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I don't know if Simply Scripts has had a thread like this before. I checked back and didn't see any signs of it, though they probably had one a while ago. Regardless, like myself there are a lot of newcomers to the board. Just list your 10 favorite films. It's quite a challenge I know (they're so many out there!) These 10 should be in order, if not 10 in order just mark the ones you have equal love for. Just write a little about why you liked it so much, whether it had a profound influence on you or just blew your mind. These are YOUR 10 favs of all time. The point of this? Well this is a screenwriting forum. Everyone on this loves film and sometimes it shows in there work (sometimes too closely). It also helps for us to get to know eachother as aspiring filmmakers. This is why this is in the "getting to know you section" I'll start it off with my fav 10 (you can always edit or change them since new movies are always coming out)
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 2. Rushmore 3. Magnolia 4. Pulp Fiction 5. Apocalypse Now 6. Boogie Nights 7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 8. Boogie Nights 9. Three Kings 10. Being John Malchovich
1. The Evil Dead - Simple, entertaining, and filled to the brim with splatter. Bruce Campbell's performance is always great. Unlike its sequels, this was the only one to balance horror and humor well, while remaining a horror movie and not a horror comedy. Also, perhaps the best filmed horror movie ever. The camerawork is frantic but coherent and creative even when not taking the budget into account.
2. Ichi The Killer - First off, the characters are so bizzare and charismatic, you can't help but enjoy watching their antics. The violence is cruel and sadistic but director Takashi Miike still keeps the film grounded in black comedy. Also, like Evil Dead, extremely well-filmed. The entire movie has a very colorful manga-esque atmosphere to it and the editting is unconventional and creative.
3. The Fly (Cronenberg) - One of the only horror movies I actually squirm to while watching. David Cronenberg, along with Miike, is a master at gross-out. But stripped of all the horror and sci-fi conventions, The Fly is a very touching and emotional love story. Also wonderfully acted by the always entertaining Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis.
4. GoodFellas - Forget the Godfather and Pulp Fiction. GoodFellas is the best crime film ever made. Great acting by Liotta and DeNiro of course but Joe Pesci steals the show as Tommy. Liotta's voice-over works great and takes the film to a whole other level. Also, Scorsese masterfully captures the glamor and extravegance of being a gangster while at the same time capturing its grimmer aspects, showing the audience that they really don't want this life.
5. Audition - Takashi Miike spends two thirds of the movie setting up both main characters as the sweetest people in the world and slowly introducing more of Asami's true nature until the film climaxes with one of the most shocking and memorable suckerpunches ever in a film. The film has a long lasting effect even after the first viewing. The direction is subtle and methodical before exploding in a cinematic fireball. Brilliant.
6. Natural Born Killers - Like the others, every performance is extremely entertaining and over the top. Tarantino's plot is top notch and Oliver Stone's experimental filmmaking truly reflects the mindset of both Mickey and Mallory Knox. There's a lot of commentary in this one but it's done so casually that the audience is able to recognize it without feeling preached to like in most movies with social commentary.
7. The Hills Have Eyes - Well acted, first off. The "white-bred" family are fascinating to watch as their worldly resources are stripped away and they descend into guttural instinct. The "feral" family offers great over-the-top performances as well, in particular James Whitworth as Papa Jupiter. The film is very suspenseful as well and the violence is brutal but not excessive. It feels real.
8. Day Of The Dead - Memorable performances by eccentric characters who you love to hate or whose quirks are entertaining to watch. Also, a very dark tone throughout the film and pretty much, the best, most grusome zombie carnage in any movie of the subgenre.
9. Suspiria - Like Audition, Suspiria takes the time to build suspense and create the feeling that something is not right until a climax that's actually pretty scary. Wonderfully directed as well. Dario Argento's use of colors and imagery creates a very creepy and bizzare atmosphere throughout the film. And, of course, some great gore scenes.
10. Alien - Do I even need to say anything about Sigorney Weaver? Her performance as Ripley defined that of the strong female character. The tone is slow and suspenseful and the alien looks great even when it's not shrouded in shadows.
1. Star Wars et al...what can I say? I have a soft spot for overkill epic plots.
2. Lord of the Rings - Tolkien's immortal fantasy tale told perfectly by Peter Jackson. I've read the books, and have little complaint on the movies. Also, see above reason.
3. Se7en - This thing had a hell of a twist I never saw coming.
4. The Godfather - I'll group the second into this as well, since they can actually function as a single continuous storyline. Great characters. Great drama. Some intense stuff here. It deserved its best picture awards.
5. The Ring - Though some Japanese loyalists dislike the American version, I feel it is the superior one. And how can you beat every horror afficianado's worst nightmare of the monster coming out of the TV?
6. Halloween - Simplicity at its finest. All the suspense tools in full force in this one make it a great suspenseful film. Some might claim it loses its effect after a few viewings, but so does every film once you acknowledge it as a fairy tale.
7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - While the Star Trek series is not the best of movie series, the second installment stands as one of the best movies out there. The characters were well developed and even given boosts to their backstories. Great plot, and some intense dramatic scenes. And even a superior ending to bring tears to the eyes of the hardest of hearts. They should have stopped after IV, which rounded out this mini-trilogy in the now 10 movie series.
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Of all the Bond films, this is not only the most underrated, but it one stands out as the one where Bond chose monogamy. It still has all the Bond conventions everyone loves, but it also shows Bond as a real person capable of emotion and loss. Thinking about the final scene even now simply chokes me up.
9. Rebecca - This Hitckcock film from 1940 contains about 3 or 4 reversals to the storyline in its third act leading us to a mind-boggling conclusion. Love it!
10. Monty Python and The Holy Grail - Thought I'd round out with this one. It's a classic in comedy and remains very funny after multiple viewings which is more than can be said for many modern comedies.
1. Die Hard - John McClane was an idol (and still is) of mine for a long time since I saw this. When asked about my favourite christmas film it's got to be this rough-and-ready action thriller.
2. Pulp Fiction - (these are in no order BTW) what can I say about this crime thriller apart form that it should be on all sorts of top movie lists. Brilliant cast including John Travolata, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Oh and that guy, don't know if you've heard of him... Quentin Tarantino I think his name is?
3. The Dead trilogy - All of romero's dead trilogy (not land of the dead as i havent seen it yet, but including the Night remake). Eerie, action-packed and gripping are the words for these zombie classics. So rewatchable.
4. The Thing - Excellent shapeshifting alien action and such a suspensful little film as well. Fabulous stuff.
5. Dirty Harry - Clint Eastwood at his best in this. This is an action packed, gritty cop thriller with an edge to it that most films (especially modern) don't have.
6. The Evil Dead - A brilliant, terrifying, chilling horror spectacular from Sam Raimi. Which of course brought Ash (Bruce Campbell) to light as a true hero from our times.
7. House - Doubt this is on many other peep's top ten lists but this is such a cool flick. It's a comedy-horror about a house and the things inside it. It's better than it sounds.
8. The Terminator - A dark, creepy sci-fi action piece where Arnie first made his name. Followed by a moderate sequel and a pathetic 3rd attempt.
9. Harold and Kumar - a stoner cult classic (usually i hate stoners and their movies) about an asian and an indian guy who go on a surreal night-time burger hunt. B r i l l i a n t.
10. A big tie - Snatch/Shrek 1 and 2/ True Grit/ Robin Hood (cartoon)/ The Fly and many others. (I'll add more).
"We don't make movies for critics, since they don't pay to see them anyhow."
13 — that's right count 'em, 13 — movies on my "Favorite Movies Of All Times" list, though it would really be 17 if I didn't have the dash between Alien and Alien Resurrection. But anywas...yeah...
So, i'm NOT the only one..... No order.... 1. Eraserhead (Lynch) 2. King Kong (Jackson) 3. Scream (slasher fan or not, it's pretty good) 4.Saw 5. Halloween (best low budget ever) 6. The Shining(Kubrick) 8.Donnie Darko 7. The Amputee (kind funny Lynch)
1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea(1956) 2. Star Wars 3. Raiders of the Lost Ark 4. Planet of the Apes(original) 5. Flight of the Navigator 6. Back to the Future 7. Being John Malkovich 8. To Kill A Mockingbird 9. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure 10. Bullitt
These are the top 10 that I can think of off my head. They're films that I can watch over and over and never get bored of them.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: The Kid(Chaplin) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Spartacus Die Hard 1 and 3 The Natural
Mine probably won’t go over real well on this mostly male board but here are my picks:
This is based solely on influence and current memory. There’s no way I could actually come up with a set top ten list.
1) A Tale of Two Cities - Can’t beat this one. Based on a novel by one of the greatest authors ever, Charles Dickens, and starring one of the greatest actors ever, Ronald Coleman. Few stories have captured the melancholy of a man hopelessly in love with someone he has no chance of ever having. Deeply affecting.
2) Gone with the Wind - Scarlet O’ Hara is one of the most recognized characters for a reason. This saga is one of the greatest Civil War stories ever told and single handedly created the soap opera. I hate soap operas but credit where credit is due. Margaret Mitchell knew what people wanted and gave it to them in great measure.
3) Citizen Kane - I couldn’t have a most influential list without a film by Orson Wells. This masterpiece was his first film and perhaps the least intruded upon by studio execs. Though this genius created other great films, he never quite topped this epic work of art.
4) Wuthering Heights - I love Merle Oberon and she was never better than here. Like A Tale of Two Cities, we have a story based on a novel by a great writer, Emily Bronte, and a great star. It’s simple and powerful and I simply love it.
5) King Kong - The original 1933 masterpiece with groundbreaking special effects by Willis O’Brien blew audiences away at the time and, if one views it both as the amazing film it is as well as in historical context, one simply cannot help but be staggered by this achievement. Merian C. Cooper was a real life Indiana Jones and this is a film rooted in real life experiences. Simply amazing.
6) Star Wars - Return of the Jedi - What can I say? Luke Skywalker. How can I not love a guy who defends the entire galaxy? Luke is one of the greatest sci-fi heroes ever created. George Lucas is the most successful independent filmmaker in history. I love that. But Return has a special place in my heart. I was a teenage girl when this came out. The line where Luke says, “You’ve failed, Emperor. I am a Jedi like my father before me,” gave me chills. And the Emperor is the greatest sci-fi villain ever, ever, ever!!
7) 2001: A Space Odyssey - No way could I have a list without a Kubrick film. This movie is one of the greatest sci-fi films and cinematic enigmas in the history of film. Kubrick was so frickin’ far ahead of his time, it’s unbelievable. This film is too easy to dismiss when you don’t understand it but if you engage it, it boggles the mind with its possibilities. One of the most thought provoking films I’ve ever seen. Leonard Maltin called it a “unique masterpiece.” I agree completely.
Love Story - Yeah, I know. Laugh at this one if you want but to a young girl, this movie gives you every ounce of drama a movie can give and dishes it out with one of the greatest love story soundtracks ever. It’s the only formula film I can really say really worked for me and it was a tremendous influence on me in my early days of writing.
9) Metropolis - This 1927 film by the German Fritz Lang has some of the most innovative and amazing special effects for the time. With the exception of a not so good Brigitte Helm performance, this is one of the most influential sci-fi films of all time.
10) The Seventh Seal - This film from Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman about a disillusioned knight during the Crusades is one of those films that just keeps creeping back into my head from time to time. Somehow it planted a seed in my mind. And that’s a sign of a film that has made a true impact on a viewer.
My apologies to Takeshi Kitano. I love a lot of his films but none of them quite made my top ten. That's the problem with top ten lists, I always feel bad about the films I left out. It's like you're putting one down by saying you prefer the other.
Yea I original was going to have it 15, but limiting it to 10 makes you think more about WHY you love certain movies. My other 5 are already mentioned in others lists, maybe on another thread ppl can do 25. But I thought with 10 it would give people to explain why they chose the film if they wanted to.