Favourite movies

[Guy Nacks]

1. Evangelion - EoE and all the Rebuilds so far.

C'mon, son. Don't be cheatin' like that. Evangelion is great and all, but lumping all the films into one slot doesn't make any sense.

[Lavinius]

Honestly probably the Utena movie right now. Though I haven't watched many movies since adolescence (ha) started and am kind of confused as to their purpose, if that makes any sense.

[Ray]

1.Aladdin (1992)

2. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

3. Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

4. Se7en (1995)

5. Ikiru (1952)

6. Princess Mononoke (1997)

7. Seven Samurai (1954)

8. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

9. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962):

10. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

[StarShaper7]

1.Aladdin (1992)

2. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

3. Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

4. Se7en (1995)

5. Ikiru (1952)

6. Princess Mononoke (1997)

7. Seven Samurai (1954)

8. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

9. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962):

10. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Of these 10, I've only seen the Bebop Movie, Se7en, Hellboy II and Aladdin.

I love Hellboy II. The only comic book movie I prefer over it is The Dark Knight (if you include manga, I also have a special place in my heart for Ichi the Killer).

Cowboy Bebop The Movie is as awesome as the series, though there are a few episodes I consider to be better. If it were to count as an episode, I think it would probably be in the top 10.

Se7en, like Gone Girl, doesn't rely too heavily on it's twist to be good. It's just an all-around well-made, enjoyable thriller. Though if I wanted to find any deeper meaning in it, I'd have to watch it again.

I think the last time I watched Aladdin was when I was when I was like 12. I found it to better than most Disney movies I'd seen at the time.

If I had to pick the Disney movie I'm most nostalgic about, it would probably be Finding Nemo or The Lion King. I don't really hold a high opinion of Disney movies anymore, mostly just because my tastes have changed. And despite disliking the old-timey look when I was younger, I now find myself loving to watch old school cartoons, like the Looney Tunes and Fleischer Studios stuff.

Here's a perfunctory list of my Top X Live Action Movies, in no particular order:

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Blade Runner (1982)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Ichi the Killer (2001)
El Topo (1970)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Gozu (2003)
Children of Men (2006)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
The Raid + Berandal (2011, 2014)
Delicatessen (1991)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Star Wars Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Battle Royale (2000)
Kill Bill (2003, 2004)
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Drive (2011)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Suicide Club (2001)
Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)
Oldboy (2003)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Godfather I + II (1972, 1974)
Snowpiercer (2014)
Inglorious Basterds (2009)

[::KL7::]

C'mon, son. Don't be cheatin' like that. Evangelion is great and all, but lumping all the films into one slot doesn't make any sense.

[s]1. Evangelion - EoE and all the Rebuilds so far.
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. Spirited Away
4. Ponyo
5. Wreck-It Ralph
6. Platoon
7. Nausicaä of the valley of the wind
8. Lord of the Rings trilogy
9. The Harry Potter series
10. The Matrix [/s]

In that case. Hmm

Revised top 10
1. Evangelion 2.22 (this one gets top spot because it was the first one I saw)
2. End of Evangelion
3. Evangelion 3.0
4. Evangelion 1.11
5. Pan's Labyinth
6. Spirited Away
7. Ponyo
8. Wreck-It Ralph
9. Platoon
10. Nausicaä

[Dataprime]

1.) End of Evangelion
2.) Back to The Future (Tied between part 1 & 2)
3.) SW: New Hope/Empire (again I can't decide)
4.) The Great Escape
5.) T2: Judgement Day


I only listed 5 or so because I draw a fine line between movies that I 'like' & movies that
are my 'favorites'
all these films I have watched many, many times

[MJL]

15 in no particular order (though Moomins are #1 forever)


A Clockwork Orange
After Life
Alien
Blade Runner
City of God
Comet in Moominland
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Evil Dead II
Ikiru
Love Exposure
Millennium Actress
Mulholland Drive
My Neighbor Totoro
Patlabor 2
The Man Without a Past

[Bomby von Bombsville]

I made a list focusing solely on Hong Kong/Taiwan/China martial arts films a few days ago:

25. Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain
24. Come Drink With Me
23. Wing Chun
22. Crippled Avengers
21. Duel to the Death (this film seriously could have ranked a lot higher if the action sequences - which are unbelievably creative - were longer)
20. Hero
19. Return to the 36th Chamber
18. Fong Sai-Yuk
17. Heroes of the East
16. Police Story
15. Iron Monkey
14. Fist of Fury
13. Fist of Legend
12. Dragon Gate Inn
11. Drunken Master II
10. Swordsman II
9. Last Hurrah for Chivalry
8. Project A
7. Once Upon a Time in China
6. 8 Diagram Pole Fighter
5. A Chinese Ghost Story
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
3. 36th Chamber of Shaolin
2. A Touch of Zen
1. Once Upon a Time in China II

As far as films overall go... that would take me a while.

[EvangelionGodMode]

EoE is number one, but if i have to go with live action movies it would probably go like

1. Aliens(1986)
2.Let Me In(2010)
3.Marvel's The Avengers(2012)
4. The Dark Knight(2009)
5.Terminator 2(1992)
6. The Good, Bad, and the Ugly(1966)
7.Predator(1987)
8.End of Watch(2012)
9. Django Unchained(2012)
10.Stand By Me(1986)

[movieartman]

...

[Blue Monday]

Earlier in the thread I tried to keep it within 10. Here's an updated list of 25 in a very loose order:

The End of Evangelion
Blade Runner
Magnolia
The Gamera Trilogy
Ghost in the Shell
X-Men, X2 and Days of Future Past
Drive / Only God Forgives *
Godzilla (1954)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Big Lebowski
Donnie Darko
Apocalypse Now
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Millennium Actress
The Shawshank Redemption
Akira
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Spirited Away
Stand by Me
Pan's Labyrinth
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Evangelion New Theatrical Edition
Princess Mononoke
No Country for Old Men

* Because OGF is the anti-Drive.

[ChaddyManPrime]

@ Movieartman

Where's Guardians of the Galaxy at on that list, I don't see it...

My favorite movies in no particular order;

Guardians of the Galaxy
X-Men: Days of Future's Past
Evil Dead 2
Army of Darkness
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Killer Clowns from Outer space
Last Temptation of Christ
Superman Returns
Superman 2: The Richard Donner cut
The Dark Knight
Cabin in the Woods
End of Evangelion
Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0
Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0
My Neighbor Totoro
Howl's Moving Castle
Spirited Away
Ponyo
Nightmare on Elm Street (Original)
Nightmare on Elm Street 3
Nightmare on Elm Street 4
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Freddy vs Jason
Friday the 13th, all of them except for Jason X
The Exorcist 3: Legion
Nightmare Before Christmas
Billy and Mandy: Underfist
Superbad
Kick-ass
Batman Returns
Twins
Return to Oz
Boondock Saints
Boondock Saints 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Original)
The Incredibles
Kung Fu Hustle
The Prophecy series
Me, Myself, and Irene
Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2
Ghostbusters 1 and 2
Caddy Shack
The Great Outdoors
What about Bob?
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Lord of the Rings, all of them
The Hobbit
House 2: The Second Story
Back to the Future 1 and 2
Groundhog's day
Time Bandits
Watchmen

[Trajan]

Seeing almost no one mentioning films from before 1980 makes me feel old. Not biologically speaking, but mentally old. Maybe I am a fifty year old trapped in a twenty year old's body after-all.

[gadgetfusion]

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Donnie Darko
3. Fight Club
4. A Clockwork Orange
5. Mulholland Drive
6. American Beauty
7. The Truman Show
8. Kill Bill
9. Southland Tales
10. Back to the Future
11. Akira
12. The Social Network

[Alaska Slim]

In chronological order:

I Remember Mama (1948)

BedKnobs & Broomsticks (1971)

Herbie Rides Again (1974)

The Star Wars Trilogy (1977-83)

Ran (1985)

Batman (1989)

Porco Rosso (1992)

Homeward Bound (1993)

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Digimon Adventure: Bokura no Wō Gēmu!? (2000)

The Secret of Kells (2009)

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

[Sorrow]

I promised Oz something of a film review, but it isn't anything I've seen recently (so it doesn't belong in the recent films topic), and so I think this is the best place to write it because it certainly is one of my favourite films.

Billy Liar, is a 1963 film set in Yorkshire, England. It's about a bone idle, almost work-shy, young man named William 'Billy' Fisher (Tom Courtenay), who is somewhat of a compulsive liar - as the title would suggest. Billy's home life is awkward and uncomfortable due to his own lies and his father's lack of faith in him. He works as a clerk in an undertaker's office where he steals from his employer ("this is your life, Mr. Shadrack. Your life!") and fails to complete any errand required of him, but has so far avoided any damning evidence. More than simply being a liar though, Billy lives in a fantasy world that fluctuates between absurd and true aspirations.

He has concocted a fantasy land named 'Ambrosia' where he gets to play out any hero that he currently desires. The result is that no one else can take him seriously. Everyone is aware of Billy's habits and he is often ridiculed for it; that is, besides his multiple girlfriends, all of whom he has promised to marry.

It becomes apparent that Billy's lies and mischievous behaviour are in-fact a coping tool to deal with the humdrum life he has slotted into. He's only serious when he's joking. When the soil appears to be falling on Billy's head, he reunites with the one person who understands him, Liz (Julie Christie). Every bit compatible with Billy, she is the woman he truly loves. Liz is more active than Billy, however, and she makes the fatal of mistake of offering him the chance to make all of his dreams a reality.

Based on a novel of the same name by Keith Waterhouse and directed by John Schelsinger (who you've also never heard of), the film is shot on location and belongs to the British "kitchen sink" genre. Witty, subtle and grimly honest, but with an affection for its average characters. Tom Courtenay is a fantastic actor who you'd believe was reliving the part from his own past, he understands the character entirely, while Julie Christie proves why she is one of the 60s best icons - even in her drab dress. There is no big action sequence, and there is no exciting adventure that we see; it's entirely a character driven piece that paints Billy as a worthless coward, but a loveable worthless coward that is to be admired for all he has to endure.

Train heave on to Euston. Do you think you made the right decision this time?

If anyone, Oz, does watch this film and desires a conversation exploring the nature of Billy Liar, then I'd be more than happy to. I'd have liked to have seen it again before writing about it, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so I'll have to purchase it[s]---[/s]and a cheap DVD player[s]---[/s]to do so.

Just in case this is off topic, some of my other favourite films are:

East of Eden (1955)
Look Back in Anger (1959)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Bande à part (1964)
Georgy Girl (1966)
If... (1968) - who doesn't like Malcolm McDowell?

Just about anything by Ken Loach would be on the list, too.

[Oz]

I was about to ask if you are a fan of the British New Wave, but then you mentioned the kitchen sink genre so that made my question unnecessary. Is there any particular reason for your interest in British cinema of that era? I have long been interested in exploring the British cinema of the late 50's and 60's, but I have never got around to checking out even the films of Lindsay Anderson (who seems to be the best known figure of the movement as far as I know).

Since your favorite films include titles from both the British and French New Waves, have you ever given a try to films of the Japanese New Wave?

Since I have a bunch of Japanese New Wave films and the films of Michael Haneke waiting for me to watch them, I guess I ought to watch Billy Liar as well.

[Sorrow]

I suppose I just get a kick out of things that examine people's relationship with their situation. Be that other people, where they're from, or how they feel about the life that they live. I like honest approaches to how one might feel about something - even if the film offers no real explanation for their behaviour, no defining event, I like witnessing their behaviour all the same.

Instead of the glamour expected from the big screen and people constantly looking wonderful, they stripped it all down and found a glamour in the real humdrum lives of people, coping with various dirty taboos of the time. Obviously, it wasn't to last through the glorious 60s with its unhinging of sexual angst, fascination with art, and spy thrillers.

Lindsay Anderson is certainly worth looking into, but I wouldn't say he's the best known or most important figure. If... is certainly one of my favourite films, and This Sporting Life is well regarded and worth watching, but there is more to be found from films like Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The L-Shaped Room or anything else I've already mentioned - I think.

I wasn't even aware the Japanese had anything like "new wave", but if you have anything in particular you think I should watch, then I have no opposition in giving it a go.

[Oz]

The Japanese New Wave was a rebellion against the old studio system, but all the filmmakers involved in it had their own ideals and style. I haven't yet watched that many films of the movement so I don't know what to recommend from it.

But based on your two posts in this thread, I actually have a recommendation from the list of Japanese films that I made recently. Nobuhiro Yamashita's The Drudgery Train tells the story of a junior high dropout who has no friends until he befriends a co-worker and a pretty bookstore clerk. What one usually expects from a scenario like this is a story that leads to the protagonist's development to a perhaps wiser person, but The Drudgery Train turns the expectations upside down. The protagonist's anti-social personality leads to him losing all the chances he has to set his life on a better track. The film is based on an autobiographical novel of a guy who had screwed up his life completely until he realized he could make money by writing about his own screw-ups. There is no western DVD release of it and the Japanese release doesn't have subtitles, but the Internet is your friend in case you want to check it out.

[Trajan]

Hey Oz, is Seijun Suzuki considered to be a vanguard of the Japanese New Wave? I know he is sometimes considered a member by association, but he never directly endorsed the movement from anything I've read. I know when I watched Branded to Kill this summer, the prevailing thought I had regarding it was "this is like Jean-Luc Godard on drugs" and the movie is one of those films that once you see it, you can never forget it.

Speaking of which, if you would recommend one Shohei Imamura film to someone interested in his work who hasn't yet seen anything made by him, what one(s) would you choose?