The Godfather
Play Time
Bicycle Thieves
The Manchurian Candidate
Brazil
Okay, I’ll play (and hope that I’m consistent with the choices I’ve listed for similar questions over the years here. On second thought, maybe I’ll throw in a surprise or two):
- Goodfellas - if energy could be filmed, this would be it. The movie has a rhythm - a pulse - that energizes and captivates you. It draws you in. And the scenes become your memories. And, of course, the acting, the direction, the cinematography (oh, the cinematography!), the music, . . . the whole movie - perfect!
- Dr. Strangelove - better acting than in any other film (;)), hilarious, disturbing, and, like anything that’s truly great, it gets better with age!
- Once Upon a Time in America (only the “full” director’s version of course) - majestic, magnificently directed. This is what an epic is.
- The Man Who Would Be King - is there a more entertaining movie? I doubt it. You’ll find no messages or profound thoughts here. Just a supremely well acted, exciting, funny, huge movie.
- The Wizard of Oz - any movie that enchants four generations of movie-goers has gotta be great. A classic, an icon, part of the culture - simply a great film.
The Last Detail, Jack Nicholson’s dead-on depiction of a Navy petty officer
Treasure of the Sierra Madre (where a man broke bad long before Walter White was ever dreamed of) or Casablanca (where a man broke good, just for a change of pace)
Raiders of the Lost Ark, which gave us the updated version of H. Ryder Haggard’s immortal Alan Quatermain
Young Frankenstein, a brilliant send-up of not only the genre, but of the way films used to be made. Madeleine Kahn should have gotten an Oscar just for impersonating Marlene Dietrich in song.
The Godfather 1&2. To me, they’re inseparable.
And I’ll add a sixth with the Lord of The Rings trilogy, which showed everybody how a classic work of fiction should be translated to the screen.
My 5 greatest?
- Musical Anoscope (available for viewing on youtube)
- Lake Michigan Tries to Eat My House (limited CD release)
- St. Somewhere (documentary about my residency program, featuring me as Dr. T)
- The Adventures of Fatbutt and Squid for Brains (my daughters exchanging insults)
- Mrs. Mercotan Suddenly Likes the Spotlight (you think you know someone after decades together, but they can sure still pleasantly surprise you)
I don’t watch that many old movies, but a lot of the ones I’ve watched, I’ve watched a lot:
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon (love me some Bogart!)
Dr. Strangelove
City of Lost Children (seen more than any other movie except Rocky Horror, and that doesn’t really count as “seen”)
True Grit (Coen Brothers version)
But I reserve the right to change my mind at the slightest whim.
In order:
Pulp Fiction
The Godfather
Life of Brian
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jaws
These kinds of lists are hard because they are so subjective. I usually go by which films you have watched the most often:
- The Matrix, 100+ times, the dojo scene probably over 500 times.
- Bladerunner, 20+ times for a school paper.
- Batman (Keaton), 10+ times.
- Bloodsport, 10+ times.
- Spiderman (Tobey MacGuire), 10+ times.
I’m gonna have to watch The Man Who Would Be King.
Watched most often:
No Country for Old Men
The Third Man
I Remember Mama
The Little Foxes
The Magnificent Ambersons
It’s more in the comedy category, but I should have mentioned Kung Fu Hustle. The cinematography is fantastic.
Whenever I see lists like this I feel inadequate, because all my films will be animation and action movies and some lame romantic comedy.
In no particular order:
[ul]
[li]Finding Nemo[/li][li]Back to the Future[/li][li]Ever After[/li][li]Labyrinth[/li][li]Pirates of the Caribbean[/li][/ul]
There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m never sure what ‘greatest’ is supposed to mean. I enjoy great cinematography and dramatic acting, but I’m most likely to watch comedies.
The Godfather
Cool Hand Luke
To Kill A Mockingbird
Blade Runner
Singin’ in the Rain
Too many choices…
In no particular order…except maybe the first one
Once Upon a Time in the West
Epic.
The Princess Bride
Most of the time a great movie is one that draws me in so that when it’s over I am temporarily stunned and can remember nothing for a few moments and then it crashes back over me. The Princess Bride was the first movie to do that to me.
Raising Arizona
Everyone in it was perfect. ‘Son, you have a panty on you head’.
Being at Home with Claude
Watched it with subtitles but was so drawn in that I could have sworn I understood French or that they were speaking English.
John Woo’s The Killer
My introduction to gunplay as ballet. Subtitles again. Tried the dubbed version but it was distracting from the rest of the movie.
And suddenly I can remember a thousand movies that I love…
Blazing Saddles
Casablanca
The Godfather
7 Faces of Dr Lao
12 Monkeys
Oh! You meant other people’s films! :smack:
As of this evening, in no order:
Miller’s Crossing (obligatory Coens)
The Train (yay lieu)
To Have and Have Not (obligatory Bogey)
Chinatown (If I were able to only watch one more movie the rest of my life, this would be it)
Stranger Than Paradise (making the most of the least)
I think you have your Mel Brooks movies mixed up.
Godfather 1 - best gangster
Singing in the Rain - best musical
Gone with the Wind - best romance
Blazing Saddles - best comedy
Terminator 1 - best sci-fi
runners up:
Cassablanca
West Side Story
Pulp Fiction
Star Wars 1
Aliens 2
If it helps, “Musical Anoscope” almost made it on my list.
- Seventh Seal
- Manchurian Candidate
- Battleship Potemkin
- Citizen Kane
- Dr. Strangelove