Sight and Sound releases a Top Ten Films of All-Time list every ten years and, lucky us!, this is that year. I believe ballots are still being tallied, but the results should be out soon. Here's where you can check out historical results of the poll.
I'm not in the business on commenting on this sort of thing. I'm in the business of stealing ideas. So, with that, I'm bringing to you my list of greatest films of all-time. There are a few considerations I'm going to have to make. Obviously, just because a movie is a favorite of mine, doesn't mean that it's necessarily one of the most accomplished movies ever (sorry The Brothers Solomon). Also, there are many lauded films that I simply don't believe are that good (hello most of Woody Allen's filmography). Perhaps most significantly, a lot of films that are deemed "classics" I haven't seen that many times. It's hard for me to vote for The Godfather or 8 1/2 when I've only seen them once. Also, I don't believe in limiting filmmakers to one spot. If they have two of the best movies, then there's nothing I can do but include it (as of now, I haven't made my list so I don't know if that will be an issue).
Away we go (that movie doesn't make the list)! Judge me appropriately. And as always, I reserve the right to change my list at any time.
1. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb -- Stanley Kubrick
My default for favorite movie ever. And my buddy Paul just introduced me to this epic trailer:
2. The General -- Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
3. Rear Window -- Alfred Hitchcock
4. Lawrence of Arabia -- David Lean
Remarkably, it doesn't feel remotely 3.5 hours long. Also features some of the best cuts in film history. How I yearn to see a 70mm print...
5. Alien -- Ridley Scott
6. M -- Fritz Lang
7. Brazil -- Terry Gilliam
8. The Exorcist -- William Friedkin
9. 12 Angry Men -- Sidney Lumet
10. La grande illusion -- Jean Renoir
Showing posts with label the general. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the general. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Monday, March 21, 2011
Top 5 Films: Georgia
It's been a while, but unlike Sufjan Stevens, I'm returning to my 50 states project. I'm sure in my process I missed some films that take place in Georgia, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got. I really wanted to add The Walking Dead to the list, but sadly, TV isn't cinema (and that's not meant to be a statement about quality, just fact). In alphabetical order...
Deliverance -- John Boorman
An epic example of wilderness trips gone wrong. It's not nature that will get you, but the backwoods hillbillies. I can't imagine that there's a person over sixteen that doesn't give a knowing cringe when they hear the words "squeal like a pig!" Poor Ned Beatty... A terrific adventure from the man who would bring us Zardoz.
Dutch -- Peter Faiman
Dutch was a cable staple of my middle/high school years. Those years also coincided with my peak appreciation of Ed O'Neill and hell, let's throw Christopher McDonald in there, too. It's a road trip movie, so Georgia is only a factor at the beginning, but that's where we learn what kind of movie Dutch is going to be (which happens to be an awesome movie). Who doesn't love seeing a grown man stick it to a spoiled brat kid? Bonus for lovers of the '80s: it's written by John Hughes. Double bonus: directed by the guy who directed Crocodile Dundee.
(Trailer disabled. Click here to see it)
The General -- Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman
Another road movie (rail movie?), but he's a Confederate "soldier" from Georgia! I can't leave The General off the list. Seriously, it's one of the best movies of all time and certainly one of my favorites. Super-hilarious and incredibly inventive. Of course, I'm a total Keaton mark and think he does everything better than Chaplin. If someone was averse to silent films (which I fear many are), this would be the first movie I show them. Dear lord, this trailer doesn't do the movie justice:
The Gift -- Sam Raimi
The movie that will forever be known as the film that introduced the world to Katie Holmes' boobs. I know when I first saw The Gift I thanked Sam Raimi for that. It's also notable for being the first film since Bill and Ted that featured a Keanu Reeves performance that didn't make me want to claw my eyes out (I hadn't seen Point Break yet). It's a cool little movie that frequently gets overlooked in discussions about Raimi (although, that description could be applied to any film of his from 1995-2000). Also, it wouldn't be bad to keep this film in mind for game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Gone with the Wind -- Victor Fleming (among others)
OK. I haven't seen this. And I'm sure I would've heard about it if it wasn't included. Having no real desire to spend 238 minutes with Gone with the Wind (I've seen bits and Clark Gable's eyebrows are far too distracting), I'm just going to accept that it's an amazing piece of epic filmmaking and we can all go home happy. Yay diplomacy!
Deliverance -- John Boorman
An epic example of wilderness trips gone wrong. It's not nature that will get you, but the backwoods hillbillies. I can't imagine that there's a person over sixteen that doesn't give a knowing cringe when they hear the words "squeal like a pig!" Poor Ned Beatty... A terrific adventure from the man who would bring us Zardoz.
Dutch -- Peter Faiman
Dutch was a cable staple of my middle/high school years. Those years also coincided with my peak appreciation of Ed O'Neill and hell, let's throw Christopher McDonald in there, too. It's a road trip movie, so Georgia is only a factor at the beginning, but that's where we learn what kind of movie Dutch is going to be (which happens to be an awesome movie). Who doesn't love seeing a grown man stick it to a spoiled brat kid? Bonus for lovers of the '80s: it's written by John Hughes. Double bonus: directed by the guy who directed Crocodile Dundee.
(Trailer disabled. Click here to see it)
The General -- Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman
Another road movie (rail movie?), but he's a Confederate "soldier" from Georgia! I can't leave The General off the list. Seriously, it's one of the best movies of all time and certainly one of my favorites. Super-hilarious and incredibly inventive. Of course, I'm a total Keaton mark and think he does everything better than Chaplin. If someone was averse to silent films (which I fear many are), this would be the first movie I show them. Dear lord, this trailer doesn't do the movie justice:
The Gift -- Sam Raimi
The movie that will forever be known as the film that introduced the world to Katie Holmes' boobs. I know when I first saw The Gift I thanked Sam Raimi for that. It's also notable for being the first film since Bill and Ted that featured a Keanu Reeves performance that didn't make me want to claw my eyes out (I hadn't seen Point Break yet). It's a cool little movie that frequently gets overlooked in discussions about Raimi (although, that description could be applied to any film of his from 1995-2000). Also, it wouldn't be bad to keep this film in mind for game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Gone with the Wind -- Victor Fleming (among others)
OK. I haven't seen this. And I'm sure I would've heard about it if it wasn't included. Having no real desire to spend 238 minutes with Gone with the Wind (I've seen bits and Clark Gable's eyebrows are far too distracting), I'm just going to accept that it's an amazing piece of epic filmmaking and we can all go home happy. Yay diplomacy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)