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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Boston, MA

    Top 10 Movies of All Time

    We have a thread on the top 10 movies of the decade...how about your top 10 of all time. Mine would be

    10. It's a Wonderful Life
    9. Glory
    8. Dead Poet's Society
    7. Ben Hur
    6. E.T.
    5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    4. Patton
    3. Star Wars
    2. The Godfather
    1. Cinema Paradiso

    (closely out of the top 10 would be Rocky, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, A Fish Called Wanda, Pulp Fiction, Pricilla - Queen of the Desert, Annie Hall and Titanic)

  2. #2

    Some more contenders

    "All time" opens a lot of doors and perspectives.

    One would think Godfather II, GWTW, and Casablanca should be worthy of serious consideration. Bridge on the River Kwai, The Graduate (!), and Jaws are not far behind.

    Then you toss in visual treats such as Lawrence of Arabia, or the directorial skills shown by Alfred Hitchcock (Notorious and Psycho as examples) who could present a great story that required you to pay attention.

    And for any number of reasons, I also like Shawshank Redemption and A Beautiful Mind. Schindler's List is definitely there, but I find it difficult to watch. Sophie's Choice produces similar feelings. Greatest? Well, hard to say...

    k

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina

    Great topic, largely because everybody's tastes are so different

    Big question, and I'm very limited by not having watched a ton of older movies. But of the ones I've seen...

    Raiders of the Lost Ark - to me, a perfect popcorn action movie, stuffed full of iconic moments, incredibly rewatchable.

    Godfather II - I give the edge to Godfather II over the original thanks to DeNiro's performance as the young Vito Corleone.

    Jaws - Every moment on the boat is note perfect. "We're gonna need a bigger boat." Great, great line.

    Glory - My favorite moment - Matthew Broderick standing on the beach before the final battle, and he absolutely knows he's going to die, and you can see how sad and scared he is at that thought, but there is no doubt he's going to lead his men into battle. The definition of courage, and an acting moment I never would have thought Ferris Beuller could deliver.

    Unforgiven - Freeman, Eastwood, Hackman, and Harris are all perfect in their roles. Great story, perfect ending.

    Alien - Ridley Scott creates a phenomenal atmosphere of suspense. Captain Dallas in the airshafts was a perfect scene.

    Blade Runner (Director's Cut) - The movie had flaws (Decker's basically rape of Sean Young's character being the biggest in my mind...never was sure how to take that scene, but I didn't like it at all), but without the voiceovers and with the dark, foreboding ending, a great movie that steps into the top 10 for redefining sci-fi.

    Drunken Master II - Jackie Chan's masterpiece. A very funny movie with some of the best fight sequences you will ever see.

    The Incredibles - Could easily have put Wall-E, Up, or Finding Nemo in this place, but I'll give a slight edge to The Incredibles and volunteer it as my one cartoon representative (yes, over the Disney classics even). There's a profound real-life message in this movie, as with Pixar's other best offerings, that you won't find in Snow White or Cinderella, as great as those movies are.

    The Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa was the inspiration for countless Western movies, and this was his best work.

    Honorable Mention: Saving Private Ryan, Heat, Fist of Legend, The Lord of the Rings, Die Hard, The Princess Bride, Goodfellas, Schindler's List, The Mission, The Dark Knight

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    My all time faves would include:

    Forrest Gump
    Back to the Future
    Gone With the Wind

    I have always liked BTTF because of the clever details like having the name of the mall change from the beginning of the movie (Twin Pines Mall) to the end of the movie (Lone Pine Mall). There are so many little hidden details that you can almost find something new every time you watch it.

    "Raiders" was loads of fun as well.

  5. #5
    This could change on any given day, but here's my list (based mostly on how much I enjoy watching them today, not on how influential/important they were):

    Godfather/Godfather 2 (like other people so far, I prefer 2)
    Casablanca
    The Sixth Sense
    The Sting
    The Incredibles
    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
    Lord of the Rings trilogy
    The Big Lebowski
    A Fish Called Wanda
    Chinatown

    As I mentioned in the other thread, if I am allowed to include TV, The Wire makes this list for me easily, and would perhaps even occupy the #1 spot.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post

    The Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa was the inspiration for countless Western movies, and this was his best work.
    Dang, you stole my sleeper best movie ever.

    The Seven Samurai hits strongly on multiple levels -- action-adventure, photography, philosophy, symbolism, tragedy, comedy, romance, character development, acting, directing, even music, and a perfect ending. It's a movie that makes you think. It even, at least to a degree, fails to play to my wife's critcism of the Japanese movies I tend to watch: everybody does not die (maybe not even a majority, depending on how you count).

    Other movies that really stick with you, and work at multiple levels: Scheindler's List, Patton, Jaws, The Godfather, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters. Ben Hur gets a nod for the single best scene in movie-making -- the chariot race.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Ashburn, VA
    I think my top 10 would be (in no particular order)

    Lord of the Rings (sorry I'm counting trilogies)
    Indiana Jones
    Star Wars (original)
    Casablanca
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail
    LA Confidential
    Gosford Park
    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    Office Space
    Shawshank Redemption

    Honorable Mentions:
    Love Actually (deal with it haha)
    Gattaca
    Good Will Hunting
    Back to the Future
    The Village
    Usual Suspects
    The Red Violin


    I have like 10 more honorable mentions but I had to draw the line somewhere...

  8. #8
    City of God has to be in there. A thread like this has so many choices that it boggles my brain trying to come up with even a top 20.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Lewisville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by snowdenscold View Post
    Honorable Mentions:
    Love Actually (deal with it haha)
    Thank you; I've found a fellow traveler!

    Love Actually has become my favorite Christmas-time movie. I've seen it once this season so far, and will go for viewing #2 on Christmas Eve. Never fails to bring a few tears and several laughs.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Meeting with Marie Laveau
    It's difficult to imagine a Best Films list without at least one Peter Sellers movie. While many of the Pink Panther movies might be popular choices, I think his best film is "Being There."

    On the surface, it's a comedy and is loaded many laughs, humorous lines and scenes, but there are layers of meaning and symbolism to be explored. I've used it in teaching those aspiring to be teachers or principals, but could imagine it being used in an MBA program or public policy program. It's quite a treatise on how people believe what they want to and how easily many can be influenced by something or someone they don't understand and won't admit they don't understand.

    For those interested in such details, it was filmed at the Biltmore House as was The Swan, a popular Grace Kelly movie.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Partly Orlando, FL partly heard Sandpoint, ID
    The category of best Peter Sellers films begins and ends with Dr. Strangelove. While Being there is a good movie, I wouldn't give it much thought to putting it in a top 10, but I'd think long and hard about including Dr. Strangelove. Off the top of my head I might go something like:

    Lawrence of Arabia
    Casablanca
    12 Angry Men
    The Godfather(don't make me pick between I and II)
    Some Like It Hot
    On The Waterfront
    Raging Bull
    Schindler's List
    Dr. Strangelove
    Star Wars(though ESB was a better movie, I'd put this on for the awe inspiring thrill that I'm not sure has ever been duplicated)

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New York, NY
    10 movies I'd rewatch indefinitely? I can keep it to 9:

    1. All About Eve (or Double Indemnity, Notorious, To Catch a Thief, etc.)
    2. Godfather I or II (or Apocalypse Now or Blade Runner)
    3. Bourne Series or Fight Club
    4. Groundhog Day or Sullivan's Travels or Big Lebowski
    5. Manhattan or Annie Hall
    6. Rushmore or Royal Tenenbaums or Broken Flowers
    7. Saving Private Ryan or Silence of the Lambs or Schindler's List
    8. Taxi Driver or Pulp Fiction
    9. Wizard of Oz or Casablanca

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    St. Louis
    I'm older than many of you, but not as old as this list would suggest:

    10 Modern Times
    9 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
    8 Grand Hotel
    7 Double Indemnity
    6 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
    5 Psycho
    4 Chinatown
    3 Gone With The Wind
    2 Citizen Kane
    1 Casablanca

    I'm surprised at the lack of love for Hitchcock, film noir, and westerns on others' lists. I recognize that my # 9 may be a personal quirk.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest HAS to be in there...

  15. #15
    The Lion King.


    CLASSIC

  16. #16

    In the spring...

    Quote Originally Posted by Devil in the Blue Dress View Post
    It's difficult to imagine a Best Films list without at least one Peter Sellers movie. While many of the Pink Panther movies might be popular choices, I think his best film is "Being There."

    On the surface, it's a comedy and is loaded many laughs, humorous lines and scenes, but there are layers of meaning and symbolism to be explored. I've used it in teaching those aspiring to be teachers or principals, but could imagine it being used in an MBA program or public policy program. It's quite a treatise on how people believe what they want to and how easily many can be influenced by something or someone they don't understand and won't admit they don't understand.

    For those interested in such details, it was filmed at the Biltmore House as was The Swan, a popular Grace Kelly movie.
    Ah yes - "Is there a Chance?"

    I agree - an entertaining movie with much deeper meaning if you choose to delve into it. The Biltmore Estate scenery just added to the enjoyment.

    k

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Quote Originally Posted by rasputin View Post
    I'm surprised at the lack of love for Hitchcock, film noir, and westerns on others' lists.
    I'm abstaining from making a list here, as I don't think in base 10, but Rebecca and Rope would both be up there. As would The Usual Suspects, which is modern noir.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Quote Originally Posted by rasputin View Post
    I'm surprised at the lack of love for Hitchcock, film noir, and westerns on others' lists. I recognize that my # 9 may be a personal quirk.

    I felt a bit like an ignorant savage not having any Hitchcock on my list, and freely admit that is simply a failing of my viewing habits over the years. The only Hitchcock I've seen is The Birds, which was excellent. Can one make a top 10 list never having seen Psycho or North by Northwest? Only if one qualifies by freely admitting that there's plenty of great stuff I haven't seen yet!

    As for Noir, I muddled around with the idea of Devil in a Blue Dress, a nice bit of modern film noir...Don Cheadle's performance made him instantly one of my favorite actors. LA Confidential also deserves a nod.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Partly Orlando, FL partly heard Sandpoint, ID
    To me, Hitchcock drops a litter of films in the top 100, but none in the top 10. A fabulous director who produced more good work than just about anyone, but just lacking that slight extra to make it an OMG that's one of the best films ever.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
    Blade Runner (Director's Cut) - The movie had flaws (Decker's basically rape of Sean Young's character being the biggest in my mind...never was sure how to take that scene, but I didn't like it at all), but without the voiceovers and with the dark, foreboding ending, a great movie that steps into the top 10 for redefining sci-fi.
    I never got into Blade Runner, perhaps because I saw it after reading the Philip K. Dick novel on which it is based, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The movie is a pale shadow of the novel, which may have ruined my potential enjoyment of it had the order of my experiences been reversed.

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