity. g