[Impact]

Mike,

Both C. S. Forrester (author of Hornblower and other epics) & E.M. Forster (the actual author of the book "Passage to India") would consider suing for the confusion - and the film!

Truly great movies on a sujective basis:-

Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (slow start but great film by the Archers: Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook - far better than mere propaganda)

The Philadelphia Story (best of the Cary Grant comedies with a great cast including Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart)

Mephisto (Klaus von Brandauer at his best from a mighty novel written for revenge by Heinrich Mann on an actor who allegedly had affairs with both him and his girlfriend- brother of Thomas Mann, and Szabo handles it brilliantly with the stae scenes a particular tour de force)

Cinema Paradiso (a modern sentimental delight handled with delicacy)

My Fair Lady (best musical - and Stanley Holloway's performance as Mr Doolittle is a gem)

Me and THe Colonel (Danny Kaye in a serious part with Curt Jurgens brilliantly cast from a play by Franz Werfel with some brillinat scripting)

Cat bellou (together with The Unforgiven as the best of modern westerns)

Space Odyssey 2001 (probably the only decent sci-fi movie ever made: I really abhorred Star Wars as bad space opera)

Citizen Kane (both for its historical importance in pioneering cinematic techniques and the genius of Orson Welles - and what a pity that THe Magnificent Ambersons was cut to death, while The THird Man deserves a mention)

Kind hearts and Coronets (the subversive concept and the brilliance of Alec Guiness who was an actor's actor but see also Lavender Hill Mob, Man in the White Suit, Captain's Paradise)

Claudius (the never finished epic starring Charles Laughton in the title role and Merle Oberon as "best unfinished film" - and Laughton for all his troubles had a screen presence second to none)

Casablanca (the film which accidentally became a classic and with the "perfect" cast...just try to recast almost any of those parts )

That is a very subjective dozen which still leaves room (for a bridge player) for the 13th which must be a movie I have forgotten....

[mike777]

I have seen alot on your list but not all. Grant and Hepburn are really wonderful.

Citizen Kane for all you movie majors.

Renting Casablanca again for Christmas viewing. Not New years eve. Saving one of the Thin Man drinking movies for that...fun!

[gwnn]

Saw The Competition a few days ago. While generally I don't like all the "oh back in the days we had real actors" type arguments, the intelligent and funny characters got me thinking. Why can't current movies have intelligent dialog, with only about 1 or 2 exceptions a year? The way I understand things, The Competition was not considered an especially well-made movie at the time it was made.

[Fluffy]

Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Kelly's Heroes (1970)

War comedy featuring Clint Eastwood, Telly Savallas, Donald Sutherland among others. Simply the best.

For more recent movies I loved watching "The Village", it catched me completelly off-guard and made me cry in the end.

[cjames]

The Idiots and Dogville, both by Lars von Trier - Great acting, two of the best movie endings I have ever seen.

Full Metal Jacket - Just a SOLID piece of movie making, real mastercraft from the director, Stanley Kubrick. Contains on of the most grueful scenes ever (and that without any blood being spoiled). Watch it, and make love, not war.
(and be sure to see A Clockwork Orange from the same director)

The Fountain - A little bit cheesy sometimes, but I dig the message in the film. Visuals are done by filming chemical reactions, not CGI (at least almost all of it). Contains one of the most beautiful scenes ever, and epic music that gives you goosebumps all over.

And forgot, Space Jam, one of the best movies ever!

[Aberlour10]

Fluffy, on Aug 6 2009, 06:38 AM, said:

Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Kelly's Heroes (1970)

War comedy featuring Clint Eastwood, Telly Savallas, Donald Sutherland among others. Simply the best.

Oh yeah! Sutherland ( as a commander of the three hippie tanks) at his best!
His strategical foresight awesome!:
" We see our role as primarily defensive in Nature. While our armies are advancing so fast and everybodies knocking themselves out to be heros we are holding ourselves in reserve. In case the Krouts mount a counter-offensive that threatens Paris or Maybe even New York. Then we can move in a stop them"

[kenberg]

Best movie? I don't know. But it is easy for me to say which movie I found the most stunning: The Seventh Seal (Bergman, 1957).

Let me try to explain.

The same year (I thought it was and checked to be sure) The Pajama Game with Doris Day was a big hit. I enjoyed the Pajama Game. We are not speaking of a serious movie.

I had no idea what I was in for when I bought my ticket for The Seventh Seal. A circus movie maybe.

I saw it again recently on TCM and unlike some other movies that I cannot imagine why I originally thought them good, I haven't changed my mind here.

The story is set in the Middle Ages. Wikepedia explains that Bergman took a lot of liberties with history but for once I don't mind. A knight is returning to Sweden from the Crusades, he is deeply disillusioned ("It was so stupid only an idealist could have thought of it") , the land is being ravished by the Plague, and while out walking a beach Death comes for him. He challenges Death to a game of chess, temporarily deferring his fate.

To me, the setting is this: What would it be like if we had good reason to believe that it was All Over? Kids, war, sacrifice, it's all pointless, it's over. In the time left, the knight and his squire pass through the country on, hopefully, their return to his wife and castle. They meet many along the way. A witch being burned at a stake, people wandering the countryside whipping themselves to please God through atonement, a family of Simple Faith who join them in the journey. Cynicism acquired through experience and thought, set against Simple Faith plays out through the movie.


At the very least I can say that I have never seen anything else like it.


Brief comments on other choices: I stopped watching Fellini after 8 1/2 but I did like La Strada a lot. I liked The Third Man, The Bridge on the River Kwai (also 1957), Stalag 17. Key Largo, and of course Casablanca. I liked Bell, Book and Candle but I am not claiming it has any real artistic merit. I was 3 when Casablanca was made but I try to imagine it at the time it came out, a bit after Pearl Harbor. Artistry and patriotism coming together. If I am going to sit back with wine and cheese and watch familiar scenes unfold I like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Both the Monroe and the Russel image were indelibly set in my mind by that movie. In the last ten years or so I think The Unforgiven is probably my favorite. Ever since Bird, Eastwood has my interest. But I thought Bridges of Madison County was boring.

One last thought: North by Northwest was on TCM the other evening with its four star rating. I never understood that fourth star. I'm not sure I understand the third star.

[ggwhiz]

I have dozens of favorites including

1. The Usual Suspects - great plot
2. This is Spinal Tap - based on my early years
3. Silence of the Lambs - truly frightening
4. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - gotta have some Jack

[Aberlour10]

kenberg, on Aug 6 2009, 09:29 AM, said:

Best movie? I don't know. But it is easy for me to say which movie I found the most stunning: The Seventh Seal (Bergman, 1957).

A long time ago, in my college times, I watched it as a theater production at the one of the best stages in Poland, fabulous directed, same as in movie staged only in so many shades of grey and pale.

Robert

[mike777]

"One last thought: North by Northwest was on TCM the other evening with its four star rating. I never understood that fourth star. I'm not sure I understand the third star."


Interesting comment that caught my eye.


North by Northwest is a movie that only has grown on me over the years. Easy 4 stars for me and one of my all time favs that I watch over and over again. Hard to pick a favorite Cary Grant movie, there are so many, but Bringing up Baby is near the top as is this one. Just watched "To Catch a Thief" again.....good one...
His Girl Friday is great.

[olliebol]

I dont think anyone has mentioned it already and it shd be: the good the bad and the ugly, simply the most fun western ever made to watch.

Also worth mentioning are betty blue (a french film), le professionel (also french,with Belmondo)and c est arrive pres the chez vous which is a mockumentary about a filmcrew following a freelance assasin.Just as fun as it sounds.

All older films so your rental shop will probably give you no for an answer.Try anyway!

[mike777]

olliebol, on Sep 6 2009, 07:12 PM, said:

I dont think anyone has mentioned it already and it shd be: the good the bad and the ugly, simply the most fun western ever made to watch.

Also worth mentioning are betty blue (a french film), le professionel (also french,with Belmondo)and c est arrive pres the chez vous which is a mockumentary about a filmcrew following a freelance assasin.Just as fun as it sounds.

All older films so your rental shop will probably give you no for an answer.Try anyway!

I just rewatched the Good/bad/ugly last month, agree good movie as is la prof.

Just got done watching a pretty old movie 1926 Metropolis. One of the great silent movies and the first science fiction movie.

Last night was manhattan melodrama(1934), the movie dillenger saw in Chicago just before he was shot.....Gable, Powell and Loy.....pretty good movie about ethics, friendship and the mob.

[Winstonm]

A move I find to be as good today as it was initially: As Good As It Gets

[MattieShoe]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Shawshank Redemption
The Godfather
Love Actually
Kill Bill
Amelie
Life is Beautiful
Empire Strikes Back
Cool Hand Luke

:-)

[mike777]

If you love old movies and if you love rock and roll you must must see:

T.A.M.I. show.


Perhaps a record of the first all star rock concert.

If you love rock and roll and love go-go dancers see this movie.

Filmed roughly 8 months after the Beatles on Ed S.

See the Miracles before you and I knew Smokey was a genius.

See 5 Beach Boy songs..which afterwords they demanded be cut from any future showings...only decades later to demand they be put back in.

See one song by one solo female singer that no one, including me could name, be a such a wonderful, strong female before her time with a song that it haunts to this day.

See what may be the, the most exciting male vocal performance of all time captured on film...James Brown.

See the Rolling Stones come on next and try and match it.....I think they do match the performance but many disagree.

[Phil]

(deleted - irrelevant)

[gwnn]

Dog Day Afternoon is really good,

"I'm with a guy who don't know where Wyoming is, you think you have problems?"

[olliebol]

The last movie which blew me away was the prestige by the same director (Chrispher Nolan) as batman begins , the dark knight and memento. Cant wait for his next film.