NationStates Jolt Archive

List your top 3 films - with a short explanation - here are mine.

1) Godfather Part I
A flawless work of art - Brando was amazing, Pacino came of age and it was really like a glimpse inside Mafia life.


2) Shawshank Redemption
The second best movie ever made, Morgan Freeman = Unbelievable in this film. The ultimate feel good movie with a good insight into the prison system - Will always remember Freeman's 'Rehabilitated? Its a Bullshit word' speech.


3) Pulp Fiction
I had to put Tarantino in here somewhere - he is a genius and this is his finest film. Brilliant dialogue and the characters are actually interesting in a movie for a change.

hard to say what films are best

since tastes are different

and you can't argue taste

Pi

The Manchurian Candidate (original)

No idea for a third, there are too many.

1) Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko > you

Donnie Darko > me

Donnie Darko > God :p

as for the others....ehhhhh...I dunno :p

NWV, they are great choices to be sure, but I agree with Madmaarten, you can't really debate a persons choice in what they think are "the best" three films of all time.

Here's three of mine however: 1984, One Flew over the Cookoo's nest and Bladerunner.

To truly establish the "best" films in the world, we would have to define "best".
But of course widespread opinion could be counted as a single criteria, as each of us unconsciously sums up the features we like (although we tend to ignore negative parts of films we love.).

So, I'll have my 2 cents worth and say that Fight Club, Donnie Darko, and Resevoir Dogs are some film greats that I consider highly.
I dont know why, but Pulp Fiction never really got to me.

1. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
2. Dancer In the Dark (Lars von Trier)
3. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)
4. Three Colours: Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
5. The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont)

-Night of the Iguana
-On the Waterfront
-A streetcar named desire (the old B&w version that is)
-Apocalypse Now (the directors' version)
-Dr Strangelove

- The Greyzone (In my opinion the BEST concentration camp movie)
- Monster's Ball
- No Such Thing (Very cool icelandic monster movie that isnt scary, but makes you think)

Frankenstein (with Boris Karlof)
Nosferatu
Dr. Mabuse, Der Spieler
And many others.

1) Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko > you

Donnie Darko > me

Donnie Darko > God :p

as for the others....ehhhhh...I dunno :p
Awwww yeahhhhh! I love this movie. I don't know if it's my top favorite though. Top 5 for sure. That would take serious consideration. Return of the King is still probably my favorite. That or Jim Carrey's best movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Sweet sweet Jena Malone, your place at the top of my list will come in due time.

List your top 3 films - with a short explanation - here are mine.

1) Godfather Part I
A flawless work of art - Brando was amazing, Pacino came of age and it was really like a glimpse inside Mafia life.


2) Shawshank Redemption
The second best movie ever made, Morgan Freeman = Unbelievable in this film. The ultimate feel good movie with a good insight into the prison system - Will always remember Freeman's 'Rehabilitated? Its a Bullshit word' speech.


3) Pulp Fiction
I had to put Tarantino in here somewhere - he is a genius and this is his finest film. Brilliant dialogue and the characters are actually interesting in a movie for a change.
Hrmn very close to my picks.

1) Shawshank Redemption
2) Pulp Fiction
3) A Clockwork Orange

Don't forget Debbie Does Dallas.

Strange, "Il Postino" is not mentioned. one of the greatest all time, for connaisseurs only!

Cannibal the Musical: Based on a true story of the only man ever convicted of cannibalism in the United States, Alferd Packer. The sole survivor of an ill-fated trip to the Colorado Territory, he tells his side of the harrowing tale to news reporter Polly Pry as he awaits his execution. And his story goes like this: While searching for gold and love in the Colorado Territory, he and his companions lost their way and resorted to unthinkable horrors, including toe-tapping songs! The Online Film Critics Society named Cannibal! one of the Top 100 Overlooked Films of the 1990s. From the Creators of South Park.

Well, it's a hard choice... The Shawshank Redemption is definitely on there... as for the others... well, I don't know; I'll come back to this!

Shawshank is just so good - I dont know what it is about it, its just an amazing film.

1 - The Boys Next Door (1986)- Maxwell Caulfield & Charlie Sheen

2 - Das Boot (1985) - Jurgan Prochnow & Klaus Wennemann

3 - War And Peace (1967) - Sergei Bondarchuk & Ludmila Savelyeva

This one almost made the list -

Its A Wonderful Life (1946) - James Stewart & Donna Reed.

Das Boot was amazing - I listened to it in Subtitles not dubbed because even though I couldn't understand alot of it I wanted to see how good Prochnow was. And my thoughts were confirmed, he is amazing.

I agree, thers no doubting Prochnows quality....and i hate dubbed films, i only watch em with subtitles

1) A clockwork orange
2) Baseketball
3) The Warriors, Pulp Fiction or Resevoir dogs

1. Fight Club (David Fincher)
2. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)
3. Lost Highway (David Lynch)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)
5. Se7en (David Fincher)

1) Goodfellas-The plot is amazing, the fact that it's based on a true story just makes it even better.
"One day the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother's groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect."-By far the best quote of the whole film.

2)Fight Club-Brad Pitt! Also, it makes you think...about Brad Pitt....among other things...

3)The Lord of the Rings triolgy-a fantastic film based on a great book.

I'm amazed how much support Shawshank Redemption is getting. It's a damn fine film, to be sre, but top three? Nowhere near, IMO.

My top three are:

1) Lawrence of Arabian (David Lean)

Breathtaking cinematography, one of the greatest performances in film history from Peter O'Toole, and a great story.

2) Grand Illusion (Jean Renoir)

First prison escape movie ever (Shawshank wouldn't exist without Grand Illusion). Great themes about nation and class. Great performances.

3) The Godfather *tie* Citizen Kane *tie* Casablanca

I just can't decide between these three great films.

1)Goodfellas
2)Reservoir Dogs
3)Leon
Almost on the list-Buttwoman '97 (A philosophical piece,starring porn legend Tiffany Mynx)

The Empire Strikes Back
Being John Malkovich
Dune(the original)
Casablanca
Pulp Fiction
Donnie Darko
Dr. Strangelove
Princess Mononoke

All are excellent movies. Couldn't pick just three.

In no particular order:
1. Remember the Titans
2. Glory
3. The Wedding Singer

NWV those are fine choices, especially Shawshank

My top 3 are

1. Apocalypse Now
2. Black Hawk Down / The Crow
3. A Bronx Tale

I can't decide which of #2 I like more and come on, A Bronx Tale is great, just very, very great!

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King- Best of the three i think
Pulp Fiction- Quentin is a genius and this is one of the funniest and bloodiest movie
Fight Club- great movie which makes you think a lot

and i noticed Pulp Fiction and Fight Club were mentioned a lot, which just means they are two of the best movies ever

My top three:

1. Godzilla (1954)
2. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
3. The Goonies (1984)

3. The Empire Strikes Back

2. The Godfather Part II


And the greatest movie of all time... The Godfather Part I

1. Fight Club. Can't beat Fight Club

2. Se7en. Also a fantastic movie.

3. Star Wars Trilogy/A Clockwork Orange/Phone Booth (maybe. it was kinda cool)

Heh, I've got a running list of about 350 "top" films, so narrowing it down is always a bit difficult. Today, I'd say...

1. Brazil
2. Nashville
3. JFK

That could easily change within the hour. My top twenty can be found here (http://www.ymdb.com/user_top20_view.asp?usersid=15965) and my next 330 here (http://wertz.livejournal.com/24979.html).

- Se7en
- Das Boot
- The Ninth Gate
- Monty Python's Holy Grail
- Apocalypse Now

Among others... Hard to say which, the list keeps changing. :)

Pi
Yeah, that film is harrowing. Did you know that the brain is real?

NWV those are fine choices, especially Shawshank

My top 3 are

1. Apocalypse Now
2. Black Hawk Down / The Crow
3. A Bronx Tale

I can't decide which of #2 I like more and come on, A Bronx Tale is great, just very, very great!
Yeah, A Bronx Tale is excellent-great script,great performances,and at the same time doesn't glamourize gangsters and gives you a lot to think about.Every time I watch it (too many times) I feel good afterwards,even though it's a sad ending.
Sonny is an excellent character.

1. Forrest Gump
Wonderful plot, Tom Hanks is marvelous...great use of historical backdrops and a glorious blend of comedy and drama.

2. LOTR Trilogy (you can't really seperate them in my mind)
-Glorious adaption of a divine series, film scope, plot, and basically everything utterly blew me away.

3. the Deer Hunter

De Niro puts on a classic role, the film is both chilling and unique. Sums up the Vietnam experience for the average American perfectly and portrays the brutality of that war clearly.

Shit, I can't decide on #3
Leon or The Matrix

Pulp Fiction

Fight Club

Apocylpse Now

1. Any of the original Star Wars movies.

2. The Matrix

3. Zoolander

1. Pulp fiction
Nothing less than a work of art and pure genius. The subtleties are mind boggling. Tarrantino is a genius in everything he does.

2. Godfather part 2
I rank this higher than GF1 because of the insight into 20's mob life. It also manages to portray the emotions that were ripping through the characters through the Fredo subplot.

3. Reservoir dogs
I love the way this is done. Again, the subtleties are spectacular, especially the off camera events that occur after Mr. Pink leaves with the diamonds.

1. Pulp fiction
Nothing less than a work of art and pure genius. The subtleties are mind boggling. Tarrantino is a genius in everything he does.

2. Godfather part 2
I rank this higher than GF1 because of the insight into 20's mob life. It also manages to portray the emotions that were ripping through the characters through the Fredo subplot.

3. Reservoir dogs
I love the way this is done. Again, the subtleties are spectacular, especially the off camera events that occur after Mr. Pink leaves with the diamonds.
Not to mention the "magic bullet" debate which appeared on the net and in several movie magazines-Who shot Nice Guy Eddie?

My top three (warning, don't read if you haven't seen these movies and are planning to):

1) The Day After Tomorrow

Mostly I liked the plot. Although the science can be picked apart, it did present an actual problem from the real world. I also liked the way that they managed to do a disaster movie without obliterating character development. The special effects made it an extremely good visual, and the acting was very realistic. The New York setting biased me towards it as well, since I recently visited and have decided it's my favorite city apart from sweet home PDX. Jake Gyllenhaal's cuteness didn't exactly hurt either.

2) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

More than anything else, it's just such a charming movie about love. So we're gonna start hating each other? "Okay." Such a proof that they really love each other. But I couldn't watch a movie about just that - they also offer lots of little distractions and do it in a really creative way. How many movies can you think of that involve memory modification? (Back episodes from any of the five Star Treks don't count.) They went to a lot of trouble to invent a theoretical way that it could work, too. As far as distractions, sides to the heavy stuff, you've got Clementine's constantly-changing hair color, Kirsten Dunst's character having a crush on the owner of the memory-erasing place, and the very strange places that Joel takes Clementine in his struggle not to forget. The last cookie in this film is the fact that Jim Carrey is starring in a role that's not blatant comedy, somewhat of a new niche.

3) Shrek

Suffice it to say, I saw it in the theaters 5 times. What can I say? It was incredibly funny, and it had enough puns to tickle my funny bone without being so inundated (as I felt the sequel was) that the funny bone became numb. Donkey was definitely the best character. "You know what else everybody likes? Parfait. You ever go up to someone and say hey lets get go some parfait and they like hey no no I don't like no parfait."

Not to mention the "magic bullet" debate which appeared on the net and in several movie magazines-Who shot Nice Guy Eddie?

It is commonly believed that Mr. White does indeed fire twice, killing Nice Guy Eddie.

waaaaaaay too many to just list 3. sorry-i can't chop the list past this.

Orgazmo-fuckin' hilarious. mormons in porn-is there anything better?
Cannibal the Musical-i always liked musicals. especially ones about cannibals.
Donnie Darko-trippy and dark, and gyllenhaal is gorgeous and broody. nice acting.
Mulholland Drive-david lynch is an asshole for doing this movie, but it all splices together so wonderfully.
Nightmare Before Christmas-aww, more musicals. and the characters and imagination are so wonderful.
Amelie-quirky and fun, very cute but still great. fantastic characters.
Secretary-HOT. bondage, james spader, and maggie gyllenhaal. mm-mm good.
Edward Scissorhands-a classic. johnny depp in one of his best roles.
Big Fish-do i need to say anything? i obviously love tim burton. that man is a god.
A Clockwork Orange-violent? yes, but so original, and the actor who plays alex is amazing.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure-an 80's classic.

What the hell is Parfait?

My top three (warning, don't read if you haven't seen these movies and are planning to):

1) The Day After Tomorrow

Mostly I liked the plot. Although the science can be picked apart, it did present an actual problem from the real world. I also liked the way that they managed to do a disaster movie without obliterating character development. The special effects made it an extremely good visual, and the acting was very realistic. The New York setting biased me towards it as well, since I recently visited and have decided it's my favorite city apart from sweet home PDX. Jake Gyllenhaal's cuteness didn't exactly hurt either.



bleargh! yeah, gyllenhaal is the hottest thing since electric stoves (or microwave ovens!), but that was the stupidest movie i've seen in a long time. yeah, global warming is a huge problem, but that movie had bad bad science. the dialogue was horrible, the premise was ridiculous, and the acting was only so-so.

although who am i to dispute your favorites? and the special effects were pretty sweet.

1. Apocalypse Now.
This movie is very likely the greatest movie ever filmed, specifically becuase some of the scenes can never be reproduced.

Martin Sheen's wife called him up to divorce him moments before the scene in the hotel room was shot, He flipped out, and actually had a small heart attack on film.
He even punched a mirror, and badly cut his hand.....thats real emotion you see in his face.

2. The Godfather.
Timeless classic.

3. Citizen Kane.
Classic Wells.

1. Clockwork Orange- :)
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (lol I know im a nerd for saying this)
3. Pulp Fiction- Awesome movie

pulp fiction is pretty good, but it leaves me craving milkshakes.

3 off the top of my head, i cant say I would repeat this tommorow.

China Town
Casablanca
King of New York

Hmmm. Well here are a few of mine.

1. Taxi Driver

Just a great movie, Martin Scorsese and De Niro at the top of their games and it has one of the best climax scenes ever.

2. Suburbia (the old 1984 one)

Great underground movie and it has T.S.O.L. and the Vandals in it.

3. Road Warrior

Just can't get enough of this movie. Great car chases, great classic western storyline, it's just everything an "action" movie should be but usually isn't.

I couldn't tell you 3 favourite movies - 20 maybe but no order.
Instead my favourite Directors are:
1. Stanley Kubrick (2001, Dr Strangelove, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket)
2. Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the waves, Dogsville, Zentroppa, the Kingdom)
3. Peter Jackson (LOTR, Bad Taste, Brain Dead, Meet the Feebles)
4. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie,Alien Resurrection, The City of Lost Children, Delicatessen)

I rate these guys over others in that they were consistantly good (IMHO). There's not one movie they've made that I wouldn't watch again - some I've seen several times. I especially enjoy Peter Jackson. If anyone who's seen his early stuff you'll know what I mean. It's a credit to his ability that he was given $400Mill and 5 years to make LOTR. How many other directors would have Mirimax had that much faith in?
Lars Von Trier is an amazing filmmaker, who's not afraid of experimenting and forcing strong emotions from his audience.
Jeunet's film-making skills and understanding of shots is sublime. Also his sense of whimsy and humour is enjoyable.
Stanley Kubrick is God. Enough said.

B list:
1. Francis Ford Copola (Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The conversation)
2. Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, Goodfellows)
3. Sergio Leone (The good the bad and the ugly, Fistful of dollars series)
4. Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, North by Northwest, Strangers on a train)
5. Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner)
6. George Lucas (THX, Star Wars series)
7. Steven Speilberg (Jaws, Ark series, Jurassiac Park, Empire of the Sun)
8. James Cameron (Terminator, Aliens)

The reason why they're B list is that they (IMHO) had periods of absolute brilliance, followed by a decline. This is especially true of Copola. His film-making during the seventies was phenomenal, but then the 80s and 90s? Peggy Sue got Married, Dracula? What was the guy on when he agreed to those turkeys?
And I included Lucas, Spielberg and Cameron cause, while in my opinion, they don't make great movies (in the sense that it confronts you the way a Von Trier movie would), they make unashamedly great action movies that are perfect for unwinding to and forgetting the days troubles. And for that I thank them. Of course Titanic is another matter. 3 1/2 hours just to see Kate Winsletts tits and a boat sink.

What the hell is Parfait?

A layered dessert.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/food/0007/crazy.guy/parfait.jpg

You should go to McDonald's and get one. They don't suck as much as the rest of the food there.

1. Godfather Part 1 and 2

2. Field of Drams, but Archie Graham never got his At bat, he hit a Sacfly which doesn't count as an official at bat even though he got the RBI.

3. Forrest Gump, I can't believe that is 10 years old

2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (lol I know im a nerd for saying this)


Do I know you IRL by any chance? It seems that a lot of my friends are obsessed with that movie. Personally I think it's disturbing in spots and just kind of strange during the rest.

Cidade de Deus (City of God)

Apocalypse Now

Full Metal Jacket




There's probably more, but I can't think of them right now.

Aliens

Forrest Gump

Pulp Fiction

Not really my top 3 but some I'm always up for watching.

1. Dogma
2. LOTR - any of the three films can fit in here
3. L.A. Confidential

But really, there are too many films to choose from. Give it a year and the list will change I reakon.

1. Superfly
2. Seven Samurai
3. O Lucky Man

"To Kill a Mockingbird" - 1962 (starring - Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch)

Luther - that movie ROCKED...since I'm a liberal history buff
Cleopatra - drama! awesome movie
...and I cant think of a third

3 off the top of my head, i cant say I would repeat this tommorow.

China Town
Casablanca
King of New York

Fuck yeah! King Of New York is so under-rated!
It's probably No.5 on my all-time list.
Frank White is a truly unique character-A gangster concerned about poverty and social issues with a multi-ethnic gang,whose ambition is to become the mayor of New York!

I chose Frank White as the name of my nations President!

"To Kill a Mockingbird" - 1962 (starring - Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch)


mmm, dunno about that one. have you read the book? it's a lot better, but fair do's, the film is quite good.

Having not seen too too many films, I would have to go with the following list (I guess it's in order)

1. The Matrix
2. Minority Report
3. Pirates of the Caribbean (though it very narrowly misses second place)

Having not seen too too many films, I would have to go with the following list (I guess it's in order)

1. The Matrix
2. Minority Report
3. Pirates of the Caribbean (though it very narrowly misses second place)

See Pulp Fiction...now

In no particular order:

1) Brother from Another Planet
2) They Live
3) Tommy

...both Falling Down and PWs Big Adventure receive honorable mentions.

See Pulp Fiction...now

I've heard good things about it, but never gotten around to seeing it. Perhaps I will in the near future.

My top three, on this particular day, are:

1 - Amelie
2 - Clash of the Titans
3 - Elling

Shawshank is just so good - I dont know what it is about it, its just an amazing film.
It has more deeply developed characters than most films and unexpected plot twists.


Amelie-quirky and fun, very cute but still great. fantastic characters.

Finally, another fan!

I couldn't tell you 3 favourite movies - 20 maybe but no order.
Instead my favourite Directors are:
1. Stanley Kubrick (2001, Dr Strangelove, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket)
2. Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the waves, Dogsville, Zentroppa, the Kingdom)
3. Peter Jackson (LOTR, Bad Taste, Brain Dead, Meet the Feebles)
4. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie,Alien Resurrection, The City of Lost Children, Delicatessen)

B list:
1. Francis Ford Copola (Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The conversation)
2. Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, Goodfellows)
3. Sergio Leone (The good the bad and the ugly, Fistful of dollars series)
4. Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, North by Northwest, Strangers on a train)
5. Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner)
7. Steven Speilberg (Jaws, Ark series, Jurassiac Park, Empire of the Sun)

Wow, you have amazing taste, very similar to mine!

That's nice to hear, thank you.

Pulp Fiction
Hero
The Matrix

A layered dessert.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/food/0007/crazy.guy/parfait.jpg

You should go to McDonald's and get one. They don't suck as much as the rest of the food there.
I don't do McDonalds.I prefer (homemade) cheesecake-blackcurrant or strawberry

I don't do McDonalds.I prefer (homemade) cheesecake-blackcurrant or strawberry
i feel greasy and dirty even driving by mcdonald's, let alone eating there.

Ronald McDonald is the acceptable Corporate face of Globalisation.He is evil.

Saving Private Ryan
Braveheart
And uhhh...Supertroopers

can i just add the green mile to my list! i've just remembered...excellent film!

Did anyone mention the Exorcist?
or Deerhunter?

Taxi Driver.

The Misfits (Clark Gable, Marylin Monroe)
The Original Dracula with Bela Lugosi.

1. Unforgiven
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Se7en

I'd go with Donnie Darko, Fight Club (although I much prefer the book), and Memento. Godfather part II is up there, as is the Shawshank redemption and the Green Mile, but I don't think they crack the top three.

Terminator 2, The Matrix, Pulp Fiction

Let the dead rest in peace. Especially when they're posted by that guy.