The Best Movie Ever Made According to You (AND WHY)

[Buddyboy]

Casablanca

Dr Strangelove

Charade

The Lion in Winter

Being There

Tinker, Tailor 

The Verdict

The Name of the Rose

 

[RamRod]

Boogie Nights

It's well directed, well acted, got an awesome soundtrack, and it's got naked ladies.

[PurpleLion]

I don't know about the best films ever made and my all time favorites are:

1. Saturday Night Fever,

2. Reservoir Dogs,

3. Glengarry Glenross,

4. Pulp Fiction,

5. Sunset Boulevard,

6. As Good As It Gets,

7. Kramer Vs Kramer,

8. No Country For Old Men,

9. The Shining,

10. Sex Lies And Videotape.

Honorable mentions of many and films that you ought get to know:

Breaking The Waves,

The French Lieutenant's Woman,

Das Boot,

The Manchurian Candidate,

A Clockwork Orange.

[Small Town Values]

Hard to pick a single stand alone film across so many genres. And tbph there are none after the year 2005 that I'm particularly fond of. 

However, I'll give it go...

MY LIST:

(Disclaimer:  Overall / Originality - Creativity - Imagination - Atmosphere - World Building, etc... Play the largest part in my personal cinematic enjoyment).

~ Also... I'm bias in my appreciation for animation. ~

Science Fiction (I consider the following equal)

Alien (1979) - More horror than pure science fiction, but overall the sci-fi backdrop meshes seamlessly with a griping exploration of the primal fear of the unknown. 

The Terminator (1984) - Similar to above, but with a higher action component. Along with 2001: ASO, Metroplis & Blade Runner - It remains my favourite cinematic exploration of A.I. 

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) -  The perfect blend of science fiction & the fantastical. Highly atmospheric & engrossing even in the face of its ambiguity.

Solaris (1972) - See above.

Metropolis (1927) - Before 2001: A Space Odyssey there was Metropolis. 

Blade Runner: Director's Cut (1992) - If it wasn't for the director's cut, Blade Runner wouldn't be on this list. By removing much of the narration, the film become a more visceral & emotive experience. Personally, I loved this vision of the future.     

Akira (1988) -  One of the greatest animated, if not, overall films ever made imo. I love it when a film makes you wish such a place existed, & Akira does just that with Neo-Tokyo. Also, the Akira ost is easily one of the best I've ever heard in film, possible on matched by Patlabor 1&2.    

Patlabor 2 (1993) - Underrated film that I personally believe is brilliant. Terrific pacing & atmosphere with plenty of intrigue to keep you enthralled. 

Space Adventure Cobra (1982) - I don't really watch many movies anymore, but still trawl through the entertainment section on occasion, to see if there is anything of interest coming out. I saw folks mention when Deadpool was released, that it was the most fun they've had at the cinema in a long time. Well, that would be the best description I could give of Cobra. It's a ridiculously over the top Sci-Fi / Fantasy - Action film, that is just so unbelievably fun from start to finish.

It's unusual for me to be envious of a fictional character, but I have to admit, if I could make any fictitious life my own, his would be it. A truly badass individual. 

 

Action:

Speed (1994) - Speed is the peak of the genre imo. Pushed it as far as it could go in terms of suspension of disbelief. 

Fist of the North Star (1986) - Over the top mindless violence that only stylised animation can get away with.  

Ninja Scroll (1993) - Same as above, but with a much better story. 

Enter the Dragon (1973) - Because Bruce. 

 

Horror / Thriller:

Jaws (1975) -  Another brilliant cinematic example of playing on the primal fears of humans. 

The Shinning (1980) - Jack & Shelley were standouts.   

Dial M for Murder (1954) -  Hitchcock  gold.

Rear Window (1954) -  See above.

Leave Her to Heaven (1945) -  Gene Tierney with the finest portrayal of the femme fatale, I've ever seen. 

 

Epic / Western:

Seven Samurai (1954) - Quite possibly Kurosawa's finest moment. 

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - One of my favourite overall cinematic experiences.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - Equal pinnacle of the Western genre.  

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - See above.

 

Drama:

 

Citizen Kane (1941) -  Much like Lawrence of Arabia, a wonderful overall experience.  

The Big Sleep (1946) - It was really the chemistry & interplay between both the major & minor characters that really did it for me in this film.

Laura (1944) - Tierney really was an underrated talent. 

 

Musical:

Dancer in the Dark (2000) - I hate musicals, & for the most part can't stand von Tier. This however, is the exception to the rule. A truly virtuoso performance from Bjork , nobody else could have pulled it off.  

 

Fantasy: (Miyazaki overload)

The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) / Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) / Castle in the Sky (1986) / My Neighbor Totoro (1988) / Princess Mononoke (1997) / Spirited Away (2001)

- Hayao was on a golden run. 

~~~

Princess Bride (1987) -  Speaks to my inner child. 

The NeverEnding Story (1984) - Same as above.

Labyrinth (1986) - I'm beholden by nostalgia once again. 

Edward Scissorhands (1990) - Same as above. 

 

Comedy:

Vampire's Kiss (1988) - It's listed as a Drama/Horror, but I find it to be a brilliant work of comedy. 

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002) - So stupid, it hurts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Edited September 1, 2017 by Marc MacGyver

[cddolphin]

48 minutes ago, Marc MacGyver said:

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002) - So stupid, it hurts. 

Super underrated.

[INbengalfan]

Some of my all time favorites:

 

Pulp Fiction

Sleepers

Seven

A Few Good Men

Star wars, with Empire as the best, by far

Halloween (the original)

Clockwork Orange

Mr. Brooks

A Perfect World

Bull Durham

Raiders of the Lost Ark/ Indy and Last Crusade

Fargo

 

[StevenK]

One of my favorites would have to be Se7en! One of my favorite directors, especially for the thriller/suspense genre. Never knowing who the antagonist/killer was until the end and the infamous line, "What's in the box?!" Movie will always be at top for me, along with Zodiac (also done by Fincher). 

[Nex_Gen]

On 8/28/2017 at 4:18 PM, HorizontoZenith said:

How does it feel to slap Die Hard and Predator in the face?  Does it feel good?  If action is the best genre, pay your dues.  John Wick: Chapter 2 wouldn't exist without Die Hard.

Sorry, your right and your favorite movie, but I get defensive whenever people try to say there's a better action movie than Die Hard. 

There's a ton of better action movies than Die Hard. Especially in Asian Cinema. Come at me bro....

[MacReady]

Just now, Nex_Gen said:

There's a ton of better action movies than Die Hard. Especially in Asian Cinema. Come at me bro....

That's like saying there's a ton of better cars than the first car, but would there be better cars if it wasn't for the first car?

Better, probably.  More influential while equally still being on the same level?  There's not one. 

You can tell me any action movie ever made, and I'd ask two questions: Would it be better than Die Hard if it was made the same year Die Hard was made, and would it have been made at all if Die Hard hadn't been made? 

The answer to both is a resounding no. 

[Bucketheadsdad]

On 8/18/2017 at 7:48 AM, EliteTexan80 said:

The Gods Must be Crazy. 30+ years and I'm still in tears from laughing so hard.

 

Great film.  I've used it in my geography classes for years.  Terrific way of teaching the Five Themes of Geography.  

[INbengalfan]

On 8/28/2017 at 7:18 PM, HorizontoZenith said:

How does it feel to slap Die Hard and Predator in the face?  Does it feel good?  If action is the best genre, pay your dues.  John Wick: Chapter 2 wouldn't exist without Die Hard.

Sorry, your right and your favorite movie, but I get defensive whenever people try to say there's a better action movie than Die Hard. 

And Die hard owes a bit to The Terminator, as far as action movie pacing goes.

[MacReady]

Just now, INbengalfan said:

And Die hard owes a bit to The Terminator, as far as action movie pacing goes.

The Terminator's not straight action.  Doesn't count.

[flyers0909]

Children of Men for me. 

It was right around the time where I started seeing movies for more than just the plot (thanks 10th grade film class).  The car scene and the tracking shot towards the end have stuck with me forever and this movie really made me appreciate cinematography.  Damn good film on top of it as well. 

Edited September 4, 2017 by flyers0909

[Trentwannabe]

For it me it will always be Jaws.

A movie that kept audiences out of their bathtub because of fear and was directed perfectly. Done in two acts, the entire second act revolves around Quint, Chief Brody and Hooper isolated in the ocean with land never being seen. Spielberg wanted lesser known actors to play the roles to make the film feel more relatable with average guys and not Hollywood stars. 

Other interesting (and IMO amazing techniques) and notes about the movie:

Spielberg shot roughly 25% of the film from water level to provide the viewers the perspective as if they were treading water.

Over 67 million people in the U.S. went to see this film when it was initially released in 1975, making it the first summer "blockbuster."

Spielberg named the shark "Bruce" after his lawyer.

According to writer Carl Gottlieb, the line, "You're gonna need a bigger boat," was not scripted, but was ad-libbed by Roy Scheider.

I know there is more about this movie that I love and want to share, but Gameday morning is on and I am too lazy to research.

[skywlker32]

On 9/3/2017 at 4:06 PM, HorizontoZenith said:

That's like saying there's a ton of better cars than the first car, but would there be better cars if it wasn't for the first car?

Better, probably.  More influential while equally still being on the same level?  There's not one. 

You can tell me any action movie ever made, and I'd ask two questions: Would it be better than Die Hard if it was made the same year Die Hard was made, and would it have been made at all if Die Hard hadn't been made? 

The answer to both is a resounding no. 

This is just terrible logic. The thread is about best movies, not most influential. You even admit that there are probably better movies, yet go on about Die Hard making other action movies exist. Every movie has something before it that influenced the creators (maybe to different extents though), so that doesn't make Die Hard unique in that way.