i wrote some lists articles about 8 years ago that i never took time to punch up and send out, and i still will not take time to punch up and send out, so i've decided to inflict them on unsespecting wellesnet members.
first it's a running commentary sort of thing on the AFI list, in 2 parts. and the third part is my list.
more lists, more lists - you kids and your lists
25 posts
• Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
by jaime marzol » Fri Apr 19, 2002 6:59 am
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jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
- Posts: 1101
- Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2001 3:24 am
by jaime marzol » Fri Apr 19, 2002 7:04 am
nothing 2 film buffs like better than going down a list adding their 2 cents to all the entries, and see how it compares to the 2 cents of the other buff: here are my 2 cents on the AFI LIST
1-50
1 CITIZEN KANE (1941) Yes. (most who watch Kane have no idea what all the hoopla is about, most I've spoken to have never got passed the March Of Time sequence. Voyager Laser discs did not help the situation any when they released their deluxe version of Citizen Kane, with a healty price tag of $125.00. In the supplement, instead of doing an analitical break-down, like they did with Myron Meisel on their Orson Welles' Othello, they filmed 48 famous people saying, 'Wow, Kane is great.” Among them master-schlock, Roger Corman, asking, “What went wrong?” Also making an appearance is Welles' mortal enemy, a studio-suit saying, “Wow, great film.” One speaker quotes the film as being made in 1947. To understand Citizen Kane, to recognise and understand it's lofty position in every prestigeous film list around, there is only one man, one book for the job: David Bordwell's “Film Art”. This academic study of films is packed with everything you need to know about making, watching and understanding films.
2. CASABLANCA (1942) Yes, agree, but not at #2 spot.
3. GODFATHER, THE (1972) Should be #2.
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) Yes, but not at #4.
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) Yes. The Director's cut on Laser Disc, in LBX, is nothing short of stunning, a masterpiece.
6 . WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939) Yes, even with some shamelessly bad backdrops.
7. GRADUATE, THE (1967) No.
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) Yes.
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) Yes. This film should be required viewing in all Humanities studies.
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) Well, ok, Gene Kelly, all right (was he gay?).
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) Not sure, maybe.
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950). Yes, yes, yes. But: Holden and the woman dating the wooden Jack Web, to portray romance, do sing-song dialogue while dancing little circles around each other, like a pair of idiots in a bad play! You wonder why? Why was this done? Then one day you find out the director, Billy Wilder, was gay. Then you say, well, ok, that's why. Billy Wilder's total inability to portray a man and a woman in courtship, almost doomed this film. However, he did get the mutant relationship between the young Holden and the old-bag Swanson right on the money.
13. BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957) I didn't like it.
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) No. Billy Wilder out of the closet and on a rampage.
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) Maybe but probably not. 6 months later: watched it again, yes.
17. AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951) Yes! “You skinny, psalm singing hag!”
18. PSYCHO (1960) No.
19. CHINATOWN (1974) Great film but Top 100? No.
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975) Yes.
21. GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940) Yes, Yes, Yes. Cinematographer Greg Toland's second best work after Citizen Kane.
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) No. Allusions of the return of infancy? It also appears in the prestigious Sight and Sound lists that are compiled every decade, but I did't get it.
23. MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941). Loved it! Great! “I like talking to a man who likes to talk. Talking is not something a man can do well unless he does it judiciously. Now then, let's talk about the black bird.” Great stuff.
24. RAGING BULL (1980) Yes. Scorseses's tortured offering that he thought was going to finish his career.
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) No.
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
No. I think I'm one of the few in my crowd that was not knocked out by this film.
27. BONNIE & CLYDE (1967) Can't say till I see restored version. The version I saw seemed incomplete.
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) I don't think so. Missing a middle and an ending. But bitching film. See it in surround sound and feel the laws-rockets shooting past your head, whoosh, whoosh.
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) never saw it. 30. TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) Yes. How Huston was able to shoot in the wilds of Mexico and make it look like a studio backlot, is beyond me, but the narrative works wonderfuly, despite Disney type music scoring.
31. ANNIE HALL (1977) No, no, no, what about “Star Dust Memories?”
32. GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974) Yes, however, in my book, Godfather and Godfather II share the #2 spot, right under Citizen Kane.
33. HIGH NOON (1952) No. Why not Kramer's INHERIT THE WIND?
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) Yes.
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) Never saw it.
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) Great.
37. BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946) No.
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) No. Fred Macmurray, I can't take it, it's Chip's dad.
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) No. Bad movie. Glaringly shameless backdrops.
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) Yes, yes, yes, despite glaringly bad rear-projection.
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961) NO.
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
Yes. Best Hitchcock ever.
43. KING KONG (1933) Yes.
44. BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915) Yes.
45. STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951) Absolutley.
46. CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971) Yes. Best Kubrik.
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976) Yes. Great. Along with Treasure Of Sierra Madre, one of the best screenplays I've ever read.
48. JAWS (1975) I guess.
49. SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) Yes.
50. BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) No, no, no! Never! Beat me to death and I'll still saw “Never!” That scene with the bicycle, “Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head!” Right in the dumper!
1-50
1 CITIZEN KANE (1941) Yes. (most who watch Kane have no idea what all the hoopla is about, most I've spoken to have never got passed the March Of Time sequence. Voyager Laser discs did not help the situation any when they released their deluxe version of Citizen Kane, with a healty price tag of $125.00. In the supplement, instead of doing an analitical break-down, like they did with Myron Meisel on their Orson Welles' Othello, they filmed 48 famous people saying, 'Wow, Kane is great.” Among them master-schlock, Roger Corman, asking, “What went wrong?” Also making an appearance is Welles' mortal enemy, a studio-suit saying, “Wow, great film.” One speaker quotes the film as being made in 1947. To understand Citizen Kane, to recognise and understand it's lofty position in every prestigeous film list around, there is only one man, one book for the job: David Bordwell's “Film Art”. This academic study of films is packed with everything you need to know about making, watching and understanding films.
2. CASABLANCA (1942) Yes, agree, but not at #2 spot.
3. GODFATHER, THE (1972) Should be #2.
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) Yes, but not at #4.
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) Yes. The Director's cut on Laser Disc, in LBX, is nothing short of stunning, a masterpiece.
6 . WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939) Yes, even with some shamelessly bad backdrops.
7. GRADUATE, THE (1967) No.
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) Yes.
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) Yes. This film should be required viewing in all Humanities studies.
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) Well, ok, Gene Kelly, all right (was he gay?).
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) Not sure, maybe.
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950). Yes, yes, yes. But: Holden and the woman dating the wooden Jack Web, to portray romance, do sing-song dialogue while dancing little circles around each other, like a pair of idiots in a bad play! You wonder why? Why was this done? Then one day you find out the director, Billy Wilder, was gay. Then you say, well, ok, that's why. Billy Wilder's total inability to portray a man and a woman in courtship, almost doomed this film. However, he did get the mutant relationship between the young Holden and the old-bag Swanson right on the money.
13. BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957) I didn't like it.
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) No. Billy Wilder out of the closet and on a rampage.
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) Maybe but probably not. 6 months later: watched it again, yes.
17. AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951) Yes! “You skinny, psalm singing hag!”
18. PSYCHO (1960) No.
19. CHINATOWN (1974) Great film but Top 100? No.
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975) Yes.
21. GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940) Yes, Yes, Yes. Cinematographer Greg Toland's second best work after Citizen Kane.
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) No. Allusions of the return of infancy? It also appears in the prestigious Sight and Sound lists that are compiled every decade, but I did't get it.
23. MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941). Loved it! Great! “I like talking to a man who likes to talk. Talking is not something a man can do well unless he does it judiciously. Now then, let's talk about the black bird.” Great stuff.
24. RAGING BULL (1980) Yes. Scorseses's tortured offering that he thought was going to finish his career.
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) No.
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
No. I think I'm one of the few in my crowd that was not knocked out by this film.
27. BONNIE & CLYDE (1967) Can't say till I see restored version. The version I saw seemed incomplete.
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) I don't think so. Missing a middle and an ending. But bitching film. See it in surround sound and feel the laws-rockets shooting past your head, whoosh, whoosh.
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) never saw it. 30. TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) Yes. How Huston was able to shoot in the wilds of Mexico and make it look like a studio backlot, is beyond me, but the narrative works wonderfuly, despite Disney type music scoring.
31. ANNIE HALL (1977) No, no, no, what about “Star Dust Memories?”
32. GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974) Yes, however, in my book, Godfather and Godfather II share the #2 spot, right under Citizen Kane.
33. HIGH NOON (1952) No. Why not Kramer's INHERIT THE WIND?
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) Yes.
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) Never saw it.
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) Great.
37. BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946) No.
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) No. Fred Macmurray, I can't take it, it's Chip's dad.
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) No. Bad movie. Glaringly shameless backdrops.
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) Yes, yes, yes, despite glaringly bad rear-projection.
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961) NO.
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
Yes. Best Hitchcock ever.
43. KING KONG (1933) Yes.
44. BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915) Yes.
45. STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951) Absolutley.
46. CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971) Yes. Best Kubrik.
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976) Yes. Great. Along with Treasure Of Sierra Madre, one of the best screenplays I've ever read.
48. JAWS (1975) I guess.
49. SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) Yes.
50. BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) No, no, no! Never! Beat me to death and I'll still saw “Never!” That scene with the bicycle, “Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head!” Right in the dumper!
-
jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
- Posts: 1101
- Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2001 3:24 am
by jaime marzol » Fri Apr 19, 2002 7:06 am
More 2 cents on part 2 of the AFI LIST
51. PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE (1940) Never saw it.
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) Despite that meatloaf actor Burt Lancaster, a great film. Clift and Sinatra were great together.
53. AMADEUS (1984) No. Sucked.
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) Yes.
55. SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965) Strong Arian types, dancing and singing in the Alps, the all singing Nazi musical. My friend SoL said he came out on the theater in a cold sweat.
56. M*A*S*H (1970) I don't know. I don't think so.
57. THIRD MAN, THE (1949) I loved it but I don't think it's Top 100. [after seeing the restored, i've changed my mind, it belongs higher up the list]
58. FANTASIA (1940) Yes.
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) No.
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) No. Does not stand up today. Looks bad.
61. VERTIGO (1958) Maybe yes.
62. TOOTSIE (1982) Hoffman in drag? No.
63. STAGECOACH (1939) Yes. A great work of art can withstand explenations on many levels, AND SHOULD BE MUCH HIGHER UP THIS LIST.
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS 3RD KIND (1977) I don't think so.
65. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991) No.
66. NETWORK (1976) Yes. Like Raging Bull, one of the few instances of a great film coming from a bad script.
67. MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962) Yes.
68. AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951) No.
69. SHANE (1953) Maybe. If through computer imaging can get rid of that kid, this film would be Top 100. Palance as Stark Wilson is chilling.
70. FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971) Yes. Thought I thought Bullit was better.
71. FORREST GUMP (1994) Big No!
72. BEN-HUR (1959) Haven't seen it lately, but remember it as NOT being better than Sparticus, and NOT as good as EL CID.
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) Haven't seen it.
74. GOLD RUSH, THE (1925) Yes.
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) No.
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931) Yes. Great.
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) Yes.
78. ROCKY (1976) No. A cartoon with melodramatic elements.
79 DEER HUNTER, THE (1978) No. A cartoon with far fetched melodramatic elements.
80. WILD BUNCH, THE (1969) Yes.
81. MODERN TIMES (1936) Yes
82. GIANT (1956) Yes.
83. PLATOON (1986) No. 6 months later: yes.
84. FARGO (1996) No.
85. DUCK SOUP (1933) Yes.
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935) No.
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931) Yes. Though I thought Bride Of Frankenstein was much better.
88. EASY RIDER (1969) No.
89. PATTON (1970) No.
90. JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927) No.
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964) No.
92. PLACE IN THE SUN, A (1951) Yes. The scene where Clift takes ugly bitch Shelly out to drown her, is the best matching of rear projection footage cut into location shooting, I have ever seen. And at that drowning, had Clift smashed Shelly over the head with an oar to be with Elizabeth Taylor, he still would have had the audience's sympathy. There isn't a cynical make who can get through this film without an ear to ear smile.
93. APARTMENT, THE (1960) Don't know.
94. GOODFELLAS (1990) Absolutely.
95. PULP FICTION (1994) BIG NO.
96. SEARCHERS, THE (1956) Yes. And they put PULP FICTION as more important that THE SEARCHERS?
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938) Don't think so but Peter Bogdanovich does.
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992) No.
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967) No.
100. YANKEE DOODLE I DON'T THINK SO, BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH IT AGAIN.
51. PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE (1940) Never saw it.
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) Despite that meatloaf actor Burt Lancaster, a great film. Clift and Sinatra were great together.
53. AMADEUS (1984) No. Sucked.
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) Yes.
55. SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965) Strong Arian types, dancing and singing in the Alps, the all singing Nazi musical. My friend SoL said he came out on the theater in a cold sweat.
56. M*A*S*H (1970) I don't know. I don't think so.
57. THIRD MAN, THE (1949) I loved it but I don't think it's Top 100. [after seeing the restored, i've changed my mind, it belongs higher up the list]
58. FANTASIA (1940) Yes.
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) No.
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) No. Does not stand up today. Looks bad.
61. VERTIGO (1958) Maybe yes.
62. TOOTSIE (1982) Hoffman in drag? No.
63. STAGECOACH (1939) Yes. A great work of art can withstand explenations on many levels, AND SHOULD BE MUCH HIGHER UP THIS LIST.
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS 3RD KIND (1977) I don't think so.
65. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991) No.
66. NETWORK (1976) Yes. Like Raging Bull, one of the few instances of a great film coming from a bad script.
67. MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962) Yes.
68. AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951) No.
69. SHANE (1953) Maybe. If through computer imaging can get rid of that kid, this film would be Top 100. Palance as Stark Wilson is chilling.
70. FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971) Yes. Thought I thought Bullit was better.
71. FORREST GUMP (1994) Big No!
72. BEN-HUR (1959) Haven't seen it lately, but remember it as NOT being better than Sparticus, and NOT as good as EL CID.
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) Haven't seen it.
74. GOLD RUSH, THE (1925) Yes.
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) No.
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931) Yes. Great.
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) Yes.
78. ROCKY (1976) No. A cartoon with melodramatic elements.
79 DEER HUNTER, THE (1978) No. A cartoon with far fetched melodramatic elements.
80. WILD BUNCH, THE (1969) Yes.
81. MODERN TIMES (1936) Yes
82. GIANT (1956) Yes.
83. PLATOON (1986) No. 6 months later: yes.
84. FARGO (1996) No.
85. DUCK SOUP (1933) Yes.
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935) No.
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931) Yes. Though I thought Bride Of Frankenstein was much better.
88. EASY RIDER (1969) No.
89. PATTON (1970) No.
90. JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927) No.
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964) No.
92. PLACE IN THE SUN, A (1951) Yes. The scene where Clift takes ugly bitch Shelly out to drown her, is the best matching of rear projection footage cut into location shooting, I have ever seen. And at that drowning, had Clift smashed Shelly over the head with an oar to be with Elizabeth Taylor, he still would have had the audience's sympathy. There isn't a cynical make who can get through this film without an ear to ear smile.
93. APARTMENT, THE (1960) Don't know.
94. GOODFELLAS (1990) Absolutely.
95. PULP FICTION (1994) BIG NO.
96. SEARCHERS, THE (1956) Yes. And they put PULP FICTION as more important that THE SEARCHERS?
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938) Don't think so but Peter Bogdanovich does.
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992) No.
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967) No.
100. YANKEE DOODLE I DON'T THINK SO, BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH IT AGAIN.
-
jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
- Posts: 1101
- Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2001 3:24 am
by jaime marzol » Fri Apr 19, 2002 7:07 am
MY LIST (Very Incomplete):
When I was proposed with the task of composing a Top Ten List of favorite films and writing about each one, I was delighted. I emmidiately switched on the recorder and rattled off the 10 films I was going to write about. A few days later when I sat down to write about my 10 favorite films, I realised the absurdity of the list I had composed. So I composed an entirely new list that I later found as absurd as the first list. That's when I realised that on any given day, depending on my mood, I can come up with completely different lists and this could go on forever. So I've widened the field and thus widened my target, and composed, not a Top Ten List of my favorite films, but a Best-of-List, in selected popular(?) genres. And by no means is there nothing definitive about this list. But if this list helps you get through your next video rental without feeling like you've just pissed away another three bucks on another lousy movie, then I've done my job.
My Top Favorites
Citizen Kane
Godfather/Godfather II
Touch of Evil
Taxidriver
Detour
Lost Weekend
Sunset Boulevard
A Place in the Sun
Key Largo
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Fellini's 8 ½
Best Filmschool Films
Citizen Kane
The Bicycle Thief
Battleship Potemkin (19 )
Alexander Nevsky (19 )
Roshomon (19 )
North by Northwest (19 )
Fellini's 8 ½(19 )
Most Significant Films of all Time
Silent: Birth of a Nation
Sound: Citizen Kane
Most Significant Film of The 20s
Greed
Most Significant Film of The 30s
Stagecoach
Most Significant Film of The 40s
Citizen Kane
Most Significant Film of The 50s
The Searchers (1956) Touch of Evil (1958)
Most Significant Film of The 60s
Psycho (1960) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Most Significant Film of The 70s
Godfather/Godfather II
Most Significant Film of The 80s
Raging Bull
Most Significant Film of The 90s
?
Best Directors
A movie can be made by the actors, or it can be made by the writer, or by the cutter, but when a movie rises to the levell of high art, it is the director that must be held accountable.
Then:
John Ford
Orson Welles
Howard Hawks
Alfred Hitchcock
Fritz Lang
Powell & Pressburger
Now:
Martin Scorsese
Stanley Kubrik
Francis Ford Coppola.
Best John Ford
Judge Preist 34
Stagecoach 39********
Young Mister Lincoln 39
The Fugitive********
Grapes of Wrath 40
Long Voyage Home 40*********
My Darling Clementine 46*******
The Quiet Man 52
The Searchers 56*******
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 62
Best Orson Welles
Citizen Kane*********
Magnificent Ambersons
Lady From Shanghai
Othello (the director's cut, only available on Voyager laser discs)********
Touch of Evil********
The Trial*********
Chimes at Midnight********
(i'm not biased)
Best Howard Hawks
Scarface (1932)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
The Big Sleep (1946) ********
Rio Bravo (1959)
El Dorado (1967)
Best Alfred Hitchcok
The 39 Steps (1939)
Sabotage (1936)
Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Rear Window (1954)**********
Vertigo (1958)
Noth by North-west (1959)
Best Action Directors
Peter Yates for Bullit
William Freidkin for To Live and Die in LA.
Walter Hill for 48 Hours and Sorcerer
Best Lost Treasures to Find and Collect
Anything by the prodigous, poverty row director, Edgar G. Ulmer (Detour)
Best Drama
Network
One Flew Over the Coockoo's Nest
Best Film Noir
The Big Heat (1953)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Detour
Dirty Harry
Key Largo
Lady from Shanghai (1948)
Maltese Falcon (1941)
Touch of Evil
Night and the City
CROSSFIRE
MURDER MY SWEET
Best Gangster
Dead End
Godfather
Godfather II
Key Largo
White Heat
Mean Streets
Goodfellas
Best Westerns
Stagecoach 39
The Searchers
The Wild Bunch, (the director's cut, in letterbox)
The Good the Bad and the Ugly (laser-disc leterbox editon)
Best German Expresionist Influenced
Frankenstein
Son of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
The Mummy
Stranger on the Third Floor
Silent But Deadly
The General
Birth of a Nation (the long version….)
Battleship Potemkin
Greed
Intolerance
Best Concert Films
Hendrix at Monterey
Woodstock
Best Private Dick
Humphry Bogart as Phillip Marlow in The Maltese Falcon
Humphry Bogart as Sam Spade in The Big Sleep.
Best Chase Scene
Bullit
Second Best Chase Scene
To Live and Die in L.A.
Best Film with a Mad Scientist and a Dwarf Torturing Naked Women
Bloodsucking Freaks
Best Bogart
African Queen 51
The Big Sleep 46
Dead End 37
In a Lonely Place 50
Key Largo 48
Maltese Falcon 41
Sahara 43
To Have and Have Not 44
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 48
Beat The Devil 54
The Desperate Hours 55
Best John Wayne
The Searchers 56
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 62
El Dorado 67
Rio Bravo 59
Sons of Katie Elder 65
Best Marlon Brando
Streetcar Named Desire 51
On The Waterfront 54
One Eyed Jacks 61
Reflections in a Golden Eye 67 (the letterbox edition it's a minor Masterpiece. Watch out for the censored version, it doesn't have Elizabeth Taylor's stand-in's bare butt climbing up the staircase, and who cares about that, but the miserable, wretched cut, is in the cocktail party scene, where Taylor gives a stoic Brando a face whipping as a room of guests gasp in shock)
Best Dark and Twisted Film
The Fugitive Kind
Streetcar Named Desire
The Trial
Blue Velvet
Peeping Tom
Reflections in a Golden Eye 67
The Nightcomers 71
Under the Volcano (great credit sequence)
Wrecks of Humanity Who's
Tortured Performances Were Not Acting
Montgomery Clift
James Dean
Sometimes Marlon Brando
Spenser Tracy
Joan Crawford
John Belushi
Best Films About Film People
Ed Wood
Stardust Memories
White Hunter Black Heart
2 Weeks in Another Town
My Favorite Year
Mommie Dearest
The Bad And The Beautiful
Day For Night
Monsters Amd Gods
SLEEPERS WORTH SEEING:
Little Yakusa
Detour
Monsters And Gods
Bound
Great Performances
Nicholas Cage in Kiss of Death
Nicholas Cage in Spider's Kiss.
Gary Oldman in True Romance
Greatest Scenes
True Romance - Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper - “You're a cantalope. Bang.”
Goodfellas - Joe Pesci - “I was put on this earth to amuse you.”
Sunset Boulevard - Gloria Swanson - I'n still big. It's the movies that got small
and the list goes on and on. please feel free to ad your faves.
When I was proposed with the task of composing a Top Ten List of favorite films and writing about each one, I was delighted. I emmidiately switched on the recorder and rattled off the 10 films I was going to write about. A few days later when I sat down to write about my 10 favorite films, I realised the absurdity of the list I had composed. So I composed an entirely new list that I later found as absurd as the first list. That's when I realised that on any given day, depending on my mood, I can come up with completely different lists and this could go on forever. So I've widened the field and thus widened my target, and composed, not a Top Ten List of my favorite films, but a Best-of-List, in selected popular(?) genres. And by no means is there nothing definitive about this list. But if this list helps you get through your next video rental without feeling like you've just pissed away another three bucks on another lousy movie, then I've done my job.
My Top Favorites
Citizen Kane
Godfather/Godfather II
Touch of Evil
Taxidriver
Detour
Lost Weekend
Sunset Boulevard
A Place in the Sun
Key Largo
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Fellini's 8 ½
Best Filmschool Films
Citizen Kane
The Bicycle Thief
Battleship Potemkin (19 )
Alexander Nevsky (19 )
Roshomon (19 )
North by Northwest (19 )
Fellini's 8 ½(19 )
Most Significant Films of all Time
Silent: Birth of a Nation
Sound: Citizen Kane
Most Significant Film of The 20s
Greed
Most Significant Film of The 30s
Stagecoach
Most Significant Film of The 40s
Citizen Kane
Most Significant Film of The 50s
The Searchers (1956) Touch of Evil (1958)
Most Significant Film of The 60s
Psycho (1960) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Most Significant Film of The 70s
Godfather/Godfather II
Most Significant Film of The 80s
Raging Bull
Most Significant Film of The 90s
?
Best Directors
A movie can be made by the actors, or it can be made by the writer, or by the cutter, but when a movie rises to the levell of high art, it is the director that must be held accountable.
Then:
John Ford
Orson Welles
Howard Hawks
Alfred Hitchcock
Fritz Lang
Powell & Pressburger
Now:
Martin Scorsese
Stanley Kubrik
Francis Ford Coppola.
Best John Ford
Judge Preist 34
Stagecoach 39********
Young Mister Lincoln 39
The Fugitive********
Grapes of Wrath 40
Long Voyage Home 40*********
My Darling Clementine 46*******
The Quiet Man 52
The Searchers 56*******
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 62
Best Orson Welles
Citizen Kane*********
Magnificent Ambersons
Lady From Shanghai
Othello (the director's cut, only available on Voyager laser discs)********
Touch of Evil********
The Trial*********
Chimes at Midnight********
(i'm not biased)
Best Howard Hawks
Scarface (1932)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
The Big Sleep (1946) ********
Rio Bravo (1959)
El Dorado (1967)
Best Alfred Hitchcok
The 39 Steps (1939)
Sabotage (1936)
Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Rear Window (1954)**********
Vertigo (1958)
Noth by North-west (1959)
Best Action Directors
Peter Yates for Bullit
William Freidkin for To Live and Die in LA.
Walter Hill for 48 Hours and Sorcerer
Best Lost Treasures to Find and Collect
Anything by the prodigous, poverty row director, Edgar G. Ulmer (Detour)
Best Drama
Network
One Flew Over the Coockoo's Nest
Best Film Noir
The Big Heat (1953)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Detour
Dirty Harry
Key Largo
Lady from Shanghai (1948)
Maltese Falcon (1941)
Touch of Evil
Night and the City
CROSSFIRE
MURDER MY SWEET
Best Gangster
Dead End
Godfather
Godfather II
Key Largo
White Heat
Mean Streets
Goodfellas
Best Westerns
Stagecoach 39
The Searchers
The Wild Bunch, (the director's cut, in letterbox)
The Good the Bad and the Ugly (laser-disc leterbox editon)
Best German Expresionist Influenced
Frankenstein
Son of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
The Mummy
Stranger on the Third Floor
Silent But Deadly
The General
Birth of a Nation (the long version….)
Battleship Potemkin
Greed
Intolerance
Best Concert Films
Hendrix at Monterey
Woodstock
Best Private Dick
Humphry Bogart as Phillip Marlow in The Maltese Falcon
Humphry Bogart as Sam Spade in The Big Sleep.
Best Chase Scene
Bullit
Second Best Chase Scene
To Live and Die in L.A.
Best Film with a Mad Scientist and a Dwarf Torturing Naked Women
Bloodsucking Freaks
Best Bogart
African Queen 51
The Big Sleep 46
Dead End 37
In a Lonely Place 50
Key Largo 48
Maltese Falcon 41
Sahara 43
To Have and Have Not 44
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 48
Beat The Devil 54
The Desperate Hours 55
Best John Wayne
The Searchers 56
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 62
El Dorado 67
Rio Bravo 59
Sons of Katie Elder 65
Best Marlon Brando
Streetcar Named Desire 51
On The Waterfront 54
One Eyed Jacks 61
Reflections in a Golden Eye 67 (the letterbox edition it's a minor Masterpiece. Watch out for the censored version, it doesn't have Elizabeth Taylor's stand-in's bare butt climbing up the staircase, and who cares about that, but the miserable, wretched cut, is in the cocktail party scene, where Taylor gives a stoic Brando a face whipping as a room of guests gasp in shock)
Best Dark and Twisted Film
The Fugitive Kind
Streetcar Named Desire
The Trial
Blue Velvet
Peeping Tom
Reflections in a Golden Eye 67
The Nightcomers 71
Under the Volcano (great credit sequence)
Wrecks of Humanity Who's
Tortured Performances Were Not Acting
Montgomery Clift
James Dean
Sometimes Marlon Brando
Spenser Tracy
Joan Crawford
John Belushi
Best Films About Film People
Ed Wood
Stardust Memories
White Hunter Black Heart
2 Weeks in Another Town
My Favorite Year
Mommie Dearest
The Bad And The Beautiful
Day For Night
Monsters Amd Gods
SLEEPERS WORTH SEEING:
Little Yakusa
Detour
Monsters And Gods
Bound
Great Performances
Nicholas Cage in Kiss of Death
Nicholas Cage in Spider's Kiss.
Gary Oldman in True Romance
Greatest Scenes
True Romance - Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper - “You're a cantalope. Bang.”
Goodfellas - Joe Pesci - “I was put on this earth to amuse you.”
Sunset Boulevard - Gloria Swanson - I'n still big. It's the movies that got small
and the list goes on and on. please feel free to ad your faves.
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jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
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by Jeff Wilson » Fri Apr 19, 2002 10:16 am
The AFI list was meant to sell videotapes and DVDs, so I don't put any stock in it; Rosenbaum wrote a pretty good column slamming it when it came out. The problem is that everyone has their own take, but you have to agree on films that have merit as achievements in film art, which might be difficult. I can't stand a lot of the films on the list, but they might have the merits that earn them inclusion. The other question is, how do you define what belongs on the list in terms of nationality? Lawrence of Arabia was made by a British director, about a topic which has nothing to do with America; why include it? A great film to be sure, but I don't think it belongs. Same for Amadeus. Non-American director and topic. The list of greatest American films should be made by Americans and focus on America, shouldn't it? My own take on the list:
Definitely Belongs on List:
Kane, Godfather 1 & 2, Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly was definitely not gay, by the way), It's a Wonderful Life, All About Eve, 2001, Maltese Falcon, Raging Bull, Double Indemnity, Rear Window, Birth of a Nation, Taxi Driver, Philadelphia Story, MASH, Vertigo, Stagecoach, Manchurian Candidate, An American In Paris, Gold Rush, Wild Bunch, Frankenstein, GoodFellas, The Searchers, Unforgiven
No Way They Belong on the List:
anything by Lucas and Spielberg (liked Jaws, haven't seen Schindler's List, so I can't comment on that one, but I've seen enough of Spielberg's emotion porn to last a lifetime), Rocky, Jazz Singer, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Forrest Gump (gag), Tootsie, Sound of Music (double gag), Gone With the Wind (triple gag)
Disqualified on Technicalities:
Clockwork Orange, Wuthering Heights, Dr. Zhivago, Third Man (British films, British directors, or non-American in content)
As for the rest of the list, I like many of the films, but on the best 100 ever? Maybe, maybe not. Haven't seen some of the others I didn't include. I'll try to come up with further suggestions when I have the time to mull it over.
Definitely Belongs on List:
Kane, Godfather 1 & 2, Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly was definitely not gay, by the way), It's a Wonderful Life, All About Eve, 2001, Maltese Falcon, Raging Bull, Double Indemnity, Rear Window, Birth of a Nation, Taxi Driver, Philadelphia Story, MASH, Vertigo, Stagecoach, Manchurian Candidate, An American In Paris, Gold Rush, Wild Bunch, Frankenstein, GoodFellas, The Searchers, Unforgiven
No Way They Belong on the List:
anything by Lucas and Spielberg (liked Jaws, haven't seen Schindler's List, so I can't comment on that one, but I've seen enough of Spielberg's emotion porn to last a lifetime), Rocky, Jazz Singer, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Forrest Gump (gag), Tootsie, Sound of Music (double gag), Gone With the Wind (triple gag)
Disqualified on Technicalities:
Clockwork Orange, Wuthering Heights, Dr. Zhivago, Third Man (British films, British directors, or non-American in content)
As for the rest of the list, I like many of the films, but on the best 100 ever? Maybe, maybe not. Haven't seen some of the others I didn't include. I'll try to come up with further suggestions when I have the time to mull it over.
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by dmolson » Fri Apr 19, 2002 12:27 pm
Yes, AFIs lists are totally guilty pleasures to sell popcorn and spark a proliferation of rivals, but good still the same. Anyone who throws off Annie Hall and Double Indemnity, in my mind, needs some ol' fashion therapy provided by Uncle Charlie! And while the dead can't sue, I don't think one should be 'outing' the un-gay Gene Kelly or Billy Wilder -- what the hell are you thinking?! Kellly, just because he dances, but Wilder? The guy was pure genius in most of his 40-50s scripts, was able to write the cynical hard-boiled tuffy and also the fragile male-flirt because he was worldly. Don't piss in his strudel!
All in all, enjoyed most of the comments, agreed 59% of your calls, gentlemen... I'd like to add the names Ninotchka and Gilda on any 'Best-100 lists', personally. :p
All in all, enjoyed most of the comments, agreed 59% of your calls, gentlemen... I'd like to add the names Ninotchka and Gilda on any 'Best-100 lists', personally. :p
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dmolson - Wellesnet Veteran
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by Jeff Wilson » Fri Apr 19, 2002 12:43 pm
As far as Woody Allen goes, I've always liked Manhattan more than Annie Hall, but that's me. As for Gene Kelly, PBS recently screened a good American Masters show about him called Anatomy of a Dancer, I believe, that will be included as part of the SINGIN' IN THE RAIN DVD special edition, at least according to early reports. Well worth checking out. Just watched SINGIN' on TCM last night, and I can't wait for a restored print.
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Jeff Wilson - Site Admin
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by Jeff Wilson » Fri Apr 19, 2002 12:47 pm
And as for dissing Fred Macmurray for being in My Three Sons, what about Agnes Moorehead slumming in Betwitched? What a waste.
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Jeff Wilson - Site Admin
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by jaime marzol » Fri Apr 19, 2002 2:28 pm
:::::::::::::
i forgot about the homosexual comments, i wrote that 8 or 9 years ago. today i would not have asked if gene kelley was gay, it's totally irrelevant to his great talent. but i would leave both billy wilder comments because i did fnd myself wondering why such a ridiculous way to have 2 people court each other, then finding out wilder was gay, it answered that. him being gay certainly does not diminish his talent. it answers a question. like welles never having a home till he was in his 50's answers the way he handled scenes in his films. it just happens that it was homosexuality in wilder's case. had he been a carpenter and i suddenly realized great sets and intricate trelice, i would have an answer, wilder was a carpenter. i was not diminishing his talent at all.
i think i agree with 70% or 75% of the AFI list.
lists are great. they give you clues and what to invest your next $20 or $30 in rentals. i love them.
however, i was being a mart ass with gene kelly, guilty on one count.
i also prefer MANHATTAN as allan's best, with STARDUST MEMORIES, SLEEPER, EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX, and the one about wityh napoleon., liked them all.
i forgot about the homosexual comments, i wrote that 8 or 9 years ago. today i would not have asked if gene kelley was gay, it's totally irrelevant to his great talent. but i would leave both billy wilder comments because i did fnd myself wondering why such a ridiculous way to have 2 people court each other, then finding out wilder was gay, it answered that. him being gay certainly does not diminish his talent. it answers a question. like welles never having a home till he was in his 50's answers the way he handled scenes in his films. it just happens that it was homosexuality in wilder's case. had he been a carpenter and i suddenly realized great sets and intricate trelice, i would have an answer, wilder was a carpenter. i was not diminishing his talent at all.
i think i agree with 70% or 75% of the AFI list.
lists are great. they give you clues and what to invest your next $20 or $30 in rentals. i love them.
however, i was being a mart ass with gene kelly, guilty on one count.
i also prefer MANHATTAN as allan's best, with STARDUST MEMORIES, SLEEPER, EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX, and the one about wityh napoleon., liked them all.
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jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
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by jaime marzol » Fri Apr 19, 2002 2:30 pm
the fred macmurray thing, was part humor, part truth.
same goes for bob denver, he'll always be gilligan. and max baer JR, he'll always be jethro
same goes for bob denver, he'll always be gilligan. and max baer JR, he'll always be jethro
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jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
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by LA » Fri Apr 19, 2002 4:28 pm
Jeff:
Agreed.
Jaime: That's quite a selection of Best-Ofs. Agree with your Best Directors. I never thought I'd see the catagory "Best Film with a Mad Scientist and a Dwarf Torturing Naked Women" in a film list.
Reading the AFI list again through your commentary on it, I was shocked to re-discover (I must have known but supressed the memory ) that they put ROCKY in there! And RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK? I wonder what they were thinking?
My views on the AFI list: (to save space and time I'm not mentioning the ones whose presence I agree with, only ones which 1: I don't think should have been there, but can see why they were (usually for historical or popular reasons), or 2: I don't think should have been there, and cannot see why they were, unless for purely commercial reasons).
1: Understand But Don't Agree.
GONE WITH THE WIND, THE GRADUATE, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, BONNIE & CLYDE, WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, FORREST GUMP, BEN-HUR (1959), DANCES WITH WOLVES, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, UNFORGIVEN.
2: Don't Understand (Unless It Was $$$) And Don't Agree.
E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL, ROCKY, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, MY FAIR LADY, TOOTSIE.
One or two overall quibbles:
If THE GODFATHER is at 3, why is THE GODFATHER PART II all the way down at 32?
If they're talking great American films of ALL time, why only one Griffith, one Welles (THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, shredded as it is, is still a better film than GONE WITH THE WIND, IMHO), three Fords, and one Hawks? I suppose they were thinking individually famous films rather than great filmmakers, but why UNFORGIVEN and not RIO BRAVO? Why DANCES WITH WOLVES (I know why, but) and not one of the many Ford westerns they overlooked?
Oh well, everyone's opinion is different. Tommorow I'll probably disagree with half of what I've put here.
Here's a link to Jonathan Rosenbaum's article on the AFI list, which includes his Alternative list, which includes a lot of films the AFI overlooked, including films by Welles, Hawks, Ford, Hitchcock, and also Lang, Otto Preminger and Josef Von Sternberg.
Jonathan Rosenbaum On The AFI List.
I can't stand a lot of the films on the list, but they might have the merits that earn them inclusion.
Agreed.
Jaime: That's quite a selection of Best-Ofs. Agree with your Best Directors. I never thought I'd see the catagory "Best Film with a Mad Scientist and a Dwarf Torturing Naked Women" in a film list.
Reading the AFI list again through your commentary on it, I was shocked to re-discover (I must have known but supressed the memory
) that they put ROCKY in there! And RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK? I wonder what they were thinking?
My views on the AFI list: (to save space and time I'm not mentioning the ones whose presence I agree with, only ones which 1: I don't think should have been there, but can see why they were (usually for historical or popular reasons), or 2: I don't think should have been there, and cannot see why they were, unless for purely commercial reasons).
1: Understand But Don't Agree.
GONE WITH THE WIND, THE GRADUATE, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, BONNIE & CLYDE, WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, FORREST GUMP, BEN-HUR (1959), DANCES WITH WOLVES, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, UNFORGIVEN.
2: Don't Understand (Unless It Was $$$) And Don't Agree.
E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL, ROCKY, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, MY FAIR LADY, TOOTSIE.
One or two overall quibbles:
If THE GODFATHER is at 3, why is THE GODFATHER PART II all the way down at 32?
If they're talking great American films of ALL time, why only one Griffith, one Welles (THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, shredded as it is, is still a better film than GONE WITH THE WIND, IMHO), three Fords, and one Hawks? I suppose they were thinking individually famous films rather than great filmmakers, but why UNFORGIVEN and not RIO BRAVO? Why DANCES WITH WOLVES (I know why, but) and not one of the many Ford westerns they overlooked?
Oh well, everyone's opinion is different. Tommorow I'll probably disagree with half of what I've put here.
Here's a link to Jonathan Rosenbaum's article on the AFI list, which includes his Alternative list, which includes a lot of films the AFI overlooked, including films by Welles, Hawks, Ford, Hitchcock, and also Lang, Otto Preminger and Josef Von Sternberg.
Jonathan Rosenbaum On The AFI List.
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by jaime marzol » Sat Apr 20, 2002 3:35 am
welles fan, i agree with every film you mentioned that does not belong on that list. origionally they compiled 500 to get the 100 from. PRETTY WOMAN was on their list of 500, that gives you an idea of the mentality you are dealing with.
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jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
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by jaime marzol » Sat Apr 20, 2002 1:30 pm
sorry LA, i meant LA. i guess i'm not yet good enough to recognise us from avatars.
yes, pretty woman was there.
and would be cool if we could expand on some of these catagories. would like to know what ganster movies the others are watching. what action directors.
and of course, the Mad Scientist and Dwarf category would be an interesting expansion.
yes, pretty woman was there.
and would be cool if we could expand on some of these catagories. would like to know what ganster movies the others are watching. what action directors.
and of course, the Mad Scientist and Dwarf category would be an interesting expansion.
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jaime marzol - Wellesnet Legend
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by jaime marzol » Sat Apr 20, 2002 4:23 pm
preminger has an interesting body of work. some of his films i really love. ST JOAN with no volume is a masterpiece. the dialogue just distracts from the beautiful visuals.
MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM i always liked, then when i read about preminger's dislike for cutting i found a whole new level of artistry there.
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS was also good.
MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM i always liked, then when i read about preminger's dislike for cutting i found a whole new level of artistry there.
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS was also good.
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