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Friday 1 February 2013

100 Best Movies

Karen, of A Peek at Karen's World fame (among the more entertaining blogs I follow), today posted her version of the best 100 movies.  Of course, this kind of exercise is highly controversial and it got my juices flowing.  So, I decided, what the hell, why don't I put in my two cents worth?  I have to admit coming up with a list of 100 movies is quite difficult, but I don't think there are many I would take off.  

You'll note that movies from the past ten years are not well-represented.  The largest reason for this is that since we had Lena, we don't get out much and our choices tend to be more family -friendly.  I also believe that movies today are more about flash-and-bang than anything else, but that's just my opinion.

So, here they are:
  1. Schindler's List
  2. Casablanca
  3. Psycho
  4. The Exorcist
  5. Traffic
  6. Dogma
  7. The Godfather
  8. The Godfather II
  9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
  10. Austin Powers:  International Man of Mystery
  11. Erin Brokovich
  12. Dirty Harry
  13. The Usual Suspects
  14. The Birds
  15. The In-Laws (1979)
  16. Maltese Falcon
  17. Pirates of the Caribbean
  18. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
  19. Big Night
  20. Star Wars
  21. The Cook, the Thief, His WIfe and Her Lover
  22. Slap Shot
  23. The Caine Mutiny
  24. So, I Married an Axe Murderer
  25. Rear Window
  26. Star Wars:  The Empire Strikes Back
  27. Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi
  28. Reservoir Dogs
  29. Kill Bill Volume 1
  30. Kill Bill Volume 2
  31. Deliverance
  32. A Beautiful Mind
  33. October Sky
  34. The Hunt for Red October
  35. The Gumball Rally
  36. Marathon Man
  37. Bullitt
  38. Three Days of the Condor
  39. Gaslight
  40. Rocky
  41. Rocky II
  42. Alien
  43. The Big Sleep
  44. Grease
  45. All the President's Men
  46. Caddyshack
  47. The Dirty Dozen
  48. Pale Rider
  49. Guns of Navarone
  50. North by Northwest
  51. The Shining
  52. To Kill a Mockingbird
  53. Die Hard
  54. Mad Max
  55. Mad Max 2:  The Road Warrior
  56. Fargo
  57. Seven
  58. National Lampoon's Animal House
  59. Taxi Driver
  60. Catch Me if you Can
  61. Jurassic Park
  62. Saving Private Ryan
  63. Miracle (2004)
  64. Office Space
  65. Election
  66. Pulp Fiction
  67. Wayne's World
  68. Goodfellas
  69. National Lampoon's Vacation
  70. The Bourne Identity
  71. Amélie
  72. Being John Malkovich
  73. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
  74. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  75. The King's Speech
  76. Presumed Innocent
  77. Silence of the Lambs
  78. Glengarry Glen Ross
  79. Magnum Force
  80. Sudden Impact
  81. Stripes
  82. Ghostbusters
  83. The Longest Day
  84. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
  85. Saving Private Ryan
  86. Back to the Future
  87. Risky Business
  88. The Big Sleep
  89. Body Heat
  90. Pride of the Yankees
  91. Mississippi Burning
  92. Twelve Angry Men (1957)
  93. Treasure of the Sierra Madre
  94. This is Spinal Tap
  95. Goodwill Hunting
  96. Boys Don't Cry
  97. Mystery Men
  98. Dead Calm
  99. A Few Good Men
  100. Terminator
I look forward to reactions and I'm sure you have some.

7 comments:

  1. I've seen 85 of the movies listed and I must say you have great taste. I would have included Dirty Dancing because it's such a feel good movie. Lots of buddy pictures/spaghetti westerns which is to be expected seeing as you are...a guy. One of the funniest, tragic and action packed films that is in my top five is a western called Little Big Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Chief Dan George. It was made in the magical year of great flicks, 1972. You also forgot to mention Serpico, The Deer Hunter and Dog Day Afternoon. The 1970's was the golden era of movie making in my humble opinion. The 1980's also produced a fine number of films.

    After my daughter was born in 1993, my movie attending was drastically reduced. Now it's almost non-existent for the flash-bang reasons you mentioned above. In the last ten years I sawThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the Swedish films) that was very good but very violent and, in the last twelve months, the only film I saw was Argo which was excellent.

    I think I can count on two hands how many movies I've been to see in the last 15 years. It's rather pathetic especially seeing what a passionate movie-goer I was in my 20's. I love all sorts of foreign and indie flicks too. In fact, one of the most moving films of all time has to be Au Revoir Les Enfants by Louis Malle. Wonderful, heart-breaking film. There's plenty more but it's early morning and I can't think of them all right now.


    Dangerous Liaisons, Donnie Darko and LA Confidential. That's it, I think, for now.

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    1. I wish I had remembered Dangerous Liaisons. I have fond memories of that film for many reason not the least of which I saw it while visiting New York City. It also introduced me to John Makovich and Michelle Pfeiffer. I never saw Serpico, though I read the excellent book. I, too, saw many more films in my younger days. I used to love the art-house movies, as well. The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and Her Lover is my nod to those days - I saw it in one of the local repertory theatres...

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    2. Dangerous Liaisons was wickedly entertaining. Then there was the shock of seeing Uma Thurman's boobs that actually made the majority of the audience gasp as no one had expected them to be quite that large and attractive. And you should see Serpico because it's a great movie. I also saw the Cook, the Thief, his Wife and Her Lover and was impressed with the sets and the costumes.

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  2. I loved your list, its different from what mine would be somewhat...I guess that's an obvious statement, but there are a lot of movies on there I love too. Especially the old classics like North by Northwest.

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    1. Thanks, Ron. I love the oldies as well - and Alfred Hitchcock is a particular favourite and is well-represented in my list.

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  3. How could I possibly forget...Singing In The Rain, of course.

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  4. I don't know what happened to my comment, but it vanished!

    Anyway, you have a great list, Geoff. I'm so glad you decided to do one! Oh, and I've been kicking myself for days over the fact that I completely left off Schindler's List. What was I thinking??

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