Fantaverse Top 100 Movies of All Time (Thread #3): 80-71

[silversurfer19]

I won't actively avoid, it should be on tv within a few months, so I'll watch it when it's on. But it doesn't sound like a movie I'm going to take a lot from, whether I like the genre or not. I agree some movies transcend genres, as does music, it's not the sports idea that puts me off, more the uplifting triumphing over adversity thing.

[Geezer]

it's not the sports idea that puts me off, more the uplifting triumphing over adversity thing.

This is so damn cynical that its hilarious!

[Shrykespeare]

Reminder to everyone who hasn't already done so to get their next thread's worth of films to me ASAP.


MOVIE #72


Shrykespeare

A Bug’s Life (1998) – Directors: John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton; starring Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. Apart from being a great movie, it also has great sentimental value for me, as it was the film that I took the lady who is now my wife to see on our very first date (in the Phillippines). Each character was well-realized, all the way down to a very VERY young Hayden Panettiere as Princess Dot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhGlMv3UCXA


silversurfer

Girl, Interrupted (1999) - Director: James Mangold; starring Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Brittany Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg. I'm a sucker for Winona Ryder. I remember first going to see this in the cinema and was wowed by both her performance and that of a rising star called Angelina Jolie. Based on writer Susanna Kaysen's account of her 18-month stay at a mental hospital in the 1960s, the two lead's performances are the standout note in a picture which at times is a little contrived but always engrossing. It's funny though, as while Jolie received rave reviews for her performance, my opinion is the Ryder was easily her equal in this, with an honest portrayal of Kaysen which acted as a kind of calm before the storm of the spotlight stealing moments of Jolie's Lisa. The balance worked perfectly and enabled the viewer to enjoy the performance of both leads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4-GD1VqdOA


thegreenarrow

Fight Club (1999) - Director: David Fincher; starring Ed Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QgFWXLN-ug


transformers

Grandma's Boy (2006) - Director: Nicholaus Goosen; starring Allen Covert, Doris Roberts, Nick Swardson, Linda Cardellini, Shirley Jones and Jonah Hill. One of the most underrated comedies in recent memory. The humor is very much nerd- and stoner-oriented and definitely not for everyone, but it cracked me up and it holds up very well on repeat viewings. Doris Roberts and Nick Swardson steal the show here and there are great cameos from Kevin Nealon and David Spade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsEuOw3ihbs


englishozzy

The Italian Job (1969) - Director: Peter Collinson; starring Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill and Margaret Blye. Probably one of the greatest getaway sequences of all time this film will always be a joy to watch. Everything about this film and what made it so popular is those minis racing around Turin, a film that concentrated more of the escape than the actual heist but was done so brilliantly you didn't care. Michael Caine is again on form (when is he not??) as a cocky and cool Englishman and some nice turns by the likes of Benny Hill and Noel Coward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D8g_GeQR8fJo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEltJsIwSvE (if the one above doesn't work)


Ron Burgundy

In Bruges (2008) - Martin McDonough; starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. This one of the best movies of 2008, its funny that I only heard about it halfway through the year though, basically from many of you from the old fantasy moguls site. Ralph Fiennes absolutely steals the show while the Farrell and Gleeson do a great job too. The film has an unforgettable ending as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoE9edjEDCI


Buscemi

Sideways (2004) - Director: Alexander Payne; starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. A midlife crisis becomes a journey of self in this comedy about wine-tasting. Giamatti is great as the straight man writer with a love for fine wine while Church is also great as his comic-relief buddy who will drink basically anything (his often-occurring line of "Tastes pretty good to me" never gets old). Virginia Madsen also does well as the girl who Giamatti becomes interested in (I remember being surprised that she didn't win an Oscar for her role here). As with his other movies, Payne delivers but this film is easily his masterpiece. It's good to hear that he's finally going to follow it up (he's reportedly teaming up with Sam Raimi to adapt a Daniel Clowes graphic novel).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS9ocP6FNvM


Chienfantome

Breathless (Ddongpari) (2009) – Director: Yang Ik-June; starring Yang Ik-June, Kim Kot-Bi, Jeong Man-shik. This is the most recent film you will find in my Top. Because it is so recent, I hesitated to include it, but this film punched me in the heart so loud when I saw it that in the end, I could not see myself not putting it up. It’s Korean (the second to appear in my top), but the not type of Korean film that make millions of entries in Korea. Even there, it was a small arthouse film that made small numbers. This is the first feature film directed by actor Yang Ik-June, who before had played supporting parts in bigger films, and had directed a few shorts. And like I just said, this film is a punch in the heart. It is rough, and some will find it too rough. But it’s also brutally honest about the violence of men in the Korean society, the violence of the fathers, of the brothers, of the sons. It’s the story of an unlikely friendship between a violent debt collector and a high-school girl. It’s a film I’ve seen twice within six months, and both times, emotion overwhelmed me. It’s filmed with the grit of a documentary, but elevated to a poetic level thanks to a strange atmosphere, and an original music that reminds of Sigur Ros. With time, this is a film that is likely to climb the places of my Top 100.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7E2kWoL5ys


numbersix

The Long Goodbye (1973) - Director: Robert Altman; starring Elliott Gould, Sterling Hayden and Nina Van Pallandt. Altman’s dry intelligence could often make his films a tad inaccessible. But I can watch this re-interpretation of film-noir over and over. Elliott Gould is a modernized Philip Marlowe (The Big Sleep, Murder My Sweet, Farewell My Lovely, etc.). But of course the film deconstructs the 1940’s vision of the tough-guy detective. Gould is a wise-cracking guy but no one could bother to listen. Not even his cat! He’s rather ineffectual at solving the murder of his friend Lennox, and instead imposes on the life of a Hemingway-like writer and his wife to a detrimental extent. The ending is also brilliant, and you could say it was films like these that ensured straight private detective films could no longer work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeNyD9UFXHs


Banks

The Fifth Element (1997) - Director: Luc Besson; starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker and Ian Holm. Milla Jovovich as the hot, non-English speaking alien Leeloo + Bruce Willis + great Besson direction + weird, dog-like monster aliens who are amazingly adept at slapstick + Gary Oldman hamming it up + Deebo from Friday as the President = one hell of a movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJB5Rqc1m0Y


BarcaRulz

The Night of the Hunter (1955) - Director: Charles Laughton; starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Peter Graves. Did not watch this until very recently, and usually when I do that I find that a lot of the appeal is lost with age, and that some films tend to age badly. This was not one of those films. Robert Mitchum is fantastic in his role, truly one of the best acted villains in cinema history. The sense of danger he provided throughout the film set a great air of suspense and the tension kept rising until the films climax, which I thought was a little lacking and which is why the film is not higher (lower) up the list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5AKK_om1VU


Geezer

The Bad News Bears (1976) - Director: Michael Ritchie; starring: Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal and Jackie Earle Haley. This is just a hilariously funny classic. The fact that it revolves around little league baseball is all the better. Walter Matthau is simply brilliant in this role, his very best. Just scene after scene of pure comedic genius. One of the funniest movies of all time, and it’s been too long since I've watched it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn3riDeLFCU


leestu

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – Director Frank Capra; starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blWL6qoUWUE


W

Heavy Weights (1995) - Director: Steven Brill; starring Ben Stiller, Aaron Schwartz and Tom McGowan. Certainly the greatest fat camp movie of all time. It's got one of Ben Stiller's best characters in "Uncle" Tony Perkis as well as Kenan Thompson and Goldberg from The Mighty Ducks in supporting roles. Pretty funny stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BEHoBsqoNQ

[transformers2]

Shrykespeare A Bug’s Life (1998): This is my least favorite Pixar film. I just didn't like it. (4/10)

silversurfer Girl,Interupted(1999): Haven't seen it.

thegreenarrow Fight Club(1999):I absoutley love this movie. The acting is perfect,the story is outstanding and the twist is great. One of my absolute favorites of all time and you will seeing this from me much later on. (10/10)

englishozzy The Italian Job(1969): I actually perfer the remake. The original is still decent, but the remake is just an overall better film. (6.5/10)

Ron Burgundy In Bruges(2008): I enjoyed this film a good deal myself. It is really funny and dialogue is really sharp. I have to see this film again, I haven't seen this in a while (7.5/10)

Buscemi Sideways(2004): I'm sorry Boosh, this is just one of the most pompus and douchiest films I have ever seen. Every character is a complete ass, I hated this film with a passion. (2.5/10)

Chienfantome Breathless(Ddongpari)(2009): Haven't seen it.

numbersix The Longest Goodbye(1973): Haven't seen it.

BanksThe Fifth Element(1997): Great pick, I had this earlier on my list. Really great sc-fi flick and it shows off the genius of Luc Besson (9/10)

BarcaRulz The Night Of The Hunter(1955): Haven't seen it.

Geezer The Bad News Bears(1976): Haven't seen it, but I want to. I really enjoyed the remake.

leestu It's A Wonderful Life(1946): This movie has always bored the hell out of me. I understand it's a classic, I just never got it. (4/10)

W:HeavyWeights(1995): I haven't seen this movie for a long time. I enjoyed it as a kid and Ben Still was really funny in it. (7/10)

[Shrykespeare]

Wow, very few today that I've actually seen (not even Fight Club).


Banks - The Fifth Element - Coming up very very soon on my own list. Your third overlap with mine. (10/10)

Geezer - The Bad News Bears - Classic comedy. Matthau as Morris Buttermaker was the bomb. (7/10)

leestu - It's a Wonderful Life - Well, it's been forced down society's throat as the feel-good movie of all time, so of course I've seen it. And enjoyed it. (7/10)


W: Heavy Weights is "the greatest fat camp movie of all time"? How many others are there?!

tranny: Haven't seen Grandma's Boy, as it's the kind of film that generally turns me off, but its current rating of 6.9 is quite high for films of this ilk. Maybe...

[Chienfantome]

#72

Shryke - A bug's life
Hmmmm... Could it be that you have a soft spot for animation ? I haven't seen "A bug's life" since theater, so that's quite a few years ago now, but I remember enjoying it immensely. I wonder how I would rate it after all those Pixar years...

Surfer - Girl interrupted
I have to say I am surprised to find this film here, in your Top, Surfer. I don't know. I barely remember the film to be honest. It's as if I'm not sure I've seen it, but I'm pretty sure I have.

greenarrow - Fight Club
I really should watch it again, as I haven't seen it in a while, but what a film. I remember being blown away when I saw it in theater. I remember thinking "This is the last great film of the 90's".I had never heard of Palahniuk before this film, so I was really surprised by the tone of it, and surprised that it was produced by 20th Century Fox. I really should rewatch it.

transformers - Grandma's boy
I remember seeing the trailer for this online when it was released in the US, and thinking "This is never gonna be released in France". Well, I hadn't heard of it again until today !

ozzy - The italian job
I've only seen the watchable remake.

Ron B - In Bruges
This was a nice surprise indeed. I really wasn't expecting anything from it, but the writing is excellent, and the atmosphere created is very cinematographical. Good film, although no Top 100 material for me.

Buscemi - Sideways
For now, Payne is a director that has been steadily good, even very good, but he has failed to REALLY impress me. I've very much liked all the films I have seen of his, but none of them I absolutely LOVE, and "Sideways" is no different. It's a good film, soft, funny, sometimes even hilarious, but it's not a film I have really wanted to watch again.

Six - The long goodbye
I've never seen this Altman, but I remember I almost had, a few years ago, when it was rereleased in Paris.But I'm almost always interested in seeing Altman films, so I will, eventually.

Banks - The Fifth Element
Besson's best film for sure, and there are days I would even say his only good film. It's one of his biggest success in France. I love the hommage to Blade Runner it can be seen as, in some aspects. Or is it just creative theft ? It's a great space adventure anyway.

Barca - Night of the Hunter
At one point, I had included Laughton's film in my Top 100. But in the end, I took it out, because it's been such a long time since I've seen it, and only once (although, it was in theater, of course ) and I knew I would have had trouble writing about it as it deserves to be written about. It's a great, great film, and probably Mitchum's best performance.

Geezer - The Bad News Bear
I have never seen it, nor have I seen the remake, by the way.

Leestu - It's a wonderful life
Well, as much as I like this Capra film, I honestly think it's a bit overrated. I've never really managed to immerse myself into it. There are Capra films I genuinely love (one is coming in my Top), but this one, I find it too much.

W - Heavy Weights
Again ? Well, I still don't know it !

[BanksIsDaFuture]

Soo....am I the only one that hasn't seen It's A Wonderful Life?

[Shrykespeare]

Soo....am I the only one that hasn't seen It's A Wonderful Life?

Yes. Yes you are.

[W]

W: Heavy Weights is "the greatest fat camp movie of all time"? How many others are there?!

Dude, it was a joke. But actually, I believe there's another one with Christopher Lloyd in it... or maybe that was a regular summer camp?

[Buscemi]

Camp Nowhere was a regular summer camp movie. Fat camp was only a cover, along with a computer camp and I believe two others (a health-obsessed mom tries to send her daughter to a fat camp).

[W]

I figured if I posted that, I'd get the correct answer. Thanks.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

Well, W. there was a TV series on MTV a while back called "Fat Camp" if that helps any..

[Geezer]

I haven't seen It's a Wonderful Life either

[Shrykespeare]

And thus endeth our third thread.


MOVIE #71


Shrykespeare

The Fifth Element (1997) – Director: Luc Besson; starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich and Chris Tucker. An outrageous, slick, goofy, futuristic action comedy that features Willis in his, er, element, shooting guns and kicking ass. Add to that Gary Oldman as one of the more colorful baddies you’ll ever see, Jovovich’s sexy outfits, and Chris Tucker’s flamboyant bug-eyed deejay stealing every scene he’s in, and you have a film that you can watch over and over again. (And I have.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoKssDjs64o


silversurfer

Belleville Rendez Vous (The Triplets of Belleville) (2003) - Director: Sylvain Chomet; starring Beatrice Bonifassi, Lina Boudreau and Mari-Lou Gauthier. I remember hearing about this when it had been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, and saw that it was quite a bit different from the usual fare. The hand drawn style of animation was so nostalgic for me, but at the same time so inventive, while the characters whom inhabit Belleville are so peculiar and charming and the story delightful and engaging. I pretty much crack up every scene involving the Madame Souza and Bruno the overweight dog (who's obsessive need to bark at trains after an early trauma involving his owner's train set is hilarious and brings me to tears), as the comic timing in the movie is awesome, but it's brilliantly woven into a mysterious plot revolving around the Tour De France, gambling and kidnapping. And then we have the delightful triplets of Belleville, who play their music on kitchen utensils and catch frogs for dinner with a shotgun and a fishing net! it's totally grotesque but in a charming way. This really is just a delight to the senses in every way possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npro9kjyaJk


thegreenarrow

A Room For Romeo Brass (1999) - Director: Shane Meadows; starring Ben Marshall, Andrew Shim and Paddy Considine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhuD5cF9bBs


transformers

Predator (1987) - Director: John McTiernan; starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura. “If it bleeds, we can kill it”, one of my favorite movie quotes of all time and just one of many reasons I love Predator so much. This is one of the best straight action/sci-fi/horror combinations ever. Schwarzenegger's best work ever and the climax is one of my favorite fight scenes ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKjs8aunBiQ


englishozzy

Patch Adams (1998) - Director: Tom Shadyac; starring Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. This film would probably be sitting in my guilty pleasure section because by watching it you can tell that this is not the best film of all ages. Robin Williams is trying to combine his usual comedic performance with a more sensitive serious persona which sometimes doesn't quite pull off. But for all its flaws there is still something in me that really enjoys watching this movie and never gets tired of repeats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D1gTwkAL3kLY


Ron Burgundy

Collateral (2004) - Director: Michael Mann; starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem. Jamie Foxx had a ripper year with this and Ray coming out, then getting nominated for an Oscar for both films. Tom Cruise, though, as a badass assassin with plays with ice-cool charisma and Michael Mann sets the pace up nicely. Cant believe its been 6 years already since it came out, but then again I do own a VHS of this so maybe it has been a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPbG9uU7BiI


Buscemi

High and Low (1962) - Director: Akira Kurosawa; starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai and Kyoko Kagawa. Based on Ed McBain's story "King's Ransom" (which was later adapted as 1996's Ransom and 2005's King's Ransom), this is probably Kurosawa's crowning achievement. Unlike Kurosawa's usual forte of historical dramas, here he does a crime thriller about a successful businessman conflicted between saving his career or saving the friend of his son who was mistakenly kidnapped when the kidnappers were looking for his own son. The film also shows the deconstruction of one man and everything around him. This is definitely more than just your average kidnapping drama, but great pulp filmmaking from two of the legends of Japanese cinema. Definitely a must if you want to get familiar with Kurosawa or Mifune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ketb1jdUxTw


Chienfantome

On connait la chanson (1997) – Director: Alain Resnais; starring Jean-Pierre Bacri, André Dussollier, Agnès Jaoui and Lambert Wilson. Remember my #96, Un air de famille? It was written and played by Jean-Piere Bacri and Agnès Jaoui. Well, the following year, they wrote a screenplay for the Nouvelle Vague vet Alain Resnais. I’m not a fan of Resnais, but Bacri & Jaoui wrote three films for him, including this piece of genius. It’s a musical of a strange kind. It is set in Paris, and follows half a dozen characters bumping into each other in the French capital. And sometimes, they start singing French songs. But it’s not them singing. It’s the original song, with the original artist singing. It feels weird at first, but it soon becomes jubilatory. But it’s not just that strange procédé that makes On connaît la chanson so great. It’s the vitality of Resnais’ direction, it is the sharpness of the dialogues Bacri and Jaoui wrote. It is all those things they have to say about friendship, about the married life, about human relationships in general, that make this French comedy a one of a kind. The trailer for the film does not show anything, so I prefer to show you two clips from it. The first one shows French actress Sabine Azéma trying to comfort the depressed Agnès Jaoui who plays her younger sister in the film. And suddenly, she sings…

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xafqyo ... shortfilms
The second clip, it’s a song by Téléphone, a French group those who have participated in the Music Top 100 may remember I had placed in my Top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmR0c0iDYRg


numbersix

Gattaca (1997) - Director: Andrew Niccol; starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law. It’s rare to see a sci-fi that has as much heart as it has brains. Even the better films from the genre are more about society rather than people, so it was so refreshing to see this film. Niccol’s intelligent script imagines a near future in which we can genetically choose how we want our children to be. Ethan Hawke is a “natural” child and due to a heart defect he can’t enter the space programme he always wanted to. So he borrows the identity of paraplegic Jude Law (in probably his best performance) but due to a murder in the facility his identity may be uncovered. It’s a touching film about the beauty of choice in an increasingly deterministic reality, and the final scenes should give anyone a renewed faith in humanity. The script has some of the best dialogue in any recent film, and I should also point out that Michael Nyman’s powerful score heightens the mood of the overall story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JSEty7Qr_c


Banks

Fargo (1996) - Director: The Coen Brothers; starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, and Steve Buscemi. The best of the Coens, I think Fargo is the perfect mix of mayhem, bloody fun, and general ineptitude all around. Like most anything Coen, a simple plan goes awry, leading a host of diverse and interconnected individuals down their own path to insanity. What else can you say about a movie that starts with basically an insurance scam and leads to an extreme dismemberment (and almost certainly improper use of a woodchipper)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o6fDoTToY4


BarcaRulz

The 400 Blows (1959) - Director: Francois Truffaut; starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, Albert Remy and Claire Maurier. One of the best-acted dramas of all time in my opinion. With so much hinging on a child actor, he absolutely steals the show IMO, and his acting along with an excellent script really bring the desperation and the sadness of the character to life through several different outlets. Also has one of my favorite endings ever as it reveals how different people viewed the same situation in very different ways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i89oN8v7RdY


Geezer

Blow (2001) - Director: Ted Demme; starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz and Franka Potente. I know people hate it, but I think it’s a fantastic film. Depp is brilliant, and I'm not a big fan. I like him better when he's just playing a human being rather than some crazy character, and George Jung is the quintessential tragic figure that you can't help but root for even though you know its always going to end in disaster. Much like another character in anther film that will feature much higher up in my list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19MvJp5FaHg


leestu

Leon (aka The Professional) (1994) – Director Luc Besson; starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcsirofJrlM


W

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) - Director: Mel Stuart; starring Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson and Peter Ostrum. What part of this film isn't iconic? Gene Wilder is a perfect Wonka. The soundtrack is amazing and for a 70's film, it's got great visuals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-uV72pQKI

[Ron Burgundy]

in reply to your question six:

Its an educated guess, i dont have that good a memory but i know certain movies ive seen 4 or 5 times. Sometimes i might have seen the first half of film 10 times but only watched the lot 3 times, but offcourse that doesn't count.

And i have a question:

Can we and if so how could we SCORE this countdown, so we could have a collective top 100 or something? I thought the easiet way would just be give no 1. 100pts, no. 2 99pts, no. 3 98 pts......no. 99 2 pts, no. 100 1pt.