BS: Favourite films and why

Subject: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Chris Green
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 07:23 PM

Okay, I know this has sod all to with folk music, but what are your favourite films and why? Here's a list of mine to get things started. (in no particular order)

The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973) - the most thought-provoking, entertaining and downright scary film I'ver seen, with a demon of a folk soundtrack!

The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) - every time I watch it, I find things that I've missed on previous viewings

Love and Death (Woody Allen, 1975) - Still makes me wet myself laughing years after I first saw it.

Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995) - The wittiest and most heart-rending film about a bloke and a girl I've ever come across. I instantly fell in love with it when I saw it on the day it was released.

The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980) - A horror film that manages to transcend the blood and gore of most post 60s horror films but still unsettle and terrify.

Moulin Rouge (Baz Luhrmann, 2000) - The last film I saw at the cinema that I came away from going "Wow!" A great contemporary musical with faultless performances across the board, a superb story and filmed with all the gimmickry of a pop video without the inanity.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,Norman
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 07:33 PM

Fuck off you stupid toss pot, this is a music site. Go perpertrate your mindless, sun reading drivel elsewhere.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 07:39 PM

The Quiet Man...John Wayne and Marueen O'Hara....just because.

Driving Miss Daisy--I love Jessica Tandy

Fried Green Tomatoes

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Chris Green
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 08:02 PM

GUEST, Norman. Thank you for your useful and carefully-considered insight. (That was sarcasm, by the way. You'll find it in the dictionary under "S".) May I draw your attention to a couple of facts that you may not have taken into consideration before your outburst. Firstly, I stated quite clearly at the start of my post that I was aware that this was a music forum, and that the subject of this thread had nothing really to do with music. Secondly, it is prefixed by BS, which means that it is a non-music thread.

If you still feel that you have an issue with the thread I've started two options exist for you. Firstly, please feel free to PM me and I'll do my best to justify myself. Or secondly, avoid the BS section of this forum if you're that offended by threads that don't discuss music.

Either way, grow up, you little ball of invective, you.

Chris

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Chris Green
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 08:07 PM

Sorcha, yes! The Quiet Man! Proves that John Ford wasn't just good when he was directing Westerns!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 08:28 PM

Casablanca - witty dialog, adventure, pathos, great acting, excellent pace - Great villians, Great love story, great buddy flick combined with a moving portrayal of grand themes of patriotism, self sacrifice
and justice.

Blade Runner - witty dialog, adventure, pathos, great acting, excellent pace - One of the most complex and sinister yet sympathetic villians - great special effects, a scary future alternate reality - a gripping commentary on globalization, the Frankenstein myth on steroids.

Dr. Strangelove - witty dialog, adventure, pathos, great acting, excellent pace, a strange prescience of the Bush administration. Funny, scary villians

Stange Days - As above, what can I say? I love film noir science fiction. Angela Basset's role is a great combination of danger and sexiness. Interesting villian, surprizing twist.

Tequila Sunrise: witty dialog, adventure, pathos, good acting, excellent pace, a buddy flick with a twist. The villian (Raoul Julia) is the true friend, the cop, (Kurt Russel) the betrayer. The girl has two suitor's the drug dealor who loves her and the cop who uses her. Mel Gibson's character has to balance friendships and betrayals repaying and collecting upon old debts, while preserving his life and the life of his lover.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 08:30 PM

Oh yeah and The Treasure of Sierra Madre. witty dialog, adventure, pathos, good acting, excellent pace, a buddy flick with a different twist. Greed turns the hero into a villian.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Bobert
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 08:58 PM

Yeah, I loved "Balderunner", too, JtS but my all time favorite had all of the following (and more) in the cast:

Spencer Tracy
Milton Berle
Sid Ceasar
Buddy Hackett
Ethel Merman
Micket Rooney
Jimmy Durante
Johnathan Winters

and Phil Silvers....









..... "It's a Md, Mad, Mad, Mad World"...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Chris Green
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 09:08 PM

And Terry-Thomas! "This infantile preoccupation with BOSOMS!"

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 09:36 PM

American Beauty - my favourite film of all time. Spacey is as always fantastic, the messages in the film are great, and the plot has many layers, overall, just a fantastic film.

Blade Runner - excellent in all ways, and intriguing discussions to be had about whether Deckard is a replicant or not

The Big Lebowski - funniest film ever made, very underrated.

Pulp Fiction - Amaaaaaazing. Violent, yet very entertaining, and never becomes boring after several viewings.

Falling Down - Much deeper and more meaningful than you would think on first viewing, very different film and refreshing in that it is so different. great acting, dialogue, plot and messages. And very entertaining too.

Arlington Road - Could there be a more relevant film for the modern world?

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Joe_F
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 09:37 PM

Miracle on 34th Street
Ace in the Hole
Ikiru
A Taste of Honey
A Man for All Seasons

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: mack/misophist
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 10:03 PM

The Hidden Fortress - Kurosawa
Tampopo - Toshiro Mifune (Anything with Mufuni)
Napoleon - Abel Gance (There were real movies before sound.
                      Some of them were better.)
The Harp of Burma - Not sure who did it. Japanese anti-war film
Oni-Baba - Beautiful and strange. Japanese, again.
Tremors - No excuse. I just like it.
Killer Clowns From Outer Space - The best made schlock I've ever seen.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 10:41 PM

I'll add four for starters. They have in common that I found the characters believable, the acting so natural that it didn't strike me as "acting," a great story line that I could identify with and four great performances:

Tender Mercies with Robert Duvall
Trip To Bountiful with Geraldine Page (who won an Oscar)
To Kill A Mockingbird of course, with Gregory Peck in perhaps his finest role
Harry and Tonto, the best "buddy" road movie co-starring a cat

The first three movies have something else in common. The screenplay was by Horton Foote.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: CarolC
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 11:02 PM

The Milagro Beanfield War
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Drop Dead Fred
Benny and Joon
The Butcher's Wife
Field of Dreams
Out on a Limb (the one with Matthew Broderick, not Shirley Maclaine)
The King of Hearts
Harold and Maude
The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe
A Thousand Clowns

Because I like them.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: leeneia
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 11:11 PM

"The Secret of Roan Inish." Beautiful scenery, good yarn, great music, and meticulous attention to detail.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 04:09 AM

"Where Eagles Dare" used to be a great favourite of mine but as always the novelty eventually wears off..
Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.
Whistle Down the Wind.The Hayley Mills version.
Gladiator.with Russell Crowe..
My overall favourite of all time has to be "The Wicker Man" with Edward Woodward..The tale of Summer Island (Which exists in reality)
and all its rituals.....it has however been very exaggerated for the film. Best wishes

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Bobert
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 09:14 AM

Oh, yeah... Harold and Maude, as CarolC pointed out... Great movie.... One of the dew I actually own....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 10:05 AM

Morgan, A Suitable Case for Treatment (Vanessa Redgrave & David Warner)
The Man Who Would Be King (Sean Connery & Michael Caine)
A Man For All Seasons (wonderful soundtrack, too)
Providence (Gielgud)
Run Lola Run
Last Year In Marienbad
anything directed by Luis Bunuel
Prospero's Books (Gielgud again!)
84, Charing Cross Road
Zulu
Diva
I've Heard the Mermaids Singing
The Piano
Isadora (Vanessa Redgrave again)

Well, that's a start . . .

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: MBSLynne
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 10:15 AM

I'm not much of a film person but the ones I really enjoyed were:
Clay Pigeon...really hard hitting, thought provoking anti a lot of things film
Billy Jack...same as the above
The Graduate...just a bloody good film
Easy Rider...another one that has a go at a lot of things
Star Wars...because they are thoroughly enjoyable escapism

and, I hate to be boring
The Lord of the Rings...because as a BIG fan of the books I really didn't think they'd be able to capture it in the films they turned out to be brilliant. I find it difficult to sit through ordinary length films and I not only had no problems with these, but on the way home I suddenly realised I wanted to go back and see them again.

And Chris....don't feed the trolls!

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 10:50 AM

run lola run, theres one i forgot... fantastic

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Paul from Hull
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 11:00 AM

In no particular order, & including perennial favourites & particular likes of the moment:

Dr Strangelove
A Man for All Seasons
The Man Who Would Be King
Whistle Down The Wind
Rear Window
Some like It Hot
Guys & Dolls
Heaven Can Wait
Sergeant Rutledge
El Dorado
The Searchers
The Last Of The Mohicans
The Quiet Man
The General (Buster Keaton)
Pimpernel Smith
The Wicker Man
Kes
The Hill
Withnail & I
Truly, Madly, Deeply
Of Mice & Men (Malkovitch/Sinise)
Night of the Hunter (Mitchum, of course!)
Wait Until Dark
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Italian Job
Sleuth
Deathtrap
Last Action Hero
Monsters Inc
Waterloo
Zulu
A Bridge Too Far
Enemy At The Gates
Ice Cold In Alex
Too Late The Hero
The Virgin Soldiers
Oh What A Lovely War
Gallipoli
-all the 4 'Alien' films

....& undoubtedly LOTS more as I think of them!

Just for casual interest, & for those for whom some of the above titles may be unfamiliar, go HERE:

The Internet Movie Database

..& yes, I know, I'm forever plugging that site....but they don't pay me, honest!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 11:26 AM

Add Whistle Down The Wind to my list, too. It's a wonderful updating of the story of Christ without being cloying or obsessively preachy.
The Christ figure is an escaped murderer, and the 12 Apostles are all children.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: CarolC
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 12:43 PM

That's a fantastic resource, Paul from Hull. Thanks for posting the link.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Chris Green
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 12:45 PM

The British Film Institute site (here) is pretty good, particularly for world cinema.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 12:50 PM

Life is Sweet - Jim Broadbent and Alison Steadman, Claire Skinner, Jane Horrocks, Stephen Rea and Timothy Spall as Aubrey

Topsy Turvy another Jim Broadbent/Tim Spall classic

The Godfather - all 3 thereof

goodfellas

she wore a yellow ribbon

Wyatt Earp ( Gene Hackman's speech - you think you're the only person who lost something - life is about loss)

The Committments

That Thing You Do


One Trick Pony (hilarious how little Paul Simon knows about being an unsuccessful musician)

Brief Encounter

the Big Sleep

Robin Hood (Errol Flynn version)

amadeus

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Amergin
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 12:53 PM

gallipoli
threads
wicker man
ran
seven samurai
secret of roan innish
star wars trilogy
matewan
first two godfather movies
full metal jacket
dr strangelove
goodfellas

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 01:11 PM

monsters ball - also very impressive

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Mooh
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 01:33 PM

Black Robe-Bleak, real, and portrays the arrogance of the church in trying to tamper with a culture every bit its equal.
Rob Roy-A great tale of Scots the way my mother would have me know them, except she's more sympathetic towards Robert the Bruce. Love the dead cattle beast scene.
Moulin Rouge-Stunning anachronisms, music arrangements, costumes, and Nicole...oh la la!
Last Of The Mohicans-Bastard white people fucking up relations with perfectly good cultures, great scenery, good acting except maybe DDL and even he rises to the occassion.
The Commitments-This band could have been any number of bands in my younger days except none were as good. Both bleak and hopeful, I especially like how they discover the requirement for "garage band solidarity" the hard way. Good tunes too.

I don't like going to the theatre much but it sure was fun to break with habit and see Farenheit 911 with a room full of people who apparently thought it was as surreal as anything ever shown.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: el_punkoid_nouveau
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 01:41 PM

Some of them may not be quite the most classic of films, but...

The Blues Brothers - perhaps the second most non-existent plot (THE most non-existent has to be The Blues Brothers 2000), but what a line up of musicians!

Animal House - Reminds me of my student days

1941 - More of Belushi's anarchy!

The Man In The White Suit - Alec Guinness was superb (I think this should really be any of his Ealing comedies)

Passport to Pimlico - the concept of declaring UDI from our political leaders in London seems to be increasingly brilliant every day!

I'm Alright Jack - Sellers as the union official, showing the man's immense talent

And I loved/love the Star Wars movies for pure escapism, and Lord of the Rings trilogy, for it's proximity to the books.

epn

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 02:56 PM

mack/misophist

Tampopo is Fantastic!! By far my favourite movie with subtitles, Though Seven samari is also a great movie.

In Tampopo the idea of the "gunslinger" type who helps improve a noodle restaurant is incredibly amusing.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 06:22 PM

blues brothers!!!! hell yes!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 06:53 PM

Seems an awful lot of people rate 'The Wicker Man'... Can't see the attraction, apart from Christopher Lee that is.....

Personally, I don't have an all-time fave. I have films I'll always try and see if they are on... regardless of whether I have them on video or DVD, or if I've seen them before.

I also go through phases of watching films. A few months ago it was neck and neck between the 'X Men' movies and 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Now, it's 'Van Helsing' - but that's because it's got Hugh Jackman with no clothes on in it.....

My best 'feel better' film has to be 'Little Shop of Horrors'. Put it on when I'm really down, and it makes me smile regardless - especially Steve Martin's song, 'I'll be a dentist'.

My best 'feel bad' film is probably 'Schindlers' List'. It's a great adaptation of a terrible (it's a terrible subject, not it's a terrible book) story that was done with feeling and sympathy.

My best 'sod the world' film is anything from the 'St Trinians' range.... been watching them a lot recently.

And my best 'slobber' film has to be 'Thunderball'. Saw it first when I was 11, fell in love with Sean Connery and his hairy chest, there and then. Been hooked ever since. Oddly enough, I only watched it because I'd read the book, minus a chapter ('How to eat a girl') which had been partially ripped out.. I wanted to find out what happened.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 07:11 PM

So many great films, but I love Mishima:A Life in Four Chapters, because of it's unique story telling structure.
I also love Jess Franco's Eugenie De Sade, mainly because of Soledad Miranda, the sexiest screen siren of 20th Century cinema. The movie is perverse, disturbing, immoral, and sexy. Miranda captures that perfectly.
Since this is a music forum, I would have to add Don't Look Back, about Dylan's tour of the UK and also The Last Waltz, about the Band's final concert-great performances from the Band and their guests.[Only Dylan, ironically, underperforms.]

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,Blowzabella not at home
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 07:22 PM

First - Sod off Guest Norman. I like some of these 'favourite' games!

Next ....

The Ghost & Mrs Muir
Wuthering Heights (Laurence Olivier / Merle Oberon)
Fairytale A True Story
(all of the above because I'm a soppy romantic)

Yankee Doodle Dandy - because I love to see Jimmy Cagney dance - what a hoofer!

The Quiet Man
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
(for the fight scenes)

Whiskey Galore - for it's odd view of life on Scottish islands

The Blues Brothers
Quadrophenia
for their soundtracks mostly (but I just love Quadrophenia for it's story of disillusionment)

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 08:12 PM

Right on! Bolwza!!

I think this thread was completely justified when I was reminded what a great film Tampopo is!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: sledge
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 02:17 AM

Amelie, funny and charming.

Sledge

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: MBSLynne
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 03:34 AM

OH, I forgot...most of the Ealing comedies and the Boulter Brothers comedies

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,skipy
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 05:01 AM

Field of dreams - touched places that I never knew I had.

Don't look now - scared the shit out of me!

Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: muppitz
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 05:30 AM

Back to the Future Trilogy
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Pirates of the Carribean (Johnny Depp, swoon!)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
When Harry met Sally (Token chick flick!)


Muppitz x

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,Willy McBoyne
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 06:44 AM

I like the Quiet Man because it manages to both patronise and insult the Irish.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Mooh
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 07:39 AM

Oh yeah, amd The Meaning Of Life (by Monty Python) for that fabulous "every sperm is sacred" song and dance routine.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: C-flat
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 08:11 AM

A few spring to mind readily,

"One Flew Over The Cuckoos' Nest". I thought Nicholson was superb and, although I don't enjoy some of his work, his recent work such as "As Good As It Gets" and "About Schmidt"(?)has also been excellent.
"To Kill A Mockingbird" Probably my favourite film AND book!
"The Colour Purple". Moving story and beautifully framed.Like "Dances With Wolves", it needs to be watched on a big screen.
"The Godfather trilogy" I liked them all but part 2 was the weakest.
"Schindlers' List" Very moving and should be compulsory viewing.
"The Sting" My first movie-date was to see this film so I have fond memories for various reasons! Maybe a little dated now but, even on the strength of the sound-track, worthy of inclusion.

I'm sure I'll be back with some more later.

C-flat.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: C-flat
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 08:14 AM

Amendment; "The Godfather trilogy" I liked them all but part 2 was the weakest" should read Part 3 was the weakest.
C-flat.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 10:15 AM

All of the historical Carry-On films! Most of the contemporary-set ones were weaker.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 01:12 PM

i was going to say c flat!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: frogprince
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 01:38 PM

A few in no particular order:

Witness: for the story, and the visual poetry of a lot of the photography.

Alice's Restaurant: When it came out, I was living surrounded by a lot of the same
                noble patriots who beat the crap out of Arlo early in the movie for
                looking different. I cussed them out aloud in the theater, which
                wasn't especially mature or constructive, but It just got to me that
                deeply.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence: The one movie I have watched the most times.
                 John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin, all in top form, put
                           together with John Fords' feel for the mythology of the old west;
                   works for me.

Cat Ballou: Mainly because I don't think I've ever seen an individual performance
                more hilarious than Lee Marvin as Kid Shaleen.

Young Frankenstein, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, just because sometimes
                I like to laugh myself sick.

More recently, The Piano Player; I hadn't realized until the ending notes that it was a
                true story; a wonderfully done portrayal of a man surviving thru total
                hell.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,chinmusic
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 02:43 PM

Many of my favourite films have already been mentioned above, so I'll go with others, that I'm very fond of. For a combination of great writing, directing and acting, I submit the following:

1- The Madness Of King George
2- The Prisoner (Alec Guiness&Jack Hawkins)
3- Sleuth
4- Tender Mercies
5- Shall We Dance (Japanese version)
6- My Left Foot
7- Fargo
8- Mash
9- After Life
10-Bull Durham
11-Bye Bye Blues
12-The Hustler
13-All The President's Men
14-Judgment at Nuremburg
15-Play It Again Sam

Favourite Musical Docs

1-The Buena Vista Social Club
2-Standing In The Shadows Of Motown

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 04:58 PM

WARNING! WARNING! HUGE FILM FAN LIST FOLLOWS!

I love reading these sorts of lists, because people always mention films I haven't thought of. So, in the service of possibly stirring interest in some great films, here is a rather long list of faves roughly organized by genres. If you are interested in them, just go to the Internet Movie Database and type in the title.

Without further ado:

Let's start with films with a musical bent, and no I'm not talking Dylan's very bad films OR Songcatcher!

For me, the musical comedy films have to be a toss up between Blues Brothers, A Hard Day's Night, and This Is Spinal Tap. I could never pick just one of them.

For musicals/music films: Moulin Rouge, The Magic Flute, Cabaret, Victor/Victoria, all the Busby Berkely musicals, Cradle Will Rock, Django Reinhardt, Buena Vista Social Club, Gimme Shelter, Monterey Pop, Sweet Dreams (Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline), Bamboozled, Calle 54.

For utterly charming, I'll second Amelie and raise you Mostly Martha, Chocolat, Eat Drink Man Woman, Like Water for Chocolate, The Big Night, Il Postino, Waking Ned Devine, Moonstruck, and Monsoon Wedding.

Add to those, my long list of fave dramatic films: All About My Mother, the Horton Foote films mentioned above, Julia, Butterfly (La Lengua de las Mariposas), Apocalypse Now, Sophie's Choice, Dancer in the Dark, Badlands, Days of Wine and Roses, They Shoot Horses Don't They?, Z, Little Voice, Red, Blue (from the trilogy, didn't much care for White though), On the Waterfront, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Brazil, Streetcar Named Desire, The Hustler, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Do the Right Thing, Crying Game--all films I place in the "extraordinary" category.

Family films & adult animated films: Hook, Pirates of the Caribbean, Willow, Princess Bride, Secret of Nimh, Sounder, the very best but rarely heard of Disney film The Skeleton Dance, Wizard of Oz, Goonies, Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppets Christmas Carol, Never Ending Story, Secret Garden, Little Women (1994), Betty Boop & Krazy Kat (the animated films from the 30s), Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, A Christmas Story, Beetlejuice, Mystery Science Theatre (OK, so it was TV B-monster movies!), A League of Their Own, Meet Me in St. Louis, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, Journey of Natty Gann (check out a baby John Cusack in it!), White Fang, Fritz the Cat, Addams Family Values, Into the West, Secret of Roan Inish, Shelley Duvall's Fairie Tale Theatre (all of them!), and my most favorite animated film in decades, Triplets of Belleville.

Comedies: Annie Hall, all the Marx Bros films, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Dr. Strangelove, Some Like it Hot, Young Frankenstein, Ghostbusters, Manhattan, Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Earth Girls are Easy, Local Hero, Fargo, Big Lebowski, Hairspray, Cecil B. Demented, Pecker (my fave John Waters),Alice's Restaurant, Adaptation, Grosse Point Blank, Citizen Ruth, The Player, Brewster McCloud, MASH, Catch 22, The Big Bus (an Airplane disaster flick parody about the first nuclear powered bus with an onboard bowling alley, cannibalism, and with an all star cast to boot), The Ritz, A Shot in the Dark & the Pink Panther films...

Sweeping Epics: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Dances With Wolves, Out of Africa, Rebecca, Bound for Glory, Zefferli's Romeo & Juliet, Elizabeth, All Quiet on the Western Front (Lew Ayres one), Hedd Wynn, Doctor Zhivago, The English Patient, The Fisher King, French Lieutenant's Woman, Deer Hunter, Julia (even though I've already mentioned it, it is still one of my all time faves), Matewan, Murder on the Orient Express, Gosford Park, All the President's Men, Belle et La Bete (Beauty and the Beast by Cocteau), Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, Wuthering Heights (new one with Juliette Binoche).

Action/thriller/guy flicks: Cool Hand Luke, Great Escape, Star Wars (original), The Fugitive, Bullitt, Cape Fear (Robert Mitchum/Gregory Peck one), Rebel Without A Cause, East of Eden, Wild Bunch, Blue Velvet, Blade Runner, Marathon Man, LA Confidential, El Mariachi, The Mexican, Blood Simple, Apollo 13, 12 Monkeys, Snatch, Glory, Kelly's Heroes, Perfect Storm, Dog Day Afternoon, The Grifters, Mean Streets, Eight Men Out, Rocky (the original ONLY!), The Maltese Falcon, Platoon, Jackie Brown (or should this one be under chick flicks?), Training Day, Fight Club, 25th Hour, Clockers, Naked Lunch.

Chick flicks: The Hours (for Nicole Kidman fans), Mrs. Dalloway (for Vanessa Redgrave fans), Boy's Don't Cry, Music Box, Baghdad Cafe/Out of Rosenheim, Passion Fish, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Delta of Venus, Henry & June, Women in Love, Gas Food Lodging, Bastard Out of Carolina, The Dead, Kama Sutra A Tale of Love, Hiroshima Mon Amour, A Woman Under the Influence, Daughters of the Dust, The Ballad of Little Jo, Go Fish, Ruby in Paradise, When Night is Falling, Raise the Red Lantern, I Shot Andy Warhol, Watermelon Woman, Xiu Xiu the Sent Down Girl, Hilary & Jackie, The Tango Lesson, Mansfield Park.

Horror flicks: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (the original), The Haunting, The Shining, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Frankenstein (original), Vertigo, The Birds, Carrie, Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton), Phantom of the Opera (Lon Chaney), Fritz Lang's M, Nosferatu the Vampire. The Fall of the House of Usher (French, 1928), The Company of Wolves, Blair Witch Project.

Documentaries: Harvest of Shame, Harlan County USA, Blue Eyed/Eye of the Storm, Woodstock, American Dream (every bit as compelling as Harlan County), Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine, Hospital, Capturing the Friedmans, Four Little Girls, Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, Hearts and Minds, The Fog of War, Crumb, Hoop Dreams, Long Night's Journey Into Day, The Thin Blue Line.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: HuwG
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 08:55 PM

A few of favourites of mine which nobody has mentioned yet:

This is Spinal Tap
Rebecca's Daughters
Shirley Valentine
Tora! Tora! Tora!

Mostly UK-based comedies, you will notice, but don't knock them on that account. In any case, most of my choices are already covered.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: MBSLynne
Date: 26 Oct 04 - 06:37 AM

Oh God Guest...you've reminded me of so many I'd forgotten, I have to give up! Except for Goonies, A man Called Horse, Highlander, Lady Hawk, Conan the Barbarian and loads of fight/fantasy films I can't remember the names of, the Naked gun films, Airplane, Big......

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 26 Oct 04 - 08:41 AM

'Mudge and I used to own an independent video rental shop (Cinematheque) in Portsmouth, NH that specialized in foreign films, classic films and totally off-the-wall and independent films -- all the stuff the other shops didn't carry. Unfortunately, between being undercapitalized, the economy going to hell in a handbasket (1989-90) and Blockbuster moving to town, it went belly up in 1990, but we managed to escape with our lives (more or less).

I've been keeping a chronological list of all the films I've seen since about 1985 and recently I've also been trying to reconstruct lists from, say, 1965 onward. What a wonderful bunch of films I've seen -- and how many I've missed (sometimes by inches).

Many times over the past 15 years or so I've tried to put together my "Top-10" list -- to no avail. I have MANY "Top-10" lists -- just depends on what mood I'm in at any given moment or what my top criteria are when put on the spot.

And the lists above have reminded me of so many more that should have been on my list.

I LOVE "Shirley Valentine"!

And how about --

Captain's Paradise with Alec Guinness (or ANYTHING with Alec Guinness?!?)
Women In Love
Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Enforcer (Humphrey Bogart)
Any Errol Flynn film even the bad ones
The Virgin President (very funny but very very obscure; I saw it in a theatre in 1967)
Swiss Family Robinson (for the wonderful tree house)
Two for the Road (for the T-series MG)
Spaceballs (one of the best Mel Brooks parodies -- everything works)
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Over-Sexed Rugsuckers From Mars
A Polish Vampire From Burbank
Elizabeth of Ladymeade (one of the most feminist films I've ever seen -- from 1949)
Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures
Last Picture Show
John Huston's Moby Dick (with A.L. Lloyd)
The Snapper
Best of Show, Waiting for Guffman, etcet etcet (and including This Is Spinal Tap)
A Hard Day's Night
Beautiful Dreamer (about Walt Whitman -- love the asparagus eating scene)
Tom Jones
Breaker Morant
Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith
We of the Never Never
Jesus of Montreal

And one of the most irreverant (and funniest) films ever made -- "The Thorn" originally made as "The Incredible Mr. J" with Bette Midler as the Virgin Mary, God is a Harpo Marx character, John the Baptist is a flasher and the Three Kings are the Three Queens. Joseph is an inventor who creates items that are combinations of things -- he calls them "crosses." When we first see Bette Midler she's humming, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."

Dim Sum
Marnie (that's where I fell in love with Sean Connery)
Vertigo
Rear Window
Heat and Dust
Fistful of Dollars (for the soundtrack as well as it's innovation)
Anything by David Lynch, John Waters, Kenneth Anger, Peter Greenaway, Luis Bunuel . . .
King of Hearts
Tapeheads
Matewan
Margaret's Museum
Cousin Cousine (original, of course)
Blue Country (not sure of the French title)
My Dinner With Andre (and I'd LOVE the "My Dinner With Andre action figures" from Waiting for Guffman)
Mindwalk


Well, that's TODAY's additions . . .

Too many films; not enough time.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Cluin
Date: 26 Oct 04 - 12:58 PM

Fellowship 9/11 for a laugh. It's not very good but it did make me chuckle.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Socorro
Date: 26 Oct 04 - 02:14 PM

The Searchers (Saw it when I was little; still remember loving it).

Empire of the Sun (my best movie ever; I have it on video, have watched it ~7x, and find something new to love & appreciate each time.

The World of Henry Orient (hilarious Peter Sellers & comedienne whose name I can't remember). Beautiful of Manhattan.

More recently, I liked Mermaids with Cher & As Good as it Gets with Jack Nicholson, Cuba Gooding Jr, & Helen Hunt.

Midnight Lace & Sorry, Wrong Number, also Vertigo.

I have a question: when I was very little (early 1950s) I saw a movie set in the desert (in Mexico, I think). A little boy found a beautiful black horse. I just loved the movie, & sure wish I could find the name, so I could show it to my grandkids (& myself :)

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 11:22 AM

New favorite (in theatres now)--Shall We Dance--the American remake (starring Richard Gere) of a Japanese movie of the same title (aka Shall We Dansu). It is a wonderfully warm & funny story about life, relationship, & ballroom dance. The audience applauded at the end. When's the last time that happened?

best,

bbc (dancing in NY)

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,P.S. from bbc
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 11:24 AM

GUEST, Chinmusic mentioned the original. It's been highly recommended to me & I'd love to see it, but it doesn't seem to be easy to get now. Amazon, used, at $50 is a bit rich for me!

bbc

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Cluin
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 05:40 PM

"The audience applauded at the end. When's the last time that happened?"

after Return of the King, last year.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 07:52 PM

return of the king SUCKED. it was well made, and that was it.

It COMPLETELY missed the last chapter of the book (scouring of the shire.)
many people see this as insignificant, but this chapter carries one of the main, if not THE main message, of the entire story. I was apalled when I went to cinema and saw a happy ending, with The Shire completely fine and dandy

well this annoyed me to the point of wanting to punch peter jackson in the face for leaving out this highly important chapter.

A very big disappointment

another piece of trivia, is that in the books of The Lord of The Rings, the battle that is seen in The Two Towers film, is called the Battle of Helms Deep, and takes up 1 hour and 20 minutes of the film (an entire half)
In the book, it is called the Battle of the Hornburg, and is only 9 pages long!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: frogprince
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 08:06 PM

s6k,you just threw me as complete curve; when I read Return of the King, it ended exactly where the movie did. Were there different editions with and without such a crucially different ending?

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 08:49 PM

Last movie I was in with applause was 9/11, both times I saw it, once at a premier in the US Midwest with a sympathetic audience, and in PA Republican country this summer.

No applause after any of the LOTR films here.

And now I'm wracking my brain to recall other recent instances. My sis really liked Shall We Dance too, but didn't mention applause.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 09:05 PM

CarolC, as usual, has excellent taste in everything from men to movies....

The older I get, the harder it seems for me to lavish praise on recent releases. I find myself looking not to the near present but to the near and not so near past for all time favorites. I'm not sure what that says about me...or movies, but in any event.....................

These days I'm more inclined to see a movie if I have had favorable experiences with its director in the past. Based on that, I will make an effort to see any celluloid creation - past, present, or future - if it is directed by any one of the following five directors (not in any particular order):

1) Jim Jarmusch
2) Stanley Kubrick
3) Roman Polanski
4) Darren Aronofsky
5) Robert Altman

Of these five, movies that I have enjoyed by them include:

Night On Earth; Mystery Train; Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samuri (by Jim Jarmusch ...this list is by no means complete - I have neither seen nor liked every film by this director. If anyone has seen "Down By Law" and would care to post a critique, I would be most interested. I have heard good things) .....I am not really sure why I like the movies by this director. Maybe it's because the reasons are so varied. In general, I think it's because I like Jarmusch's humanistic handling of the absurd.

Barry Lyndon; A Clockwork Orange; Paths Of Glory; Dr. StrangeLove; 2001: A Space Odyssey; Full Metal Jacket (by Stanley Kubrick)........because, at the risk of sounding poetic, a story under his direction makes me think of dancing.   Cinematic choreograpy...or choreographed cinematography. That's the only way I can describe it.

Rosemary's Baby; The Ninth Gate; Chinatown; Frantic (by Roman Polanski) .......because there's a subtle intensity that permeates his films - and sometimes he features young, sexy, independently capable French women. Okay, so I can be shallow at times.

Requiem For A Dream; Pi (by Darren Aronofsky) ....because of the subject matter, and especially in the case of "Requiem," innovative film technique and Jennifer Connelly.

Three Women; Streamers; Nashville; Fool For Love (by Robert Altman .......because of Altman's portrayal of Americana, among other reasons.

Honorable Mention: American Beauty; The Last Picture Show; Magnolias; One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Papillon; The Graduate ......because they captured a specific moment in time and portrayed it exceptionally well.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 06:33 AM

frogrpince....

in the books, the hobbits return to the Shire, to find it being destroyed and burnt by a group of men and a hooded man. Many hobbits have been killed, the houses destroyed, and the fields burned.

Turns out the hooded man is Saruman. Frodo gathers the survivors together, and defeats Saruman and his army and save the Shire, however it is noted, that The Shire will never be the same again.

There's no different versions to my knowledge, and the extended DVD thats coming with 50 minutes of extra footage, will not include this chapter either.

It's a crime if you ask me, this chapter held one of the central messages of the story.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Chris Green
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 06:36 AM

s6k - you're right. It's also the reason why at the end of the last film we have to put up with 20 minutes of everyone laughing at each other! There was clearly no other way to fill the time without the Scouring of the Shire!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 08:04 AM

yeah, it just really, really annoys me. They could have condensed the ending to about 10 minutes, and lengthened the film to allow for the Scouring of the Shire.... it's such an important part of the story

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 08:50 AM

Let's see . . . lying awake at 3 a.m. and the brain drifted.

How could I forget to mention the Dutch Film "A Question of Silence" -- wow!

Paths of Glory
No Way to Treat a Lady (Rod Steiger)
Oh, and the other Rod Steiger films:
    The Sergeant (never on videotape and unavailable)
    Heat of the Night
    The Illustrated Man
    The Pawnbroker
A Joke of Destiny (Lina Wertmuller)
The Fourth Man (Dutch, Paul Verhoeven)
Woman In the Dunes
The Duelists
Window to Paris (Russian)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando -- even better than the Carson McCullers novel because of one scene which focussed the entire film and brought it to a much stronger climax)

I just watched a clip from "The Sergeant" Here -- first time I'd seen it since I saw the film in a theatre in Milwaukee in the late '60s when it came out. I would REALLY like to see this film again.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: GUEST,Minerva
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 09:43 AM

I have a rather complex (aka "messy") view of cinema:

1. I rarely see films.

2. Most films are schlock.

3. Reality is so much more interesting, complex, and dramatic than schlocky films.

4. Most of reality is twisted about in our brains.

4. Ergo, the films I like best seem to be those that seem the most like reality but with a dream-like quality.

5. It's a very short list:

Mulholland Drive

Hard 8

The Secret of Roan Innish

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: s6k
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 10:16 AM

Watch Magnolia, Happiness and The Usual Suspects

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 29 Oct 04 - 03:10 AM

I love movies! thanks for creating this thread, duellingbouzoukis.

Some of my alltime favorites:

12 Angry Men.
Great ensemble acting, very taut, intense screenplay, very reiveting, and it all takes place in a jury room (except for a brief opening moment in the courtroom when the accused fearfully surveys the jury, and at the end, when the jurors step out into the sunlight after the trial and go their own ways).

The Godfather, I and II.
Brilliant filmaking in every way. They get better with time. (I thought III was nowhere near the first two).

The Children of Paradise.
Filmed in 1943-45 in secret from the Nazis. Very passionate, sad, funny...it brings out many emotions. Dialogue by Jacques Prevert. Incredible street scenes of mid-19th century paris, and its street theatre and mimes. Great story and acting.

Greed.
A friend recommended it. I never thought I would enjoy and be riveted by a long, serious silent movie from the 1920's. Wouldn't it just seem dated? Did I ever get a surprise! This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Every scene filmed on location (San Francisco, the Mojave desert, etc.). It is Frank Norris's novel "McTeague." So faithful to the book was the director, the movie had to be cut down, to the director's dismay, from something ridiculously long, like 8 hours (maybe more). It runs almost 3 hours, and it holds my attention throughout.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Buster Keaton. My favorite film of my favorite film comedian. Laugh out loud stuff.

West Side Story
My favorite musical. Unforgettable Leonard Bernstein score, Jerome Robbins choreography, Sondheim lyrics. Some of the dialogue seems dated, the role of Tony miscast, but despite that, it's still a great, great movie. A part of my life since I was a kid.

The Seven Samurai
Another riveting story, great acting, great filmaking altogether. Another example of how a movie doesn't need nonstop action to hold your attention.

Lord Of The Flies
(original version). Great acting from a very young cast, great story...liked it better than the book.

The Seventh Seal.
Same reasons why our thread creator likes it. The more I see it, the more I get out of it.

Whistle Down The Wind
I'm with Georgiansilver and Jerry Rasmussen on this one.

The Killing
Early Stanley Kubrick. A plot to rob a racetrack. You see in detail how all the conspirators prepare for and execute the theft. How about that scene where the chess-playing wrestler takes on the track's entire security force? To top it off, it has one of the 1950's most seen "Oh, THAT guy " actors; Jay C. Flippen :-).

It's A Wonderful Life.
It's a wonderful film. Still enjoy it after many years and many viewings.

The Best Years Of Our Lives.
Post WWII film about three servicemen returning home from the war and trying to adapt to civilian life. Ok, I'm a broken record: great story, script, cast.

Ordinary People.
Still an emotionally intense experience.

Hoosiers.
A favorite sports movie. You can't help but cheer for this underdog high school basketball team. Along with the feel-good sports story is an intelligent script, and fine, understated acting.

Holiday Affair
Robert Mitchum as a suitor to an attractive, smart widow with a young son. It's not a great film, just one of those films I love, and enjoy seeing over and over again. Mitchum in a rare good guy role. Mitchum breaks down her defenses and tries to win her over from a another man she's engaged to. You just know Mitchum's character is the better man for her, and it keeps you wondering what decision she'll make, right up to the film's end.

That Thing You Do!
Tom Hanks becomes manager of an up-and-coming bubblegum rock band. It captures the period so well! Hanks co-wrote many of the songs, which re-creates a 1964-65 type of American rock music. most of the songs are pretty catchy, and it makes one wonder if the songs were put in a time machine and dropped to earth in 1964, would they have been hits? Not a significant film but great, great fun! I love this one!

Radio Inside.
A very underrated movie (originally for Cable TV) about a young man, haunted by his father's recent death, who visits his older brother in Florida for the summer and falls in love with his brother's girlfriend. She responds and falls in love with him. A very emotional and moving conclusion. A fine, understated film. look for it on video/DVD.

Topsy Turvy.
What makes this movie so great is the detailed look at the creative processs, the great acting which is so good, it doesn't look like acting, the recrerations of period productions of G & S operettas, and the detailed attention paid to the victorian period.

Singing In The Rain
Dead Poets Society
My Left Foot
David And Lisa
The Temptations
The Ten Commandments
The Man In The Grey Flannel Suit
Forrest Gump
Crossfire
D.O.A. (original version)
Big
Breaker Morant
The Talented Mr. Ripley

I'm sure there are some others I'm not thinking of at the moment.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 29 Oct 04 - 03:21 AM

Damn the typos.

That should be "riveting" and "re-creations."

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite films and why
From: kendall
Date: 29 Oct 04 - 08:21 PM

Doctor Zhivago
Robin & Marian
Breaker Morant
Monty Python and the holy grail
High Noon (The original)
The Bounty
Harold and Maude
Lonesome Dove