21. Atonement (J. Wright, 2007)


I was initally going to have this higher, but then I realized that this was one of only four movies I had left that I've seen only once, and this is easily the shakiest of the four. But boy did I have a crazy experience that one time. Once the misunderstandings begin in this movie, despite being incredibly outlandish, I got a sick, sick feeling in my stomach that few movies had given me. That feeling rarely left for the rest of the film, and once the very end came at me, I was truly shaken, and very depressed.

Then a funny thing happened. As I headed out to the parking lot, just a few minutes past midnight, to head on my 45 minute drive home, I began to realize that what I had seen was something amazing. "That was a good movie," I said to myself. "That was a very good movie" I repeated. Then, as I headed down the rural road, I became high on the excitement of seeing something truly amazing, and started shouting "That was a fucking amazing movie!" But why? Is it because of those feelings that resided with me for the duration of the picture? The beautiful imagery, with it's wonderfully lighted moments and extended takes, the emotions and plights of these characters destroyed by one over-imaginative girl? The ending that should be the defining example of "bittersweet"? I dunno, but after all these months the movie still has yet to truly leave me.

20. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (J. Cameron, 1991)


Recently I needed to fold clothes, and in trying to decide which film to play while folding, I decided upon Terminator 2, thinking that since I had seen it many times before it would be easy to watch and fold at the same time. Five minutes into the movie and I had completely forgotten about the laundry, captivated by this film's pure awesomeness. I've seen the original only once, and enjoyed it, but I've always found this to be one of Hollywood's most perfect action movies, most perfect sci-fi movies, and one of the greatest uses of innovative technology, where the overly-shiny CGI actually works with the film instead of against it. The scenes in the desert drag a little (That's when I finally started folding again), but everything that surrounds it is balls-to-the-wall amazing. The chase through the canals, the escape from the asylum, the takedown of Cyberdyne, and that final sequence in the mill. When it comes to pure action entertainment, this is pretty damn hard to beat.

19. Babe (C. Noonan, 1995)


This was a childhood favorite of mine, but a recent viewing gave me an amazing realization: this is one deep, dark, picture that is more full of life than just about any other film you'll find starring non-human characters. From the opening narration that sardonically refers to "Pig Paradise," it was obvious that this was a children's film that really didn't fool around. And yet despite that similar cynicisms, it's a film about a farm with some of the most delightful characters I've seen, animal or not, and features two of the most wonderfully uplifting moments I can think of: Farmer Hoggett cheering up Babe with a goofy, wonderful dance set to "If I Had Words", and that final, emotional, perfect scene at the sheep herding contest. Everything from the dead silence that falls over the crowd to the final "That'll do, pig" is so emotionally overwhelming I get choked up just writing about it. If only all children's films were so considerate of what those children would think of the movie in older age...I just love this movie.

18. The Manchurian Candidate (J. Frankenheimer, 1962)


It takes a lot for a thriller to genuinely thrill me. It takes even more for a thriller to shake me to my core, and have me all clenched up in its final moments, then truly deliver the ultimate pay-off that leaves me shell shocked as the movie closes. As far as I can recall, this is the only movie to do that. It's absolutely absurd in its plotting (Hypnotizing a man to commit an assassination), and little undercooked in areas (I don't think I'll ever get what was up with Janet Leigh's character), but when it's on, it's the thriller to end all thrillers. Once the convention starts, and Sinatra is out looking for Lawrence Harvey, I was pulled in to the picture like I rarely ever have, more and more until I wish there were more thrillers out there that gripped me the way this did, because I've been searching for that similar feelings ever since. And oh, did I mention that Angela Lansbury is the most wonderfully EVIL performances ever?

17. Airplane! (J. Abrahams, D. Zucker + J. Zucker)


I've already mentioned a few times that I like my comedies unrelenting, and willing to do ANYTHING for laugh. Few movies are as desperate for them as Airplane!, and, in my humble opinion, none have ever matched it. This is, in pure laugh-out-loud count, the funniest picture I have ever seen. I watch it, again and again, and there are so many gags packed in, that at least a couple will jump out at me liek they were new, and get me going for a long while. It's incredibly amateurish, yet just so damn funny. Thank you, ZAZ.

16. Beauty and the Beast (G. Trousdale + K. Wise)


One of the rare cases where the marketing isn't hyperbole. Of all of the movies that seen from Disney, this is the one that has always sat with me the best. First off, it has easily the best soundtrack of any - "Belle," "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast" are all amazingly perfect, and "The Mob Song" and "Gaston" are good throwaway diddies. Second, the animation is absolutely beautiful. The castle is an amazing piece of work, at once enchanting and terrifying, and the CGI here is used perfectly in the ballroom scene, one of the great goosebump-inducing movie moments. And finally, the story. The story just works, transformation and all (The ONE TIME Disney follows the old story, people get pissed, natch). Every time I watch it, even now, I am entranced, and I adore it so.

15. Before Sunrise (R. Linklater, 1995)


It's a bit of a shame that Before Sunset has overshadowed this movie some, because in its own right it's quite excellent. Almost perfect, in fact. From the moment that Jesse and Celine meet cute on the train, it all just works, every little moment that they share together, every quirky character they meet, every old memory that they share, every place they visit. It's not much for plot, just getting us acquainted with these two young, slightly self-absorbed yet oh so lovely characters in an oh so lovely city, bonding and falling in love.

21.5. Citizen Kane (O. Welles, 1941)


Oops.

So I kinda meant to bump this down some earlier, but I didn't, and now I get to it, and realize that this really should've been the #21 movie, between Monty Python and Atonement. But even with that faux pas, I genuinely love this much-discussed, much-respected, much-despised movie. I first saw it when I was 12, and while I didn't consider it the greatest movie evah, I did enjoy it. I've seen it three or four more times since, and I still genuinely enjoy it, its twisty story, its innovative camera work and editing, its epic yet personal story of a man hell bent on success...it's not just a great movie, it's also a good movie, a feat that I've felt many other great movies fail to reach (Raging Bull and Bergman's work comes to mind there). So yeah, suckit, haterz. And sorry about the ranking confusion.

13. Spirited Away (H. Miyazaki, 2002)


My all time favorite animated movie. I don't consider myself a fan of anime - I enjoy it, but am not fanatic about it - yet this film is truly a one of a kind piece of work from the movies, animated or otherwise. It throws you into a world of intrigue and fantasy, with some of the most fantastical images I have ever seen, rendered beautifully by the artwork of Miyazaki. It might be the only film that moved to tears largely because of his imagery (The falling tears is what I'm talking about, and it's something that didn't hit me hard until after a few viewings - it seriously took me by surprise). And yet it all wouldn't work without a human story, and Chihiro is one of the most excellent, flawed and ultimately empowering characters of the movies.

That's all for now, but I'll try posting more later tonight, maybe even finish it. We'll see.

I don't want to go over 44 pages of this thread, but I doubt much people even think about putting Babe on their lists, let alone this high. That was one brilliant choice.

Atonement has been your only serious misstep. tsk tsk.

Yeah, seriously.

Should have picked Babe: Pig in the City!

But Babe's terrific, too.

Babe: Pig in the City lacks the wonderful performance of James Cromwell. I'd pick Babe in an instant over Babe: Pig in the City just because of that. The sequel is definitely underrated, but Babe is still better IMO.

Spirited Away, T2, Before Sunrise.. Surely one of my favorite lists so far.

Atonement =

viewtopic.php?p=1162334#p1162334

Magnus: I was a vegetarian for the first 12 years of my life. Lack of pork-eating is hardly an excuse for Babe-hatin'.

I don't have anything to watch tonight, so I might finish this list, or at least add a few more. We shall see...

Lemme redo this (?)

You can probably do it once I'm done. Actually, I think I'll do a couple now...

12. Nashville (R. Altman, 1975)


I initially had this even higher, but as I looked over my final Top 12, I realized that this was one of only three other films that I had seen just once. It may seen preposterous to have a film you've only seen once so high, but it's not easy finding time for a near-three hour epic like this when there's so much I still need to see. Still, this is a film that had stayed with me for over four years now, since I first lost myself in this film's vast, deep, detailed, sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking world that Altman, screenwriter Joan Newksbury and his entire cast help create. It's been years, so it's hard to give details, but there are moments here that I just really love, especially Keith Carradine's performance of "I'm Easy," a cruel and sad scene, and the final scene at a political fund raiser/concert. It's such a genuinely American modern epic, and I'm not sure there's another film that I want to see again more, after all these years.

11. The General (C. Bruckman + B. Keaton, 1927)


What is it about The General that makes me love it so? Sherlock, Jr. is a funnier and more inventive film, and Steamboat Bill, Jr. gives me more thrills, but I've seen The General at least half a dozen times now, and every time I just lose myself to it. So what if it makes heroes out of the South, and so what if the film is essentially one giant chase scene with a little break in the middle and a humorous battle scene at the end? In a way this is my movie comfort food, something I watch when I just want something entertaining and nothing more. And Keaton has rarely done so much for his art, jumping over fires on wood bridge or throwing a rial track block to rid himself of another one (Sounds confusing? See the movie). I just love with movie. A lot.

10. Children of Men (A. Cuaron, 2006)


Oh yes, Children of Men nut alert. By the time I was done watching this the first time my palms were literally sweaty from what I had just witnessed. Multiple viewings since have only convinced me that what I saw was the real deal. You see, I enjoy ambition, and when that ambition is fulfilled, it really is quite amazing. The moments here have been discussed endlessly - the assault on the car, the trek through the battlefield, even the non-single shot moments like Caine stalling the Fishes - it's all executed perfectly here, and that truly makes for an amazing experience. Also, not enough is said about Clive Owen, who takes the stereotypical role of an ordinary person thrusted into extraordinary circumstances, and makes something amazing and real and haunting and wonderful out of it. Cuaron has earned my trust with this picture, and I can only hope that whatever he does next is even half as rewarding as this was.

9. The Producers (M. Brooks, 1968)


In today's modern comedy, The Producers has certainly been out-crassed, yet as with many things that were first, there remains a fearless, mischievous undertone to it that keeps it alive even today. Mostel and Wilder are perfect in the leading roles, but the ensemble certainly doesn't slouch. Kenneth Mars as the Nazi playwright never gets old, Christopher Hewitt's Roger De Bris has somehow survived the stereotypical gayness, and Dick Shawn's "LSD" is still hilarious (Especially "Love Power") even 40 years after the death of the beatnik movement. Brooks was always at his best when he really felt like he had to offend someone, and that spirit still carries on. One last thing: "Springtime for Hitler"? Possibly the damned funniest scene I've ever seen. I don't remember laughing so hard the first time I saw it, and I still giggle endlessly every time I watch it.

8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (S. Spielberg, 1982)


Few films touched me the way E.T. did on first viewing. I'm not sure how many films can even equal the way it portrays childhood, because I can't think of any. The sibling rivalry, the sense of wonder, the willingness to accept the impossible...Spielberg tapped into his childhood for this movie, and you can really feel it. It's just so genuine. E.T. is such a simple creature, so mysterious, so childlike himself in the way he reacts to this strange world. And the final 40 minutes are so heart wrenching, in a way that when E.T. comes back to life, it became the first moment in my entire life I just lost it at the movie, and actually teared up. I was 11 at the time. I didn't see it again, because I was worried about how Spielberg's redoing would affect it, but I was being too cynical: no amount of tweaking can ruin what Spielberg made here.

You should check it out. I never bothered with the musical, mainly because it didn't seem nearly as proudly zany, as willing to shove good taste in your face as the original did, which is amazing considering it's over 30 years older than the musical. If you enjoyed Brooks' later spoofs, it's at least worth a check.

7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (S. Kubrick, 1964)


Dr. Strangelove really isn't a HILARIOUS movie. But it is a damn good comedy. How is this? I've watched the movie many times, and while the movie is never quite ha ha funny, Kubrick captures a tone that is so absurd, yet so sure of itself that you remain captivated and ultimately humored, even as humanity builds towards its inevitable extinction. There are so many little things that make it work viewing after viewing. The briefing by Gen. Turgidson (Goerge C. Scott in possibly my favorite supporting turn, ever) where he delightfully informs the president that it can ends peacefully, "With no more than 10 to 20 million people killed, TOPS!" The call by President Muffley calling Dimitri Kisov, the drunk Soviet Premier. "Precious Bodily Fluids." Pretty much anything George C. Scott does or say in the final 30 minutes of the film. And that bleak, bleak, bleak ending. Few satires have ever been as ruthless and dead on in their targets and best of all it's absolutely hilarious. It not only makes me laugh, it says quite simply what I think of war and government and all of this crazy shit in life.