OT: - The eight perfectly made films | Page 3 | The Boneyard

OT: The eight perfectly made films

browns said:
I actually didn't think Casablanca was that great
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Oh My God Reaction GIF
 
Psycho - The first time I saw it someone in the audience let out a scream during the second stairway shot, and the whole theater erupted in screams, went on for about ten seconds until we all realized nothing had happened in the film! And I mean, who kills their star in the first ten minutes of a film?

Wait Until Dark - The first time I saw it was with a veteran of the film who was going to be real cool until I jumped, turned, grab her leg, and sunk my teeth into her thigh, at which point she lost it!

Probably should go with me to watch a horror/thriller movie! Bad things happen! :cool:
 
Wish that the Thread title was which movies do you watch whenever that they come on TV. For me they would be in no special order:

The Shawshank Redemption
The Blind Side
The Replacements
The Godfather
The Godfather II
Remember the Titans
Saving Private Ryan
Apollo 13
Taken
Forest Gump

Just to name a few.
 
In the limited category of World War II films I'll give you three of my favorites:

Navy: "The Cruel Sea"

Air Force (Corps): "Twelve O'Clock High"

Army: I suppose most folks would go with Saving Pvt Ryan, and it's a fine film, but
let me suggest a small offbeat film called "Attack" in which Eddie Albert gives perhaps
his finest, if least sympathetic, performance.
 
OK, I'll do the mods a favor: absolutely religious references. The second most spectacular theater experience I had (after the aforementioned "Midway") was the "Passion of the Christ". I sat there (and just about everyone else) with my mouth agape at the end of the movie. The lights came on, but I couldn't move for about 5 minutes. I knew how both movies were going to end (duh) and yet I was still blown away. Not nearly as good: "Top Gun", which may be a distant 3rd for inspiring an audience.
 
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ed4ourgirls said:
In the limited category of World War II films I'll give you three of my favorites:

Navy: "The Cruel Sea"

Air Force (Corps): "Twelve O'Clock High"

Army: I suppose most folks would go with Saving Pvt Ryan, and it's a fine film, but
let me suggest a small offbeat film called "Attack" in which Eddie Albert gives perhaps
his finest, if least sympathetic, performance.
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“ATTACK” also starred Jack Palance- great movie!
Regarding exceptional war movies, might I add “A WALK IN THE SUN” as well as “PATHS OF GLORY- exceptional cast including Kirk Douglas—regarded as the greatest anti-war war film of all time.
Enjoying this thread.
Many well versed film fans here.
Me- I have a wide range in taste , but an affinity for Film Noir
 
Stymie said:
“ATTACK” also starred Jack Palance- great movie!
Regarding exceptional war movies, might I add “A WALK IN THE SUN” as well as “PATHS OF GLORY- exceptional cast including Kirk Douglas—regarded as the greatest anti-war war film of all time.
Enjoying this thread.
Many well versed film fans here.
Me- I have a wide range in taste , but an affinity for Film Noir
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Speaking of Jack Palance, I'd like to give a shout out to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Maybe not one of the 10 best made movies, but one of my faves. I used to include it in on course called Cinematic Images of the Law.
 
Crossover said:
Speaking of Jack Palance, I'd like to give a shout out to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Maybe not one of the 10 best made movies, but one of my faves. I used to include it in on course called Cinematic Images of the Law.
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A tour de force for Lee Marvin.
 
Loved The Graduate, Fail Safe, Bananas, Casino Royal, We Were Soldiers and We Were Young, The Red Violin, The Alamo, and Deep Throat.
 
Tough to argue against the the old classics like Casablanca, all the Hitchcocks (my favorite North By Northwest), Citizen Kane, et al making the GOAT list, they've all aged beautifully. The Godfather - a no brainer.

For comedy I'd rank Dr. Strangelove, Young Frankenstein, Casino Royale, Clue, Bringing Up Baby and Christmas Vacation as immortals.

For romance I'd rank A Good Year, Sleepless in Seattle and Moonstruck as classic bests.

For other genres I'd rank It's A Wonderful Life, Gone with the Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird, Green Card, Castaway, Pulp Fiction, Apocolypse Now and Hunt For Red October up for consideration.

Int'l considerations Farewell My Concubine, Slumdog Millionaire and The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman)

Offbeat considerations The Swimmer (Burt Lancaster), Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead, True Romance, Blade Runner 😉
 
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I definitely prefer laughing.

Life of Brian
Young Frankenstein
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson/Hugh Grant)
Princess Mononoke
Better off Dead
Holiday (Katharine Hepburn/Cary Grant)
Contact
Poltergeist
Silverado

(The last three I've seen recently, those could easily change)

Prefer most of the Bogart and Bacall movies to Casablanca (or the African Queen)
Prefer The Third Man and the Magnificent Ambersons to Citizen Kane
 
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ed4ourgirls said:
In the limited category of World War II films I'll give you three of my favorites:

Navy: "The Cruel Sea"

Air Force (Corps): "Twelve O'Clock High"

Army: I suppose most folks would go with Saving Pvt Ryan, and it's a fine film, but
let me suggest a small offbeat film called "Attack" in which Eddie Albert gives perhaps
his finest, if least sympathetic, performance.
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I would also add “Air Force” the movie, “They Were Expendable”, and “Wake Island”.
 
ed4ourgirls said:
In the limited category of World War II films I'll give you three of my favorites:

Navy: "The Cruel Sea"

Air Force (Corps): "Twelve O'Clock High"

Army: I suppose most folks would go with Saving Pvt Ryan, and it's a fine film, but
let me suggest a small offbeat film called "Attack" in which Eddie Albert gives perhaps
his finest, if least sympathetic, performance.
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Ed, let me add three movies you might really like in this category:

1944 The Best Years of Our Lives. You'd have to be heartless not to be moved by this movie.

1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai Sir Alec Guiness ( before Star Wars), and William Holden.

1957 "The Enemy Below" William Holden (again) and Curt Jurgens play a cat and mouse game between an American Destroyer and a German U-Boat. If you haven't heard of it, take the time to watch it.

Honorable mentions go to "Platoon," "Full Metal Jacket," "Decision Before Dawn," (w/Oskar Werner and Richard Basehart--most excellent!), and of course, Kubrick's "Paths of Glory," w/Kirk Douglas, Adoph Menjou and George MacReady.

Enjoy!

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There are now more than 70 entries for this thread and no movie occurs on every one of them. Not surprising for a list of “best” movies of all time, a bit ironic for “perfectly made” movies.
 
So I realized Charlie is missing - Modern Times or City Lights? Marx Bros?

Here's AFI's list of 100:
www.afi.com

AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 MOVIES

AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 MOVIES The very first edition of AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies is a list of the 100 greatest American films of all time.In 1998, AFI invited more than 1,500 l
www.afi.com www.afi.com
I am at 94 of the 100 and not sure I agree with all of them, but it is a good starting place. If you go to that site and do the 'back to lists' in the upper left - they have lots more different configurations that are also fun.

Still not sure what perfectly made actually means or how they define it in the OP.

When I think back on some of those golden era movies, what stands out as much as the stars is the quality of all the other actors and how beautifully even the bit parts were filled with interest. One of the reasons that The Usual Suspects stands out to me, or Tarantino's films - the breadth of the casts is impressive.
 
Littlemin said:
A tour de force for Lee Marvin.
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You are right. I mixed up Jack Palance and Lee Marvin. Palance was the star of Have Gun Will Travel. They both were leathery tough guys, although Paladin (the character Palance portrayed) was an upholder of the law, albeit in an outlaw kinda way.
 
Moby Dick
The Cain Mutuny
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
On the Beach
2001
In Harms Way
20,000n Leagues Under the Sea
 
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Crossover said:
You are right. I mixed up Jack Palance and Lee Marvin. Palance was the star of Have Gun Will Travel. They both were leathery tough guys, although Paladin (the character Palance portrayed) was an upholder of the law, albeit in an outlaw kinda way.
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Sorry Crossover, you’re wrong again. Richard Boone was the star of Have Gun Will Travel. Shane has been mentioned in this thread and Jack Palance did play the villain in that one.
 
bantamlaker said:
Sorry Crossover, you’re wrong again. Richard Boone was the star of Have Gun Will Travel. Shane has been mentioned in this thread and Jack Palance did play the villain in that one.
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“Jack Wilson” was one of the scariest bad guys in all of cinema and in one of the greatest movies ever made.


 
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UcMiami said:
So I realized Charlie is missing - Modern Times or City Lights? Marx Bros?

Here's AFI's list of 100:
www.afi.com

AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 MOVIES

AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 MOVIES The very first edition of AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies is a list of the 100 greatest American films of all time.In 1998, AFI invited more than 1,500 l
www.afi.com www.afi.com
I am at 94 of the 100 and not sure I agree with all of them, but it is a good starting place. If you go to that site and do the 'back to lists' in the upper left - they have lots more different configurations that are also fun.

Still not sure what perfectly made actually means or how they define it in the OP.

When I think back on some of those golden era movies, what stands out as much as the stars is the quality of all the other actors and how beautifully even the bit parts were filled with interest. One of the reasons that The Usual Suspects stands out to me, or Tarantino's films - the breadth of the casts is impressive.
Expand ...
I saw a list like that, but can’t recall the source, which gave grades. The highest for movies like Citizen Kane was 99/100, which contributes to my previous cheeky comment about “perfectly made.”

The methodology behind this list is laudable, but I would think Fantasia to be in the top 100 for its groundbreaking uniqueness alone. Outside of that who am I to argue with 1500 experts?
 
diggerfoot said:
I saw a list like that, but can’t recall the source, which gave grades. The highest for movies like Citizen Kane was 99/100, which contributes to my previous cheeky comment about “perfectly made.”

The methodology behind this list is laudable, but I would think Fantasia to be in the top 100 for its groundbreaking uniqueness alone. Outside of that who am I to argue with 1500 experts?
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I wouldn’t confuse a “perfectly made movie” with one of the “greatest films ever made”. There’s a difference, and it’s a big one. A perfectly made movie CAN be one of the greatest films ever made, but it’s not necessarily the other way around, meaning there are quite a few of the greatest films ever made that are NOT perfectly made. A perfectly made film, to my way of thinking, are great films that had meticulous scripting, great story and dialogue, camera work, editing, lighting, and acting. Every scene and every camera shot in that scene has a story board, which are actual large physical boards made up by the art department. Hitchcock made his films this way, as did Orson Welles, and for the most part David Lean, George Stevens, Leo McCarey, George Cukor and John Ford. Although McCarey, Cukor, Ford and Stevens sometimes let their cinematographers and actors stray from the plan. At the other end of the spectrum there’s directors like Robert Altman in M*A*S*H who just let his actors ad lib many scenes and made a great film, or as Frank Capra or Oliver Stone did in many of their films. Their method is different but a lucky shoot can be a great shoot that captures a priceless scene.
 
I like to learn of other’s favorites also.
I myself, though a big film fan, do not at all think I’m qualified to select a “perfect film”, only the ones I have really, really enjoyed.
 
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CONN78SEJ said:
I wouldn’t confuse a “perfectly made movie” with one of the “greatest films ever made”. There’s a difference, and it’s a big one. A perfectly made movie CAN be one of the greatest films ever made, but it’s not necessarily the other way around, meaning there are quite a few of the greatest films ever made that are NOT perfectly made. A perfectly made film, to my way of thinking, are great films that had meticulous scripting, great story and dialogue, camera work, editing, lighting, and acting. Every scene and every camera shot in that scene has a story board, which are actual large physical boards made up by the art department. Hitchcock made his films this way, as did Orson Welles, and for the most part David Lean, George Stevens, Leo McCarey, George Cukor and John Ford. Although McCarey, Cukor, Ford and Stevens sometimes let their cinematographers and actors stray from the plan. At the other end of the spectrum there’s directors like Robert Altman in M*A*S*H who just let his actors ad lib many scenes and made a great film, or as Frank Capra or Oliver Stone did in many of their films. Their method is different but a lucky shoot can be a great shoot that captures a priceless scene.
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“Perfectly made” is hyperbolic phrasing to engage people. It implies no flaws, but what are the operational standards by which one can conclude no flaws were made? At least the phrasing “greatest” does not imply the movie has been empirically determined to contain no flaws.

Either “perfectly made” would have to mean a very narrow standard that does not incorporate the large breadth of movie making, or I suspect there is no such thing as a “perfectly made” movie. If the former, then who decides what should be the particular attributes examined and which to be ignored in claiming perfection? If the latter, then why not use the more appropriate “greatest” movie claim as click bait, rather than “perfectly made?”

Obviously the discussion on this thread has turned to people’s opinions of the best movies, which was inevitable and I suggest the intent of the hyperbolic phrasing “perfectly made” all along, since the “perfectly made” movie, void of standards for determining perfection, does not exist. In my attempt at wry humor I realize now I’m just being a “spoil sport,” so I’ll just bow out now.
 
diggerfoot said:
“Perfectly made” is hyperbolic phrasing to engage people. It implies no flaws, but what are the operational standards by which one can conclude no flaws were made? At least the phrasing “greatest” does not imply the movie has been empirically determined to contain no flaws.
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I agree and we are all going to view "perfect" through our own lens. Still, Godfather and Casablanca seemed to come very close to that high standard.
 
Aluminny69 said:
Ed, let me add three movies you might really like in this category:

1944 The Best Years of Our Lives. You'd have to be heartless not to be moved by this movie.

1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai Sir Alec Guiness ( before Star Wars), and William Holden.

1957 "The Enemy Below" William Holden (again) and Curt Jurgens play a cat and mouse game between an American Destroyer and a German U-Boat. If you haven't heard of it, take the time to watch it.

Honorable mentions go to "Platoon," "Full Metal Jacket," "Decision Before Dawn," (w/Oskar Werner and Richard Basehart--most excellent!), and of course, Kubrick's "Paths of Glory," w/Kirk Douglas, Adoph Menjou and George MacReady.

Enjoy!

-
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"The Enemy Below" is excellent. It is one of the few movies I never turn down the opportunity to watch. And it was Robert Mitchum, not William Holden as the American destroyer captain.
 
bantamlaker said:
Sorry Crossover, you’re wrong again. Richard Boone was the star of Have Gun Will Travel. Shane has been mentioned in this thread and Jack Palance did play the villain in that one.
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Yikes. I can't keep my tough guys straight. Time to resort to Google rather than trusting my tired and ancient brain. Who would you pick in a face off between Palance, Boone and Marvin?
 
To stick with Eight
Citizen Kane
Chinatown
Pulp Fiction - yes it's THAT good and I don't like Tarrantino's other stuff.
Alien
Lawrence of Arabia
Das Boot
Old Lions - Maybe it's just my need to lighten up this list with a happy ending


But I always have to give an Honorable Mention to the Coen Brothers:, (1) Oh Brother, (1-A) Lebowski (3) Raising Arizona, (4) Fargo, (5) No Country for Old Men; etc., etc., etc.

Ben Hur: PLUS-Loved the presentation of Jesus that didn't show his face. Hardened Protestant here. Won't watch the Passion of Christand dislike the ceiling of the Cistine Chapel despite its absolute beauty.
MINUS- The Romans Never used slaves to row war galleys.
Still don't know if I like it or not after about 8 viewings.
 
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