top-list Indietalk's top 100 films

cheeseandachallenge

cheeseandachallenge

So I am aware I have a huge gap in the number of "essential films" I have seen. All in all, I'm an awful film fan and don't watch as much as I should.

Anywho, I thought that collating a list of Indietalk's favourite films would help me create a list of things I need to get around to seeing (even if they're things I mightn't like - I want to see them from an academic PoV). I'm aware there are a hellova lot of lists out there, but this is more communal. Also; I did a search on this, and couldn't find anything that collated the whole community (just a few personal top 10 lists). Point me in the right direction, if this is the case

A few disclaimers; - I wanted to have this as "100 essential films", but its too hard to objectively define essential viewings, and having it as 'favourite' allows for more discussion and gives it a more personal twist.
- I'm not sure how many replies this will get. I'd like to think we can easily get 100, but if the last 20 are barely on the list, then I might cut it to say 75 or 50. Likewise if the films at around position 100 are still getting a lot or recommendations I may expand the final list.

So here's how it works;
1) Create a list of your top 10 films (you can do more, but I'll only count the top 10 - and it must be at least ten). Position 1 is your favourite, and received 10 points. Position 2 gets 9 points, 3 gets 8 points - etc.
2) Feature films, docos, short films, indie films, studio films all count. TV shows, youtube videos (except maybe ones with some production value - not some 17 year old kids who made a viral video on a cameraphone), don't. (I think that covers most of what could be bought up?)
3) Voting will close in one month from now - 11.59om June 20 GMT time (I may take a wee while to collaborate the list, I have exams around that time - feel free to continue discussions).
4) I will the create a countdown list, maybe do a small writeup on each and compare with other influential lists.

Sound good? Anything I've missed?

Finally, put your list in the form

1) Director - Film
(anything you want to say about it)
2) Director - Film
(anything you want to say about it)

etc.





(if this thread goes nowhere and get two replies, I will just abandon it).




I'll post my list once some discussion starts and I've had some time to figure out my own thoughts.
 
My list changes a wee bit, depending on when you ask, but it goes something like this:

ALIEN (also ALIENS as these two are brilliant companions)
TERMINATOR 2 (also TERMINATOR)
STAR TREK (also STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS)
NEAR DARK (before Kathryn Bigelow was "Oscar cool," I had a crush on her because of this!)
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
EVIL DEAD 2
BACK TO THE FUTURE
THE FUGITIVE
STAR WARS (A NEW HOPE)
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951 version only)


Some random additions:

TERMINATOR 3 (I'm one of the few who love this movie.)
THE MATRIX
THE KARATE KID
GROUNDHOG DAY
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979)
CREEPSHOW
PREDATOR
PLANET OF THE APES
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
DEAD ALIVE (Peter Jackson)
BAD TASTE
THE DESCENT
CRIMINALLY INSANE (you won't like the production value, but it's so anti-P.C.)
RETROACTIVE
IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE



I may edit this post to add some more. I always miss something.

EDIT: Okay, I left out some biggies!

CASINO ROYALE
THE THING (Carpenter's version)
LA FEMME NIKITA (Luc Besson)
MISERY
THE FLY (Cronenberg's)


I am reminded from some lists below of others that I forgot to list:

THE BOURNE IDENTITY
THE PRINCESS BRIDE
HEAT
UNFORGIVEN
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
 
Last edited:
1.The Shawshank Redemption
2.Raging Bull
3.Magnolia
4.Grand Torino
5.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6.Rushmore
7.Chinatown
8.Half Nelson
9.The Godfather
10.The Lives of Others
 
1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Fargo (I wanted to put The Big Lebowski but chose Fargo instead)
3. Ikiru
4. Vertigo
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey
6. Taxi Driver
7. Man with a Movie Camera
8. The Good the Bad and the Ugly
9. Kung Fu Hustle
10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

This list is all over the place but I tried to pick some stuff from different genres and times. I would add star wars and lord of the rings and such but I think that's something that most people see regardless of it being on a list.
 
Interesting choices so far... hmmm...

1. Princess Mononoke
2. Wall-E
3. I Robot
4. The Dark Knight Rises
5. The Terminator
6. How To Train Your Dragon
7. Ghost In The Shell 2.0
8. V For Vendetta
9. The Matrix
10. The Good The Bad And The Ugly
Honourable Mentions: Disney's Robin Hood, Jurassic Park, Source Code, Back To The Future, Groundhog Day.

As you can see, I love animation and have a fascination for sci-fi. :)

I think I've missed a few but oh well.
 
Last edited:
I swear that nobody ever reads OP's before posting. Either that or they don't care.

  1. Tim Burton: Big Fish - Hits all the right notes for me especially given that I have daddy issues. Burton actually doesn't go too over the top with this one and melds together themes and messages and the world of the character and his son so well that it just has me balling every single time. Even if you dislike Burton, I still recommend viewing this as I think it's a truly great film.
  2. Luc Besson: Léon (aka The Professional) - Despite Besson canning the "Director's Cut", because in his opinion the DC was the Theatrical Release, I felt the DC turned this movie from something good to something great. This is the movie that made Natalie Portman famous and consequently exploded my mind when I saw her some years later shaking her tail in the terribly awful movie "Closer".
  3. Sergio Leone: A Fistful of Dollars - The original "Man with no name" film where the legend started. I love every single moment in this film. It's one of the films that made me realise I want to make films. So much good about it I don't even know where to start.
  4. Sergio Leone: For a Few Dollars More - Sequel to the above and possibly even better than the first.
  5. Clint Eastwood: Unforgiven - The unofficial continuation of "The Man with no name"'s story and the movie that made me realise how awesome a director Clint Eastwood is. Great film, great story, great characters, great actors.
  6. Clint Eastwood: Gran Turino - Get off my lawn. Hell, when you say it in Clint's voice, it doesn't even need an exclamation point! Really good movie. As much as I liked Million Dollar Baby, I felt that this was the better of the two.
  7. Mel Brooks: Young Frankenstein - Love me some Brooks but this is my favourite of his as the cast is just so awesome and the chemistry of the actors and their comedic timing and improvisation is seriously awesome. Frau BLUCHER!
  8. Sam Raimi: Army of Darkness - This is such an awful, terrible, just seriously bad movie that it defined the genre of "so bad it's good". Guilty pleasure to be honest. Watch it when rollicking drunk with a bunch of mates and you'll suddenly understand why it's a cult classic. Do not watch sober or alone or you'll probably end up hating it and missing out on the camaraderie of quoting lines like, "Aww, well that's just what we call pillow talk, baby."
  9. Luc Besson: The Fifth Element - Honestly another guilty pleasure. I've heard a lot of criticisms of this movie and they might be valid but I just don't care. I enjoyed it immensely the first time, second time, and tenth time I watched it and I'm sure I'll enjoy it the eleventh as well. And no matter what criticisms you have of it, you can't knock the costumes, 'cause they're just amazing.
  10. Rob Reiner: The Princess Bride - Annnnnnd... another guilty pleasure. Still think it's a good movie regardless and since it's now a classic and quoted up the whazoo by neo-geeks who weren't even alive when it was released, it's almost mandatory to watch just so other people will know you're cool too. Also, who doesn't love Andre the Giant?
 
1. Christopher Nolan - Inception
2. Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
3. David O. Russell - Silver Lining's Playbook
4. Len Wiseman - Die Hard 4
5. Paul Greengrass - The Bourne Ultimatum
6. J.J. Abrams - Star Trek Into Darkness
7. Steven Spielberg - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
8. Jonathan Liebesman - Battle: Los Angeles
9. Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King
10. Robert Zemeckis - Back to the Future - Part 1

Seriously too many films I either can't remember seeing or too many films I also haven't watched yet which I need to catch up on. This is a rough list of what I can think of.

- Matt
 
My list will change an hour from now. But here's 10 films that I think are pretty awesome (not necessarily what I would call the 10 "best" films ever. Taste and quality being different things, etc)

1. Ridley Scott - Legend
This one never changes. My favorite movie ever. The score is a major influence, and the whole film is filled with beautiful, atmospheric scenes. More than any other fantasy movie, it feels like another world. I love it.
2. Akira Kurosawa - Dreams
Short films based on Kurosawa's dreams. An unbelievably beautiful film with slow dream logic stories. I can't say my dreams are like his, but they FEEL familiar and resonate emotionally with me. And, if nothing else, watching Scorsese play Van Gogh is pretty awesome.
3. Adrian Lyne - Jacob's Ladder
Such a great film. A good demonstration why "it was all a dream" doesn't have to be a cop out ending, and can be used for artistic purposes. And it's pretty creepy, which is always a plus in my book.
4. Terry Gilliam - Brazil (really anything by him, but Parnassus and Tideland in particular deserve note as well)
Gilliams films are always fun, but this is where he really comes into his own. Again, a good use of dreams and daydreams to further the story and character development, rather than just as a cop out. And the ending...
5. Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings (plus the Hobbit)
Fantasy geek, grew up reading Tolkien. Can't say anything that hasn't been said a thousand times before, but the theme for Rohan (played on a hardanger fiddle) is just perfect.
6. Drew Goddard - Cabin In The Woods
A bit new to be on an all-time favorite list? Absolutely not. Brilliant film that gets better on rewatches. Deconstructs everything that we hated about 80s horror, and then exactly why we loved it (for those of us who do).
7. Ingmar Bergman - Wild Strawberries
Any Bergman is, of course, astounding, but this one is my favorite.
8. Werner Herzog - Strozeck
The first half of the story is based on the life of it's star, Bruno S. (aka Bruno The Black), who was an outsider musician and storyteller. Obviously the ending is different, but it's a movie about not fitting in.
9. David Lynch - Inland Empire
Again, I love most of Lynch's films and they all rate pretty high. But this is a wonderful demonstration of metaphor and symbolism in film, forcing the viewer to think about the movie in those terms, because it doesn't make sense otherwise.
10. Martin Scorsese - The Last Temptation of Christ
Hard to pick a favorite Scorsese, but between Wilem DeFoe and Peter Gabriel's score, it's engaging start to finish.

Again, other than Legend, this list will be completely different in an hour. Oh, and good pick with Big Fish, DDK. Man, what a great film!
 
1. Debbie Does Dallas (Jim Clark)
2. Pumping Irene (C.C Williams)
3. The Devil in Miss Jones (Paul Thomas)
4. Wet Latex Dreams 2 (Cool Breeze G)
5. All the Girls Are Buttslammers (Bruce Seven)
6. Never So Deep (Gerard Damiano)
7. Between the Cheeks 2 (Gregory Dark)
8. Deep Throat (Jerry Gerard)
9. Up and Cummers (Ed Powers)
10. Scarface (Brian De Palma)
 
I can't really rank them in order, as I like a lot of different films for different reasons. There's also a lot more than ten - but these are the films that I watch over and over, at least once a year each:

Michael Mann - Heat
Micheal Mann - Theif
Michael Mann - Last of the Mohicans
Wes Anderson - Bottle Rocket
Wes Anderson - Rushmore
Wong Kar Wai - Fallen Angels
Wong Kar Wai - Chungking Express
Katheryn Bigelow - Point Break
Justin Lin - Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift
Dana Brown - Dust To Glory
Benson Lee - Planet B-Boy
Martha Coolidge - Real Genius
Richard Linklater - Before Sunrise
Sofia Coppola - Lost in Translation
Bill Fishman - Tapeheads
Sergio Leone - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
 
This list subject to change, on my whimsy (though the top-5 stays roughly the same). :)

1. James Cameron - Avatar
2. Stephen Spielberg - Indiana Jones, and the Last Crusade
3. Wachowski Siblings - The Matrix
4. Robert Zemeckis - Forrest Gump
5. Andrew Stanton - Wall-E
6. Frank Darabont - Shawshank Redemption
7. Matt Stone & Trey Parker - Team America
8. Stephen Spielberg - Jurrasic Park
9. Christopher Nolan - Dark Knight
10. Irvin Kershner - The Empire Strikes Back
 
1. Michael Curtiz - Casablanca.
2. Francis Ford Coppola - Apocalypse Now.
3. Steven Spielberg - Raiders of the Lost Ark.
4. Martin Scorsese - The Last Temptation of Christ.
5. Hughes Brothers - From Hell.
6. Dean Parisot - Galaxy Quest.
7. Errol Morris - Fog of War.
8. Guillermo del Toro - Blade II.
9. Joseph Graham - Strapped.
10. Quentin Tarantino - Kill Bill Vol: 1.
 
For me personally, it is something like this:

1) Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon
Arguably not his best film, but I really like this film for a number a reasons. I like the way this film makes me feel by doing very little, and showing very little.
2) Gus Van Sant - Elephant
This film got me watching a lot of Van Sant's filmography, and I found myself disappointed after watching it. Similar to The White Ribbon, this film is very slow, doesn't do much - but is very cold and utterly chilling. You have no real connection to the characters - and if you've seen it, you understand why. I love how cold it is
3) Sergio Leone - Once Upon A Time In The West
Another slow film, but this film made me realise I did actually enjoy westerns. I presume a lot of people have seen it, but everything about it is so so good.
4) Kar Wai Wong - 2046
I like this film for how it asks you to think, and how many layers it has. It takes quite a bit out of you (well for some people), but is worth the investment
5) Chan-Wook Park - Oldboy
I think there is a strong argument to made here that this is an action film that is credited with being more intelligent than it is. However, despite not being an action fan, I really like this film. It is so grandiose and the way everything comes together is really satisfying (if not a little predictable).
6) Ridley Scott - Bladerunner
The combination of this films noir-ey, grimey feel, amazing visuals, and a number of great performances make this a great film for me
7) Mark Osborne - More
https://vimeo.com/35085243
A short film. Nothing amazing, nothing original - but I really like the structure of the story. And I often find myself writing similar things (where someone becomes the thing they hate), so it feels kind of close to me. Further, it was the film that got me into stopmotion many years ago, and is probably the reason I started taking making film seriously
8) Michael Haneke - Amour
Arguably more mature than The White Ribbon - I feel it lacks the sting (which is what makes it a little more mature), but I like that sting. Still a really good film.
9) Martin McDonagh - Seven Psychopaths
This film might not deserve to be here, but I recently rewatched it, and found it a lot better the second time around. It works on a number of levels, and I like how it preludes itself, and the comments it makes about film. Some might say it's a bit heavy handed, but i enjoyed it, and try to take my own pretension out of the equation
10) Vincente Amorim - Corações Sujos (Dirty Hearts)
A Southern American look at post WWII Japanese Culture within Brazil. Being so far from being western, this film provides a lot of interesting points to look at. Post WWII Japanese Culutre in Brazil, how a Brazilian director treats this, etc. A thoroughly enjoyable and interesting story.



I feel my top 10 is pretty weak, and a lot of that list could have it's order changed or swapped out for other films. As you can see, I don't have many of the 'classics' - hell I have a film from this year that may only sneak onto lists for top x of the year - let alone of all time. But there you go.


DDK said:
I swear that nobody ever reads OP's before posting. Either that or they don't care.
Click to expand...
Thanks :P
 
cheeseandachallenge said:
I feel my top 10 is pretty weak, and a lot of that list could have it's order changed or swapped out for other films. As you can see, I don't have many of the 'classics' - hell I have a film from this year that may only sneak onto lists for top x of the year - let alone of all time. But there you go.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, is this a "Your favourite films" thread or "What films you think are the best ever made" thread?

I distinguish between the two. What I consider great film and what I like aren't always the same thing. My choices in this thread, for instance, aren't all what I'd call great films. Army of Darkness, The Princess Bride and The Fifth Element are simply favourites of mine that I enjoy every time I watch them. But I wouldn't call them great, or even particularly good.
 
DDK said:
Just to be clear, is this a "Your favourite films" thread or "What films you think are the best ever made" thread?

I distinguish between the two. What I consider great film and what I like aren't always the same thing. My choices in this thread, for instance, aren't all what I'd call great films. Army of Darkness, The Princess Bride and The Fifth Element are simply favourites of mine that I enjoy every time I watch them. But I wouldn't call them great, or even particularly good.
Click to expand...

Favourite. My list would be quite different if it was best film, too.
 
1. Any Given Sunday. Oliver Stone
2. Ba wang bie ji. Chen Kai Ge
3. Metropolis. Fritz Lang.
4. The Bridges of Madison County. Clint Eastwood
5. Some Like It Hot. Billy Wilder
6. Bladerunner. Ridley Scott
7. Seven Samurai. Akira Kurosawa
8. Star Wars (the original). George Lucas
9. The Deer Hunter. Michael Climino
10. The Shawshank Redemption. Frank Darabont

Any Given Sunday is the essential movie for me. It goes beyond the truth from a player's perspective and is the greatest sports film ever made.

Loads of other great films - Apocalypse Now, The Good, the bad and the Ugly, Groundhog day etc... but out of ten, these are amazing.
 
Last edited:
1. Simon Birch
2. Legend
3. Safe Haven
4. Bridge to Terabithia
5. The Wraith
6. Drillbit Taylor
7. Shallow Hal
8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ('74)
9. Happy Gilmore
10. Saw
 
Changes regularly, but something like this;

TOP 10

1. Orson Welles - Citizen Kane
2. Ingmar Bergman - The Seventh Seal
3. Carol Reed - The Third Man
4. Michael Curtiz - Casablanca
5. Charles Chaplin - The Kid
6. Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo
7. Henry King - The Gunfighter
8. Vittorio De Sica - Bicycle Thieves
9. Ingmar Bergman - Wild Strawberries
10. Marcel Carne - Les Enfants Du Paradis

BEST OF THE REST
11. Sergio Leone - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
12. John Huston - The Maltese Falcon
13. Woody Allen - Annie Hall
14. Steven Spielberg - Empire of the Sun
15. Frank Darabont - The Shawshank Redemption
16. Francois Truffaut - Les Quatre Cents Coups
17. Steven Spielberg - Schindler's List
18. David Lean - Lawrence of Arabia
19. Steven Spielberg - Raiders of the Lost Ark
20. Stanley Kubrick - 2001: A Space Odyssey
21. Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho
22. Akira Kurosawa - Shichinin no Samurai
23. Peter Weir - Gallipoli
24. Billy Wilder - Double Indemnity
25. Steven Spielberg - Jurassic Park

26. Steven Spielberg - Saving Private Ryan
27. Billy Wilder - Sunset Boulevard
28. Stanley Kubrick - Dr. Strangelove
29. Woody Allen - Manhattan
30. Howard Hawks - The Big Sleep
31. Coen Brothers - The Big Lebowski
32. Tim Burton - Big Fish
33. Billy Wilder - Sabrina
34. Robert Zemeckis - Back to the Future
35. Jules Dassin - Rififi
36. Francois Truffaut - Jules et Jim
37. Lewis Milestone All Quiet on the Western Front
38. Jean-Luc Godard - Breathless
39. Akira Kurosawa - Ikiru
40. Orson Welles - Touch of Evil
41. Rolf de Heer - Ten Canoes
42. Martin Scorsese - Raging Bull
43. Wachowski's - The Matrix
44. Roger Allers/Rob Minkoff - The Lion King
45. Frank Capra - Lost Horizon
46. John Huston - Treasure of the Sierra Madre
47. John Ford - The Searchers
48. Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby
49. Ridley Scott - Gladiator
50. Robert Zemeckis - Castaway

Heaps more, but those are most of my favourites. I was kind of just writing them as I thought of them; so some should probably be a lot higher (Lost Horizon, All Quiet on the Western Front, for example). I am the first to admit I haven't seen enough though; namely the works of Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Werner Herzog, Satyajit Ray, Jean-Luc Godard, Charles Chaplin, Luis Bunuel, Jean Renoir, Yasujiro Ozu, Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni. These are the guys I really need to see more of still (hence my list at the moment is predominantly American).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top