NationStates Jolt Archive

After two threads, I finally have a list of ten movies. These have been nominated by fellow NSers to be included in this poll.

Which of these films is best? The winning movie on the poll is (unofficially) declared the best movie of the last 20 years.

Please...NO complaints about any movie not being on the poll. There have been two threads to determine these movies. If you missed your chance to nominate a film, you'll have to wait until someone else gets bored in three months and does this again.

POLL COMING

Shawshank Redemption, no contest.

Grmpf.

What happened to the LOTR?

But Shawshank is definitely the best in this list, there is no doubt about that!

Shawshank Redemption, no contest.

Yeah, that's what I'm guessing. I had been hoping the movie I nominated (American History X) could have given it a run for it's money, but it sadly missed out on making it to this final poll.

Shawshank Redemption is the best on the list.

Shawshank is the best on the list. I like LOTR better though.

I've seen 3 on the list. 2 weren't very good, so I voted for the other one.

I adore full metal jacket

Transformers

If it had been for the last 21 year movies, I'd choose "Brazil", yet since it's 2006 by now, I'd say "Fight Club". Shawshank Redemption would be a very close second (even though I have to admit that Transformers was a beguiling choice as well...)

Even though the list has been filtered by previous polls, I just felt compelled to add some more:

-Twelve Monkeys
-Monty Pythons: Holy Grail, Life of Brian
-Star Wars (the first trilogy of course, but I guess this doesn't count in the last 20 years perhaps...)
-Dark City
-Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds (Miyazaki, as in Spirited Away, a must see for a Miyazaki fan i think...)

and for some more or less european as well?:

Big Blue, Fifth Element, Leon

The biggest joke is not that you've put transformers on there, but that the usual suspects is seriously considered as a contender in this field. (Fight club all the way).

I really dont get why ppl think so highly of brazil. I didnt get it.

And BTW nausicaa is easily myazakis poorest film (though still a half-decent film). If you wanted another one to be nominated you should have said castle in the sky.

Spirited Away - Visually stunning and cute fairy tale
Nausicca - Slightly dated but nonetheless decent
Laputa (Castle in the sky) - Don't get me wrong, I like all of Miyazaki's work but this one is atypical of his style and doesn't stand out

BUT

Princess Mononoke - Ecological messages in a stunning film!!!

The Studio Ghibli collection is gradually being released with English dubbing so there's no reason for anyone NOT to see such great films (especially if they couldn't be arsed with reading subtitles before now)!!!

Donnie Darko for me. Johnny Depp was superb and Al Pacino was brilliant as his naive underworld tutor ;)

Nope, DD was brilliantly unique, very dark and spooky, and accompanied by an excellent soundtrack. I dont think any1 will forget the rabbit suit.

Even though the list has been filtered by previous polls, I just felt compelled to add some more:

-Twelve Monkeys
-Monty Pythons: Holy Grail, Life of Brian
-Star Wars (the first trilogy of course, but I guess this doesn't count in the last 20 years perhaps...)
-Dark City
-Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds (Miyazaki, as in Spirited Away, a must see for a Miyazaki fan i think...)

and for some more or less european as well?:

Big Blue, Fifth Element, Leon

I dig Twelve Monkeys, Dark City, and The Fifth Element myself...but then I'm partial to sci-fi.

what? no American Beauty?

what? no American Beauty?

It was on a previous poll of eight movies that were vying for the last two spots on this poll. It was beaten out by Trainspotting and The Usual Suspects.

It was on a previous poll of eight movies that were vying for the last two spots on this poll. It was beaten out by Trainspotting and The Usual Suspects.

ah, my bad, i missed the previous post.

Your list is terribly american-biased and limited, none of those movies get anywhere NEAR my top ten.

Transformers the movie came out in 1985--21 years ago, it's out of scope. :)

Your list is terribly american-biased and limited, none of those movies get anywhere NEAR my top ten.

To be clear, it's not MY list...it's a list compiled from the nominations of dozens of NSers. So unless we're all American...

Also...nobody cares about your top-ten...unless you make your own thread about it. Then you'll be all set. :)

The biggest joke is not that you've put transformers on there, but that the usual suspects is seriously considered as a contender in this field. (Fight club all the way).

The Usual Suspects

Transformers ... in spite of the fact that they killed off all the main characters so they could sell more toys.

Pretty ridiculous that you'd even consider "donnie darko."

Another reason not to vote on the lousy poll.

Pretty ridiculous that you'd even consider "donnie darko."

Another reason not to vote on the lousy poll.

Might I ask what you particularly didn't like about Donnie Darko?

I think it is an intelligent, singular and very stylish movie with a fascinating twist on time travel. Magnificent soundtrack and excellent performances all round.

of those listed, Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction and Usual suspects are in a virtual dead heat, imo.

Of course my favorites aren't on there... Titanic, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, LA Confidential

what? no American Beauty?

Just take all the Best Picture winners from the past 20 years... add, oh, a couple other nominees from each year... and with your list of 60 (hehe), choose from that. Too bad poll options only go to 10.

of those listed, Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction and Usual suspects are in a virtual dead heat, imo.

Of course my favorites aren't on there... Titanic, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, LA Confidential

Yes, Private Ryan and LA Confidential should be there in my opinion, but good god man, Titanic? 4-5 out of 10 movie, if that! Just a forbidden love yarn with great special effects.

Might I ask what you particularly didn't like about Donnie Darko?

I think it is an intelligent, singular and very stylish movie with a fascinating twist on time travel. Magnificent soundtrack and excellent performances all round.


It gave the impression that it was made by kids in high school. Trite plot, vacuous, lousy music, lousy acting.

Weird-for-weird's-sake.

No Blue Velvet (1986)? Goodfellas (1990)? Big Lebowski (1998)?

It gave the impression that it was made by kids in high school. Trite plot, vacuous, lousy music, lousy acting.

Weird-for-weird's-sake.

You're entitled to your opinion but you make DD sound totally shit, I'm sure you don't totally believe that for a minute. No redeeming qualities at all?

Yes, Private Ryan and LA Confidential should be there in my opinion, but good god man, Titanic? 4-5 out of 10 movie, if that! Just a forbidden love yarn with great special effects.


Titanic, the one that won 11 Oscars, many (if not most) people give a 10 out of 10 (and a few give 0, bringing down the average)... that included action, romance, intrigue, a great villain, a hero, an emotional sinking, an emotional ending, and the aforementioned great special effects. That one.

this is Titanic's vote breakdown:

Votes Percentage Rating
28384 26.7% 10
12319 11.6% 9
14730 13.9% 8
13864 13.0% 7
9312 8.8% 6
6520 6.1% 5
4122 3.9% 4
3483 3.3% 3
2766 2.6% 2
10785 10.1% 1

Arithmetic mean = 7.0. Median = 8

52.2% rate it at 8 or higher; 65.2% rate it at 7 or higher.

Titanic, the one that won 11 Oscars, many (if not most) people give a 10 out of 10 (and a few give 0, bringing down the average)... that included action, romance, intrigue, a great villain, a hero, an emotional sinking, an emotional ending, and the aforementioned great special effects. That one.

Wouldn't give it a 0, Titanic is worth watching if you haven't seen it, not worth watching a second time tho. I sincerely believe it shouldn't even be in the top 150. It's very much a 'girlie' film like Sleepless in Seattle, Thelma and Louise etc

You're entitled to your opinion but you make DD sound totally shit, I'm sure you don't totally believe that for a minute. No redeeming qualities at all?

I didnt like it at all.

Wouldn't give it a 0, Titanic is worth watching if you haven't seen it, not worth watching a second time tho. I sincerely believe it shouldn't even be in the top 150. It's very much a 'girlie' film like Sleepless in Seattle, Thelma and Louise etc

fair enough, though it has more epic-type qualities than Sleepless or Thelma

fair enough, though it has more epic-type qualities than Sleepless or Thelma

Just in the fact that the majority of approving audiences will be female. But what do you mean by 'epic'? Seems to mean different things to different people; lost it's true definition a while back

Just in the fact that the majority of approving audiences will be female. But what do you mean by 'epic'? Seems to mean different things to different people; lost it's true definition a while back

just a feeling I guess -- that it's a "grand" picture... a big picture, historical in context, perhaps.

just a feeling I guess -- that it's a "grand" picture... a big picture, historical in context, perhaps.

Just asking. Some folks use it to describe long-in-duration movies and others for the costliness of it. I thought the true definition had something to do with number of actors involved. That's why I asked, not even sure which is right meself.

The best movie of the last twenty years is "Good Night and Good Luck." Unfortunately, most people will never see it, and the majority of those who will see it aren't versed enough in the history of the times to properly appreciate it.

I already voted for fight club, but the other films from the past 20 years that are absolutely perfect films and better than anything (excluding fight club) on the list are:

Castle in the sky (may not seem like a stand out myazaki film but its the one profoundly satisfying of his films, the one that feels complete, unlike his other brilliant but still somehow, inconclusive/anticlimactic films ie. spirited away, Princess mononoke)

The big lebowski

Dead Man (Probably the most poetic and conceptually consistent film ive ever seen)

A room for Romeo Brass (an absolute masterpiece from Shane meadows and Paddy considine, Britains answer to Deniro/Scorsese).

And, less brilliant but still worth a mention (i dont think its been mentioned so far): Crouching tiger, hidden dragon.

Forrest Gump?

"Hey Forrest, I wanna go home."

Fight Club is the best on the list... but I'd actually consider choosing "Hero" instead, if we were off-the-list.

Hero's a dreadful film. I dont think ive ever seen a film thats more visually stunning and at the same time completely vacuous. Horrible almost gimicky use of camera and colour effects (about as subtle as the tellytubbies use of colour) and completely nonsensical plot packed with thoroughly unbelievable and at the same time 1 dimensional characters. And i personally think Zhang ziyi is a terrible actress (or at least she is in everything ive seen her in).

All the actors seemed capable of no facial expressions (excluding ziyi's excruciating, gurning performance) although they did all get the chance to show off how they could make a tear roll down their cheek on command (seriously, virtually every actor was given a tear-shot).

I was surprised at how tasteless this film really was, almost like a hollywood remake of crouching tiger.

Hero's a dreadful film. I dont think ive ever seen a film thats more visually stunning and at the same time completely vacuous. Horrible almost gimicky use of camera and colour effects (about as subtle as the tellytubbies use of colour) and completely nonsensical plot packed with thoroughly unbelievable and at the same time 1 dimensional characters. And i personally think Zhang ziyi is a terrible actress (or at least she is in everything ive seen her in).

All the actors seemed capable of no facial expressions (excluding ziyi's excruciating, gurning performance) although they did all get the chance to show off how they could make a tear roll down their cheek on command (seriously, virtually every actor was given a tear-shot).

I was surprised at how tasteless this film really was, almost like a hollywood remake of crouching tiger.

Wow. I couldn't agree with you less. You understand that the pallette was, almost, a character in it's own right, yes? The choice of colour is not just 'visual', but contextual and symbolic?

And, you also understand the significance of some of the use of expression/misuse of expression?

I'd say you should watch Mirrormask, for a slightly more 'obvious' approach to the same 'style' of film-making... but I fear you'd like that film just as little, for the same reasons... and I fear you STILL wouldn't 'see' what it is I'm alluding to in 'Hero'.

Fight Club!

Trainspotting

Wish I'd voted for it now over transformers but I just couldn't help myself

Ghost In the Shell followed by The Matrix

Objectively speaking shawshank is probably the best film, but I had to go with fight club, I just like it better. Saying that, If i could only watch one film before I died, it would be transformers.

Transformers the Movie, shame upon the academy for overlooking them so many times. :(

Omitting the original Matrix film, a transgression for which the gods of film will thoroughly berate you, and from the above, it is Donnie Darko.

Snakes on a Plane.

Wow. I couldn't agree with you less. You understand that the pallette was, almost, a character in it's own right, yes? The choice of colour is not just 'visual', but contextual and symbolic?.

Well duh. Thats what was so completely lacking in subtelty about it. I understood the way colour reflected mood and story, i just didnt want to be beaten over the head by it. Like the bit with the 2 women characters are fighting by the tree, when one of them gets stabbed, the leaves on the tree go red. Jesus. Show me a tackier more pretentious use of colour in the history of cinema.
And if the pallete was a character, then i would guess that it was a psychopath, desperately trying, and failing, to mimic the emotions of the characters. All the visuals were little more than a distraction from the storyline, which in itself was pretty flimsy.

"And, you also understand the significance of some of the use of expression/misuse of expression?"

Nope. All i saw was a cast of inscrutable, unbelievable characters whose implausibilty was reflected in the flat and tactless performances.

"I'd say you should watch Mirrormask, for a slightly more 'obvious' approach to the same 'style' of film-making... but I fear you'd like that film just as little, for the same reasons... and I fear you STILL wouldn't 'see' what it is I'm alluding to in 'Hero'."

I'd hardly equate mirrormask with hero. One is a fantastical childrens story in which any after effects could be considered an intrinsic part of the mood/story, the other is supposedly a high kung fu movie/period drama in which such effects (when used as haphazardly as they are in hero) can only distract and overall cheapen the movie.

One of my problems with hero was that it was so "obvious". The visuals tricks dont merely reflect the mood, nor do they even reinforce it, they are like huge roadsigns pointing out all the changes of mood and developments of plot, as if the audience were monkeys, incapable of understanding what was going on without these grotesque emotional cues. If we're talking about the film in terms of obviousness, I found it almost as patronising as you and rather less convincing.

it has to be Army of Darkness or Erik the Viking

it has to be Army of Darkness or Erik the Viking

ARMY OF DARKNESS!

but i voted for fight club

Cmon ppl. Evil dead 2's the superior film and thats just about within the 20 yr mark (1987).

Well duh. Thats what was so completely lacking in subtelty about it. I understood the way colour reflected mood and story, i just didnt want to be beaten over the head by it. Like the bit with the 2 women characters are fighting by the tree, when one of them gets stabbed, the leaves on the tree go red. Jesus. Show me a tackier more pretentious use of colour in the history of cinema.


As I suspected, you entirely missed the actual meanings of the pallette.

What you saw as 'tacky' (blood spilled equates to red) MAY be tacky, if that had been what that scene was about.

What you are missing, is that the red costumes/red scenery are not 'about' blood, but about passion... romantic passion and the passion of violence. Moon does not 'die' in a rain of blood, she dies in a storm of passion. Similarly, when Flying Snow betrays Broken Sword, the pallette is about passion, not blood. You are seeing something visceral, and mistaking it for something which is far more subtle.

When Broken Sword mourns the death of Flying Snow, you may (logically, given common acceptance of 'pallette' conventions) have figured that the blue colour-scheme was about sadness... but again, you'd be imposing the wrong significance. The blue pallette during the lake fight represents love, not sadness. It is also one of the colours with more than one strict significance, since blue also represents imagination. Hence, the imagined fight, to demonstrate Broken Sword's devotion. Blue also represents 'calm', which explains why the Emperor views 'blue' images... his account is very rational and analytical. (Calm also explains the sword fight on still water).

White is another colour with two meanings here... purity, and death. Thus, the 'white' version of the story may be taken as having a 'truth' to it, and also, a foreshadowing of the death of the Hero.

Green has implications of memory... so we are dealing with a different 'kind' of truth. We are dealing with thought, and with recall.

Black, on the other hand, serves maybe three purposes. It expresses an historical angle (the 'colour' black was closely associated with the real Emperor on which the tale is based... thus, this is an 'historical accuracy'. Second - black is not a common theme in the other pallettes... it isolates the 'current' story line from the ones being told and retold. The third significance, is the neutrality of black. This is happening NOW, and it is happening without being viewed THROUGH someone or something.


Nope. All i saw was a cast of inscrutable, unbelievable characters whose implausibilty was reflected in the flat and tactless performances.


I'm not going to argue with you about it... you saw what you saw. For me, some scenes showed different types of emotion displayed... and (to my interpretation) it was integral to the scene... 'imagined' fights with 'heroic' expressions that feel no pain, etc.