03-25-2009, 02:28 AM
Really interesting to compare lists. Some have specific themes (action, feel-good, scifi, etc), while others are very eclectic. Also interesting is reading the lists of others where a specific list will contain some of my favorite movies but also some I didn’t like at all. As for viewing the same movies again, I see at least three good arguments:
1. If it’s well done, doesn’t a good movie rise to the level of being a work of art? If you like the Mona Lisa, would you only look at once? If you have a favorite song, do you only listen to it once?
2. If you’re in the mood for a movie, sometimes a favorite movie you’ve seen several times is by far the best thing available.
3. A good movie, or even specific parts of a movie, can be almost like an old friend, something familiar that makes you feel good, recall an emotion, relax you, etc.
As for some specific movie suggestions of my own, here’s a few I didn’t see, or missed, on others’ lists:
Red Violin – Maybe Samuel Jackson’s best performance, especially some scenes where he says little if anything, but conveys everything.
First Star Wars that came out (episode 4 in the later chronology?) – campy, fun, but with some serious undertones. Other episodes don’t make my list.
Inside Man – Really like Clive Owen, but he doesn’t do many movies that really exploit his talents.
Gotta have a western or two, so how about among Tombstone, The Unforgiven, High Noon, Shane.
Zulu – lots of fighting, but typically good English group performances by good actors, good music, heroic without being jingoistic or exaggerated – based evidently pretty accurately on real events.
The Last Mimzy – terminally cute kids, little heavy on the message, up positive in the end.
Army of Darkness – Absolute guilty pleasure.
Contact – Thoughtful and one of few movies to have scenes showing why scientists can get enthralled with their work.
Surprise endings: Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects.
Jumanji – When I saw it, I and the rest of the audience were belly-laughing frequently.
As Good As It Gets – great cast and movie, inspite that I didn’t buy that Helen Hunt couldn’t get a “real” boyfriend.
And how about movies that were good, but maybe weren’t on any all-time list, and had some great individual scenes such as: Marisa Tomei’s scene at the end of My Cousin Vinnie where she’s telling him off for not wanting people to help him; the onboard officiers meal scene in Master and Commander where the captain tells a joke that works both in the movie and with the audience – something hard to pull off.
1. If it’s well done, doesn’t a good movie rise to the level of being a work of art? If you like the Mona Lisa, would you only look at once? If you have a favorite song, do you only listen to it once?
2. If you’re in the mood for a movie, sometimes a favorite movie you’ve seen several times is by far the best thing available.
3. A good movie, or even specific parts of a movie, can be almost like an old friend, something familiar that makes you feel good, recall an emotion, relax you, etc.
As for some specific movie suggestions of my own, here’s a few I didn’t see, or missed, on others’ lists:
Red Violin – Maybe Samuel Jackson’s best performance, especially some scenes where he says little if anything, but conveys everything.
First Star Wars that came out (episode 4 in the later chronology?) – campy, fun, but with some serious undertones. Other episodes don’t make my list.
Inside Man – Really like Clive Owen, but he doesn’t do many movies that really exploit his talents.
Gotta have a western or two, so how about among Tombstone, The Unforgiven, High Noon, Shane.
Zulu – lots of fighting, but typically good English group performances by good actors, good music, heroic without being jingoistic or exaggerated – based evidently pretty accurately on real events.
The Last Mimzy – terminally cute kids, little heavy on the message, up positive in the end.
Army of Darkness – Absolute guilty pleasure.
Contact – Thoughtful and one of few movies to have scenes showing why scientists can get enthralled with their work.
Surprise endings: Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects.
Jumanji – When I saw it, I and the rest of the audience were belly-laughing frequently.
As Good As It Gets – great cast and movie, inspite that I didn’t buy that Helen Hunt couldn’t get a “real” boyfriend.
And how about movies that were good, but maybe weren’t on any all-time list, and had some great individual scenes such as: Marisa Tomei’s scene at the end of My Cousin Vinnie where she’s telling him off for not wanting people to help him; the onboard officiers meal scene in Master and Commander where the captain tells a joke that works both in the movie and with the audience – something hard to pull off.