Perfect Films

[Gail Simone]

What films manage to get everything right, from casting to direction to dialogue to production?

For me, one of the first choices is Boorman's brilliant masterpiece, DELIVERANCE.

I rate it easily as one of the best and most powerful English language films of all time.

Burt Reynolds shows he really CAN act and somehow manages to disappear into the role completely despite being the world's biggest movie star at the time. It almost makes me sad to realize how much of the rest of his career is ego-driven crap.

Everyone in the film is perfect. Convincing, terrifying hillbillies, arrogant soft city men thrust into a situation they aren't even remotely prepared for, lush and sweeping camera work, and a stunning script by James Dickey, who also wrote the novel the film was based on, and acquits himself very nicely as the sheriff who suspects the main cast in the end.

Few films provoke such deep dread. Several scenes gave me nightmares for years, and unlike a lot of seminal movies of desperation, this one holds up fantastically well.

Great, great film, can't think of a flaw in the thing. Probably the high point of every person's career who was involved in it.

[Free-Man]

Children of Men.

[K-DoG7p7]

Requiem for a dream and Vanishing Point (original)

[Michael P]

Perfection's rare.

But Casablanca managed it, and apparently by complete accident.

[Tages]

Double Indemnity
La Dolce Vita
The Third Man
Tokyo Story
Raging Bull

The more I see them the more I'm convinced that Fight Club and American Psycho fit the description as well.

[Free-Man]

The Departed

Curse of the Golden Flower

[Flying Saucers Over Oz]

I guess someone has to at least nominate The Wizard of Oz...

And I would jokingly put forth Valley of the Dolls, but I don't want to be stabbed to death with a plethora of stiletto-heeled shoes...

[Michael P]

The more I see them the more I'm convinced that Fight Club and American Psycho fit the description as well.

The only thing I can find wrong with Fight Club is the people who watch it and don't get it.

Hint: Tyler's the bad guy.

[40footwolf]

I'd point to The Deer Hunter, This Is England and Spirited Away.

[NickThompson]

Hard Boiled, Reservoir Dogs, The Untouchables.

[Infra-Man]

The Third Man - Carol Reed improves on the Graham Greene story (particularly by making Holly an American, which makes sense if he's the writer of cheap westerns) and gives us a bombed out Vienna veiled, both below and above ground, in shadows. And while Joseph Cotten is good as the hapless American schlub, the movie belongs to Orson Welles' performance as Harry Lime, immediately apparent when he first appears on screen (a sublime moment of revelation). Top it off with that quirky Karras zither score and you have one of the best movies ever made, no hyperbole.

Before Sunset - The sequel to Before Sunrise is much more urgent than its predecessor, and not because it's a shorter film nor because the timespan covered in the movie is also shorter than its predecessor. Rather, it's because there's much more at stake for the characters. With the young love in the first movie, the possibilities of their chance encounter seemed limitless. Now, in this movie, their reunion seems like more than a mere opportunity to catch up; rather, it seems like a last chance at living a happy life.

[Gail Simone]

You gotta say WHY you think they're so perfect!

[Free-Man]

You gotta say WHY you think they're so perfect!

Children of Men had great cinematography, perfect casting and acting, and one of the most powerful stories I've ever seen.

I highly reccomend it to EVERYONE here.

[Chris Hansbrough]

The Shawshank Redemption. do I actually need to explain why it's so freaking amazing?

[40footwolf]

You gotta say WHY you think they're so perfect!

Ohhh, okay.

The Deer Hunter: Probably one of the most thorough examinations of what war does to a person every put to film. Separated into three distinct acts-before, during and after the Vietnam war-you'll grow incredibly attached to the characters thanks to striking cinematography, dagger-sharp writing and some of the best acting in a movie, ever.

This Is England: Similar to the Deer Hunter in that one finds themselves becoming incredibly attached to the main character, a young boy who falls in with a group of punks during the 80's and then, from that group of punks, a group of skinheads. Even the "villain" of the movie, a racist who masquerades as a "realist", has more depth and character to him than most movies protagonists have. There's not a movie out there that'll make you feel more like even the scum are part of a family, which makes both the good AND the bad things that happen to them all the more affecting. This movie is a punch in the gut, in the best way possible.

Spirited Away: A more beautiful looking, delirious, dream-like, gorgeous, grand and majestic fairy tale has never been told. In ANY medium.

[TCJohnson]

I think Raiders of the Lost Arc is the perfect action movie. The action scenes really caught your attention and kept you at the edge of your seat. Even the boring parts kept you interested in the movie and when they threw in humor, which they did a lot of, it never broke the pacing of the action.

[TCJohnson]

The Shawshank Redemption. do I actually need to explain why it's so freaking amazing?

Well, one way it was amazing is that they managed to pull a surprise ending without cheating. It gave you all the clues you need to guess how the movie was going to end...some times they were really obvious! Yet i don't know anybody who guessed what Andy Dupree had planned for the finale.

[suedenim]

In my view, "perfect" doesn't necessarily mean "greatest." Indeed, I think "The Great Movies" have their share of imperfections on the whole.

But I'm thinking of another mark, that of "What was the movie trying to achieve, and how successful was it?"

A few semi-recent examples of movies that achieve "perfection" on that level, though I wouldn't claim that they're "Great" movies. They're not especially ambitious movies, and don't have a great deal to say about the human condition, etc. Perhaps not triumphs of "art," but definitely triumphs of craft:

The Mask of Zorro: Exciting action-adventure, clever, funny without being overly jokey or spoofy, sexy, with a perfectly-selected cast. A "crowd pleaser" in the best sense.

That Thing You Do!: A great story hook (a summer in the life of a "One Hit Wonder" rock group), explored well. Especially good at providing a sense of time and place, and setting up a world for the characters. It's slight, but put together perfectly.

[CutterMike]

Stairway to Heaven ("A Matter of Life and Death") The Archers' gem-like 1946 fantasy/romance/propaganda film succeeds on all levels.

David Niven and Kim Hunter (in her first featured role) are earnest, adorable, and utterly charming as the unexpected lovers; Roger Livesey plays to perfection the older, wiser man who is willing to (literally) move Heaven and Earth for his friends; Raymond Massey glowers spectacularly as the man who would tear the lovers apart, but Marius Goring steals the show as the French fop who turns our cast's lives upside down in the first place.

Best of all, it's a GREAT couples flick. I have yet to show it to anyone -- male ot female, straight or gay -- that wasn't enthralled by the end, regardless of how much they grumbled when they realized that I had put a "chick flick" on!

[shrike]

Seven Samurai. I really can't put into words why I think its perfect... it just is.

[Spiffy]

Rear Window.

I won't quite say ANY film is completely perfect. There are a few places where this one drags a tiny bit, for example. But SO much is right with this film. Jimmy Stewart is always great, but this is him at his peak. Grace Kelly's mystique is defined SO clearly by this film.

And the parts which DO drag aren't the ones you'd think they'd be. It's a few of the character interactions where that happens. But its the quiet parts of the film which pop. The parts where L.B., the main character stuck in his apartment in a cast, simply looks out the window which fascinate. No other film has really ever pulled off what this one did with defining the environment surrounding a character.

And the film just LOOKS (and sounds) beautiful.


The Great Escape

Another film which shines because we're seeing a star at the absolute peak. People who don't quite "get" the appeal of Steve McQueen probably haven't seen this film. And the co-stars? There are a lot of star filled war films, but this one has one of my favorite casts. James Garner (who I think gives one of his most entertaining performances here), Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum, James Fricken Coburn!

And in many ways this movie is immensely helped by not being that "dark". War is hell, true, but this is as close to an escapist movie as you can have about WWII (as opposed to an 'escape' movie, which it ALSO is of course). This movie is just FUN. And inspirational, without bashing your head in by being heavy handed.

[friginator]

Jaws

2001: A Space Odyssey

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Changeling

Godzilla (Original 1954 version)

[bert]

Children of Men had great cinematography, perfect casting and acting, and one of the most powerful stories I've ever seen.

I highly reccomend it to EVERYONE here.

I hated it. . tho the Cinematography was quite good, and I like Clive Owen.

the story just didnt' work for me, and I was bored w/ the Political stuff.

maybe if I had read the book?


oh well. . different strokes.

[bert]

"Up" -- PERFECT voice casting.


"Batman Returns" -- the Danny DeVito as the Penguin was perfect, as was Christopher Walken, and Michael Keaton just owned the Batman Role.

Even Michelle Pfieffer, who on paper seemed horribly mis-cast, did a great job as Catwoman (tho not so much as Selina Kyle :)).

the Cinematography is fantastic, the dark vision of Tim Burton is in full effect, and I just love this film to bits.

"Let the Right One In" -- moody, atmospheric, and brutally honest in it's portrayal of teen alienation. And a great story about a character you would never remember was a vampire if there wasn't the occasional bloodletting. One of my favorite films from last year.

[Spiffy]

"Up" -- PERFECT voice casting.
Better yet, perfect animation, and the most solid script ever written for an animated film.

[bert]

Ohhh, okay.


Spirited Away: A more beautiful looking, delirious, dream-like, gorgeous, grand and majestic fairy tale has never been told. In ANY medium.

I actually much prefer "My Neighbor Totoro". . but "Sprited Away" is very good, and is certainly at least as good as "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Princess Mononoke"

[Ian Boothby]

What films manage to get everything right, from casting to direction to dialogue to production?

.


Jaws

Raiders of the Lost Ark

This is Spinal Tap!

[ScottyQuick]

Wall-E. Wall-E succeeded in giving an original plot, lovable characters, great animation, and that weird feeling you get when you see a movie that's great, that sort of uplifting I-can-do-it thing where you KNOW that that term paper/salsa recipe/newspaper article can be fixed, that the dragon can turn good, that it's going to be ok, you know?

[friginator]

Airplane!

The Incredibles

[mgs]

Another hard one. These are the ones I consider perfect (right now) and ones that I can remember. I like a whole bunch of other ones that I felt were not 'perfect' but close, so I didn't include them.


Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Perfect followup to the first movie. Much better plot and pacing. Adventure filled, this movie fit the profile that second movies of a trilogy are the best.

Pulp Fiction
Great deconstruted movie by Tarrantino. Wide range of actors and styles to fit the pacing and plot. Dialogue is classic Tarrantino. Nice little mysteries within the production like the comic book and not revealing the 'prize'.

Kill Bill: Vol.1
Another Tarrantino movie, I thought the acting and more focused plot was nice as was the asian style used abundantly in this one. Actors were nicely placed for their roles.

Spider-Man 2
I really enjoyed this superhero movie. I think the story and action was an amazing combo, that is nearly impossible to do in movies, and capture the overall story of a comic book series in one movie, but this was real close.

The Royal Tenenbaums
Great movie about a quirky family and in Wes and Owen's own style. Loved some of the montages and it actually wrapped up everything at the end without it being too rushed.

Rushmore
First of the Wes and Owen movies, I loved this. The story is great and the way the characters move the story is incredible. Filmography is also unique.

Caddyshack
Great comedy using great variety of actors in various roles. Loved the pure comedy in this movie and what everyone brought to it.

Trading Places
Great 80's comedy perfectly suited for all the actors. Gritty, it's fun to see Oz act like a douchebag, again.

Spies Like Us
Funny, funny movie. Yeah, not many people like Chevy nowadays, but some of his old movies are very funny. "yours or mine?"

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Another great comedy, which is like a travelogue of Chicago. Day in the life movie at it's best.

American Graffiti
Well before my time, but when I've seen this, it fits the timeframe perfectly. Nothing about it was old school with fake riding sequences and such. I loved that about this genuine movie.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Crazy scary, best of the best in thinking the viewer scared. It even has that nice little, fake, news storyline in it.

Clueless
Funny teen movie. Getting newcomers together for funny stuff. Amy does amazing job at directing.

Jurassic Park
Great action movie with many great parts taken from the novel. The dinosaurs are not the only thing that makes this movie so much fun.

Le Femme Nikita
Great action movie. Even though I have to watch it with the English subtitles this is a great movie for the action. The music is dated but it fits the themes of the movie.

Singing In the Rain
Great musical and the only one I love. The talent of these people is amazing!

Forest Gump
This movie is not perfect for what it's saying. It's perfect for the storyline which traverses all across various famous moments in history and weaves them in and out of a comprehensible and enjoyable story.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Perfect acting that combines adventure with funny character moments. Best of it's kind still to this day.

Finding Nemo
Great animated feature that uses all the technology of the day with great and funny voiceacting. Kids and adults loved it, so do I.

The Secret of NIMH
Great animated feature that still stands up as it was handdrawn stuff. Some complain that it's not exactly the novel, but it still holds it's own, as movie. The voices are mousy and other as they need to be.

Babe
Live action voiceacting and such before it got semicheesy. Great movie.

Superman
Perfect Superman movie. Sure, now the flying is outdated tech, but the story and everything else is perfect superhero drama.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Perfect pirate movie, period piece that used real ocean sequences. Amazing story and acting by many. Didn't need the sequels, but it was so good they had to try.

A Nightmare on Elm Street
Scary movie with a nice twist. Dream sequences were not cheesy.

Poltergeist
Perfect start of the beginning of supernatural horror.

[Calybos]

The Princess Bride.

Funniest movie I've ever seen... note-perfect every step of the way through.



.

[Jae Namkyoung]

Elizabeth & Elizabeth the Golden Age. Million Dollar Baby. Gran Torino. The Dark Knight. Superman. Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn, Undiscovered Country & First Contact. Yesterday. The Waitress.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

What films manage to get everything right, from casting to direction to dialogue to production?

For me, one of the first choices is Boorman's brilliant masterpiece, DELIVERANCE.

I rate it easily as one of the best and most powerful English language films of all time.

Burt Reynolds shows he really CAN act and somehow manages to disappear into the role completely despite being the world's biggest movie star at the time. It almost makes me sad to realize how much of the rest of his career is ego-driven crap.

Everyone in the film is perfect. Convincing, terrifying hillbillies, arrogant soft city men thrust into a situation they aren't even remotely prepared for, lush and sweeping camera work, and a stunning script by James Dickey, who also wrote the novel the film was based on, and acquits himself very nicely as the sheriff who suspects the main cast in the end.

Few films provoke such deep dread. Several scenes gave me nightmares for years, and unlike a lot of seminal movies of desperation, this one holds up fantastically well.

Great, great film, can't think of a flaw in the thing. Probably the high point of every person's career who was involved in it.

I'm gonna suprise you.... but I do think the height of Burt's career was ...


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll19/cpd2052/smokey-and-the-bandit.jpg

Why was this film good ? Because it seemed to inspire those wild chase/car movies of the late 70's and 80's. Burt became so identified by The Bandit and that mustache ...he never shaved it off. It stayed and he did Bandit like movies for awhile longer.

The movie had a great funny cast. Jackie Gleason stole the show as Buford T Justice (I'm sure we all say the line of : And I am in Hot Persuit of a trans arm and a man called THE BANDIT !). Field as we know was having an affair with Burt and it made the scenes stand out . There was Jerry Reed as Snowman ...and his faithful dog.

The plot wasn't some far fetched thing as far as comedies go. The Bandit is the best driver and does these type of things. He gets asked to bootleg some COORS beer from Texas for Big Ennis and Little Ennis and does it for the right price.

Just a classic movie.

[stealthwise]

Dodgeball.

Wait, hear me out.

This movie basically layer upon layer of hidden jokes, smug asides, and background humour tossed in with a pretty solid "jocks vs geeks" 80s sports movie plot that perfectly sets up each subsequent sequence. There are no wasted moments in this film, even the obviously ad-libbed parts serve the overall plot and tone of the movie, and while the ending was obviously tossed together, it still works with the film as a whole. I can watch this movie again and again and STILL find something new in it each time that makes me laugh maniacally.

[FalconX2000]

The Shawshank Redemption. do I actually need to explain why it's so freaking amazing?

Morgan Freeman's best ever performance. And that's saying something. Great actors, seamless pacing, powerful emotions and delicious smarts from the protaganist. And yes, the ending was pure genius.


Cinderella Man. A movie about the life story of James J Braddock during the Great Depression. Anyone of you who hasn't seen this movie should see it. Now. By far Russell Crowe's best film. The script was insanely well written, the score was amazingly well used, the cast put in stellar performances, it made you care deeply for the protaganists and the story was the most uplifting I've ever seen. It's the greatest movie I've ever seen.

Rescuers Down Under. Forget the first Rescuers, this sequel was superior in absolutely every way. Don't believe me? Take 5 minutes. Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMr-OaiGnxE

That these 2 movies tanked in cinemas was absolutely tragic. Something went seriously wrong with marketing.


Ratatoiulle was, in my opinion, even better than Wall-E, and its ending was actually the best part of the show, where Wall-E slipped just a little in the climax. The perfect score helped too.



And one severely underrated film was the Odd Couple 2. Heartwarming film revolving around a couple of grumpy old men who love and hate each other. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon of course display their peerless chemistry.

[Dark Galaxy]

The Princess Bride.

Funniest movie I've ever seen... note-perfect every step of the way through.



.

I'll have to second this one. It's a delight the entire way through.
Plus, it has my favorite ever quote from a movie:

Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

Love it!

[LtMarvel]

I guess someone has to at least nominate The Wizard of Oz...

And I would jokingly put forth Valley of the Dolls, but I don't want to be stabbed to death with a plethora of stiletto-heeled shoes...
You never read Peter David's rant on The Wizard of Oz, did you?

[Stacebob]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. For me, the story, the casting, the visuals... everything just came together to make possibly the best film I've ever seen. I've got a massive thing for Gondry's directing anyways, and I love Jim Carey (Truman Show is close to being a perfect film, too), so I was pretty much in love with the movie before I even watched it :P

[thehod]

Once Upon A Time in America
The cinematography is just sublime, as is the direction which understands that sometimes you don't need dialogue to create a memorable scene; the scene with a young Patsy and the cream cake springing to mind. It doesn't lead the audience by the had, but lets them make their own conclusions as to the motivations of the characters and the messages of the film.

Schindlers List
It just is.

[Melbourne Mew Mew]

Millennium Actress for its seamless shifting between the main story and stories-within-stories.

[Alan Lynch]

The Shawshank Redemption. do I actually need to explain why it's so freaking amazing?
Me too. It's a stunning film - the big draw is the cast, who are all excellent. Even the smallest roles in that film are played to perfection. The script is fantastic as well; every line in it feels natural. That ending, the last shot of the beach, has me welling up everytime.

Jaws, without doubt. I've watched it endlessly and never tire of it. While Spielberg might have got lucky having a broken shark he couldn't show, he made the most of it.

[LewisH]

Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon - Bogart is perfect as are all the other players in both these films.

Dirty Harry and the Good the Bad and the Ugly - These films set the tone for
their genres

The Godfather - an amazing adaptation with some of the best actors of the day

Leaving Las Vegas - captures all the emotions its trying to portray and doesn't
cop out with a cheap ending.

[DungeonmasterJim]

I'm going to second The Godfather.

Unless I'm wrong this movie made several stars or was the highlight of their careers. It's also a great story and one of those flicks that sucks the viewer in and keeps them watching. And it's played all the time on tv, seemingly at least once a month if not more every year. It's also faithful to the adaption almost page for page.

And last but hardly least, when it was first aired on tv about everybody in New York city took a piss break in the first commercial break sending the water pressure in the sewer system to an all time low because of the strain.

DM Jim

[jesse_custer]

Le Samourai - It looks like film noir but has the heart of a samurai film. Alain Delon is definitely cool, but it's the subtlety of his performance that sells the movie. The haunting soundtrack is a mixture of Castlevania and Miles Davis. There's not a lot of action in the film, but when it happens, even the slightest action, it's pivotal to the story. The ending is theatrical and cryptic, not necessarily shocking, but provocative.

[B]Miller's Crossing - A gangster film that manages to be poignant and hilarious, the way it plays with film noir devices and typical gangster characters. The opening shot is modeled after the first scene in The Godfather, but the emphasis throughout the film is friendship, not family. Albert Finney is phenomenal as the mob boss with a heart too big (who can kick ass when he needs to), but Gabriel Byrne carries the movie as the master manipulator. Even his mistakes play into his favor it seems. Perhaps the best Coen brothers film out there.


The more I see them the more I'm convinced that Fight Club and American Psycho fit the description as well.

It's the opposite for me. I thought they were both fantastic the first time I saw them, but upon more viewings they seem more flawed. Still good movies, though.

[Karl O'Neill]

Snakes on a plane.:biggrin:

JOKE!

The Godfather II--Just epic and has a satifying ending.
The Dark Knight--Great story-great acting. Intense moments. Cool twist ending and overall awesome chase scene +fight scenes..
The shawhshank redemption--Great acting. Story and camera work-great ending. Powerful words.
To Kill a mockingbird--I love this movie. great message about racism and innocence.

[Pól Rua]

Miller's Crossing - A gangster film that manages to be poignant and hilarious, the way it plays with film noir devices and typical gangster characters. The opening shot is modeled after the first scene in The Godfather, but the emphasis throughout the film is friendship, not family. Albert Finney is phenomenal as the mob boss with a heart too big (who can kick ass when he needs to), but Gabriel Byrne carries the movie as the master manipulator. Even his mistakes play into his favor it seems. Perhaps the best Coen brothers film out there.
'Miller's Crossing' is right up there for me. It's so glorious, so meticulous in its craftsmanship, the whole thing works like clockwork, with all the little pieces operating in seamless harmony. The performances are note-perfect, with even tiny, minor roles presenting themselves as full blown characters.
The dialogue crackles along with its delirious, hard-boiled rhythms, working every nuance of meaning out of each syllable. When it's emotional, it tears, when it's witty, it's utterly charming, when it's intimidating, it's cold as hell. It's sentimental without being cloying, hard-boiled without being a pose, utterly intelligent and demanding of an audience no less than it deserves.
And it's just so bloody beautiful to look at to boot.
If there's any flaw to it, it's that it might be too intricate, too meticulous, to the point of seeming staged and artificial at times, but honestly... I really can't see that as a flaw given the rest of the film.

I definitely second the mentions of both 'My Neighbour Totoro' (utterly, utterly enchanting in a way that I haven't seen anywhere else... Wall-E comes close at times), and 'The Third Man'.

Back to the Coens, though, I have a sneaking idea, 'The Big Lebowski' may be in there too. Again, like 'Miller's Crossing', it's a very crafted and intricate piece, with so many wonderful details that would seem almost thrown together, if they didn't each work so well together.

In a similar vein, and it's too soon to really judge yet, but I'm beginning to think 'Hot Fuzz' may be a contender in the future. Like 'The Big Lebowski', it seems almost thrown together, with so many disparate ingredients tossed in and swirled around, but on viewing, each idea combines with those around it so beautifully. The fact that such detail and precision is devoted to producing a film which parodies over the top cop action films makes its absurdity even richer.

Also, like Lebowski, it's funny as hell, and repeated viewings offer up more and more each time that you never noticed before. A tremendously rewarding film.

I'd love to try and make a case for Jeunet and Caro's 'The City of Lost Children' and the original version of 'Sleuth' with Michael Caine and Sir Laurence Olivier, but it's getting wordy as it is.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj49/staceyskorupski/obrotherwhereartthou.jpg

O' Brother Where Art Thou ?

The Coen Brothers did this film set in the 1930's Depression era south as an ode to The Odyssy" . Clooney plays Everett , a man who with 2 others claim he has a treasure map where he buried all his ill-gotten gains from robberies and all. Unknown to Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson , Clooney doesn't have a map at all. Its all a lie to get back to the woman he loves (Holly Hunter) from jail.

Its got some great shots and the movie is fun. Clooney also reminds me of my dad with his hair and how its going gray there and the rough beard. Plus its not like Everett is a bad man. He just made some mistakes along the way like people do.

[Aspield]

RUN, LOLA, RUN -- kinetic and twisty. The characters are developed through the race against time (and again and again), showing how simple choices change the course of events. Great soundtrack, beautiful characters, and a punchy plot.

ALL ABOUT EVE -- Everyone is either Eve or Margo Channing. It's a simple and universal story about ambition and mentoring, trust and gender, being fabulous and staying fabulous. Tour de force performances by damn near everyone (including a surprisingly funny Marilyn Monroe), a script so tight it takes my breath away, and brilliant lines sprinkled throughout.

B-13 -- An urban dream about one person's ability to flow past the structures around them. The men are ridiculously fine, the story comes together, but the real star is le parkour -- displayed as a normal, human response to confinement. It makes one believe that there is always a way out, if your brain and body are flexible enough.

Slumdog Millionaire -- I hate to admit how much I enjoyed this movie. Brilliant characters following a path that undermines the social script that permits some to be wealthy (and powerful and famous) and requires others to be markedly less (criminals, beggars, servants). Pops of color, fast editing, and a powerfully nuanced score all push the film to stellar heights.

[Karl O'Neill]

Back to the Coens, though, I have a sneaking idea, 'The Big Lebowski' may be in there too. Again, like 'Miller's Crossing', it's a very crafted and intricate piece, with so many wonderful details that would seem almost thrown together, if they didn't each work so well together.



Now we are talking brother Rua.:cool:

[GigaLeo]

Ju-On
Not the U.S version starring Buffy, but the original Japanese version. Just out and out scary. It's a great take on the concept of a curse literally spreading like a terrifyingly unstoppable infection that simply will not stop until it wipes out everything. The handling of the sound is fantastic, very low key and almost silent at times to deliver the maximum scare moment. I think swells of music really ruins a lot of horror movies. If I'm in my apartment and a ghost appears, there's no soundtrack, it's just me, the ghost, and whatever intentions it may have. Ju-On also made use of something that I haven't seen in other films, playing up the idea that the chill you get when you turn around and expect to see someone there is justified, because there *is* something there. There were so many subtle, understated moments that creeped me the hell out. Good job.

The method of storytelling as chapters focusing on different characters at different points of time is fractured, but threads the story together in such a way that you're forced to think about how character A relates to character B in a different time and place. I noticed new things every time I watched it.

Chiaki Kuriyama (who also played Go-Go in Kill Bill) delivers a great, believable performance of someone scared out of her wits, while Takako Fuji, who plays the main ghost is phenomenal as the tortured, angry spirit. Her ability to contort her body and move with such a stuttering/wrenching effort really makes you wince.

Requiem for a Dream
I'll admit I wasn't interested in seeing this movie when my old roommate suggested we watch it, now I have the DVD and toss it in when I'm bored. The storytelling in this movie was unique and jarring, as it should be when dealing with people who are on that downward spiral. It also proved (to me anyway) that Marlin Waynes can act, and can act well, right along with everyone else in the film.

The Game
I went to see this film on a whim when I was in college and wound up loving it. It seems like a gem that always gets passed over. Michael Douglas delivers what I think was one of his best performances going from a straight-laced business man with no time for anything to a broken, wide-eyed victim of the game his brother signs him up for that simply refuses to end.
The story is great, it's the complete and utter breaking down of a man, leaving him raw and vulnerable. Kind of like being in the mind of someone at their therapist in the very moment they have a great breakthrough.

[4PointOh]

City of God (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_God_(film)).

From the camera work, the writing, to the accurate portrayal of the underbelly and what fuels it, to the plain but painstakingly brilliant acting, to the acute and chilling beauty of the cast, to the breathtaking and exquisite Brazilian backdrop, to its brutal, unflinching honesty--I can't find a single thing wrong with this film.

[ducklord]

Wrath of Khan
Seriously, it's everything you could want in a Star Trek movie. Nice character moments, Shatner shouting at the heavens, incredible music, Ricardo Montalban chewing up scenery by the fistful, pretentious literary allusions, and one of the all-time greatest death scenes ever. I'll even defend the bagpipes.

The Matrix
The worst thing about the sequels is that they made people start to doubt the awesomeness of the original. But walk your brain back through the first movie... it really was that cool.

[jesse_custer]

Back to the Coens, though, I have a sneaking idea, 'The Big Lebowski' may be in there too.

It certainly gets funnier every time I watch it. I do find the dream sequences a bit too long, though.

No Country For Old Men is probably what I would cite behind Miller's Crossing. It's amazing how the Coens inject humor into the story without losing thematic power. The action sequences are amazingly done, and the film doesn't seem as constructed as the rest of their work. The ending is also perfect, despite complaints. It effectively reinforces every major theme of the film without being preachy and demonstrates how a great chase doesn't have to end with a guy standing over his opponent's corpse.

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iW5bCdxTvCw/RsIYOvl8nCI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/GbElXrndmFo/s400/medium_welles-citizen-kane.jpg

Citizen Kane: It may be a cliche but it's also happens to be true. I saw the film for the first time in a repertory theater in Dallas. Have seen it many times since. It's just a visual and mental feast. A true masterpiece that changed movies forever. I suppose the only bad thing about it is that Orson had to live up to it the rest of his life. Brilliant.

JMN

[mgs]

The Matrix
The worst thing about the sequels is that they made people start to doubt the awesomeness of the original. But walk your brain back through the first movie... it really was that cool.
I agree.

Also, I'd add:

Disney's Alice in Wonderland
It apparently got ripped when it came out, like 60 years ago or something. But I've seen this recently, and I have to say, it's one amazing piece of animation!

[Tobias March]

What films manage to get everything right, from casting to direction to dialogue to production?

For me, one of the first choices is Boorman's brilliant masterpiece, DELIVERANCE.

I rate it easily as one of the best and most powerful English language films of all time.

Burt Reynolds shows he really CAN act and somehow manages to disappear into the role completely despite being the world's biggest movie star at the time. It almost makes me sad to realize how much of the rest of his career is ego-driven crap.

Everyone in the film is perfect. Convincing, terrifying hillbillies, arrogant soft city men thrust into a situation they aren't even remotely prepared for, lush and sweeping camera work, and a stunning script by James Dickey, who also wrote the novel the film was based on, and acquits himself very nicely as the sheriff who suspects the main cast in the end.

Few films provoke such deep dread. Several scenes gave me nightmares for years, and unlike a lot of seminal movies of desperation, this one holds up fantastically well.

Great, great film, can't think of a flaw in the thing. Probably the high point of every person's career who was involved in it.

I have a few candidates. Repo Man is bizarre, quirky, innovative, well cast, cracking dialogue 'John Wayne was a fag!' and makes startling use of budgetary restrictions (the generic products that line the shelves of the store Emilio Estevez works in).

For me though the movie I will continue to return to is Trading Places.

An unlikely contender for the best satire of 80's greed - Oliver Stone swung and missed, creating a monster with Gordon Gecko - John Landis pitched the film perfectly. The music of composer Bernstein was a great counterpoint to the slapstick action, Ackroyd and Murphy are on rare form, Denholm Elliott is warm and sad all at once and my nascent heterosexuality was confirmed by Jamie Lee Curtis' breasts.

And isn't this the best swearing ever? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M8A1GmniP4)

[Tobias March]

The Princess Bride.

Funniest movie I've ever seen... note-perfect every step of the way through.



.

'Mawiage....Mawiage is wot bwings us togevah....today?'

[spidervenom]

The good, the bad and the ugly. The score, cinematogrophy, characters, everything about it's perfect.

[Steward Ace]

Jaws. When you can't show the 'star' of the movie, you make due with three of the best character actors out there. And as many times as I've seen it, I just enjoy it more and more every time.

Zulu. I don't care if it's historically accurate or not, okay? It's a few men somehow not being killed. And it's got Michael Caine being a stuffy prick, the role he was born to play.

The Searchers. John Wayne could act. Here is proof. And the last scene where he walks out the door into the snowy night, leaving behind the civilized people, always makes me cry.

[raskal66]

For me, The Killing Fields is one of those perfect movies.

While not my favorite film by any stretch, it has everyting I could want in a drama. It has the righteous western reporter trying to show just how tenuous the situation in Cambodia is. He is able to get this information by befriending a native who is trying to save himself and must abandon the only country he's known to do it. When the situation dissolves, the westerner goes back home and can't save the friend.

The questions keep on mounting? Was the reporter a friend who meant his word in trying to get the Cambodian out? Or was he using him for a stroy and awards back home stateside?

You get a gritty look at how the Khmer Rouge's shocking brutality. You get an adventure that never trivializes the violence with senseless shock or false bravado. You get an attachment to a hopeless situation, and you can see the strength of the human spirit through when the body could only feed itself with hope.

It was one of the few movies that made me weep with joy and sadness because I didn't even know I had been pulled in so deep to it until it was over.

It also has a haunting arrangement of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" that I'll never forget as the credits rolled.

[scout1279]

It Happened One Night

The basic plot, two people who don't get along get thrown together and fall in love, is frequently done in romantic comedies, even then, but never so well as here. It's pretty much the movie that all those other movies aspire to be. Some of them come close, and Bringing Up Baby probably equals it, but most just can't capture the same magic. How could they when they're not blessed with Frank Capra, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

[websbestcomics]

Unforgiven
2001: A Space Odyssey

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Another John Wayne classic is one of his funny westerns....


http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd286/mcgegor80/truegrit.jpg

True Grit

Wayne had for years always had to get in shape for his roles and by the time he got to the late 60's it was a big chore for the Duke. Henry Hathaway basically told Wayne he didn't have to be in shape to play Rooster Cogburn . He was told... drink...eat and not worry.

Wayne plays an old US Marshall who is a bitter , drunken , outta shape man . His only friend is a chinese storekeeper next door and his pet cat. He's divorced and seperated from his only son .

This young girl is looking for revenge on the man who killed her father. So she goes to Cogburn to help hunt him down. Along the way we learn that there is a tenderness to this bitter old man. He has a warmth that this girl reaches .

The reason the girl (Mattie) goes to this old guy is that she heard he has "True Grit" and its a word mentioned to describe her as well. As she wants revenge for her fathers death.

[johnnyhotsauce]

Battle Royale - can't beat Beat Takeshi stealing some schoolgirl's cookies and eating them while the students try to survive:tongue:

Infernal Affairs - I liked this better than its' remake, the Departed.

Fist of Legend - Jet Li's best flick and still gets me punped.

[Spiffy]

If were talking Wayne movies, my choice, like Steward Ace is The Searchers. An enormously complex, harsh, beautiful looking movie. There aren't simple questions, or answers in The Searchers. In 1956 the idea of making a movie, particularly a John Wayne Western, with its protagonist's "white hat" being pretty dingy was pretty bold, since the notion of "anti-heroes" hadn't really taken hold yet in Hollywood. Wayne's character Ethan, in fact, is in many ways clearly the villain, although at least some of his rabid hatred is at least slightly justified by events in the early part of the film (and in the book the movie is based on, his attitude is explained even better). From a modern point of view the fact that the film tries to justify Ethan's actions at ALL may be a bit much to swallow, but in the context of 1956 the mere fact that his actions are put under that microscope at ALL is pretty impressive.

Again, NO film is truly perfect. Natalie Wood's performance in particular has always kind of bugged me. But there's a hell of a lot right with this film, and its infinitely more complex than most Westerns of that time.

And since Gail started this whole thread with Burt Reynolds... lets go there again. The Longest Yard. No, not the crap Adam Sandler remake (ptui!). The original. Which is delightful. And was another of the few times Burt actually just damn well ACTED in a film rather than whatever you call what he did later in his career. A sports film where the "game" portion is actually WATCHABLE (that's rare), and a setup for that game which truly makes you care about the stakes.

[JohnPopa]

"Halloween." The original, obviously. Carpenter just keeps pulling the string tighter and tighter and the sense of dread gets worse and worse as Michael closes in on his prey. The performances are right in the pocket, you like the protagonists enough that you aren't rooting for them to die, Donald Pleasance rules as Dr. Loomis, pontificating without totally gnawing on the scenery and he builds up Michael Meyers as the unstoppable force of nature he is. And the ending is the perfect ending to the metaphorical weight of that first story -- which was ruined by continuing the story, of course.

And, most importantly, the movie still scares the shit out of me if I watch it at night, and I'm 36 years old!

[worstblogever]

Blazing Saddles.

Writing, Directing, Casting... Mel Brooks and company knocked it out of the park.

[FalconX2000]

Fist of Legend - Jet Li's best flick and still gets me punped.

Except for the slightly sad ending (it always bugs me when a romance is done for so long and goes out failing, though Misuko Yamada's letter does leave some hope), I consider that movie the epitome of martial arts movies.

[David Wharton]

Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Die Hard.

Each screenplay is a masterpiece, dropping little hints and details which become more important later on in the film, unfolding in a logical, enjoyable way and each is an initial thrill ride that becomes deeper with further viewing. All are simply full of quotable lines and great characters as well.

[Spiffy]

I've always adored Kung Fu Hustle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_Hustle), but nobody else seems to. It's "perfect" aspect is a blend of comedy and action which really stands up on re-viewing. And how can you NOT love a live action film which has characters who are basically Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner? The fricken ROAD RUNNER! Come on! And its got references to The Blues Brothers, Spider-Man, The Matrix, The Untouchables, and a bunch of others.

[Infra-Man]

In a similar vein, and it's too soon to really judge yet, but I'm beginning to think 'Hot Fuzz' may be a contender in the future. Like 'The Big Lebowski', it seems almost thrown together, with so many disparate ingredients tossed in and swirled around, but on viewing, each idea combines with those around it so beautifully. The fact that such detail and precision is devoted to producing a film which parodies over the top cop action films makes its absurdity even richer.

I'll actually vouche for Hot Fuzz as being a perfect movie. It is a cop thriller on steroids, combining cliches to a point where the movie is not so much a spoof of cop thrillers but more like "The Six Million Dollar Man" of cop thrillers--they have made the cop thriller faster, stronger, better. The best thing about Hot Fuzz (which I've literally seen at least a dozen times now) is that every punchline has a set up that comes much earlier in the movie (e.g., the Straw Dogs reference has a payoff, the typos have a payoff, the crossword puzzle stuff has a payoff, the hoodies have a payoff, etc.).


Oh... and I'll also add Shaolin Soccer and Kung-Fu Hustle as being perfect. It is cartoon zaniness and inventiveness in a live action film, both of which set the martial arts assault of absurdity against the backdrop of filthy, banal life. Kung-Fu Hustle combines so many familiar ideas from martial arts movies (masters with exotic weapons, hatchet gangs, deadly musical instruments) and sets them against everyday squalor (or maybe heightened squalor) to good effect. And Shaolin Soccer is the Citizen Kane of kung-fu soccer movies. While I enjoyed Stephen Chow's God of Cookery and King of Beggars and his Fist of Fury flicks (and King of Comedy as well, though that's a different milieu), I think these two movies of his are just top of the pops.


EDIT:
Damn, Spiffy beat me to it as I was geeking out about Stephen Chow too long.

[Your Imaginary Pal]

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

The Incredibles

Taxi Driver

Just the right amount of realism(emotional) balanced with situational fantasy.
I can watch these again and again and not nit pick but so much.

[Your Imaginary Pal]

Awesome list of movies

dude we really need to hang out one day

[4PointOh]

The Incredibles

Oh yes. This one. Definitely.

[GozertheGozarian]

The Princess Bride.

Funniest movie I've ever seen... note-perfect every step of the way through.



.
The only perfect movie in existence. All others are imitations.

[Chris Hansbrough]

Unforgiven
2001: A Space Odyssey

ooooh nice. and on the 2001 kick suddenly I'm finding that Moon has either made or is very close to making this list as it is simply brilliant and subtle. Fantastic movie

[Laurence]

The Mirror - The film equivalent of a James Joyce novel. Pushes the boundaries of the medium like no other film, really.

Distant Voices, Still Lives - How we break each other down, and put each other back together. A few snapshots of a society of circular emotional violence. This one stays with you.

Chimes At Midnight - Written by Shakespeare, adapted by Orson Welles, with Welles as Falstaff. Doesn't really get much better than that, does it?

[Melbourne Mew Mew]

Another anime one:

Macross: Do You Remember Love?, for managing to take a TV show, compress it down into a single movie, and still maintain what made the show great, without feeling like vital material was cut out.

[Capt USA]

Star Wars: A new hope, perfect mish mosh of already established genres to create the first truly great mega blockbuster with appeal to all ages and walks of live. Of course the creation of new technology for the movie helped out (and the re-release screwed it up, Greedo does not shoot first and Mos Eisley shouldn't be that much alive)

Star Wars:Empire Strikes Back, how many franchises have the guts to allow the bad guys to win, making a nearly perfect middle movie (which was somewhat diminished by a less than perfect sequel) One of the biggest cliched scenes (I am your father) but in this movie it worked. (again making Leia the sister was taking it too far)

Shawshank Redemption for reasons mentioned, arguably the greatest movie ever made. Great casting, great showing the passage of time which many other movies have failed to draw the reader into it, but the concept of changing the posters gave the illusion of the years going on.

They Live. outside of maybe Army of Darkness, the best movie that knew what it was and faced itself head on, and delivered quality camp, interesting story, multiple layers to every character, great fight sequence, (which was taken scene for scene for South Parks cripple fight) political overtones added depth to the story and chewing bubble gum and kicking ass is always something great.

Princess Bride, for reasons given prior, there was absolutely no flaw with this movie, including the fact that they didn't kill the main bad guy at the end.

Secret of Nimh (was mentioned earlier) this is definately not a story for the younger kids, but for 10-17 years old it doesn't treat it's audience as if they can't comprehend abstract concepts, incredible animation, good comic relief and a nice story.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n231/Teenager_In_Progress/The_Crow.jpg
The Crow : 1994

Its rare when a comic comes to film and it really follows the book. But with James O'Barr's the Crow , the makers kept it tied to the source material faithfully , not caring if the film was too dark or not. And director Alex Proyas showed he could direct more than music videos.

Brandon Lee was killed during the movie and like Heath Ledger , the Crow role would have likely made him a huge star. Its rare when a film can be that good , have the right music of the era to fit and still be good years later. But the Crow pulled it off.

Its perhaps one of the best comic book films ever.

[FalconX2000]

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n231/Teenager_In_Progress/The_Crow.jpg
The Crow : 1994

Its rare when a comic comes to film and it really follows the book. But with James O'Barr's the Crow , the makers kept it tied to the source material faithfully , not caring if the film was too dark or not. And director Alex Proyas showed he could direct more than music videos.

Brandon Lee was killed during the movie and like Heath Ledger , the Crow role would have likely made him a huge star. Its rare when a film can be that good , have the right music of the era to fit and still be good years later. But the Crow pulled it off.

Its perhaps one of the best comic book films ever.


I'd always wondered. They'd filmed the ending by then?

[bert]

I'd always wondered. They'd filmed the ending by then?

As films are shot out of sequence, the ending was done.

Lee was killed during the later filming of the orignal rape/murder scene (funboy pulls the trigger).

a vast majority of the film was done, but it was finished off w/ stunt-doubles and digital manipulation of Lee's features over other actors where needed.

it's an excellent film.


there's a very good book about how they dealt with the tragedy while filming. . if you can't find it at Amazon, I'll dig around on my bookcase later to get you the title/author.