What are your 20 (or 25) most-favorite films of all-time?
Dec 14, 2014 21:44:05 GMT -5
Post by Weasel on Dec 14, 2014 21:44:05 GMT -5
In no particular order, and these are off the top of my head, so I'm probably forgetting some really obvious stuff.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
I lived vicariously through this movie. It's also really quotable. ("It is a piece of shit. Don't worry, I don't even have a piece of shit, I have to envy yours.")
Operation Condor
Because of the fight scene towards the end in the wind tunnel. ("Supermaaaan!")
Murder, My Sweet
One of the first films noir I know of that contains the now-famous detective monologue through the entire film. Dick Powell is, in my opinion, a far better Phillip Marlowe than Humphrey Bogart ever was, and he nails the world-weary tone of the monologue from the book on which it's based.
The Big Lebowski
A movie where the entire point is that you have no idea what's going on. But it becomes much more enjoyable when you see it as a Raymond Chandler-style detective film instead.
Die Hard
Anybody who does not think that Die Hard is a Christmas movie can go "kiss a fucking Dalmatian."
Sneakers
A witty Cold War techno-thriller for the post-Cold War age. Sneakers is one of the few espionage movies I can think of that directly addresses the effects of the end of the Cold War, and doesn't do that "magnifying and enhancing" shit with their security cameras.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Yes, this is a very predictable choice, and while I honestly think that the TV show is a much better representation of the Pythons' brand of humor, Holy Grail is probably their most cohesive film. Life of Brian may be great as well, and Meaning of Life was a bit more like the show (albeit without those pesky BBC content standards to deal with), but Holy Grail is the only one I could personally watch until the end of time.
Mr. Bean's Holiday
Where "Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie" was...well, pretty much exactly as advertised (you don't make a Mr. Bean movie and then NOT focus on Mr. Bean), Mr. Bean's Holiday feels like it belongs right where it is. Not a single scene in this movie borrows from the series (unlike "Bean" which took a few of the more obvious jokes, like the turkey-head), and the film's use of its more famous cast members is certainly inspired. (If only because you get to watch Willem Dafoe blow himself up.) Plus, random (lip-synced) musical number at the end presents the ultimate payoff for the movie's setup.
The Emperor's New Groove
The only role in which I've ever liked David Spade, but of course Kronk steals the show. (Shame about the sequel, though.)
Wreck-It Ralph
Even though I honestly expected this movie to be more of a "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" for the video gaming generation, I have to admit I still really liked where this one went. And, yeah, I really don't like Sarah Silverman very much, but I have a hard time thinking of anybody else that would really sell the part.
The Thief and the Cobbler (Recobbled)
First things first: IGNORE the commercial releases (The Princess and the Cobbler and Arabian Knight), because neither of them understood what this movie was trying to be. This film was infamously in development hell for more than thirty years, but thanks to a certain hobbyist film editor's efforts, the movie as originally intended has been essentially restored from the bits and pieces of workprint footage that have been found. In its original form, this is one of the greatest works of traditional animation in existence, and it's well worth tracking down a torrent of the Recobbled Cut (I think they're up to version 4 of that, now?) just to marvel at how much of this stuff was done BY HAND. No computer assistance whatsoever. Oh, and it's actually a reasonably good movie in its own right, if you're into animated film.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
I lived vicariously through this movie. It's also really quotable. ("It is a piece of shit. Don't worry, I don't even have a piece of shit, I have to envy yours.")
Operation Condor
Because of the fight scene towards the end in the wind tunnel. ("Supermaaaan!")
Murder, My Sweet
One of the first films noir I know of that contains the now-famous detective monologue through the entire film. Dick Powell is, in my opinion, a far better Phillip Marlowe than Humphrey Bogart ever was, and he nails the world-weary tone of the monologue from the book on which it's based.
The Big Lebowski
A movie where the entire point is that you have no idea what's going on. But it becomes much more enjoyable when you see it as a Raymond Chandler-style detective film instead.
Die Hard
Anybody who does not think that Die Hard is a Christmas movie can go "kiss a fucking Dalmatian."
Sneakers
A witty Cold War techno-thriller for the post-Cold War age. Sneakers is one of the few espionage movies I can think of that directly addresses the effects of the end of the Cold War, and doesn't do that "magnifying and enhancing" shit with their security cameras.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Yes, this is a very predictable choice, and while I honestly think that the TV show is a much better representation of the Pythons' brand of humor, Holy Grail is probably their most cohesive film. Life of Brian may be great as well, and Meaning of Life was a bit more like the show (albeit without those pesky BBC content standards to deal with), but Holy Grail is the only one I could personally watch until the end of time.
Mr. Bean's Holiday
Where "Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie" was...well, pretty much exactly as advertised (you don't make a Mr. Bean movie and then NOT focus on Mr. Bean), Mr. Bean's Holiday feels like it belongs right where it is. Not a single scene in this movie borrows from the series (unlike "Bean" which took a few of the more obvious jokes, like the turkey-head), and the film's use of its more famous cast members is certainly inspired. (If only because you get to watch Willem Dafoe blow himself up.) Plus, random (lip-synced) musical number at the end presents the ultimate payoff for the movie's setup.
The Emperor's New Groove
The only role in which I've ever liked David Spade, but of course Kronk steals the show. (Shame about the sequel, though.)
Wreck-It Ralph
Even though I honestly expected this movie to be more of a "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" for the video gaming generation, I have to admit I still really liked where this one went. And, yeah, I really don't like Sarah Silverman very much, but I have a hard time thinking of anybody else that would really sell the part.
The Thief and the Cobbler (Recobbled)
First things first: IGNORE the commercial releases (The Princess and the Cobbler and Arabian Knight), because neither of them understood what this movie was trying to be. This film was infamously in development hell for more than thirty years, but thanks to a certain hobbyist film editor's efforts, the movie as originally intended has been essentially restored from the bits and pieces of workprint footage that have been found. In its original form, this is one of the greatest works of traditional animation in existence, and it's well worth tracking down a torrent of the Recobbled Cut (I think they're up to version 4 of that, now?) just to marvel at how much of this stuff was done BY HAND. No computer assistance whatsoever. Oh, and it's actually a reasonably good movie in its own right, if you're into animated film.