Film Snobs

ObeyGiant

Things have been getting a little lazy around here recently, and I know we like nothing better than to tear other peoples' tastes to shreds. So let's play a little game.

The rules are simple:

• Post your 20 favourite movies
• Can't criticise anyone elses' taste until you've posted your top 20
• Flame on

The winner is the person with the most respect at the end of the thread.

To get the ball rolling, my top 20 as of right now:
The Haunting (1963)
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Quest for Fire
Koyaanisqatsi
Brazil
Show Me Love (****ing Amal)
The Warriors
Zardoz
Carnival of Souls (1962)
The Thing
Down by Law
Mulholland Drive
Triumph of the Will
Sid and Nancy
Don't Look Now
Evil Dead 2
Rear Window
When the Wind Blows
The Shining
City of Lost Children

Pugsley

I give this thread 6 hours before being locked

UnrealQueen

Hellraiser
Hellraiser II
Hellraiser III
Hellraiser IV
Terminator 2
Terminator 3
Swordfish
The Little Mermaid
Finding Nemo
Alien 2
Alien 3
Alien Resurrection
Bad Boys
The Shining
LOTR trilogy
Matrix trilogy
Beverly Hills Cop II
Fallen
Trainspotting
Primal Fear

tman

Donnie Darko
Trainspotting
Starship Troopers
LOTR Trilogy (3)
The Matrix
Boondock Saints
Ninja Scroll
Pulp Fiction
Kill Bill volumes 1 & 2
City of God
Memento
Alien 3
Terminator 2
Goodfellas
The Thing
The Big Lebowski
Scarface

(replaced aliens & the running man with Goodfellas & Memento... my brain aint working too good today)

Originally posted by UnrealQueen
Hellraiser - crap
Hellraiser II - crap
Hellraiser III - crap
Hellraiser IV - crap
Terminator 2
Terminator 3 - crap
Swordfish - crap
The Little Mermaid - crap
Finding Nemo
Alien 2
Alien 3
Alien Resurrection - a festering pile of crap
Bad Boys
The Shining
LOTR trilogy
Matrix trilogy
Beverly Hills Cop II
Fallen
Trainspotting
Primal Fear - crap

ixoy

My this is a boring list - ObeyGiant is winning on pretension

2001: A Space Odyssey
Alien
Aliens
Blade Runner
Blue Velvet
Cidade de Deus
Die Hard
Fight Club
Full Metal Jacket
L.A. Confidential
Lashou shentan
Lawrence of Arabia
LOTR trillogy (3)
Requiem for a Dream
Se7en
The Terminator
Twelve Angry Men
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by ixoy
My this is a boring list - ObeyGiant is winning on pretension

I dunno bro, mine had no David Lynch in there.
Besides, it's called Film Snobs for a reason

ObeyGiant

UnrealQueen: Bonus points for the Shining and Beverly Hills Cop 2 (Tony Scott is amazing) and not listing Alien (I much prefer Aliens), but you blew it completely with the rest of your list.

SheroN

Cool Hand Luke
Withnail and I
The Crow
Payback
The Great Escape
Requiem for a Dream
The Big Lebowski
City of God
The Cross of Iron
Boyz 'n da Hood
Pulp Fiction
Indiana Jones (all of them)
Back to the Future(all of them)
LOTR(all of them)
La Haine
Highlander
The Lost Boys

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by SheroN
Back to the Future(all of them)

Even three? Give me a break. With the lame-as-can-be flying train? Awful film.

SheroN

Yea you're right, and i'd take out the temple of doom aswell now that I think more about it.

Jimi-Spandex

The Big Lebowski
Fargo
Solaris (Tarkovsky)
2001: A space odyssey
The Shining
A Clockwork Orange
Fight Club
Cidade de Deus
Pi
Requiem for a Dream
Blue Velvet
Godfather 2
Donnie Darko
Hana-Bi
Batman (1967)
Commando
Indiana Jones Trilogy
Girl Next Door

davej

Ughh only 20? Off the top of my head (but sorted alphabetically) I would have said Brazil as well but that would have been too many 'B's

I also have a "pretentious" favourite top 20 I could list but maybe i'll wait for a few more posts.

So far UnrealQueen has by far the suckiest taste in films

12 Angry Men (50 's version obviously)
Apocalypse Now
Bad Boy Bubby
Badlands
Bladerunner
Blue Velvet
Buffallo 66
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Deer Hunter
Dogville
Festen
Henry Fool
Lost Highway
Naked
Night of the Living Dead (1969)
On the Waterfront
Requeim for a Dream
The Sweet Smell of Success
Unforgiven
Yojimbo

davej

Zapper

It's a wonderful life
Cinema Paradiso
Adaptation
Lost in Translation
Citizen Kane
LOTR (3)
Fight Club
My Neighbour Tottoro
Ikuri
Amelie
The Big Lebowski
Fargo
Airplane!
Rear Window
Young Frankenstien
Evil Dead II
Shindler's list
Thr Princess Bride

Earthhorse

originally posted by ObeyGiant
I dunno bro, mine had no David Lynch in there.

Who directed Mulholland Drive so?

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by Earthhorse
Who directed Mulholland Drive so?

Ahaha
Oops. I forgot I'd included that. I was debating that or Dead Ringers and thought I'd rolled with DR.

My bad

Pepe LeFrits

Aliens
Starship Troopers
Leon
Terminator 2
X-Men 1 & 2
Shawshank Redemption
Armageddon
Old School
About a Boy
Stargate
Open Range
Gladiator
The Green Mile
Dumb and Dumber
Pulp Fiction
Groundhog Day
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
Star Wars V
Dazed and Confused
Return to Paradise

// edit - dropped The Matrix for Return to Paradise

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by kaids
Aliens
Leon

Besides these two, you're not even trying, are you?

Pepe LeFrits

Originally posted by ObeyGiant
Besides these two, you're not even trying, are you?

besides your boner for aliens, you really can't admit to liking anything that any normal person would have heard of... can you?

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by kaids
besides your boner for aliens, you really can't admit to liking anything that any normal person would have heard of... can you?

My list wasn't that elitist. Stuff like The Thing, Rear Window, The Shining.. these are all easy to find in even the worst xtravisions. But the point of the game is to win peoples' respect. And you won't do that with Armageddon.

(for the record, I love Old School, and watched it again last night)

Sleipnir

(in no order)

1. Das Boot
2. Schindler's List
3. Bladerunner
4. Enemy at the Gate
5. Dial "M" for Murder
6. Withnail & I (oh bo**ocks to the wellingtons)
7. Physco
8. 2001 - A space Oddysey
9. The Pianist
10. Leon
11. Shawshank Redemption
12. Dirty Harry (just for shot of Harry standing on Scorpio's bullet wound. His face and the zoom-out is just a classic and powerful scene "Where's the Girl?" "You tried...to KILL me!" "I said where's the girl" "I want....my...lawyer........")
13. Bullit - Best car chase.
14. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
15. Full Metal Jacket
16. Cross Of Iron
17. Lawrence of Arabia
18. See no Evil, here no evil ("We have a couple of queens in your room sir" "Well get dem fella oudda der! we wanna go to sleep!")
19. All the Chef inspector Clouseau movies.
20. The Producers.

Twenty ain't enough for a favourite's list though....

Pepe LeFrits

Originally posted by ObeyGiant
My list wasn't that elitist. Stuff like The Thing, Rear Window, The Shining.. these are all easy to find in even the worst xtravisions. But the point of the game is to win peoples' respect. And you won't do that with Armageddon.

(for the record, I love Old School, and watched it again last night)

Unless some people respect being honest and being able to admit to liking trashy films, as opposed to attempting to come across as all artsy and intellectual by listing films that, while they may be interesting and excellent for film study, are probably going to send the viewer to sleep if watched more than once.

Most of the films I listed are ones which I can and have watched again and again, being entertained every time. I've probably watched Old School at least 10 times, Armageddon 6-7 times, ditto Starship Troopers, About a Boy, Shawshank, X2, Stargate, D&C, Aliens, yada, yada, yada. They don't have to be clever.

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by Sleipnir
Twenty ain't enough for a favourite's list though....

Twenty is the perfect length. It's enough to give a fairly broad view of what a person's tastes are, and it forces them to make some pretty tough decisions.

lodgepole

In no particular order and completely different to how it may appear any other day of the week... Except for Breaking the Waves and the Kubrick stuff, they're always on it.


The Apartment
Dancer in the Dark
Breaking the Waves
Lolita (Kubrick)
Dr. Strangelove...
Paths of Glory
The Killing
A Clockwork Orange
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Shining
Toy Soldiers
Mad Max 2
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Lawernce of Arabia
Labyrinth
The Hustler
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Back to the Future
The Commitments

Pepe LeFrits

oh, and maybe I misread your initial post, but I thought the method of earning respect was by flaming the crap out of everyone else, with your actual film list secondary

Sleipnir

"bad Boys" what utter tripe. :rolleyes:

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by kaids
Unless some people respect being honest and being able to admit to liking trashy films, as opposed to attempting to come across as all artsy and intellectual by listing films that, while they may be interesting and excellent for film study, are probably going to send the viewer to sleep if watched more than once.

Well, I was agreeing with the first part of your sentence, until you got to the "artsy and intellectual" bit. Everything beyond that was ignorant, bitter nonsense. There are films out there that are every bit as enjoyable as Old School, or Starship Troopers, or anything else that you have listed, but they're just harder to find.

Hence the respect thing.

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by Lodgepole
In no particular order and completely different to how it may appear any other day of the week... Except for Breaking the Waves and the Kubrick stuff, they're always on it.

Out of a list of 20, you gave 7 over to Kubrick?
Don't get me wrong, he was great and all, but don't you think it's time for a little.. diversity?

lodgepole

Originally posted by ObeyGiant
Out of a list of 20, you gave 7 over to Kubrick?
Don't get me wrong, he was great and all, but don't you think it's time for a little.. diversity?

The seven Kubrick films mentioned are incredibly diverse in their own right, and represent several genres that i'd want in a top 20; horror, satire, black comedy, drama... In a top 100 you'd see a lot more directors mentioned but in a top 20, Kubrick has to get his due. Those films (and particularly the four earliest ones) are my favorite films and have stood up to multiple viewings in ways that many other films haven't.

edit - It was difficult not mentioning Scorsese (for Goodfellas and Last Temptation of Christ), Kieslowski (for "Blue, White and Red" and The Ten Commandments), Oliver Stone (for JFK and Natural Born Killers), Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock) or Nicholas Roeg (Walkabout and Don't Look Now).

Pepe LeFrits

Originally posted by ObeyGiant
Well, I was agreeing with the first part of your sentence, until you got to the "artsy and intellectual" bit. Everything beyond that was ignorant, bitter nonsense. There are films out there that are every bit as enjoyable as Old School, or Starship Troopers, or anything else that you have listed, but they're just harder to find.

Hence the respect thing.

No, ignorant is dismissing films just because they are popular. I don't doubt that there are great films out there that are harder to find, personally, rummaging around for unknown gems is a past-time that this casual movie fan can't be ****ing arsed with (usually). There are definately films listed by people here not because they actually liked them but because they want to appear refined.

Anywho, each to his own, but I found Pi to be the most ****ing boring film i've ever seen, it sent 3 people i was watching the film with to sleep (it wasn't THAT late). I'm surprised nobody has mentioned The Thin Red Line yet.

"What is this great evil? How did it steal into the world? From what seed, what root did it spring? Who's doing this? Who's killing us? Robbing us of light and life. Mocking us with the sight of what we might have known."

**** off!

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by kaids
No, ignorant is dismissing films just because they are popular

Personally speaking, I was dismissing most of your list because I thought the films on it were shit. Not because they were popular.

Originally posted by kaids
I don't doubt that there are great films out there that are harder to find, personally, rummaging around for unknown gems is a past-time that this casual movie fan can't be ****ing arsed with (usually).

Why are you arguing this on a thread called Film Snobs?

Originally posted by kaids
There are definately films listed by people here not because they actually liked them but because they want to appear refined.

You've posted your 20, you've earned the right to flame. So flame on, bro. Name names.

LoLth

In no particular order:

Crouching tiger , hidden dragon
Apocalypse now
The Shining
Alien
Moon 44
Yojimbo (sp?)
The Black Hole (crap now, but I loved it as a kid)
The Empire stikes back
The Cube
The hunt for Red October
Ringu (the Ring remake wasnt too bad either)
Amelie
Dune
Hound of the Baskervilles
Raiders of the lost ark (I still smile when I see it)
The day the earth stood still
Conan
Brazil
Heavens Gate (no idea why I like it but the music stuck in my head. One of the more Pretentious films on the list, watched it in religion class of all places, the week after we watched Shane)


That's it. Shred away.

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by LoLth
Conan

Which one?
.. the Barbarian is amazing. I still have a major thing for Valeria.
.. the Destroyer is fun. But a little too dumb. And Grace Jones scares the bejesus out of me.

LoLth

The Barbarian of course though I did enjoy the Destroyer but it was just a little too much tongue in cheek for my liking.

By the way, the edit above was to remove Alive and put in Brazil... both films I enjoyed but Brazil was just superior. Cant believe it slipped my mind until I saw someone else's list!!!

ixoy

Originally posted by LoLth
Crouching tiger , hidden dragon

Why does this crap keep appearing in these lists? What an over-rated piece of tosh. I've seen more engaging fight scenes in "Xena: Warrior Princess". Sure it may look nice in parts, but the story - based on ancient myth types or not - is weak and I really found it difficult to engage with a movie that seemed to think it was somehow better than its Asian siblings by virtue of trying to act more "serious". Ang Lee's "Ice Storm" is a much more thoughtful piece than this "Ohh look it's all Eastern! Doesn't that make it fab?" crap.

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by ixoy
Why does this crap keep appearing in these lists? What an over-rated piece of tosh. I've seen more engaging fight scenes in "Xena: Warrior Princess".

By all accounts, Hero is the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon should have been. Anyone seen it?

LoLth

Originally posted by ixoy
Why does this crap keep appearing in these lists? What an over-rated piece of tosh. I've seen more engaging fight scenes in "Xena: Warrior Princess". Sure it may look nice in parts, but the story - based on ancient myth types or not - is weak and I really found it difficult to engage with a movie that seemed to think it was somehow better than its Asian siblings by virtue of trying to act more "serious". Ang Lee's "Ice Storm" is a much more thoughtful piece than this "Ohh look it's all Eastern! Doesn't that make it fab?" crap.

That may be your opinion but for me:

1. I loved the scenery
2. I liked the fact that the language was normal instead of the usual "dramatic" utterances.
3. I am a huge fan of the myths this film is based on and was delighted to see it on screen again after such a hiatus (in the west at least).
4. The fight scenes were excellent complete with the moves chinese heroes were supposed to have been able to perform and without the over the top sound effects used in Xena: warrior lesbo... I'm sorry, someone who watches this tripe is actually criticising my taste!! and I'm actually replying as if its a real person! Begone my would-be peer and roll in that filth you love so much

hehe.

lodgepole

Originally posted by ObeyGiant
By all accounts, Hero is the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon should have been. Anyone seen it?

Hero is a better film, but I wouldn't be that quick to compare the two like that.

Crouching Tiger is solid, if a little over rated. It's not one of my favorite Ang Lee films though...

Giblet

This is Spinal Tap
Braindead
Carlitos Way
Goodfellas
Almost Famous
Die Hard 3
The Shawshank Redemption
Vanishing Point
Saving Private Ryan
The Cable Guy
Man on the Moon
Gone in 60 Seconds (original, great unscripted chases)
The Godfather
Se7en
Donnie Darko
Life of Brian
Southpark: The Movie
IT
Commando
Shine (with Shiney Mc Shine)

ixoy

Originally posted by Lodgepole
Hero is a better film, but I wouldn't be that quick to compare the two like that.

Crouching Tiger is solid, if a little over rated. It's not one of my favorite Ang Lee films though...

So would you agree "The Ice Storm" is a better piece? I agree with a fair bit of your list too and I also had to resist filling it up with Kubrick

lodgepole

Originally posted by ixoy
So would you agree "The Ice Storm" is a better piece? I agree with a fair bit of your list too and I also had to resist filling it up with Kubrick

Absolutely, The Ice Storm and Eat Drink Man Woman are his two best. I'm a bit of a sucker for Sense and Sensibility too... The less said about the Hulk (besides Nolte) the better.

lodgepole

Originally posted by Giblet
Almost Famous

Have you seen the director's cut? If you like the theatrical edition, you'll love the longer version. I always enjoyed the film but felt it lacked something, but I could never put my finger on what. Director's cut had it, whatever it was. It's fantastic.

LoLth

hmmm, must have a look at this Ice storm and Hero. You may be right that one or the other is better but not having seen either I can hardly put it in my top 20 now can I?

why cant I have 21 favourites? I left out 2001

lodgepole

Originally posted by LoLth
hmmm, must have a look at this Ice storm and Hero.

Just so you know, The Ice Storm is a drama set in America and stars Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline amongst others... Not like Crouching Tiger at all...

And you'll have to order Hero, it's not available on DVD over here. www.yesasia.com is a good place to do that.

herobear

donnie darko
apocalyse now
battle royale
zatoichi(2003 version)
la haine
city of god
fight club
nightmare before christmas
versus
goodbye lenin!
infernal affairs
alien
aliens
nausicaa of the valley of the wind
21 grams
amores perros
badlands
harold & maude
seven samurai
the wild bunch

took me awhile to narrow it down to 20, but there ya go

LoLth

sigourney and kline , I have actually seen that one. It is a very good film ( I was suprised pleasantly) but I still prefer crouching tiger (personal preference, after all, this was a thread on "your favourite films" and not "the top 20 films you think everyone else will agree with".

Still have to see this hero one though.

Evil_Bilbo

I agree - crouching tiger is a complete pile of rubbish.

when it came out everyone I knew was raving on about it. It was a serious let down. I admit to owning it on dvd, coz some of the fights are pretty slick. IMO everyone loves it because its the only mad kung-fu type movie they've seen (with the exception of some awful crap).

I agree with Giant in saying that Hero is the movie crouching tiger shouldve been. Its unbelievable. I'm definitely putting it in my top 20. It really has to be seen to be believed. What an epic. Superb.

Though on another note I must flame the following peoples faves:

Bullitt?? what a crap movie. complete old rubbish. Decent enough car chase. Nothing too spectacular except buzzing around a few hills. Ronin was a better movie and had better car chases.

Kaids - your top twenty is funny. Starship troopers and all are a good laugh, but gladiator? What is up with everyone loving that pile of crap. Starts off okay, but turns to crap as soon as he takes off his mask. Shouldve had him fighting his mates and stuff. Complete rubbish. We all know star wars V was sh!te.

2001? Bag of pesh. Total tripe. What the heck? I like wierd stuff, but that is just boring. Dave....dave....dave.....dave......SHUT THE FCUK UP. BORING. Kubrick is boring.

And what is up with Lost in Translation? the film everyone loves to loves. It sucked. I like Bill murray and all - but seriously folks. What a sucky pile of bile.

Who had swordfish? Total rubbish.

ObeyGiant judging by your top 20 you really need to get out more - Zardoz? Heh?

Well - hopefully you'll all burn me right back - here are mine:

LOTR (1, then 3, then 2)
Matrix (1, then 2, then 3)
Truman Show
Blue Velvet
Wild At Heart
Angel Heart
Vanilla Sky
Dark City
Rounders
Scarface
Pi
Predator
Hero
Intermission
Dont be a menace to south central
Godfather 2
Raging Bull
Natural Born Killers
Raising Arizona
Liar Liar

PEACE DUDES

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by Evil_Bilbo
ObeyGiant judging by your top 20 you really need to get out more - Zardoz? Heh?

I have a thing for seeing Sean Connery in a nappy.

Originally posted by Evil_Bilbo
LOTR (1, then 3, then 2)
Intermission
Dont be a menace to south central
Liar Liar

Okay list, apart from these few oddities.
First - Fellowship of the ring is your favourite? Any particular reason? I thought the film had all of the exposition needed for the rest of the films ("You must go here!" "okay" "now you must go here" "Sure" etc.) and didn't stand up too well as a film compared to the rest. Although it's still got a nice sense of magic about it, being the one that got the ball rolling and everything is new and awe-inspiring.
Intermission was an abomination on cinema. Apart from the first scene with Colin Farrell, which was dead good.
Don't be a menace? I don't so much have a problem with this as can't figure how it can be on anyone's top 20 list. But each to his own.
Liar Liar has no right being on anyone's top 20. If we saw boobies in the film, MAYBE. But we don't.

Fysh

Ringu
The Thing
The Shining
Videodrome
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The original *not* the remake)
Blade Runner
2001 : A Space Oddysey
Pi
Ninja Scroll
Blazing Saddles
Invasion of the body snatchers
City of the lost children
Abre Los Ojos
Nosferatu
Alien
Young Frankenstein
Beavis & Butthead Do America
Tesis
Hellraiser (the original, not all the crappy sequels)
Life Of Brian

And so, to the flames:

Jim Carrey has *no* place in these sort of lists, neither do any of his films. I used to be quite keen on him as a teenager, but his variety of comedy is limited and after a while simply dull (you can try and tell me that this applies to Beavis & Butthead as well, but I maintain that there's intelligence behind how they're written, something Carrey lacks).

Lord of the GODDAMN Rings?!?!? What in the name of [insert deity here] is wrong with you people? Yes, they were filmed nicely. They were also overlong, not particularly gripping, and full of atrociously unfunny "jokes" that only the devoutly nerdy could laugh at. Never mind the ridiculous amount of adoration that always gets heaped on that nancing fool who played Legolas (oh, look, I'm skateboarding down a badly CGI'd elephant thing...wow! Cue applause).

The Matrix...well, the first one was pretty damn cool, but the sequels were crap. Considering the potential there, they failed miserably.

Vanilla Sky? Nononono. Go and watch Abre Los Ojos, and then repent thine folly.

Fight Club...I like this film and think it was excellently styled, but it doesn't quite make my top twenty...beyond the style (which, admittedly, was exquisite) there's not a great deal to it, especially not if you've read the book.

Terminator 3, Aliens Resurrection, the Fallen, Swordfish, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Bad boys...argh! AAAAAARGH, I say! No more!

Starship Troopers, XMen, Armageddon, Old School, Stargate, Lock Stock, Dumb and Dumber, Gladiator, The Green Mile...I'm losing grey matter even contemplating the idea that someone regards these to be among the best 20 films they have ever seen.

That oughta get the ball rolling

Pigman II

Originally posted by ObeyGiant
I know we like nothing better than to tear other peoples' tastes to shreds.

Judging by how this thread is going I guess that was meant as a royal 'we'?

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by Fysh
Invasion of the body snatchers

Which one? The remake with Donald Sutherland?

Originally posted by Fysh
Jim Carrey has *no* place in these sort of lists, neither do any of his films.

Nonsense.
Man on the Moon is perfectly acceptable. And so is Eternal Sunshine. But I doubt that would make it into anyone's top 20.

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by Pigman II
Judging by how this thread is going I guess that was meant as a 'royal' we?

You didn't post your 20, so you can just shut the hell up.
And naw, other people are getting into it now