Most Wanted
Email here for additions & corrections.

Ishtar
(May, 1987)
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (OOP)
(Ross, 1976)
The Devils
(Russell, 1974)
The Pirates of Penzance
(Papp/Leach, 1983)
The Fortune
(Nichols, 1975)
-30-
(Webb, 1959)
Betrayal
(Jones, 1983)
Play It As It Lays
(Perry, 1972)
The Outfit
(Flynn, 1973)
Alex in Wonderland
(Mazursky, 1969)
The Legend of Lylah Clare
(Aldrich, 1968)
In The Cool of the Day
(Stevens, 1963)
That Cold Day in the Park
(Altman, 1969)
Thumb Trippin'
(Masters, 1972)
Midas Run
(Kjellin, 1969)
At Long Last Love
(Bogdanovich, 1973)
Brewster McCloud
(Altman, 1972)
Outcast of the Islands
(Reed, 1951)

Reader Submissions

1930's-1950's
The Moon's Our Home
(Seiter, 1936)
Sh! The Octopus
(McGann, 1937)
The Mating Season
(Leisen, 1951)
Bad for Each Other
(Rapper, 1953)
The Phenix City Story
(Karlson, 1955)
Run of the Arrow
(Fuller, 1956)
House of Secrets
(Green, 1956)
Saint Joan
(Preminger, 1957)
Macabre
(Castle, 1958)
The Fiend Who Walked the West
(G. Douglas, 1958
Five Gates to Hell
(Clavell, 1959)
1960's
Key Witness
(Karlson, 1960)
Summer and Smoke
(Glenville, 1961)
The Chapman Report
(Cukor,1962)
Bachelor Flat
(Tashlin, 1962) [on Hulu]
The L Shaped Room
(Forbes, 1963)
The Chalk Garden
(Neame, 1964)
A Thousand Clowns
(Coe, 1965)
You're a Big Boy Now
(Coppola, 1966)
The Whisperers
(Forbes, 1967)
Dark of the Sun
(Cardiff, 1968)
Skidoo
(Preminger, 1968)
Last Summer
(Perry, 1969)
The Comic
(C. Reiner, 1969)
1970-1974
The Revolutionary
(Williams, 1970)
The Landlord
(Ashby, 1970)
Diary of a Mad Housewife
(Perry, 1970)
Tropic of Cancer
(Strick, 1970)
I Never Sang for My Father
(Cates, 1970)
Sometimes a Great Notion
(Newman, 1971)
Marriage of a Young Stockbroker
(Turman, 1971)
The Music Lovers
(Russell, 1971)
Drive, He Said
(Nicholson, 1971)
The Steagle
(Sylbert, 1971)
The Last Movie
(Hopper, 1971)
Made For Each Other
(Bean, 1971)
The Day the Clown Cried
(Lewis, 1972)
Hickey & Boggs (OOP)
(Culp, 1972)
The Carey Treatment
(Edwards, 1972)
Pete 'n' Tillie
(Ritt, 1972)
Slither
(Zieff, 1973)
Man on a Swing
(Perry, 1974)
Open Season
(Collinson, 1974)
The Tamarind Seed
(Edwards, 1974)
Law and Disorder
(Passer, 1974)
Homebodies
(Yust, 1974)
Stardust
(Apted, 1974)
Celine and Julie Go Boating
(Rivette, 1974)
1975-1979
Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins
(Richards, 1975
At Long Last Love
(Bogdanovich, 1975)
Hearts of the West
(Zieff, 1975)
Welcome to L.A.
(Rudolph, 1976)
W.C. Fields and Me
(Hiller, 1976)
Citizens Band
(Demme, 1977)
Twilight's Last Gleaming
(Aldrich, 1977)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
(Brooks, 1977)
Girlfriends
(Weill, 1978)
Movie Movie
(Donen, 1978)
The Medusa Touch
(Gold, 1978)
American Hot Wax
(Mutrux, 1978)
Hot Stuff
(DeLuise, 1979)
Scavenger Hunt
(Schultz , 1979)
Players
(Harvey, 1979)
Rich Kids
(Young, 1979)
Nightwing
(Hiller, 1979)
Screams of a Winter's Night
(Wilson, 1979
When You Comin' Back Red Ryder?
(Katselas, 1979
1980's
Resurrection
(Petrie, 1980)
The Awakening
(Newell, 1980)
Simon
(Brickman, 1980)
God's Angry Man
(Herzog, 1980)
Fast-Walking
(Harris, 1982)
Twice Upon a Time
(Korty & Swenson, 1983)
Trouble in Mind
(Rudolph, 1985)
When the Wind Blows
(Murikami, 1986)
Housekeeping
(Forsyth, 1987)
The Glass Menagerie
(Newman, 1987)
Patty Hearst
(Schrader, 1988)
Drowning by Numbers
(Greenaway, 1988)
Haunted Summer
(Passer, 1988)
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
(Spheeris, 1988)
1990's
Old Times
(Curtis, 1991)
Prospero's Books
(Greenaway, 1991)
City of Hope
(Sayles, 1991)
The Baby of Macon
(Greenaway, 1993)
King of the Hill
(Soderbergh, 1993)
Dadetown
(Hexter, 1995)
SubUrbia
(Linklater, 1997)

Best of the Best

As I understand it, David Fincher was asked by Empire to write down his favorite films of all time, and to do so without thinking about it too much -- just scribble 'em down! So as an exercise, I grabbed a notebook and did the same thing. I wish I'd been a little more foreign, a little more '90s indie, a little more '30s, '40s and '50s...but this is what happened. Live with it. I could have written down another 150 without blinking. Here are the two lists:



Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 30, 2008 at 3:07 PM

comment #1

DarthCorleone Author Profile Page says ...

Both good lists. Yours definitely includes some films that remind me why I enjoy haunting this blog and feel in tune with your writing.

Posted by DarthCorleone Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 3:36 PM

comment #2

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Fincher - 1 Wells - 0. Let's go to the 2nd inning!

Nice call on Blow Up, though...I think I might actually take that over 8 1/2.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 3:39 PM

comment #3

Steve Guttenberg Author Profile Page says ...

4 months 3 weeks and 2 days is SO knee jerk, that won't be on your list in two years.

Posted by Steve Guttenberg Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 3:46 PM

comment #4

Jack Price Author Profile Page says ...

Couldn't agree with you more on Prince of the City. Personally prefer it over Serpico.

Posted by Jack Price Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 3:46 PM

comment #5

actionman Author Profile Page says ...

Nothing knee jerk about it, Guttenberg. That film is unforgettable. Have you seen it?

Wells -- The Hurt Locker? Wow. It made that much of an impact, huh? I am pretty jazzed to see it.

Love seeing The Limey on there. Probably the best or second best from Soderbergh.

Posted by actionman Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:03 PM

comment #6

JaySmire Author Profile Page says ...

I have to say-- those are both pretty fine lists.

Favorites vs. best is always tricky.

Since so many of my favorites are on both of those lists I'll just add a few additional ones that I didn't see,but popped in my head:

Big Lebowski
The Conversation
Medium Cool
Sweet Sweetbacks Baaadaasss Song
The Great Escape
Mona Lisa
Godfather I and II
Dazed and Confused

Posted by JaySmire Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:09 PM

comment #7

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Okay, actionman...what Soderbergh movies have you actually seen? In my mind, I'd rank it far beneath SLV, Kafka, King of the Hill, Schizopolis, Out of Sight, Solaris remake, Bubble. I'm pretty sure the Che double feature is better, but I won't count that. I'd say it's about on par with Traffic or something...possibly better.

Man that bastard was on quite a roll in the 90s...what the hell happened?

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:12 PM

comment #8

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

Your list is better than Fincher's, Jeff.

Animal House?
The Terminator?
Butch Cassidy?
Jaws?

Dreck.

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:16 PM

comment #9

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Sweet Sweetbacks is a killer movie. Excellent shout-out, there, Jay.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:17 PM

comment #10

p.Vice Author Profile Page says ...

Is the problem that people don't watch foreign-language films anymore, or just that the Smug American complex prevents the brain from considering something alien as an equal to something familiar?

Posted by p.Vice Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:17 PM

comment #11

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

The fuck is wrong with the first Terminator film? Good God, Milk, you are crazy....okay, that's a given...crazier than usual!

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:19 PM

comment #12

Herzog Author Profile Page says ...

Anyone with Zelig on their list deserves my respect. I saw an interview with Paul Thomas Anderson and he also mentions it (It eventually became an influence on Boogie Nights). A criminally underrated masterpiece.

Posted by Herzog Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:38 PM

comment #13

Edward Havens Author Profile Page says ...

No shock about which film is listed first on Fincher's list. He's presenting a screening of it in December at the Skirball Center, along with a post-screening Q&A about his career and the effect this one specific movie had on it.

Posted by Edward Havens Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:42 PM

comment #14

Chapman Carruthers Author Profile Page says ...

Mucho agradecimiento to Wells for having the juevos to include Field of Dreams on the list. Beautiful film despite the, at the time, massive mcdonalds tie ins, and the god awful scene in the school auditorium.

Fincher's list reads like something Lawrence Kasdan would come up with.

Posted by Chapman Carruthers Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:52 PM

comment #15

Chapman Carruthers Author Profile Page says ...

Aside from Days of Heaven.

No way Kasdan likes Days of Heaven.

Posted by Chapman Carruthers Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:53 PM

comment #16

berkguru Author Profile Page says ...

One Flew Over Cuckoos Nest
Taxi Driver
Casino
Rocky
Braveheart
Rounders
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1st half of Full Metal Jacket
The Shining
Animal House
Last American Virgin
The Deer Hunter
Heat
Shawshank Redemption
There Will Be Blood

Cant stand most anything pre-1970 - dont know why

Posted by berkguru Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 4:58 PM

comment #17

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

I like Fincher. I think he is a great filmmaker. But judging from his list, he likes exactly what any random frat guy on the street would like. Maybe he needed more time. Maybe he was just falling back on what was familiar to answer what he thought was maybe an irritating and pointless question. The answers just seem so...rote, that's all. I'm surpised Casablanca wasn't on his list. I mean, what makes Butch Cassidy a good enough movie to be included on such a list? Nothing. Animal House is basically Old School, or any number of generic Dude Comedies, and it seems peculiar that it would be on his list considering that humor is not one of Finchers strengths, unless you think Fight Club was funny, which I'm sure many people do, and these are the same people who probably quote lines from Caddyshack well into their 40's. Jeff's list is a little more eclectic, which is why I like it.

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:01 PM

comment #18

gruver1 Author Profile Page says ...

Wells to berkguru: The first half ofFull Metal Jacket? The last third, hombre. The last act in the burning city of Hue. Jeez, I have to point this stuff out?

Posted by gruver1 Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:05 PM

comment #19

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Laugh all you want about Fincher's list, but his inclusion of MP&THG is fantastic. Hilarious movie that gets absolutely ZERO credit for having a really distinct, morbid visual atmosphere about it. I can totally see a young, impressionable Fincher being fascinated by it and Dr. Strangelove; those two films forming his unique taste for pitch-black humor amidst despair that has run subtly (overtly in Fight Club) throughout his filmography.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:05 PM

comment #20

berkguru Author Profile Page says ...

Wells - always had affinity for the 1st half. My dad was in vietnam and had a drill sergeant who was a "carbon copy" of the guy in the movie and he said it was a very realistic portrayal of boot camp. Always resonated with me. 2nd half didnt feel realistic to me - the buidling felt too much like a stage.

Posted by berkguru Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:09 PM

comment #21

alvysinger Author Profile Page says ...

I love all the movies on both lists, with the exception of "4 months...", "The Sand Pebbles" and "Hurt Locker", none of which I've seen. Second the kudos on "Field of Dreams", Costner and hokery aside, it stands up. "Shoeless Joe", the book it is based on, was one of the first meaningful novels in my life as well.

Posted by alvysinger Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:13 PM

comment #22

quarlas Author Profile Page says ...

Love this idea.

Great stuff on both lists, but they both need more Rushmore.

Posted by quarlas Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:14 PM

comment #23

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Fair enough, Milk. Fincher obviously is not a writer, so it doesn't really surprise me that a lot of his choices are visual epics (LoA, DoH) , or effects-driven blockbusters (Jaws, Terminator).

You have to remember that he did start out doing visual effects in the 80s, so I'm sure that was an exciting time for him, and a lot of those movies hit close to home during his formative years. I think given more time or more space he would come up with a really, really nice list. I trust his taste.

I'm not sure what kind of frat boys you know, but I'm not convinced there's a current fraternity brother in the entire country who has seen Zelig, Paper Moon, Being There, and The Year of Living Dangerously, let alone heard of them. And none of them would admit to having seen All That Jazz or Cabaret even if they had, unless it was some sort of psychosexual hazing ritual. Which incidentally sounds kind of fun. You should tell me what kind of gay man I am if I would enjoy something like that.

But yeah, I really don't know what the hell Animal House is doing on that list, either. He was about 15 when it came out, maybe that was the first time he got laid? Perhaps he climaxed right when Bluto spit out his food? If that's the case, I have to say, I'd put Animal House on my fuckin' list, too.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:20 PM

comment #24

berkguru Author Profile Page says ...

Animal House is a masterpiece

Posted by berkguru Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:22 PM

comment #25

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Yeah, the 1st half of FMJ is commonly referred to as "the good half" amongst film geeks, don't tell me you haven't heard this before, Wells??

But being the lapdog to Kubrick that I am, I love the entire thing. Really enjoy how he takes his warfare out of the jungle and into the urban areas, definitely gives it a different "feel" than the other 'Nam films. Although by 1987, he definitely needed to do *something* to differentiate it visually from the other hundred-odd films about that war.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:25 PM

comment #26

Chapman Carruthers Author Profile Page says ...

For me, the first half of FMJ is the most enjoyable, especially immediately, while the second half is the most poignant and important, particularly in today's climate..

Posted by Chapman Carruthers Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:31 PM

comment #27

Strolzy Author Profile Page says ...

River's Edge
Withnail & I
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring
Harvie Krumpet
Underground (1995)
The Last Picture Show
Onibaba
The Night of the Hunter
Reservoir Dogs
Santa Sangre
Re-Animator
Rules of the Game
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Funeral (1996)
The Adjuster
The Thing
State of Grace
Rejected (dir., Hertzfeldt)
Withnail & I
Bad Boys (with Sean Penn)
Glengarry Glen Ross
Let The Right One In
True Romance
The Corporation (doc)
Southern Comfort (1981)
River's Edge (1986)
King of New York
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Nights of Cabiria
Winchester '73 (1950)
Knife in the Water
Strozsek
Dawn/Day of the Dead
Frenzy

Posted by Strolzy Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:36 PM

comment #28

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Interesting. Never thought I'd ever see King of New York on one of these lists. Not saying I disagree, just surprised....

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:40 PM

comment #29

Strolzy Author Profile Page says ...

sorry for the redundancies
they infuriate me

Posted by Strolzy Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:41 PM

comment #30

Strolzy Author Profile Page says ...

More surprised then The Funeral? Interesting.

Posted by Strolzy Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 5:43 PM

comment #31

BurmaShave Author Profile Page says ...

Wow, you really did like THE HURT LOCKER.

Posted by BurmaShave Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 6:11 PM

comment #32

Belloc-Lowndes Author Profile Page says ...

So between the two of you there's what, three or four black and white movies and nothing before, what, 1953? Wow. Guess that first half century of filmmaking didn't even happen.

Posted by Belloc-Lowndes Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 6:22 PM

comment #33

lazarus Author Profile Page says ...

I am a little surprised that neither Fincher's nor Jeff's list had a significant amount of older or foreign films. Jeff acknowledged it but still disheartening. Jeff has ONE film pre-1960 (Paths of Glory), and Fincher has only two (Rear Window and Citizen Kane). Foreign films, one for Jeff (4 Months...) and one for Fincher (8 1/2). I know when people think off the top of their head they think close to home, but come on.

Without looking at any old lists:

Apocalypse Now
Vertigo
Reds
The English Patient
Touch of Evil
Three Colors: Red
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Days of Heaven
Once Upon a Time in America
Barton Fink
Stardust Memories
Céline and Julie Go Boating
Days of Being Wild
The Empire Strikes Back
Spirited Away
Jules and Jim
The Big Sleep
Gangs of New York
Some Came Running

Posted by lazarus Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 6:32 PM

comment #34

Jay T. Author Profile Page says ...

Off the top of my head without reading any other commenter's lists...

Chinatown
L.A. Confidential
City of God
Grosse Point Blank
There Will Be Blood
Out of Sight
Rear Window
The Big Lebowski
Rounders
Good Will Hunting
The Shawshank Redemption

Posted by Jay T. Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 6:49 PM

comment #35

actionman Author Profile Page says ...

Heat
Goodfellas
Pulp Fiction
Double Indemnity
The Sting
Casino
Boogie Nights
Leon
Natural Born Killers
Slapshot
L.A. Confidential
Made
Black Hawk Down
The Thin Red Line
Fitzcarraldo
Children of Men
Domino
The New World

Posted by actionman Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 7:11 PM

comment #36

berkguru Author Profile Page says ...

Bad Boys with Sean Penn and even the Warriors are 2 that I spaced on. Hope they dont remake the Warriors.

Posted by berkguru Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 7:59 PM

comment #37

luca Author Profile Page says ...

the third man
greed
they live by night
chinatown
apocalypse now
modern times
dr. strangelove
exterminating angel
pickpocket
taxi driver
touch of evil
le doulos
the searchers
his girl friday
the leopard
in a lonely place
contempt
400 blows
sunset blvd.
scarface(1932)
stalag 17
notorious
yojimbo
hands over the city

Posted by luca Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 8:03 PM

comment #38

luca Author Profile Page says ...

the third man
greed
they live by night
chinatown
apocalypse now
modern times
dr. strangelove
exterminating angel
pickpocket
taxi driver
touch of evil
le doulos
the searchers
his girl friday
the leopard
in a lonely place
contempt
400 blows
sunset blvd.
scarface(1932)
stalag 17
notorious
yojimbo
hands over the city

Posted by luca Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 8:04 PM

comment #39

DavidF Author Profile Page says ...

Some of the reactions to Fincher's list are most amusing.
How dare he like Animal House! Doesn't he know he's a genius and only people with Zodiac on their lists can even post here!
I think it's a great list with a surprising number of popular - but GOOD - movies.

Anyone who thinks Jaws is "dreck" is just a fool, sorry. It's like bashing someone who has The Beatles on their list of favourite bands cuz they're so uncool, with their "She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah" crap.

I've seen like 95% of his list and have to see the others. Jeff's list is more of a mixed bag - I dunno if Jerry Maguire would be on my ALL TIME FAVES but it is, like a lot of Fincher's flicks, a really well-crafted popular film.

I think ALIEN is a particularly interesting inclusion for Fincher, given his role in the franchise. One day someone will get him to really talk about what went down with Alien3 which is an awesome looking movie with a few awesome sequences. if only they'd had a script, who knows what he'd have done with it.

Posted by DavidF Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 8:29 PM

comment #40

huntermdaniels Author Profile Page says ...

are these favorite films or best films?

Posted by huntermdaniels Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 8:44 PM

comment #41

ZacharyTF Author Profile Page says ...

The Shawshank Redemption
Schindler's List
Saving Private Ryan
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
The Lord of the Rings: Trilogy
Back to the Future
The Empire Strikes Back
Citizen Kane
Casablanca
Star Wars
The Conversation
Apocalypse Now
Mean Streets
Taxi Driver
Goodfellas
Raging Bull
Almost Famous
Heat
Dazed and Confused

Posted by ZacharyTF Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 8:55 PM

comment #42

Zimmergirl Author Profile Page says ...

I *love* Fincher's list.

Posted by Zimmergirl Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 8:57 PM

comment #43

lipranzer Author Profile Page says ...

Aside from GODFATHER II, which is my favorite of all time, here's a partial list in order that they were made:

Intolerance
City Lights
Trouble in Paradise
Scarface (the original)
The Thin Man
Stage Door
The Maltese Falcon
Casablanca (yes, I really like it that much)
Miracle of Morgan's Creek
The Best Years of Our Lives
Out of the Past
Singin' in the Rain
Diabolique
The Seven Samurai
Some Like it Hot
Breathless
Dr. Strangelove
Persona
Nashville
Return of the Secaucus Seven
E.T.
No Way Out (the Kevin Costner version)
Leaving Las Vegas
Almost Famous
Children of Men

Posted by lipranzer Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 9:02 PM

comment #44

bryce_david Author Profile Page says ...

I'm glad Fincher listed The Year of Living Dangerously. It's one of the best films ever and totally underrated.

Posted by bryce_david Author Profile Page at October 30, 2008 10:45 PM

comment #45

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Hm, okay, I'll give this a shot. But I'll challenge myself a bit and only include one film per director, and films that haven't been listed *anywhere* above. That will make me dig a bit deeper and hopefully lead to some interesting choices....

Alphaville
King of Comedy
The Lady from Shanghai
Jackie Brown
Psycho - can't believe nobody listed it yet
Brazil - ditto
2001: ASO - What the hell? Was this one too obvious??
Sunrise
Metropolis
Before Sunrise
Pan's Labyrinth
Irreversible
Shallow Grave
Ed Wood
[rec]
Infernal Affairs
Badlands - only Malick not yet chosen, I'll take it
Blade Runner
Robocop - underrated as hell
Asphalt Jungle - ditto
El Mariachi
Sling Blade
THX - 1138
Dressed to Kill
Dark City
Repulsion
The Killer - photo-finish over Hard-Boiled
Full Contact
Leon
Battle Royale
Nosferatu
The Ice Storm
Clerks
Fargo
Blue Velvet
The Assassination of Jesse James... - long title, good film
Munich - sorry Jeff, but it's awesome
Shoot the Piano Player - prefer it to 400 Blows, actually
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
This is Spinal Tap - hysterical; never fails to crack me up
Memento - No mentions? Wow...
Fight Club - ditto

Bound - I still contest this is the Wachowski's most consistently good film

Rumble Fish - a bit of a stretch, really...but you guys already poached his legendary 70s output.

Ikiru - pick any Kurosawa basically, but this one makes me fucking bawl

Videodrome - pick any Cronenberg, but gotta love the creepy plot and James Woods/Debbie Harry tandem...

Strange Days - fine, guilty pleasure, but love Fiennes, love how it's shot, genuinely great idea for a film...

Hardcore - Schrader's had an uneven directing career, but I think he deserves some representation on lists like these...

Hellraiser - Cheap Halloween entry? Perhaps...but I watched it last night, and for my $, it cuts to the bone of what scares me much more effectively than Exorcist, for example.

The Vanishing - ditto

Alright, that's 50...if I don't stop now, I may never

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 12:36 AM

comment #46

citizenmilton Author Profile Page says ...

although photoshopped, I wanted to go with the handwritten aesthetic so here are mine:

http://thecrankfile.com/essentials.jpg

Posted by citizenmilton Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 12:49 AM

comment #47

Zimmergirl Author Profile Page says ...

Munich is half a good movie.

The Year of Living Dangerously, one of the best ever.

Posted by Zimmergirl Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 5:54 AM

comment #48

sardine Author Profile Page says ...

your list, Jeff, rate a D plus. his a C.

Field of Dreams....Pauline Kael said this is the perfect movie to usher in the Bush administration."

Geo the first.

at least you're voting for Obama, Jeff.

Posted by sardine Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 7:19 AM

comment #49

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

Jaws is wildly overrated. So are The Beatles.
Don't be a robot.

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 8:04 AM

comment #50

rr3333 Author Profile Page says ...

Why no love for "Breaking Away"?

Posted by rr3333 Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 9:34 AM

comment #51

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

Breaking Away is a great movie. Better than Jaws.

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 9:48 AM

comment #52

Edward Author Profile Page says ...

Great list kaned and I agree about Breaking Away. All interesting lists really. Am I alone on being cool to The Year of Living Dangerously? I would switch it with the far superior Circle of Deceit. No Wings of Desire or My Dinner with Andre? I'd also switch Candyman for Hell Raiser. Being Halloween I'll add Reanimator and Romero's Dawn of the Dead.

If I was going to make a list, mine would change day to day, depending on my mood.

Posted by Edward Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 10:32 AM

comment #53

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Mine does, too, Edward...I don't really believe in having a firm list of top 10 movies, maybe 6 that are omnipresent, but at least 3 or 4 spots that shift; a few choices that are malleable according to your mood/season/age.

Someone else mentioned Re-Animator (great choice) and DotD, but shame on me for not including any Romero. Obviously, his Dead trilogy (let's not get into the two he's made since then) are stone-cold horror classics, but Martin, Knightriders, and the Crazies are really not far behind. His career since this run has been profoundly disappointing.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 11:09 AM

comment #54

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Zimmer - which half would that be?

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 11:11 AM

comment #55

Roman Author Profile Page says ...

Here's my top 11 of all time and I'm damn proud of it:

2001: A Space Oddysey, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Being John Malkovich, Before Sunset, Brazil, A Clockwork Orange, Exotica, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Fish Called Wanda, Memento, Munich, Sprited Away

Posted by Roman Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 1:43 PM

comment #56

JoeGreenia Author Profile Page says ...

Late to the party, but for the record -

The Seven Samurai
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The General (1927)
Angels With Dirty Faces
American Movie
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Ride the High Country
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Star Wars
The Lady Eve
Miller's Crossing
Dr. Strangelove
Duck Soup
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Gunga Din
Raging Bull
Dawn of the Dead
Shadow of a Doubt

I could do this for a while. I am mired in the past.

Posted by JoeGreenia Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 1:47 PM

comment #57

madskrilla Author Profile Page says ...

I cannot believe you put THE HURT LOCKER in there Mr Wells. It's not even one of this years' 20 best films, much less of all time.

A big round of applause for the reader who mentioned The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, great taste.

Posted by madskrilla Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 6:01 PM

comment #58

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

Damn....Being John Malkovich really slipped my mind...I *love* that film.

Just a couple other of my favorites that I missed and still haven't been mentioned:

JFK - one of the few films that has truly revolutionized the editing aesthetic in the last 20 years. I think the technique was perfected a few years later with NBK, but someone had already taken that one.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - one of the most profound movies that digs deeply into the core of the strange nature of romance, and the human desire for it.

Bonnie & Clyde - brought the French new wave and its uneasy mix of violence and humor to America...still holds up *really* well, it's kind of eerie.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape - along with Drugstore Cowboy, mainly responsible for the overriding aesthetic of 90s indie cinema

Drugstore Cowboy - what the hell, I didn't have a Van Sant...Elephant is possibly better, but it's almost too chilly and off-putting to put as a favorite.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - I'll go with the original

Freaks - at least 3 decades ahead of its time, possibly more...

Heavenly Creatures - Anyone who calls Jackson a soulless artist (*ahem*) really needs to watch/re-watch this film b/c it delivers a whallop of an emotional punch. Draining cinema, in the best possible way.

Mulholland Drive - I'll sub this in for Blue Velvet for my Lynch selection. All in all, prob. my all-time fave film of the 00s (so far!).

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at October 31, 2008 7:36 PM

comment #59

cinefan Author Profile Page says ...

My favorite movies off the top of my head:

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rebecca
Notorious
Vertigo
Halloween
L.A. Confidential
Godfather Part II
Sunset Boulevard
Lawrence of Arabia
Scream 1 and 2
Jaws
Psycho
Office Space
Chinatown
Double Indemnity

Posted by cinefan Author Profile Page at November 1, 2008 6:40 AM

comment #60

T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page says ...

North by Northwest
Vertigo
Rear Window
Maltese Falcon
Big Sleep
Laura
Bringing Up Baby
The Lady Eve
The More the Merrier
The Lsdykillers
Lawrence of Arabia
Annie Hall
Pulp Fiction
Heat

Posted by T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page at November 1, 2008 4:35 PM

comment #61

cinefan Author Profile Page says ...

Some I can't believe I forgot:

Citizen Kane
Empire Strikes Back
Strangers on a Train
A Shot in the Dark
The Haunting
Goofellas

Posted by cinefan Author Profile Page at November 1, 2008 7:21 PM

comment #62

love Author Profile Page says ...

links of london Christmas is approaching links charms this year. links of london Ed Hardy Shoes have become the hottest cloth in 2009 Ed Hardy T Shirts.tiffany to you. Tiffany Bracelet Bracelet,Tiffany Accessories are fine crafted works of art.I wore the the north face Borealis with a battery Merino wool base layer under theAbercrombie and Fitch Jeans.This is the cause, why you get to Abercrombie and Fitch Pants see that mold pandora.

Posted by love Author Profile Page at March 6, 2010 12:19 AM

Post a comment