Favorite Movies ... that you would recommend

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Over

..
Blade Runner
...

I was lucky enough to see the restored version of Blade Runner in the cinema recently. One of those once-in-a-lifetime chances. It was just perfect

[IceHand]

I'm actually taking media studies at the university so I have to watch a lot of (mostly old) films. My favourites are more or less recent though:

1. Lost in Translation
2. Ghost World
3. Broken Flowers
4. Dan in Real Life
5. Pieces of April
6. Cashback
7. Garden State
8. American Beauty
9. Donnie Darko
10. Cube
11. Millenium Actress (Anime)
12. Spirited Away (Anime)
13. Haibane Renmei (Anime)

I prefer movies that concentrate on human relations without being ordinary or clichéd. Sol Stein put it this way (I'm quoting from memory): "Every character has to be a bit excentric to be interesting."

[HappyMartin]

Since you are an awful Buddhist woman with cats have you seen Kundun? I loved that movie. Went to Tibet 2 years ago, awesome.

Also on the Buddhist theme try Samsarra. The movie I mean . I will look up the details this evening. It is about a monk that disrobes and the life he lives after. I think it is set in Ladakh in Northern India and has an Indian director.

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

I've seen them all (except the one that hasn't been made yet) ... and enjoyed them all immensely. Especially "Dark City" which I've watched several times and purchased.

Oh, and a PS: My Sparkletts water delivery man had to take a few months off work, because he's gotten a part in a Quentin Tarantino film. I was used to that sort of thing in LA ... but not so much in Texas.

I've seen the one that hasn't been made yet. It will be okay, but I think that the inclusion of the alien invaders will be a bit derivative.

[slayda]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

I'll just start going for ten here, and see how far I get. (Note, any "foreign film" that I mention I have only watched in the original language, and, for me, that is the best way. Two in particular - they'll likely be obvious - became quite gauche in dubbed form when I tried to rewatch them that way)

...

Cheers,
Marc

Hey Marc, when did you become a ... cat?

[pestrat]

Interesting topic - favorite movies, well here goes:
Casablanca
The Great Escape
Shane
The Maltese Falcon
Shawshank Redemption
Volver
Amelie
The Sand Pebbles

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Just because of the impending holiday, I'll recommend a movie that I've seen almost as many times as there are years in my life: 1776.

Yes, it's a low-budget movie musical, and silly at times... but it does a good job of showing how the Founding Fathers were not Demi-Gods or geniuses, but ordinary men in an extra-ordinary situation. I've watched it almost every year around July 4th, as it tends to help remind me what this country is really about: People, not institutions or titles or even ideals. It's inspirational. But still fun to watch.

And speaking of musicals, another one with almost the same notation: West Side Story.

And that's all for now. The list is too big...

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

I'll just start going for ten here, and see how far I get. (Note, any "foreign film" that I mention I have only watched in the original language, and, for me, that is the best way. Two in particular - they'll likely be obvious - became quite gauche in dubbed form when I tried to rewatch them that way)

I'll start with my favourite movie to leave me feeling just generally happy all over:

1. Muriel's Wedding - I think I just said why in my lead-in

2. Powaqqatsi

3. Baraka - this and number 2 are pretty much for the same reason, since they're a similar style. They take you out of your own private universe and thrust you into the World

4. Goldmember - this I can watch over and over again. Yes, I know how juvenile the humour in it can be. What's your point? I hear they are making another, though my love of this one makes me hope they're not setting up the motorbike, pool and shark for The Fonz.

5. Amelie - one of the most beautiful films (visual, character, story) I've ever watched. Audrey Tautou is the second-most beautiful actress I have watched, and I've only ever watched her in this film.

6. Anything with Katherine Hepburn - see above, and let the "second-most" tell you who the "most" is.

7. Fargo - it's the only Cohen Brothers film I've seen, and not all that long ago. It is completely and utterly brilliant in its contrast of violence against peace. Frances McDormand left me awed at the simple perfection of her portrayal of her "simple" (not the pejorative version of "simple") character

8. Shortbus - this movie somewhat makes redundant the question, "Is it art or is it pornography?". It is magnificently filmed, wonderously peopled, completely heartfelt (the small vignettes of "animation" are exquisitely placed), and the ending will have you marching around the room cheering and singing the anthem. This movie is most extremely sexually explicit (just thought I'd chuck that warning in there). Not for everyone, I strongly suspect.

9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - I think this would rival Amelie in the visual aspects of beauty. Each scene feels as carefully and perfectly composed as an image from any master photographer (Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, et cetera). It's a damned lovely story too, and even the fight scenes are a magnificent dance within their violence.

10. Here I'll just list some that jockey for this position, changing constantly:

• Fight Club
• Monty Python's [anything]
• Caddyshack
• Blazing Saddles
• Flying High/Airplane
• 2001
  
• Bliss (but this is swayed here by the book)
  
• The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
• Apocalypse Now

I could go on, but probably to needless effect.


I also just wanted to mention something that was flung into my thought processes by rhadin. Cool Hand Luke was my Dad's favourite movie. Although he was a fan of Peter Sellers, and thought extremely highly of Doctor Strangelove... and Being There, it was Paul Newman's gentle and subtle leading role in Cool Hand Luke that he always referred to as "Brilliant!", and passed similar sentiment on to all other aspects of the movie. I've watched it one-and-a-half times - once, as a child, before my parents realised I was behind them watching it, and once as a late-teen. I've not watched it since, wanting to savour the time to watch it, and to only occasionally feed myself that treat. Thus, it's not in my "Top 10", though that's because it's in a separate and very personal realm to general "movie appreciation". Regardless, I think it's Paul Newman's best, and, to me, certainly he is at his smolderingly sexiest.

Cheers,
Marc

Hmmm .... I marked the ones in red that I haven't seen. A few of them have been mentioned more than once, so they are definitely going on my list.

I've decided that this was a really (really) good idea!! My Netflix list is now 174 films long.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Don't think anyone has mentioned 'Brief Encounter' so far - Noel Coward, David Lean, Rachmaninov, Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson - pretty much a perfect film imho .

I'd also recommend
The Big Lebowski
Silent Running
Branagh's 'Henry V'
Olivier's 'Richard III'

... and anything with Louise Brooks in it, primarily because it has Louise Brooks in it - especially 'Pandora's Box' and 'Diary of a Lost Girl'.

The only film on your list I haven't seen is "Brief Encounter." "Pandora's Box" is a remarkable film.

Short aside .... when I was interviewing at one of the large law firms (many years ago), the partner who was interviewing me asked me about my favorite actors/actresses. I immediately said "Harold Lloyd and Lousie Brooks." He looked like he was going to fall over!! So, then he asked me which of Ms. Brooks' films I liked best .... well, she didn't make all that many ... but my favorite of hers is definitely "Pandora's Box." Needless to say, I got hired. I found out much later that the partner's wife (I think it was his wife ... it might have been him) was Mary Pickford's nephew. I guess my appreciation for silent films did me a solid (so to speak).

I don't think anyone has ever done a better St. Crispin's Day speech than Branagh.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by spooky69

Chopper
The Fifth Element (Not Like We Haven't All Seen It)
Half Baked
Bringing out the Dead
Eraserhead
The Holy Mountain ('cause why not?)

Well, more importantly (for me anyway) .... why? I think "Bringing Out the Dead" is already on my list. I saw "Eraserhead" when I was about your age. I'll do a little research into the rest of your list ... only because I think our taste in films probably would have meshed better when I WAS your age .... although, you wouldn't have been born yet ... so scratch that.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by Over

There are to many to make a list of "best of", so I'll just list a few I've watched recently (although the movies aren't recent) and that I thought would be recommended:

Dr. Jivago
In the Mouth of Madness
Blade Runner


And if you like TV series:
How I Met Your Mother (an excelent comedy series. Very funny and wity)

Saw "Dr. Zhivago" more than once. Great film. "Blade Runner" deserves a place on my Top 10 ... if for nothing else but Rutger Hauer's beautiful speech just before he dies.

I haven't seen "In the Mouth of Madness" .... so that goes on the list.

[GypsyWoman]

Originally Posted by rhadin

To that list I would add these 1930s movies to my all time favorite movies: The Thin Man series with Myrna Loy and William Powell (and Asta, of course ). The onscreen relationship between Loy and Powell is magnificient.

My favorites too. Everyone one of the Thin Man movies are great.

My other favorite movie series are the Charlie Chan movies. I prefer Sydney Toler to Warner Oland.

I also enjoy the The Saint and The Falcon movies too.

I love old "B" detective movies from the 30's-40's. I LOVE old "B" movies in general. My all time movie is "The Thing from another World". The acting is superb. John Carpenter's "Thing" is very good also, one of the few times the remake is good.

[GypsyWoman]

Originally Posted by pestrat

Interesting topic - favorite movies, well here goes:
Casablanca
The Great Escape
Shane
The Maltese Falcon
Shawshank Redemption
Volver
Amelie
The Sand Pebbles

Anything with Humphrey Bogart is usually pretty good. Casablanca, Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not. All great films!

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by IceHand

I'm actually taking media studies at the university so I have to watch a lot of (mostly old) films. My favourites are more or less recent though:

1. Lost in Translation
   
2. Ghost World
   
3. Broken Flowers
4. Dan in Real Life
   
5. Pieces of April
   
6. Cashback
7. Garden State
8. American Beauty
9. Donnie Darko
10. Cube
    
11. Millenium Actress (Anime)
    
12. Spirited Away (Anime)
13. Haibane Renmei (Anime)

I prefer movies that concentrate on human relations without being ordinary or clichéd. Sol Stein put it this way (I'm quoting from memory): "Every character has to be a bit excentric to be interesting."

I own DVDs of some of these films ... I'm talking about some of the ones I haven't seen. Again .... I don't know why I haven't watched them yet ... I need to. I've had "Sprited Away" for a long time .... but, most of the anime I have seen just completely fails in my eyes. This could be because the anime I see on TV is really low budget ... I don't know. I think the two things that bother me the most (and you can probably tell me if this is true of any of the anime films you've recommended) is:

1. What seems like endless periods of "talking heads" ... where the animation is frame after frame of pretty much nothing; and
2. The dialogue, which seems interspersed with gratuitous "Huh?" and "Uh!" exclamations ever few scenes.

I'm actually worried I'm so prejudiced against Anime, that "Spirited Away" ... which won so many awards, will be something I can't like. If you get my reasoning ... which sounds a little convoluted to me.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

Since you are an awful Buddhist woman with cats have you seen Kundun? I loved that movie. Went to Tibet 2 years ago, awesome.

Also on the Buddhist theme try Samsarra. The movie I mean . I will look up the details this evening. It is about a monk that disrobes and the life he lives after. I think it is set in Ladakh in Northern India and has an Indian director.

Kundun is on my list. It has been for a while. I will put Samsarra on the list as well. Thanks.