Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas The Shining 2001: A Space Odyssey Snatch (anything by Guy Ritchie really) The Darjeeling Limited (favorite Wes Anderson) Shutter Island (favorite Scorsese) Inglorious Basterds (favorite Tarintino) No Country For Old Men O Brother, Where Art Thou? East of Eden The Blues Brothers Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Alien Gattaca Fight Club Star Wars: Original Trilogy Constantine Romeo and Juliet(1995) Labyrinth
1. Dr. Strangelove: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 2. Network 3. WALL-E 4. Raiders of the Lost Ark 5. High Fidelity 6. The Royal Tennebaums 7. Howl's Moving Castle 8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 9. The Princess Bride 10. Saving Private Ryan 11. Raising Arizona 12. Fargo 13. The Big Lebowski 14. Fantastic Mr. Fox 15. Inglorious Basterds
Honorable mentions: Super 8, There Will Be Blood, Buck Privates, The Kid, The Shawshank Redemption, I Love You Man, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Tropic Thunder, Watchmen, The Muppet Movie, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, My Neighbor Totoro, In Bruges, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Shining, The Usual Suspects, 12 Monkeys, The Fisher King, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Rushmore, Blade Runner, No Country for Old Men, Get Him To The Greek
The Philadelphia Story Michael Collins Bringing Up Baby Duck Soup Natural Born Killers Labyrinth Pretty in Pink Finding Nemo Wall-E Cooley High Sin City Kill Bill vol. 1 Fantastic Planet Benny and Joon Cabaret My Fair Lady Singin' In the Rain The Quiet Man Moulin Rouge The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly The Breakfast Club Sixteen Candles What's Eating Gilbert Grape? Citizen Kane Willow The Big Lebowski
'K, I'll stop now, but there are more....
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My uhh...trimmed dynamic list as of now (because that's really the only way I can answer this question):
Amelie American Beauty American History X Clerks I & II The Dark Knight District 9 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Donnie Darko Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Fight Club Funny People Garden State Gattaca Good Night, and Good Luck Hot Fuzz Inglorious Basterds Juno Kick-Ass Kill Bill (I & II) The King's Speech The Land Before Time Lord of the Rings Matchstick Men Memento Monty Python and the Holy Grail Napoleon Dynamite The Never Ending Story Pan's Labyrinth Primer The Savages Seven Sideways The Shawshank Redemption Star Trek (the reboot) Super Troopers Tropic Thunder V for Vendetta Watchmen Where the Wild Things Are
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Back to the Future Blade Runner Attack the Block Snatch Pan's Labyrinth The Sting The Damned United Hero The Princess Bride Fight Club
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quote:My uhh...trimmed dynamic list as of now (because that's really the only way I can answer this question)
That's how I feel too. I started off by deciding to not be exhaustive and yet my list continues to grow..
Others have mentioned more of my favorites but here are a few more -
Blow Sleepy Hollow Silent Hill 25th Hour Bandits Time Bandits Can't Buy Me Love Better Off Dead Requiem for a Dream Good Will Hunting Rounders Lucky Number Slevin Poolhall Junkies Sunshine Event Horizon
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SLC Punk Lo Sunshine Clerks 2 Punch Drunk Love Moon Up Jarhead The Longest Yard (Sandler version) Smart People Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior Gran Torino Rhythm & Flow What Dreams May Come The Lookout (Joseph Gordon Levitt, great role with him playing a tourettes character) Dirty Filthy Love (another good portrayal of TS and OCD) It Might Get Loud Small Town Gay Bar Matchstick Men 8MM Pan's Labyrinth Dark City The Fifth Element The Story of O
Edit to add.
The Seventh Cross, this film means a lot to me. Seven Samurai, because I had the word seven on my mind.
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It's very interesting to see a list of films like this because it gives a real sense of the kind of person people are.
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Princess Bride 5th Element Knight's Tale Shawshank Redemption Braveheart Gladiator Garden State Juno Brick Cruel Intentions Dances with Wolves Down Periscope Serenity Jurassic Park Kung Fu Panda (1) Terminator 1-3 Dark Knight The Usual Suspects The Sixth Sense Rad Brain Candy Monty Python and the Holy Grail Die Hard 3 American Beauty Forest Gump Fight Club The Matrix (1) Memento Se7en Star Trek 4 and 6 The Professional Saving Private Ryan American History X L.A. Confidential Amadeus Unforgiven Indiana Jones 1 & 3 Galaxy Quest The Incredibles Aladdin
Posts: 4620 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Only 1 mention each of Scott Pilgrim and Shaun of the Dead? You're awesome, SteveRogers!
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned either The Fall or The Fountain.
My current list: - The Fall - Shaun of the Dead - Braveheart - A New Hope - Scott Pilgrim Versus the World - The Science of Sleep - Eternal Sunshine and the Spotless Mind - Back to the Future - The Muppets - Primer - Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - Twelve Monkeys - Shoot 'Em Up - Star Trek (Abrams version) - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Fincher) - The Fountain - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Added after edit: - Moulin Rouge - SLC Punk - Super
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I'm sure I'll add to this list as others post. Most everyone's list reminds me of a movie I've forgotten.
The hard part for me is the cut-off. I like Forrest Gump and Sixth Sense a lot, but are they list-worthy?
I've put them in chronological order for my own curiosity:
1974 Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1978 Star Wars 1980 Empire Strikes Back 1983 Return of the Jedi 1986 Aliens 1989 Dead Poets Society 1991 Terminator 2 1993 Jurassic Park 1994 Shawshank Redemption 1995 Braveheart 1998 Saving Private Ryan 1999 Fight Club 1999 The Matrix 2000 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2001 Fellowship of the Ring 2001 Donnie Darko 2002 Whale Rider 2002 The Two Towers 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 Garden State 2006 Pan's Labyrinth 2006 Children of Men
I'm surprised no one else has the original trilogy of Star Wars.
Sadly nothing from the last 5 years has made the list. My wife might include Inception, but while I liked it a lot (and it was me who pushed us seeing it) it wasn't one I'd add to my favorites. Avatar was a great "movie experience" with the 3D, but the film itself was pretty mediocre. Maybe the last two Harry Potter movies, but I think while I enjoyed them, they probably don't make the final cut.
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quote:Originally posted by Xavier: I'm surprised no one else has the original trilogy of Star Wars.
I had included the first movie. I loved the others (and to a lesser degree the new trilogy), but I felt that each had their flaws.
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Faraway, So Close! You Can't Take it with You Henry Fool Aguirre, the Wrath of God Say Anything... Lawrence of Arabia 2001: A Space Odyssey The Big Kahuna Punch-Drunk Love Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai The Evil Dead II Monty Python and the Holy Grail Aliens The Big Lebowski Brazil Sneakers The Fifth Element Lord of the Rings Trilogy
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It's odd. This list doesn't really have a high correlation with my favorite filmmakers. I think many of them have streaks of movies that I enjoy a lot but don't necessarily love.
Some of my favorite filmmakers include Steven Soderbergh, Michel Gondry, Wes Anderson, JJ Abrams, George Clooney, Tarsem Singh, Edgar Wright, Duncan Jones, Stanley Kubrick, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Christopher Nolan, and David Fincher.
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In no particular order (though you might see how certain movies triggered other movies to come to mind), and very incomplete:
Princess Bride 12 Angry Men Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Harvey Rope American Psycho American History X Kramer v. Kramer The Graduate All the President's Men The Paper Chase SLC Punk Guess Who's Coming to Dinner To Sir, With Love Big Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Cool Runnings Monty Python's Life of Brian Monty Python and the Holy Grail Hugo Superman II The Trotsky You Can't Take it With You The Day the Earth Stood Still Pan's Labyrinth A Knight's Tale Moulin Rouge
There are many others and if I had to make a short list, it would be very similar to Dr Strangelove's.
Edit: As for The Fall and the original Star Wars trilogy, both are enjoyable but The Fall is overstylized and Star Wars is clearly a product of its day. Plus the acting just makes it too hard to think of as a great movie.
Edit2: Charlton Heston counts as a movie.
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Edit: As for The Fall and the original Star Wars trilogy, both are enjoyable but The Fall is overstylized and Star Wars is clearly a product of its day. Plus the acting just makes it too hard to think of as a great movie.
Perspective says a lot, doesn't it? IMHO some of the greatest works of art can be severely flawed in some aspects and still be masterpieces. Several movies in my list aren't great pieces of art by any stretch of the imagination, but they're so gosh darn entertaining that they exceed the sum of their parts (Bill and Ted, The Muppets, Shoot 'Em Up, etc).
In my list I can have a place for the most well acted and visually beautiful movie of all time (The Fall), even if it is a little boring. And if I can't find a spot for the greatest science fiction movie ever made just because the acting and effects are hokey (A New Hope), then I might as well trade in my movie-lover badge for that of a professional film critic.
Posts: 941 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Xavier: Sadly nothing from the last 5 years has made the list.
I included There Will Be Blood, which I believe was released in 2007, on my list of honorable mentions. Another great movie from that year, which was stylistically similar to There Will Be Blood actually, was No Country for Old Men, which should also be on my list of honorable mentions.
Admittedly, "favorite" movie is an idea which will vary from person to person and neither of those movies are the sort of thing everyone would love. But there are amazing films from the past five years if you dig deep enough.
quote:Originally posted by Aros: And if I can't find a spot for the greatest science fiction movie ever made just because the acting and effects are hokey (A New Hope), then I might as well trade in my movie-lover badge for that of a professional film critic.
I think you'll run into some contention for what movie is the "greatest science-fiction movie ever made". I love Star Wars, but I also know that I, as well as many others, could make a better than decent argument to award "best science-fiction" movie to a variety of other films. Posts: 5979 | Registered: Dec 2004
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I just wanted to add that for me, "favorite movie" is a movie I recommend without hesitation, own a copy of, watch at least every couple years and will stop and watch no mater where it is in the movie if it is on cable and I'm looking for something to watch.
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quote:Originally posted by Stone_Wolf_: I just wanted to add that for me, "favorite movie" is a movie I recommend without hesitation, own a copy of, watch at least every couple years and will stop and watch no mater where it is in the movie if it is on cable and I'm looking for something to watch.
Then I have to add The Punisher, the Thomas Jane movie.
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To varying degrees, that was my definition for it as well; however, I also have an absolutely massive DVD library, so that leaves me a lot of wiggle room to establish "favorites." And film is a major passion of mine, so there are many which I watch regularly and recommend often. Posts: 5979 | Registered: Dec 2004
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I (for the most part) don't recommend movies anymore unless I know the person really well. Several that I loved and recommended in the past drew ire from co-workers, including Igby Goes Down, Party Monster, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
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What makes A New Hope the greatest science fiction movie of all time? The acting is bad, the dialogue is terrible, and the effects are cheesy. It was certainly the beginning of an era, but that makes it the first, not the greatest. The story's so-so, but it's not particularly original.
On another note, Igby Goes Down is great.
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quote:Originally posted by Aros: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
This is a movie which I often recommend, but I don't think anyone I've recommended it to has watched it.
Posts: 5979 | Registered: Dec 2004
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quote:Originally posted by SteveRogers: Sorry for the double post, but. . .
quote:Originally posted by Aros: And if I can't find a spot for the greatest science fiction movie ever made just because the acting and effects are hokey (A New Hope), then I might as well trade in my movie-lover badge for that of a professional film critic.
I think you'll run into some contention for what movie is the "greatest science-fiction movie ever made". I love Star Wars, but I also know that I, as well as many others, could make a better than decent argument to award "best science-fiction" movie to a variety of other films.
Especially since a compelling argument can be made that Star Wars isn't even a science fiction film in the first place. It's pretty clearly fantasy.
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quote:Originally posted by Stone_Wolf_: I just wanted to add that for me, "favorite movie" is a movie I recommend without hesitation, own a copy of, watch at least every couple years and will stop and watch no mater where it is in the movie if it is on cable and I'm looking for something to watch.
Then I have to add The Punisher, the Thomas Jane movie.
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Star Wars pulls too deeply from futuristic, technological things to be 'very clearly not sci-fi' even though its thematic underpinnings are fantasy, it still has spacefights in space and spacetravel between worlds and laser fights with blasters and laser swords and robots everywhere and aliens everywhere and multiple worlds and floating gas-giant mining cities and hoverbikes and shield generators protecting planetary destruction superweapon stations that have to be resolved with space teddy bears and an even largerer spacefight and
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My reference as the "greatest science fiction movie" doesn't mean that it's the best science fiction movie.
A New Hope changed film making. Prior to its release, science fiction wasn't accessible to mainstream viewers. It practically invented the "blockbuster". It established what is arguably the largest movie franchise in history (counting books, video games, merchandising, etc). It is almost universally loved.
From this perspective, Star Wars is to science fiction what Lord of the Rings was to fantasy. It was the prototype. I'll certainly not try to compare the two quality wise, however, but it is the flagship.
Now the best science fiction movie is probably either Back to the Future (mainstream) or Primer (niche).
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Technically, science fiction is considered a sub-genre of fantasy. And the Star Wars series is Space Opera, a sub-genre of science fiction. The confusion is generally between soft science fiction, which can have unrealistic and fantastic elements, and hard science fiction, which typically cannot.
Of course there are fantastic elements in Star Wars. Have you read any other science fiction? Dune maybe? Slaughterhouse-Five? Honor Harrington series?
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quote:Originally posted by Aros: Technically, science fiction is considered a sub-genre of fantasy. And the Star Wars series is Space Opera, a sub-genre of science fiction. The confusion is generally between soft science fiction, which can have unrealistic and fantastic elements, and hard science fiction, which typically cannot.
Of course there are fantastic elements in Star Wars. Have you read any other science fiction? Dune maybe? Slaughterhouse-Five? Honor Harrington series?
The distinction between soft and hard sci-fi is a sliding scale, and Star Wars has every single level pushed to the maximum "soft" side. There aren't even any attempts at psuedo-science until the prequels.
I dunno, when every single one of the "sci-fi" aspects are 100% unexplained nonsensical soft-science, and the single most thematically significant device (and the only one that does get any level of dissection or examination) is literally magic... Sci-Fi just really seems like a misnomer to me. Where's the Sci?
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My current list without too much second-guessing:
God of Cookery King of Comedy Infernal Affairs Lord of the Rings (Extended) Police Story Comrades, Almost a Love Story Blade Runner Once Upon a Time in China II Dark City Ashes of Time Back to the Future
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I'm surprised only two of you chose the Dark Knight. People love that film in a very unnatural way. Personally, I enjoyed Begins a lot more, although the Joker was amazing as well.
Aros, I agree with you about Star Wars. A New Hope may not have been the best movie in the world or had the best script, but it made other scifi films possible and that's what's important. You have to wonder...without Star Wars, would we still be getting an Ender's Game movie? And if so, what would be giving credit to instead of Star Wars?
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I used to list The Dark Knight as one of my favorite films, but I've kinda grown away from it as the years have passed. I still love Heath Ledger's performance, but I think parts of the movie drag a little. In recent viewings, I find I feel the movie to be too long.
Posts: 5979 | Registered: Dec 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Dan_Frank: Sci-Fi just really seems like a misnomer to me. Where's the Sci?
Everywhere. It doesn't focus on the why of the sci, but the sci is everywhere. Just in a run-down world where the workings of everything from junkheap droids in a mobile jawa fortress to gas harvester planetary cities suspended hovering in the breathable areas of atmosphere above a gas giant, is taken as-is, not explained with trappings and dialogue, it's just the environment for fantastical adventures, not a hangup requiring exposition to justify star wars as sci-fi. Pretty standard for space opera.
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quote:Originally posted by Samprimary: Pretty standard for space opera.
Firefly is often considered a space opera and science fiction, but they don't go out of their way to explain the science behind everything either. There are levels of science fiction. Not everything needs to be hard sci-fi a la Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke to be considered sci-fi. The science in Ender's Game isn't explained to an exhaustive detail, and it's still called sci-fi. I think it'd be reasonable to say that sci-fi could be called fantasy with a science slant. Space instead of Middle Earth. Science fiction is a pretty broad term. Where the issue might arise is when it comes to establishing subgenres. Is there really one single work which is purely just "science fiction" without having elements of fantasy, mystery, or even Western? Much of the genre is built upon the tropes of previously established genres.
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I'd weigh in about what category Star Wars is, but I honestly don't care. I'm over Star Wars. I'm over Lord of the Rings. I am also over the music Elvis.
All are ground breakers, but since they broke ground, building has continued and the new buildings have in door plumbing!
Posts: 4620 | Registered: Jun 2005
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One of my friends adamantly insists that space opera and sci-fi are different genres, as opposed to the one being a subset of the other.
But anyway, yeah, I'll concede to you guys. Star Wars is scifi, it's just unrelentingly fantasy as well. In terms of the "Feel" I get from the film, it feels much more like fantasy. Whereas something like Firefly, although obviously first and foremost a western, still feels like a sci-fi western to me.
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