Fantaverse Top 100 Movies of All Time (Thread #9): 20-11

[silversurfer19]

I am surprised that you rate Whatever Works as higher. Despite a different actor, Larry's character is infinitely more obnoxious and irredeemable than Alvy Singer in Annie Hall. I mean, at least Alvy opens up his heart and reveals all his flaws. We get nothing in Whatever Works.

Maybe it's because I am used to David from Curb Your Enthusiasm, to the point that his obnoxiousness has become charming to me. Maybe I haven't watched Woody enough for me to feel the same way.

I have noticed the same in our lists though. While I think your picks are still amazing some of your recent picks fit into the "good but not amazing" category (Sleepy Hollow and Double Indemnity are perfect examples of this). And films like Jaws and Star Wars are fun but just don't mean that much to me any more. If it's any consolation you still have more shared films than anyone else, with a ridiculous 27 films on our lists. Good on ya!

I think, as I get closer to my top movies, you'll probably find more and more movies which you merely 'like', as these are movies I've loved for years and years, perhaps with a tinge of nostalgia over supreme quality. Not to say I don't think they are quite brilliant, I can just understand why maybe some may not get what I get out of those movies.

AS for my BONUS LIST, here are the only directors with more than 2 movies on my list:


Alfred Hitchcock: 5
Tim Burton: 5
Stanley Kubrick: 3
Steven Spielberg: 3
The Coen Brothers: 3

I too was surprised by the amount of Spielberg movies, especially with two of his movies falling in my top ten, but you are correct, when it comes to making brilliantly entertaining movies and when he was at the top of his game, there is no doubt he was a master.

[Buscemi]

Larry David being obnoxious is what makes him funny in the first place. Also, he was the inspiration for George in Seinfeld.

[numbersix]

Maybe it's because I am used to David from Curb Your Enthusiasm, to the point that his obnoxiousness has become charming to me. Maybe I haven't watched Woody enough for me to feel the same way.

But Larry David in Curb is very different, and his obnoxiousness is really just a way to show how social norms often don't make sense. You cheer him because ina way he's right but cringe because you feel it's wrong. In Whatever Works there's none of that.

[silversurfer19]

I don't know, I felt there was a lot of Larry David in the character, maybe not the extremes of Curb, but certainly some of the subtleties of the character. But I think it's more because I like Larry David now though that I could watch Whatever Works, I have yet to see a Allen acting movie which I've liked him in, so don't really care for him as an actor, so maybe I pre-judge him before I see a movie with him in. It's the same with, say, Johnny Depp, Ron Pearlman or Nic Cage. I like them as guys and their style of acting, so I'll give their movies a go over what could possibly be a very good movie with Tom Cruise.

[NSpan]

I am surprised that you rate Whatever Works as higher. Despite a different actor, Larry's character is infinitely more obnoxious and irredeemable than Alvy Singer in Annie Hall. I mean, at least Alvy opens up his heart and reveals all his flaws. We get nothing in Whatever Works.

Totally agree with this.