Fantaverse Top 100 Movies of All Time (Thread #11): The #1s

[Chienfantome]

Shryke
Do I need to tell you how awesome you have been those past few months, taking care of this Top 100 project ? Of course not, and at the same time, of course yes, because I know it's always good to feel appreciated by people you care for So yes, Shryke, you have been AWESOME. Again.

I don't know if I can say the same thing about your Top 100, though Well, we did have ten overlaps, four of them appearing in your Top 12, which means the higher you placed the film, the better they were for me ! Even if you placed V For Vendetta in your Top 10 my friend I have seen 84 of the films of your Top 100, and what I will remember most from it was the inclusion of a guilty pleasure of mine, Executive Decision, and of a film I grew up with and have always loved : Sneakers. We don't have many tastes in common, you know that. But we may have more than I would have thought

[Shrykespeare]

I feel compelled to make an effort to see every film in every Top 10 that I haven't already seen, although I'm ordering them by priority, from most important at 1 to least important at 19

14:The Boondock Saints (Geez's #5, Tranny's #9)

If Geezer didn't say it before, I'll say it now (and I hope this doesn't sound racist of me)... how can you be Irish and not have seen this film? (I had an excuse, albeit a shitty one... I simply never got round to it.)

[W]

In no particular order, the 29 films I haven't seen out of the top 10:

Holy Grail
Lucky # Sleven
Buffalo '66
Annie Hall
8 1/2
Howl's Moving Castle
Pride and Prejudice
Sky Captain
Geisha
Serenity
Emperor's New Groove
Tortoro
Brief Encounter
Thin Red Line
In the Mood for Love
The Host
Madison County
Rio Bravo
Mulholland Dr.
The Third Man
Persona
The Deer Hunter
Trainspotting
L.A. Confidential
Sin City
Clue
Arlington Rd.
Withnail and I
Rope

Everyone has one on there except Buscemi, JohnErle, Tranny (whom I've seen 94/100 total) and Geezer (whom I've seen 95/100 total including his top 96). Movies I have easy access to, were already on my list to see, and/or are #1s get preferential treatment.

[Buscemi]

I feel compelled to make an effort to see every film in every Top 10 that I haven't already seen, although I'm ordering them by priority, from most important at 1 to least important at 19

14:The Boondock Saints (Geez's #5, Tranny's #9)

If Geezer didn't say it before, I'll say it now (and I hope this doesn't sound racist of me)... how can you be Irish and not have seen this film? (I had an excuse, albeit a shitty one... I simply never got round to it.)

It's more of the quintessential Southie film than Irish film (if it's not Good Will Hunting). If one Irish film is the most important, it's probably The Quiet Man or In The Name of the Father (or anything Neil Jordan).

[Geezer]

Yeah, I think Boush is right on that one. Its much more "Boston" than it is "Irish."

[numbersix]

Funnily enough, it's actually very rare that Irish-American movies/music/book make the crossover to Ireland itself. The Boondock Saints is virtually unheard of over here, and Ive yet to meet someone who has seen it. The Dropkick Murphys are also virtually unheard of. I'm not sure how well Boston films like The Town and Good Will Hunting did, but I imagine it would be around as well as they did in the UK, meaning despite the connection to and affection for Boston, curturally there's no boost.
I think in the sequel to Boondock Saints the lead characters become goat herders in Ireland, something we'd probably take offense to (we're an IT nation, with companies like Google, Paypal, and Facebook having European headquarters here) if we took it seriously

W, looking at your list I notice Battle of Algiers is not on it. Have you seen it? And if so, what did you think?

[W]

I watched Battle of Algiers in either my Developmental Econ or my Middle East Econ class. Not sure which because I had them back to back semesters, we learned a lot of the same stuff in each class because they were necessary for people that didn't take both, and they were both taught by the same professor (my favorite) an Iraqi-Californian Catholic (I didn't know they made those models either).

Anyways, I really loved it, rated it a ten, but haven't watched it since (about five years, hence, no top 100). What I really loved about it was that it was so real. It was like a documentary, but with better quality. And the other thing was that it showed the war from the, what most people would consider, terrorists side (at least that's what we'd spin it). They'd consider themselves revolutionaries, but from what I can remember, the film walked the line between casting them as heroes and villains, though they were always against the French who were portrayed 100% villains. I thought it had a lot in common with films that show the Jewish resistance during World War II as well and can be mirrored to fit just about any revolution.

[Buscemi]

Troy Duffy is probably just an uneducated fratboy. The lack of research is up there with his blatant homophobia.

And is it just me or does every Boston film focus around either Southies or the Red Sox? It seems like I haven't seen one where neither appear. And even though The Fighter doesn't take place in Boston, it is filled with Southie stereotypes.

[numbersix]

Anyways, I really loved it, rated it a ten, but haven't watched it since (about five years, hence, no top 100). What I really loved about it was that it was so real. It was like a documentary, but with better quality. And the other thing was that it showed the war from the, what most people would consider, terrorists side (at least that's what we'd spin it). They'd consider themselves revolutionaries, but from what I can remember, the film walked the line between casting them as heroes and villains, though they were always against the French who were portrayed 100% villains. I thought it had a lot in common with films that show the Jewish resistance during World War II as well and can be mirrored to fit just about any revolution.

Yep, all good points. One thing I'd say is that I don't think the French as portrayed as 100% villains. More like 80% . The French colonel has some interesting speeches and beliefs, and even respects the Algerians from what I can recall. He doesn't relish his task, and there's a certian melancholy to his performance. I think the film does a great job at painting shades of grey while still leaning towards the justification of Algerian independence.

[W]

Yeah... Now that you say that I do remember the French commander really struggling between respect for his opponents and his duties. Like I said, it's been something like five years.

[silversurfer19]

Sorry I'm playing catch up, started a new job recently and not had much time to get this written down.

undeadmonkey

You know, a couple of people have not been a fan of your list on here, but to be honest I don't think it's too bad at all. There is certainly plenty to like, from a top ten including Se7en and Howls Moving Castle, to Princess Mononoke, Some Like It Hot, The Matrix, Pan's Labyrinth, Spider-Man, Star Wars, Edward Scissorhands and Lifeboat. I mean, heck, you've a few dodgy ones on there such as Miss Congeniality, Romy and Michelle and Signs, but there was certainly more good than bad. Your no.1 film for me was, as others have mentioned, my favourite of the LOTR trilogy, I don't know if it was just because it felt much more like a team full of hope rather than the broken alliance with so little hope in the following chapters, or just the fact that it was a better directed effort, but there was certainly something magical when I first saw it on the big screen. I was so frustrated I had to wait another year to the the next chapter. It truly brought Middle Earth to life, and bedazzled millions of us in the process.

Must See Movies

Little Children
Junebug
Good Will Hunting
The Last King Of Scotland

Movies Seen: 82
Overall Crossovers: 15
Overall Average: 7.38

[Chienfantome]

Speaking of which, yesterday night Miss Congeniality was on TV over here, so even if I had seen it a few years ago, I decided to have another look at it, remembering it appeared on some Top 100s... and it really was as unfunny as I remembered

[silversurfer19]

NSpan

I knew this was gonna be your no.1, well either this or Brazil, but to be honest I'm gonna buck the trend of love for this one and say I was severely disappointed by it. Maybe I was expecting too much going into the movie having already seen The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore, but it was just very, very meh for me. I picked it up cheap a few years ago, I think it cost about $4, so I have it sitting on my shelf, and I suppose I should give it another go, but I just can't really remember anything particularly striking about the film. It had Anderson's usual quirkiness I guess, but not enough of anything else to really hold my interest. I guess I'll have to wait and see for another go.

Regarding your top 100 though, well there was more than a lot to feast my eyes upon, with plenty of your picks overlapping with my own tastes even if they didn't make my list. Lots of dark, comic humour from the likes of Ghostbusters, Idiocracy, Total Recall, Fargo, An American Werewolf in London, Beetlejuice and The Evil Dead. I own most of the movies on your list I've seen, so I think that should give you a good idea of how I rate your list! Need to see Buffalo 66 again though...

Must See Movies

8 1/2
Nashville
Defendor
Clue
Four Rooms
Sweet And Lowdown
13 Conversations About One Thing
Following
The Secret of NIMH

Movies Seen: 81
Overall Crossovers: 22
Overall Average: 7.68

[silversurfer19]

Shrykespeare

Whereas your music list was firmly rooted in the 80s, your love for movies seems to have stemmed greatly from the 90s, along with more than a few animated movies (possibly a little more than even I would have liked to see). For the most part your list was filled with watchable movies, although they rarely crossed over into movies I truly care about. They were the kind of movies I wouldn't turn off if they were ever on in the background, but I daresay I'd be wary to own many of them. There were, of course, a few exceptions, with The Terminator, Back To The Future, Aliens, The Princess Bride , Leon and Star Wars standing out, proving that we do at least share a few movies in common, but these were too often the diamonds in the rough of mediocrity for me.

Your no.1, however, is anything but mediocre. A spellbinding mystery (which I luckily did get to see without knowing the 'twist'), and one which I have continued to enjoy (most recently in the last month even!) on further viewings even knowing the ending. The film is so much more than just a twist, it's a brilliantly acted, beautifully shot crime drama with a sharply executed script. Thrilling to the last.

Must See Movies

How To Train Your Dragon
The Secret Of NIMH
Executive Decision
Matchstick Men
The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen
Better Off Dead...

Movies Seen: 74
Overall Crossovers: 12
Overall Average: 7.14

Thanks for holding the fort on the proceedings anyway, I'll eventually get onto the collective top 100, but for now, that's as good a way as any to end the countdown!

[silversurfer19]

Overall Rankings

thegreenarrow - 8.77
numbersix - 8.67
Leestu - 8.09
Buscemi - 8.05
BarcaRulz - 7.86
Chienfantome - 7.81
NSpan - 7.68
JohnErle - 7.60
BanksIsDaFuture - 7.44
Ron Burgundy - 7.39
undeadmonkey - 7.38
Geezer - 7.23
englishozzy - 7.18
Shrykespeare - 7.14
transformers - 7.14
W - 5.97

Good to see the majority of you place with an average of 7 or higher, ensuring I appreciate most of the fantaverse's tastes. Sorry W, I guess a few too many of those 'comedies' hindered your score, though it certainly improved as we progressed through the countdown. No surprises Helena came out top, a bit of a relief in fact, I don't think she would have appreciated being topped out by some Irish guy! One surprise though was Barca, didn't expect his movies to rank so highly prior to the countdown, I guess i just didn't really know your great taste!

The Fantaverse's Eleven Top Ten Movies To Catch Up With

1. Clue
2. Downfall
3. Persona
4. The Battle Of Algiers
5. Rio Bravo
6. The Bridges Of Madison County
7. How To Train Your Dragon
8. Bull Durham
9. Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow
10. Remember The Titans
11. Pride And Prejudice

Most Anticipated Movies To See From The Overall Countdown
Jacob's Ladder
To Kill A Mockingbird
Once Upon A Time In America
Lawrence Of Arabia
The Treasure Of Sierra Madre
A Woman Under The Influence
The Last Metro
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
Farewell My Concubine
On The Waterfront
The Seventh Seal
Fitzcarraldo
Aguirre: The Wrath Of God
Wild Strawberries
Andrei Rublev
The Long Goodbye
Cesar Et Rosalie
Raise The Red Lantern
The Chaser
Army Of Shadows
Irreversible
Splendor In The Grass
Little Children
Defendor
Four Rooms
Following
Matchstick Men
The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen
Better Off Dead...


Yikes... Better set aside a couple of months....